The ten most anticipated pre-Christmas 2008 DS releases

You can tell Christmas is on the way because all the shops have started selling decorations despite the fact that we're barely out of September.

Yes, it may only seem like five minutes ago you were attempting to fake interest after tearing the wrapping off yet another pair of socks or novelty Y-fronts, but there is one good thing about the Yuletide period (aside from the opportunity to gorge yourself on turkey and watch a James Bond movie on telly): Christmas is officially silly season as far as video game releases are concerned, with every publisher invariably storing up their biggest titles in order to push them onto the market so they can drown in a sea of similar games.

What fun.

Sensing that it's our duty to help you penetrate the murk of this potentially befuddling release schedule, here's ten of our picks for the Nintendo DS. All of these titles are out sometime between now and Christmas so start saving.

The ten most anticipated pre-Christmas DS 2008 releases

10. Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 Developer: Namco Bandai Publisher: Namco Bandai Released: November We know what you're thinking. Previous Tamagotchi games have been about as exciting as watching paint dry, but bear with us on this one. The sheer amount of potential in Namco Bandai's evergreen toy range is bound to transfer into a decent video game sooner or later, and this might just be it. As well as boasting more shops, more characters and even the ability to creature your own park to play in, you can also connect and share items with other players using the trusty wi-fi service. Is our optimism misguided? Probably, but we still have fond memories of playing with our virtual pets back in the late '90s, so leave us be, okay?
9. Dragon Ball: Origins Developer: Namco Bandai Publisher: Atari Released: December With the live-action Hollywood adaptation looming on the horizon it's fair to say there's a wee bit of interest in the world of Dragon Ball at present. However, as the title suggests, Namco Bandai has decided to go back to the very beginning with this latest DS instalment. Promising gorgeous 3D visuals, plenty of fiendish puzzles and an entirely stylus-driven interface, Origins should keep hardcore Goku fans contented during the holiday season. For everyone else, it should offer an intriguing insight into the history of one of the world's most popular anime series.
8. Need for Speed Undercover Developer: EA Publisher: EA Released: November Love it or loathe it, the Need for Speed brand continues to attract a healthy audience, often regardless of the actual quality of the game themselves. However, this latest offering comes with a distinctly edgy feel and developer EA claims it will revisit the roots of the series for a purer driving experience. What has us really excited is the grand-sounding 'Heroic Driving Engine' – a system that promises to both thrill and entertain as it generates death-defying moves at stupidly high speeds. Cripes! Sounds pretty amazing to us, but then again some of us get a nose bleed whenever we drive above 30mph in the real world.
7. Tony Hawk's Motion Developer: Creat Studios Publisher: Activision Released: November Personally speaking, I've found Mr Hawk's recent outings to be a little on the tedious side, but in a neat turn of events it looks like the DS is going to get one of his most innovative titles yet. Motion is set to showcase accelerometer controls – not that big a deal when you consider this technology is readily available in the mobile phone market and there's even been GBA games that make use of it, but what has us drooling with anticipation is how it will affect the tried and tested Hawk game play. The addition of action-puzzler Hue Pixel Painter – an unrelated game which also relies heavily on tilt control – should make this a very attractive package.
6. FIFA 09 Developer: EA Publisher: EA Released: October Footy games on the DS are something of a strange breed, largely due to the fact that the machine's control set-up isn't really suited to this genre. Thankfully EA's long-running FIFA series is getting better with each appearance, having already had several agonisingly close attempts on goal. The publisher has promised to engineer the DS edition so it will take full advantage of the machine's unique facets and has confirmed that the much-hyped 'Be a Pro' feature will be included. Based on recent form, this will hopefully find the back of the net.
5. Metal Slug 7 Developer: SNK Playmore Publisher: SNK Playmore Released: November A few eyebrows were raised when SNK Playmore announced that the latest instalment in its much-loved run-and-gun series was coming to the DS, but when you consider how popular Nintendo's handheld is these days and take into account the recent success of Konami's sublime Contra 4, it's not such a shock. Granted, the 2D visuals don't look quite as impressive as in previous games due to the relatively low resolution of the handheld's display but the all-important gameplay appears to be present and correct and fans of the franchise should find much to like here.
4. Tomb Raider: Underworld Developer: Crystal Dynamics Publisher: Eidos Released: November Lara may not be the spring chicken she was when she made her earth-shattering debut a decade ago but a new Tomb Raider game is still a big deal. With Eidos and developer Crystal Dynamics making lots of fuss about Underworld being the first game in the lineage to be created with next generation consoles in mind, there's a danger that the humble DS version might get lost in the hubbub but we have high hopes that it will be an improvement of the lacklustre Tomb Raider: Legend, which we deemed to be a bit of a stinker on DS. Lara definitely deserves better.
3. Quantum of Solace: The Game Developer: Vicarious Visions Publisher: Activision Released: October Daniel Craig might not 'be' James Bond in the eyes of many fans but Casino Royale was a jolly decent slice of cinematic action. We've therefore got extremely high hopes for the sequel, and with Activision taking control of the home console versions after EA's largely disappointing tenure, there's just as much reason to be optimistic about the video game adaptations, too. A robust and original touchscreen control method is promised, along with a refreshing mixture of tense espionage and explosive action. We're hoping this release is going to leave us – yes – shaken and most definitely stirred. (Sorry.)
2. TrackMania DS Developer: Firebrand Games Publisher: Focus Home Interactive Released: November This has been on our radar for what seems like an eternity now but come November time the wait will finally be over. TrackMania, for those of you that don't know, is based on the hugely popular PC racing series. Placing a strong emphasis on accessible fun and customisation, this DS version will ship with a fully-functional track editor so you can create your own thrill-packed racecourses and hit the asphalt with your friends using a local wireless connection. We previewed TrackMania DS not too long ago and came away thoroughly impressed.
1. LEGO Batman: The Videogame Developer: TT Fusion Publisher: Warner Bros Released: October Having successfully conquered the worlds of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, LEGO has now turned its attention to the eclectic inhabitants of Gotham City. Not only will you get to don the famous bat suit, you'll also be in control of The Boy Wonder and other notable characters in the Batman universe – including bad guys like The Joker, The Riddler and Two Face. The gameplay doesn't seem to be a million miles away from that seen in previous Lego titles, but our fingers are firmly crossed that it doesn't turn out like the lamentable LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. We still have the odd nightmare about that one.