Back in the 1920s, sports writers used the term "murderers' row" to refer to the back-to-back power hitters in the New York Yankees lineup. Guys like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig helped the Yankees go 110-44 and sweep the Pirates in the World Series. What, you ask, does this have to do with video games? Well, this fall will deliver us a murderers' row of blockbuster games, anchored by titles like Halo 3, Rock Band, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty 4. In my fifteen years of writing about games, I've never seen such a lineup of back-to-back triple-A hits.

Of course, it's fair to wonder if all those big games will really make it out this calendar year. As is always the case with game development, sometimes titles miss their release dates. The most recent example is the delay of Grand Theft Auto 4 to early in 2008. Originally scheduled to ship in mid-October, the developers at Rockstar decided they needed more time to finish the game. While the game was looking good on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 version was reportedly lagging behind and posing some major development challenges. I have no doubt the game will be great, but GTA4 is definitely one game you can cross off your holiday shopping list.

Now set for a November 5 release, Call of Duty 4 is sure to land at the top of the most rented list.

The biggest release this fall is unquestionably Halo 3, available to rent on September 25.

The stunning game Bioshock has helped kick off the best holiday season ever for games!

Will the GTA delay help or hurt the industry? It's easy to conclude that it will slow down console sales, but pushing GTA to 2008 might also give other games a bit of room to break through the holiday clutter. Even Microsoft elected to release Halo 3 at the end of September so it could steer clear of Rockstar's latest open world adventure. With GTA out of the picture, late October and November looks wide open for new intellectual properties like Assassin's Creed to make a mark. The real question is whether consumers on the fence about next-gen consoles will upgrade to an Xbox 360 or PS3 without GTA, or if they will wait until 2008.

I hope consumers do jump in, because this fall will bring about some truly epic games. Bioshock is already earning rave reviews on the Xbox 360, and rightfully so. It's an early contender for Game of the Year thanks to its stunning visuals and innovative gameplay that blends magic with weapons, combat and puzzle-solving. Although it doesn't feature any online multiplayer, it's right up there with Gears of War in my book. The storytelling, atmosphere, and artificial intelligence are second to none. And while we're talking about already-released games, I'd also suggest you check out Stranglehold from Midway, starring Chow Yun Fat. If you liked Max Payne, you'll love this spiritual sequel to the film Hard-Boiled.

What other games deserve a spot on murderers' row for 2007 alongside Bioshock? You've been hiding under a Warthog all year if Halo 3 isn't first in line. It will likely become the fastest selling video game ever, amassing $155M in sales in 24 hours. While Bungie has been extraordinarily tight-lipped about the game, a few cool tidbits have leaked out. I'm most excited about online co-op mode where you and three friends can play through the entire campaign together. Also look out for the Forge tool, which will let you design your own multiplayer maps. Halo 3 is receiving so much hype, it may be hard for the game to live up to expectations, but I think Bungie has a few secrets still to reveal.

Once we get into October and November the hits really start piling on. EA's latest entry in the Need for Speed series, Need for Speed: ProStreet, arrives on November 1, complete with drift racing and an updated AutoSculpt feature to customize every piece of your car. November 5th will bring about the release of Call of Duty 4, which I'm betting might even eclipse Halo 3 in the online multiplayer arena. The recently released multiplayer beta features some of the smoothest graphics I've seen on the 360, and the gameplay is intense and fast-paced. Look for Call of Duty 4 to steal a lot of headlines. Of course, other titles that can't be forgotten are Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, also due in November, and the dueling music games: Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. And let's not forget BioWare's epic action RPG, Mass Effect, which Xbox executive Peter Moore promised would be out this November.

One platform I haven't yet talked about is the Wii, which should do really well this holiday season. The system continues to be hard to find at retail, but it's bound to only get harder once Nintendo releases Super Mario Galaxy in November and the fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in early December. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, just released at the end of August, is also a great example of how to do a first person shooter right on the Wii (sorry, Red Steel). Now we just have to wait and see if Nintendo will actually deliver online multiplayer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

As you can see, almost every platform has a couple of key releases for the holiday season. So not only is it a murderers' row, but it's also time for true hard-core gamers to buy multiple next-gen systems to experience all these hits. And the best news of all? Once murderers' row is cleared out this year, there's a whole new set of inmates due in early 2008 like GTA4, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Turok. The bottom line: It's good to be a gamer...and even better when you have a GameQ to rent all these games.