Publisher: Scholastic Interactive
Developer: Scholastic Interactive
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

As a parent, I’m called upon to spy a lot of arcane minutia, with my precious little daughter using almost every situation we find ourselves in as perfect fodder to train my brain. In reply to her inquisitive “Daddy, I spy something red,” I hand her a laundry list of items, from a friendly neighborhood ladybug to a squished ketchup packet. “Nope—it’s those little red lines in your eyes.” That’s right, those stinging crimson rivers surging through my optical orbs are nothing but child’s play to my little princess. That being said, the hunt for hidden objects remains a tantalizing prospect for us adventurous gamers, who stare at a monitor for hours hoping to ferret out a carefully concealed platypus hidden in a bed of bottlecaps—a pastime that Scholastic Games looks to explore with their latest Wii release, I Spy: Spooky Mansion.

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Publisher: Konami
Developer: Immersion Games
Genre: Wrestling
ESRB Rating: Teen
Release Date: Available now

Wrestling is one of those activities that just seems made for the world of video-gaming. Love it or hate it, the theatricality of the sport, even on its worst day, is enough to garner a smile and some amusement. Americans probably think of showy wrestling as something home-grown, but Mexico has had its variation, lucha libre (which means “free fighting”) as an organized sport since the early 1900s. Today, the Mexican style of wrestling comes to consoles with Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring.

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Publisher: Team17
Developer: Team17
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now
Review by: Remy Ransom

You can see a trend in the PlayStation Network that almost follows that of Hollywood: taking an old idea and doing what many fanboys call a “reboot.” We saw it with Batman, and it worked well; it most certainly must work well for games. A guilty pleasure here is Bionic Commando, and now Team17 does it’s very own reboot of Alien Breed, its classic game for the Amiga. Alien Breed: Impact is a new chapter for publisher Team17, and based on its success it should have follow-ups almost like those of a comic book.

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Publisher: NCSoft
Developer: NCSoft
System requirements: Windows XP SP2; 2.8 GHz CPU or equivalent; 128 MB graphics card or better (GeForce 5900 Ultra/ATI X700); 15 GB hard-drive space; DirectX 9.0c; broadband Internet connection
Genre: MMO
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now
Review by: Remy Ransom

At one point the PvPvE epic Aion was a highly anticipated game on NCSoft’s lineup. Those in the MMO circuit waited eagerly to see what the successor to Lineage II would truly be all about. Its teaser trailers were fantastically done, and most players drooled over its character-creation scheme. Through its time spent finally reaching North America, it received mixed reviews. The game wasn’t pulling the numbers it was doing in Asia, and it’s player population was slowly trickling downward. Its first free expansion, Assault on Balaurea (a.k.a. Aion 2.0), is NCSoft’s current answer to the problem that most developers have: How to keep the loyal players hooked, and how to bring in the new blood.

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Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Alfa System
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB Rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

I was surprised to learn that the original Phantasy Star series has been around as long as I have, debuting in North America in 1988 – the year I was born. With such a long legacy behind it, any Phantasy Star game has a lot to live up to. Phantasy Star Portable 2 is the latest action RPG in the series set in the Gurhal system. Does it make the cut?

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Publisher: Namco
Developer: Gaijin Games
Genre: Adventure/Music
iTunes rating: 4+
Release date: Available now
Review by: Matthew Booth

One of my favorite moments in the movie Funny People is when Seth Rogen’s character, Ira, asks his would-be-girlfriend, Daisy, if she likes music. Her response is, “Did you just ask me if I like music? That’s like asking me if I like food.” So, to avoid a well-deserved quip from you, I’m going to assume that a) you like music, and b) you like gaming. Guitar Hero: Van Halen is proof that not all music-based games are successful, but Bit.Trip Beat developer Gaijin Games has created a game franchise that harmonizes the gameplay of Pong with 8-bit graphics, chiptune soundtracks and elements of action/adventure games. The result is a fresh approach to music-based games that avoids the status-quo and deserves the attention of all mobile gamers.

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Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Disney Interactive Studios
Genre: Music
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release Date: Available now

YouTube was seemingly invented for times like these. With so many music-rhythm games on the market, it’s inevitable that grown game critics like myself are going to find their aspirations toward higher office dashed when leaked footage of our best Taylor Swift imitation goes viral. That said, there is a huge market for these karaoke jams and its one that Disney Interactive has mined successfully, giving the same fans that made stars out of the High School Musical kids a chance to exercise their pipes in the popular series, Disney Sing It. The latest release, Pop Hits, provides some new tracks to warble the night away.

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Publisher: Konami
Developer: MercurySteam
Genre: Action-Adventure
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

In a generation when so many beloved 8-bit properties have made the leap to the third dimension, revitalizing their brand and teaching gamers new tricks while showcasing their fancy new looks, it’s quite jarring that the venerable Castlevania series has stumbled hard whenever it has stepped aside from its usual 2D platforming action. That damned third dimension has haunted the series like a grim specter, cackling madly each time some foolhardy developer has dared to take a Belmont to the big time – with notable failures marring the series on the N64 and PS2. And while the games have lived long off their 2D Metroidvania design, producing a series of stellar items for the handhelds, their big brothers demand something more. Usually the news that Konami is at it again would leave fanboys laughing maniacally in the dark, but the addition of Kojima Productions, as a guiding light to developer MercurySteam, has made Castlevania: Lords of Shadow one of the most anticipated titles of this holiday season.

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Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: Platformer
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Sonic the Hedgehog is the MC Hammer of gaming. In the mid-1990s, the blazing blue hedgehog blasted onto the scene and dared Mario to keep up. After fumbling for years, Sega finally captured lightning in a bottle, producing a star character they could send toe-to-toe with Mario and crafting a game that measured up to the classic Nintendo action-platform design while in some ways sprinting well beyond it. Mario and Sonic ran neck and neck in the early part of the decade, but eventually hubris kicked in. Following a successful series of inventive sequels, Sega lost its way and began sending Sonic down some perilous paths, and when the time came to leap into the third dimension, Mario stuck the landing while Sonic floundered. Somewhere around the time the rodent went “gangster” and started packing a piece, it was obvious he’d hit rock bottom. All it took was a cameo appearance by the speedster, flying by some familiar looking emerald environments at this year’s E3, to remind players why they chased the hero in the first place. With Sega’s first installment in their new digitally-distributed release, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Sega hopes to set him back on the right track.

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Publisher: Namco Networks America
Developer: Bandai Games
Genre: Puzzle
iTunes Rating: 4+
Release date: Available now
Review by: Matthew Booth

Meet Dr. Kawashima, your new virtual BFF (well, maybe not, but he cares about your brain more than your real BFF), who greets you every time that you load More Brain Exercise, and may even comment on your tendency to train your brain late at night. More Brain Exercise is a puzzle game with a purpose. You may not know it, but the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes of your brain can be trained, and like muscles, can become more effective and efficient at certain tasks. I’m flexing my brain right now as I write this review.

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Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: FPS/RPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: October 19, 2010

After the huge commercial success of Fallout 3, the post-apocalyptic action role playing game set in the ruins of Washington D.C., another game in the franchise seemed almost guaranteed. Fast forward to a couple of years later, and gamers are getting their wish with Fallout: New Vegas. Not a direct sequel to the previous title, New Vegas is simply a new chapter in the same world that has been expertly crafted by Obsidian Entertainment.

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Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA
Genre: Sports
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release Date: Available now
Review by: Benjy Ikimi

I can still remember so clearly, sitting back with that large black controller that barely fit within my youthful palms, playing FIFA 94 on the Mega Drive. Back then, I believed video games depicting this beautiful sport would consist only of short men given obscure fictional names, running around scoring impossible goals and making unrealistic passes. Ah yes, those were the days. Fast forward to the millennium and we have FIFA 11. It’s quite amazing how far EA has come in seventeen years. I never would have imagined back when I was playing games on cartridges that we would reach a stage were you pretty much control players that look, feel and move like the real thing.

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Publisher: Her Interactive
Developer: Her Interactive
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1 GHz CPU, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB hard-drive space, 32 MB Direct X 9.0-compatible graphics card, 16-bit sound card
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: October 19, 2010

Shadow at the Water’s Edge is Nancy Drew’s 23rd PC adventure. Releasing just in time for Halloween, the game is a true horror mystery pitting Nancy against a vengeful ghost at a haunted inn.

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Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Ninja Theory
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

The best games, like the best movies or books, take you on a memorable journey with likeable characters to places you’ve never visited. Too often, however, developers spend more time and effort on the journey and not enough on the characters. Heavenly Sword creator Ninja Theory reverses that trend with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, a game that gives you not just an exciting trip, but also two compelling traveling companions.

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Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Montreal
Genre: Sports
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release Date: Available now

Boomshakala!!! If there’s any phrase that brings me back to midnight marathons spent in my college dorm hunkered around the Sega Genesis and a Multitap; it’s that infectious rallying cry that signaled another monster jam by my dynamic duo of Bill Clinton and Shaquille O’Neill. NBA Jam may have been a mainstay of every early-90’s era arcade, movie theater and bowling alley but it was the home edition and its casual pick-up-and-play game mechanics that solidified the title’s stance as one of the all time greats. Like its kissing cousin, the Midway-produced Mortal Kombat, these titles changed the industry – turning their home console launches into marquee events and bringing more people into the gaming fold. This brought sports games to the masses; making it accessible to anyone who could jockey a control pad and a few measly buttons. Looking to tap into that nostalgia, EA Sports has raided the vaults and handed NBA Jam another shot at the big time.

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