Activision ships three for 360

The Xbox 360 won't be on sale for eight more days, but that didn't stop three of the top titles for the next-gen console from hitting stores today. Activision announced that it has shipped Gun, Call of Duty 2, and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland for the 360. The latter two are rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, while Gun's violence and language earned it an M for Mature sticker. All three will retail for $59.99, $10 more than their current-generation versions.

The first non-Tony Hawk game from developer Neversoft in years, Gun aims to combine the free-roaming gameplay of Grand Theft Auto with a brutal revisionist Western setting akin to the HBO series Deadwood. Players saddle up as Colton White, a gunslinging drifter on the trail of his father's killer. His quest will put him in showdowns with all sorts of Wild West villains, including corrupt sheriffs, fake preachers, hostile Native Americans, and nefarious railroad barons. However, the game's short length garnered its current-generation version a not-quite sparkling review from GameSpot's Greg Kasavin.

Neversoft's other 360 game, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, is the decently reviewed installment of the ever-popular skating-sim series. It follows in the footsteps of Tony Hawk's Underground and its sequel, combining the series' signature skating action with a free-roaming world and an extensive story mode. The plot follows the player's custom-made skater as he arrives in Los Angeles with the dream of becoming a pro skater. Along the way, players will receive tips from various real-life skate pros who appear in the game, including the legendary Tony Alva.

Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360 looks and plays much like the highly rated PC edition of the game. It sees soldiers return to action once again in the European theater from 1941 to 1945. There are three Allied campaigns to undertake, and gamers will fill the boots of Russian, American, and British soldiers in historical battles in areas such as North Africa, Stalingrad, and Pointe du Hoc. It also supports online multiplayer action via five modes: headquarters, capture the flag, deathmatch, team deathmatch, and search and destroy.

Check back soon for GameSpot's reviews of all three of Activision's Xbox 360 games.