Summer's hottest video games

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#A number of high-profile new releases are coming out this summer

#The fabled "vaporware" title "Duke Nukem: Forever "may ship in by fall

#Check out "Alice: Madness Returns," "Child of Eden" and more from the summer list.

Here are just a few of the titles you've want to keep at the top of your playlist:

1

Alice: Madness Returns (Electronic Arts, PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- A twisted take on Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" story. Expect a wealth of offbeat puzzles and psychedelic landscapes to explore from this sequel to the critically acclaimed 2000 original. Picking up after the first title ended, Alice (here a mentally disturbed girl whose psychological troubles have created a warped and gonzo netherworld) must fight off quirky enemies while wandering through the surreal alternate reality. Armed with teapot cannons, hobby horses and wicked-looking knives, familiar faces, including the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat, make cameos as you tour a tortured world of warped childhood fantasies and inexplicable chessboard imagery.

Release date: June 14

2

Child of Eden (UbiSoft, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- The music-and-rhythm game genre's viability has been called into question lately, given MTV's sale of the "Rock Band" franchise and Activision's recent benching of the popular "Guitar Hero" series. But this interactive laser light show, a motion-sensing shooter where you blast scintillating shapes by waving your hand to create musical tones dynamically, hopes to prove there's life in the genre outside of "Just Dance." A spiritual sequel to cult classic "Rez" that's designed by renowned game maker Tetsuya Mizuguchi ("Lumines"), its kaleidoscopic effects and space-age soundscapes make it as much a club night warm-up as actual digital diversion.

Release date: June 14

3

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS) -- Hailed as a masterpiece of early 3-D game design, the fantasy role-playing classic has been updated to include 3-D special effects that appear literally to burst from your Nintendo 3DS system's screen. If any title can help turn around the glasses-free handheld portable system's underperforming sales, it's this enhancement of the timeless 1998 Nintendo 64 smash, renowned for its sophisticated gameplay, storyline and challenges. In addition to the original game and more-difficult Master Quest, which offers differing dungeon layouts and puzzles to enjoy, freshly added touch controls should make the experience more accessible to newcomers.

Release date: June 19

4

NCAA Football 2012 (EA Sports, PlayStation3/Xbox 360) -- As the virtual collegiate gridiron's perennial Heisman Trophy winner by default (being the only game in town), the reigning champ of university-level football simulations doesn't always deliver an MVP performance. Although it's more a new iteration than true innovation, this year's edition, we expect, should go the distance with improved collision detection for more accurate tackles and striking visual upgrades, including better lighting, 3-D grass (no, seriously) and more lifelike players.Aiming to improve the game's overall pacing and fluidity while also adding high-tech replicas of authentic school game-day traditions such as Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck (Google it), here's hoping it's a game-winning effort.

Release date: July 12

5

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square-Enix, PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- "Blade Runner" fans would do well to check out this open-ended, sci-fi role-player, the latest in a best-selling series praised for the sheer freedom of choice it offers fans. Set in a bleak, futuristic Renaissance world with an equally gritty and atmospheric storyline, players must use biomechanical implants to gain superhuman abilities that make sneaking past or splattering enemies simpler. A mature global conspiracy thriller, it doesn't pull punches, letting you attack scenarios using many tactics from stealth to combat, hacking or puzzle-solving, ensuring that the title never plays the same way twice.

Release date: August 27