For anyone who hasn’t been reading regularly, I do a weekly breakdown of PS3 and PSN releases. Well, I’ve decided to help you with your shopping lists by hitting you with the hottest titles coming out in the next three months. This list will certainly have a Sony bias, but if it’s big I want to include it. Fourth Quarter is always huge because of the holiday season and this is no exception.

So why do we need this list? Because there are a lot of cool games and I like to see them in a row to help me decide where to put my gaming dollar. There is also a new trend over the last few years of having different preorder bonuses depending on where you buy your game and I want all our robot friends to get the best deal. Personally, I think Amazon’s pre-order bonus is hard to beat so I’ll link the games to them. Their release day delivery charge is about the same price you’ll pay for tax in a brick and mortar store, they usually have a discount of a couple bucks, and the $10 (or more) credit on future game purchases is tough to beat. Also, their “Wish List” feature makes not-so-subtle hints to loved ones about Christmas (or other holidays of your choosing) all too easy.

So here we go:

October 5:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Limited Edition For PS3 and XBox, if you haven’t heard of Castlevania you haven’t played video games long enough. Stand-alone disc is $60, but fans will want the limited edition (soundtrack and art book) for $80. Preorder bonuses include a $20 gift card at KMart, a t-shirt at Gamestop and a redeemable code for Symphony of the Night on PSN or XBLA at Best Buy.

October 12:

Medal of Honor Limited EditionI’m not an FPS player so I can’t say much about this game but I know it’s anticipated. The limited edition (Battlefield 3 beta; MP7, TOZ194 and 870MCS in-game weapons; special ops skin; and Frontline) is only $60, but I don’t see a “regular” edition so it may just be marketing hype. Preorder bonus is Tier 1 Day 1 code from Gamestop and $20 credit at Amazon.

October 19:
Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s EditionThis one is a no-brainer. This is my most anticipated game this year. I rarely buy games any more because I use Gamefly but I’ve long since preordered the $80 Collector’s Edition (“Lucky 7” poker chips from each of the in-game casinos, “Lucky 38” platinum chip, custom-themed deck of cards, hard cover graphic novel by Chris Avellone and Dark Horse and a making of DVD). There are four different preorder outfits with bonus weapons and items depending on where you get it. Gamestop has the Vault 13 Classic Pack, Amazon gets you the Tribal Raiding Armor, the Caravan Pack comes from Wal-Mart and Steam, and the Mercenary pack is available at Best Buy. Mine is coming from Gamestop for no other reason than I had $60 in gift cards. If I can tear myself away from the game long enough to write it, I should have a review sometime after launch. But seriously, don’t wait for my review. The Collector’s Edition goodies are worth the price of admission alone. You could also try winning a copy here.

October 26:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Collector’s EditionIf I were writing this for a general gaming site I would have picked Rock Band 3 or Fable 3 for this week. But for Big Shiny Robot! it had to be Star Wars. I played the demo for this game at Celebration V and never stopped smiling. You can save $5 at Amazon on the Collector’s Edition (collectible steel book, three challenge levels, Ralph McQuarrie concept art skin, exclusive lightsaber crystal and designer Mimobot 2Gb thumb drive preloaded with a digital art book). They also get you two extra challenge levels for preordering. You can preorder from Gamestop for the “Maulkiller” skin or the Sith Acolyte skin and trading card from Best Buy.

November 2:
DC Universe Online Collector’s EditionTrue Crime and God of War: Ghost of Sparta are both out this week but if you’re reading this site you know this is the one you want. Don’t tell my wife, but this might be my first MMORPG. Make your own hero or villain and fight alongside, or against, your favorites from the DC Universe. PS3 only has the $60 game available but if you’re on PC you can buy just the game for $50 or the Collector Edition for $100. The Collector Edition comes with a limited edition Batman figure based on Jim Lee’s concept art, a back story comic by Geoff Johns, an art book by Wildstorm productions, and the Legends Issue #0 online comic. Preorders at Gamestop will get the online comic even if you don’t get the cool package, plus you get to play as Batman in arena battles and use the Joker’s Confetti Bomb in game.

November 4:

Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures!I don’t own a 360 and I don’t understand the motion gaming phenomena but this is a major release and I would be remiss to skip it. The basic package with the sensor and Kinect Adventures is $150 everywhere. Preordering at Gamestop or Best Buy nets you three extra levels for Kinect Adventures. Amazon gives you a $30 credit on a future game purchase, which seems like a way better deal to me. All retailers are encouraging preorders and may limit the number you can buy. They’re expecting early sell out.

November 9:
The Sly CollectionThat’s right. I’m skipping Call of Duty: Black Ops in favor of Sly Cooper. I’ve already covered one FPS and I don’t want to explain the difference between the basic, hardened and prestige editions. Besides, Sly Cooper is not just awesome, this collection is only $40 for three games – one of them in 3D. I haven’t seen any preorder bonuses but they might announce something small like an avatar for your PSN ID.

November 16:
Assassin’s Creed: BrotherhoodAdding multiplayer for the first time in the series, followers of the franchise have been watching for this game. I’ve played both prior entries on PS3 and Bloodlines on PSP. Preorder this from Gamestop soon and you can access the multiplayer beta starting October 4. They’ll also give you a Harlequin playable character. The $100 Collector’s Edition includes two in-game single player maps, a physical Rome strategy map, exclusive art book, bonus disc with extra media, and a collectible jack-in-the-box (Gamestop’s is the Harlequin version, everywhere else is a basic version).

A special note for Big Shiny Robot! readers, Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet is out today too. It’s for kids, but I bet it’s fun anyway.

November 23:
Nothing to care about this week. Unless you love Michael Jackson or have fond memories of Splatter House

November 30:
Disney Epic Mickey Collector’s EditionThis is the only Wii-exclusive making the list but it’s safe to say it would be here even if there were good games coming this week for PS3 or 360. It’s Mickey Mouse from Warren Spector. How can that not be awesome? No preorder bonuses yet, but Amazon will save you $5 on the Collector’s Edition (special package, 5″ vinyl collectible figure, bonus DVD, Wii faceplate and Wii remote skins).

The month of December is actually pretty weak, probably because everybody assumes Christmas shopping is done and there’s been enough awesomeness already. If you really need another new game this late in the year you might as well get TRON: Evolution Collector’s Edition