The world of Xbox 360 is getting bigger, broader and more exciting with its line-up for the holiday season.

“The fantastic game line up that we have just announced articulates well how Xbox 360 has become the centre of the living room experience. Music & socialising are key components of the youth’s life in the region and games like Lips are all set to revolutionise that experience,” said Aman Sangar, product marketing manager, Interactive Entertainment Business Middle East.

“The holiday season for Xbox 360 is packed with the most anticipated sequels for blockbuster titles and we are aware that locally Gear of War 2 ranks pretty high up on that list.

Some of its new releases include:

‘Lips’ (iNiS/Microsoft Game Studios). ‘Lips,’ an all-new music franchise exclusively from Xbox 360, is the only singing game that offers wireless motion-sensitive microphones and the ability to sing from your own music collection. Start channelling your favourite pop star, because it’s you, your friends and, most important, your music that makes ‘Lips’ the world’s ultimate party experience this holiday.

‘Guitar Hero World Tour’ (RedOctane/Activision). When the house lights go down this fall, a new generation of axe shredders, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with ‘Guitar Hero World Tour.’ The latest installment from the No 1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007.

‘Guitar Hero World Tour’ is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment and will be available for Xbox 360 soon.

‘Rock Band 2’ (Harmonix/MTV Games). Debuting this September, ‘Rock Band’ is developed by Harmonix and published by MTV Games. ‘Rock Band 2’ is the next evolution of the franchise that allows players to virtually step into the shoes of their favourite bands as singer, guitarist, bassist or drummer.

‘Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts’ (Rare Ltd./Microsoft Game Studios). Available in November, from the creative masterminds at Rare, ‘Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts’ is an action-adventure game that breathes new life into a franchise that has entertained people of all ages for a decade. In a platform genre first, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, sea and air in a variety of Challenges where their choice of vehicle and tactics determines the course of the adventure.

‘Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise’ (Rare Ltd./Microsoft Game Studios). In this sequel to the colourful sleeper hit ‘Viva Piñata’ debuting in September, players can venture outside the boundaries of the immersive and ever-changing garden to retrieve exotic piñata species from two new lands, the Dessert Desert and the Piñarctic.

‘Fable II’ (Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios). This action role-playing game offers players an epic storyline and an unprecedented level of freedom and choice. Every decision defines who the player becomes and influences the evolving world around them.

‘Gears of War 2’ (Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios). Epic Games’ design director Cliff Bleszinski gave a stunning new look at the ‘Gears of War 2’ campaign, and confirmed the ability to ride the fearsome Brumak. ‘Gears of War 2’ will be released worldwide on November 7.

‘Halo Wars’ (Ensemble Studios/Microsoft Game Studios). Microsoft is further expanding the ‘Halo’ universe with ‘Halo Wars,’ the blockbuster strategy game designed exclusively for the Xbox 360. A piece of the ‘Halo Wars’ story is revealed through ‘Five Long Years,’ a trailer from Ensemble Studios and Microsoft, which showcases the brutal struggle for control of Harvest early in the Human-Covenant wars. ‘Halo Wars’ will put gamers in command of the entire battlefield, leading both UNSC and Covenant forces.

‘Infinite Undiscovery’ (Square Enix). ‘Infinite Undiscovery’ is the newest fantasy role-playing console game from Square Enix, drawing gamers into a real-time world woven of countless thread