Keeping track video game releases isn’t as easy as it once was — the volume of games released each week is constantly expanding, and they’re spread over a mind-boggling array of platforms (consoles, PC, Mac, handhelds and mobile).

Well, I’m here to make things a little easier on you. Every week I’ll rattle off five games I think you should check out. These articles are not meant to be comprehensive lists of everything coming out that week — think of them as a nice rounded tasting menu. Each week I’ll try to highlight several games from different corners of the gaming landscape (handhelds, consoles, indie, PC, you name it) then finish up with a “Pick of the Week”.

Hit the jump for the five games you’re going to want to check out this week…

This Week’s Uh, Well, It’s Madden!

Madden NFL 25 (Xbox 360 & PS3, August 27th)

Hey Madden fans! It’s that special time of the year when GameStop calls you and tells your pre-order has come in and you remove the disc for last year’s Madden from your console then put in the disc for this year’s! Hooray!

This Week’s Summer Game About Ice And Snow

Lost Planet 3 (PC, Xbox 360 & PS3, August 27th)

Capcom keeps on a-tryin’ with the Lost Planet series. Lost Planet 3 looks to be a return to the style of the original game, with more of a focus on story and of course lots of snow and ice. Previews and Japanese reviews have been solid, so hopefully this western-developed sequel is more DmC: Devil Cry and not so much the 2009 version of Bionic Commando.

This Week’s Do-Over

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PC & PS3, August 27th)

It’s been nearly three years since Final Fantasy XIV was released to withering reviews and gamer indifference, but now Square-Enix’s big do-over has finally arrived. A Realm Reborn, which features a rebooted world, new graphics, a revamped interface and beefed up servers, will almost certainly be better than the original version of the game, but does it have what it takes to compete with fellow MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2? We shall see.

This Week’s Suda-51 Slice Of Crazy

Killer Is Dead (Xbox 360 & PS3, August 27th)

Killer Is Dead, the latest concoction from grindhouse game developer Suda-51, looks like it could be a sequel to almost all of his most popular games — it’s got the visual style of Killer 7, the structure of No More Heroes and the general perviness of Lollipop Chainsaw. Apparently it’s not actually a sequel to any of those games though. Go figure. Anyways, if you’ve ever enjoyed a Suda game before, you’re pretty much guaranteed to like Killer Is Dead too.

Pick of the Week

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (Xbox 360, August 28th)

Despite it’s rather freakish character designs, TMNT: Out of the Shadows looks like it’s going to be a fun, straightforward little brawler, which is exactly the kind of game you ought to be playing in these last waning days of summer. Well, if you own an Xbox that is — for some reason the PS3 version of the game isn’t coming out until September 24th.

A lot of question marks this week. This could be a good week, or a not-so-good week depending on how the reviews come down. Planning to grab any of the above-mentioned games? Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let everyone know.