The fall months are typically the most eventful - and closely watched - on the calendar of video game companies. This year is no exception.

With the console wars still in full swing, rumors abound of a 40 gigabyte model of the PlayStation 3 possibly being released and a scarcity of Wiis by Christmas.

And along with Microsoft's Xbox 360, all three systems are hoping to benefit from a slate of new games. But some titles - five in particular - stand a better chance than others of moving their respective system's units.

The top five most anticipated game titles of the fall:

“Super Smash Brothers Brawl” - The Nintendo dream fight franchise heads to the Wii as the sequel to the best-selling title on the GameCube, “Super Smash Brothers Melee.” Pitting Mario, Link, Samus and several other of the game company's superstars against each other in a unique fighting format, “Brawl” stands to repeat its numbers on the even more popular Wii. Helping its chances are new, motion-sensitive controls, Nintendo Wi-Fi multiplayer matches and a packed roster boosted by the addition of Solid Snake, from Konami's “Metal Gear Solid” series.

“Rock Band” - The only barrier to this mega rock star mimicry title is its mega price: $170 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and $150 on the PlayStation 2. Otherwise, “Rock Band” has the potential to go down as the premiere party game of all time. Players press buttons on the necks of the game's custom guitar controller, bang on the skins of a custom drum kit and belt out the lyrics through an attached microphone. The more notes players hit, the more righteously they rock. The title was developed by Harmonix, who was also responsible for many a college dorm room rock-off with “Guitar Hero” and “Guitar Hero 2.” The two next-gen systems' online services will also supply downloadable albums, such as “Who's Next,” by The Who and “Nevermind” by Nirvana.

“Super Mario Galaxy” - As the most pre-ordered title in the Wii's albeit short history, “Galaxy” carries the promise of continuing the prestige of the “Super Mario” series. “Super Mario Sunshine” on the GameCube was seen by some as a slight misstep. But with the Wii's motion-sensitive controls in service of an interplanetary journey that probably involves Bowser and Princess Peach in some way, “Galaxy” could very well claim a spot next to “Super Mario 64” on the short list of Shigeru Miyamoto's finest work.

“Mass Effect” - Sales of “Halo 3” and “BioShock” could very well propel the Xbox 360 through the winter and take the pressure off any new titles to connect to the money train. But “Mass Effect,” a science fiction action role-playing game planned as the first of a trilogy, has the buzz to be another behemoth on the Microsoft system. Developed by BioWare, the game situates players as Commander Shepard, an elite soldier tasked with defending the galaxy against an alien army. Like “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,” a previous BioWare hit, the ending the player reaches in “Mass Effect” is determined in large part by the choices they make during the game.

“Unreal Tournament III” - The latest in a lineage of premiere first-person shooting titles, “UT3” is tentatively set to bring death matches, capture the flag games and all other staples of the series to the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by year's end. Players can blast each other to bits with sophisticated weaponry, on foot or on vehicles, in a futuristic world populated by, well, unreal creatures. As likely one of the last releases of 2007, “UT3” should end an explosive year for video gaming with a suitably large bang.

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net