Traditionally, as the height of summer approaches, the game-release schedule shrinks--the conventional wisdom being that most people are on vacation, engaging in outdoor activities, or plunking down their dollars to see big-screen blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. That certainly seems to be the case this week, which will see less than a dozen games hit store shelves.

　　But while the week's release slate may be light, some of the titles on it are heavy hitters indeed. Foremost among them is Prey, the much-anticipated shooter from 2K Games. Loosely based on the canceled shooter from 3D Realms, which oversaw Human Head's development of the current game, Prey shipped for the Xbox 360 and PC on Tuesday. The game, which received decent reviews, is rated M for Mature and will retail for $59.99 on the 360 and $49.99 on the PC.

　　Prey's only competition on the 360 will come in the form of Chromehounds from Sega. Developed by From Software, creators of the Armored Core series, the game centers on third-person mech combat, with multiplayer Xbox Live battles playing a key part. However, while the game shipped today, its online component got off to a shaky start, not allowing players to log onto Xbox Live until late in the afternoon.

　　The rest of the week's releases are a mixed bag of lower-level PC titles, including VU Games' Outlaw Chopper, DreamCatcher Interactive's First Battalion, and Wings of Power II - WWII Fighters, a third-party add-on for Flight Simulator 2004. There is also a single PlayStation 2 release, Ultimate Board Game Collection, which had been slated for the previous week but has since slipped without explanation.

　　This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates subject to change).

　　JULY 11, 2006

　　Chromehounds (Xbox 360)

　　First Battalion (PC)

　　Outlaw Chopper (PC)

　　Prey (Xbox 360, PC)

　　Ultimate Board Game Collection (PS2)

　　Wings of Power II - WWII Fighters (PC)

　　JULY 14, 2006

　　Oil: Build an Oil Empire (PC)