AU Shippin' Out August 9-13: Madden NFL 11

It's that time of the year when EA Sports releases its annual franchises, with this week marking the release of Madden NFL 11 in Australia. New additions to this year's iteration include an improved play-calling system called GameFlow (which aims to streamline the decision process), a new commentator, and more. Unlike its North American release that launches on every platform known to man, Madden NFL 11 will be available only on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 when it arrives in Australia later this week.

If sporting action isn't your thing and you prefer to employ those skills on the battlefield, then perhaps the two WWII strategy games deploying this week might spark your interest. The first game, Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943, is (as the name suggests) set in 1943 during Germany's last victory in the East and takes place from both the German and Russian perspectives. The second WWII-themed game, Making History II: The War of the World, is a much more in-depth strategy title and requires more than just tactical knowledge to win. Factors like supplying troops with food and ammunition, while balancing the political landscape of countries you're operating in, will have to be taken into account. Both of these wargames will be hitting storefronts this Thursday.

Next week sees the release of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days from Eidos Interactive and Level 5's popular Japanese role-playing game Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. For the full list of releases, be sure to keep an eye out for AU Shippin' Out.

August 9-13, 2010
Madden NFL 11 (PS3, 360)
Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943 (PC)
Black Mirror II (PC)
Making History II: The War of the World (PC)
Tropico 3: Absolute Power (PC)