Shippin' Out July 5-11: The Bigs 2, Tales of Monkey Island

After a July 4th weekend that saw a myriad of fireworks spangle the sky, gamers may find that this week's game selection is especially bleak by comparison, with only a handful of new releases.

One new game, at least, will allow Americans to celebrate one of their country's iconic mainstays: baseball. In 2K Sports' latest baseball game, The Bigs 2, players will notice several modifications over its predecessor, including a wheelhouse pitching mechanic, an updated Rookie Challenge mode, and regular Season mode. The E-rated game will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation Portable.

Telltale Games will release the first chapter of its episodic adventure series Tales of Monkey Island for the PC this week exclusively as a digital download. The upcoming chapter from the Monkey Island franchise will feature original cartoony characters, such as pirate Guybrush Threepwood and the ghost LeChuck. The first chapter, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, will come out this week, with each of the following four chapters to be released every month for the next four months.

2K Games will release a new bundle of the dystopian first-person shooter BioShock and fantasy role-playing game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The BioShock & The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Bundle will bring together two commercially and critically acclaimed games, with BioShock and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion both shipping more than 1.5 million copies less than three weeks after release.

Rounding out the pack is 505 Games' modern first-person shooter ARMA II. The game has already been available in Europe and for worldwide download on Steam, but it will finally hit North American shelves in physical form this week. The follow-up to ArmA: Armed Assault, this successor features new characters, improved AI, and an online multiplayer mode.

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's new releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

JULY 5, 2009
No new releases scheduled

JULY 6, 2009
No new releases scheduled

JULY 7, 2009
ARMA II--PC--505 Games
The Bigs 2--PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360--2K Sports
BioShock & The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Bundle--PC, X360--2K Games
CID The Dummy--PC, PS2, PSP--Oxygen Interactive
Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal--PC--Telltale

JULY 8, 2009
No new releases scheduled

JULY 9, 2009
No new releases scheduled

JULY 10, 2009
The Hardy Boys: The Perfect Crime--PC--Dreamcatcher

JULY 11, 2009
No new releases scheduled