I never thought that there would ever be a title coming out for the Xbox 360 again. (at least one I would care about) The last title that I had any sign of interest in was Rockstar Table Tennis, and that was released last May. There was Over G Fighters, but I had no intentions of looking at it.

And now in July, we are going to be treated with three titles that I am really looking out for. Just released this week was Lord of the Rings II: Battle for Middle Earth. Not only am I a huge LOTR mark (the films at least; I will admit I never read the books,) but since the game is being produced by Lewis Castle of Command and Conquer fame, I am confident that EA could easily use the new control scheme to make a console based RTS play as good as its PC brethren.

In two weeks, the college football season will finally take place on the 360 with NCAA 07. Now the game might already be out on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox, but I am looking forward to seeing the next gen Madden engine taking its run on the college field.

But what I am really looking forward to is the long awaited 3D Realms title Prey. Announced at the same time as the permanent vaporware known as Duke Nukem Forever, Prey was meant to come out originally for the PCs, but what seems like an eternity later, will also be coming out for the Xbox 360.

The last first person shooter on the 360 to use the DOOM 3 engine was Quake 4, and we know how that turned out.

Fortunately this time around it is not the same case. The engine runs a lot smoother on Prey, and the game itself is unique enough to make me warrant it as a must purchase.

The whole setting is quite strange, taking place on a Cherokee reservation where the main character, Tommy, wants nothing to do with his heritage. But after an alien invasion abducts him, his grandfather, and potential girlfriend Jen among other people to be turned into chow (don't you just love Indian food?), Tommy will soon learn to accept the ways of his ancestors. Mastering the ancient bow is one thing, but having the ability to leave his body and walk in the spirit word is something else!

That alone would be enough to make the game interesting, but what really gets me is the strange ability to walk on walls and ceilings. It's like Alien vs. Predator all over again.

I know Features Editor Greg Crowe will be happy, as he used to be a champion at that game playing the twisting, turning Alien race before he started playing almost exclusively those wimpy puzzle and adventure titles. It won't make chief editor John Breeden very happy though. He used to get sick playing descent, though he won't admit it today.

Not only that, but there are some portals in Prey that might look like normal hollow boxes on one side, but will take you to a whole new area on the other side. There have been times when I have to admit to becoming quite disoriented while playing the demo, and have even experienced severe cases of vertigo. Nonetheless it was quite a strange mind trip and I am looking forward to another dose of that strange mind candy.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Prey when it comes out next week. Yes, it looks like a good time to own an Xbox 360 again. It's about time!

CURRENTLY PLAYING: LORD OF THE RINGS: BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II (XBOX 360)

WAITING FOR: PREY (XBOX 360), NCAA 07 (XBOX 360)