AU Shippin' Out June 1-5: Infamous

With the global games media descending on Los Angeles for E3 2009, it's an exciting time of the year for the industry. For those keen watchers out there, GameSpot will be broadcasting all three of the major press conferences live, starting with Microsoft at 3:30am AEST on Tuesday, and Nintendo and Sony on Wednesday at 2am AEST and 4am AEST, respectively. Although we'll be seeing some big announcements during the coming days, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that there's still some pretty big games coming out this week in Australia, such as Infamous, The Sims 3, and Red Faction: Guerrilla, to name a few.

Developed by Sucker Punch, the studio behind the Sly Cooper series, Infamous tells the story of an urban explorer named Cole, who has gained electrical superpowers after a giant bomb ravaged his home town of Empire City. With the game set in an open world, Cole can jump, climb, and scale buildings all over the city thanks to his impressive athletic abilities. Be sure to check out this impressive PlayStation 3 exclusive when it hits store shelves around Australia on Thursday.

The Sims 3 marks a special achievement for the series because not only is it the third full game to come out in the franchise, but it's also the first game to not be developed under Will Wright. Along with a multitude of new wallpapers and designer furniture, one of the biggest additions is how your sims evolve as they grow up. By assigning them certain personality traits, you'll be able to determine your sims' life goals, giving you something to work towards as the game progresses. You'll also be able to visit other houses in the neighbourhood without waiting around for the world to load; instead, it all happens in real time. The game comes out on June 4.

Red Faction is a franchise well known for its destructible environments, and the latest game in the series, Red Faction: Guerilla, is not about to disappoint. The game is set 50 years after the events of its predecessor, and in it you play as a newly recruited insurgent on Mars, fighting the Earth Defence Force, which has killed your brother and is oppressing the population. As mentioned earlier, you'll be able to destroy buildings in the game thanks to the GeoMod 2.0 technology powering it. The multiplayer component supports up to 16 players via the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, with six modes to choose from. Alternatively, you can play a mode called The Wrecking Crew, which is a pass-the-controller style of mode in which you compete against a friend to wreak as much damage as you can. Expect to see Red Faction: Guerrilla out on Thursday.

It should also be noted that Atari will be rereleasing Fallout 3 this Friday, so anyone who has been struggling to find a copy can struggle no more.

June 04, 2009
Demigod (PC)
Infamous (PS3)
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (360)
Rhythm Heaven (DS)
Damnation (PS3, 360, PC)
The Sims 3 (PC)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (PS3, 360)
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen (Wii)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sacrifice (DS)
Gardening Mama (DS)
We Rock (Wii)
Mind Body & Soul: Nutrition Matters (DS, Wii)
Dragon Ball: Evolution (PSP)
Battle Fantasia (360, PS3)