Heads-up: What's new this week

A look ahead to Friday's new releases.

Welcome to Heads-up, VideoGamer.com's weekly feature which gives you an at-a-glance run-down on the games you'll be able to buy or rent this weekend. Every Tuesday we'll pick out the best of the bunch, link to our reviews and previews and keep you in the video game loop so you have enough time to pre-order for Friday's post. Time to splash the cash.

Recommendation of the Week: Fable II - Xbox 360
Fable II isn't a masterpiece but it's damn close to being one. If you're at all interested in RPGs, especially those that offer real choices, don't hesitate to pick this up on Friday. We'd have liked a little more polish applied to the visuals, but those niggles aside this is a game that you'll be playing and talking about for months to come. Lionhead must have been under an enormous amount of pressure to deliver with this Xbox 360 exclusive and it's delivered in spades. In a week packed with massive releases, Fable II takes the top honour.

Recommendation of the Week: Dead Space - Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
If Fable II lacks polish, Dead Space positively has it seeping from every dismembered alien body. Things do get a tad repetitive towards the end, but play Dead Space with the lights down and volume up and you're unlikely to want to leave the house any time soon. While we await Resident Evil 5 for a potential reinvention of the survival horror genre, Dead Space is about as good as you can get on the current consoles. We challenge you to not get freaked out by the obscene noises this game bombards you with at every opportunity.

Recommendation of the Week: Far Cry 2 - Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
On the look out for a free-roaming FPS set in Africa? Want to set fire to a tree and watch it spread over a dry grassy field, with smoke moving in the direction of the wind? Own a gaming PC, Xbox 360 or PS3? Well, you're in luck, as Far Cry 2 is that game. If you've got the cash we recommend you pick this up alongside the other handful of games you'll be getting on the 24th or at least add it to your 'to buy' list.

And the rest...
Back to the Barnyard - DS
Battlestrike Force of Resistance - PC
Blitz: The League II - Xbox 360 and PS3
Buzz! Junior Ace Racers - PS2
Cake Mania 2 - DS
Celebrity Sports Showdown - Wii
Combat Wings Battle of Britain - PC
Disaster: Day of Crisis - Wii
Dragon Hunters - DS
Guinness World Records: The Videogame - Wii and DS
Imagine Figure Skating - DS
Margot's Word Brain - Wii
Marine Sharpshooter 3 - PC
Midnight Club: LA Remix - PSP
Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Xbox 360 and PS3
Monopoly - Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii
Moto GP 08 - Xbox 360, PS3, PC and PS2
Order Up - Wii
Spider - Man: Web of Shadows - Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS2, Wii, PSP and DS
Star Ocean: First Departure - PSP
T-34 vs Tiger - PC
Tamagotchi Connexion Corner Shop 3 - DS
The Guild 2 Venice - PC
Transformers Animated - DS
Whats cooking? Jamie Oliver - DS