Fact or Fiction: There will be 20-25 titles available on launch day.

Fiction: While I believe that there will be 20-25 titles available during the time Microsoft terms as the “Launch Window” (November 22nd 2005 to February 2006), I don’t see any way possible for that many titles to be available on launch day. At this point, based on the latest builds of the games slated for the launch period, I see a total of 17 games being available on November 22nd:

Call of Duty 2, Kameo, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Dead or Alive 4, Perfect Dark Zero, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, GUN, Madden 06, NBA 2K6, NBA Live 06, Tiger Woods 06, NHL 2K6, FIFA 06, Peter Jackson’s King Kong, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Ridge Racer 6 and Quake IV.

With any luck, we might get Oblivion and Project Gotham 3 if both Bethesda and Bizarre Creations burn the midnight oil to try and get these two titles out the door. I still don’t see them as making launch day, but maybe by middle December.

In my opinion, just adding these two games could make a huge difference in how the launch of the Xbox 360 is perceived by gamers. Without these two available on day one, it will leave a hole in the Role Playing and Racing genres. And before you ask, neither Need for Speed: Most Wanted nor Ridge Racer 6 can fill the void that will be left by a missing in action Project Gotham 3.