Publisher: Relentless Software
Developer: Relentless Software
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

When we last left off in Blue Toad, the ordinary townsfolk of Little Riddle were getting snuffed out as frequently as extras on The Sopranos. Presumably, you’ve finished the first three episodes and now you’re wondering what to expect with the final three. No surprise, it’s much more of the same, if not a bit more challenging, and thus, lengthier. You’ll be hearing plenty more lines from the overly chatty narrator and you’ll be tasked with solving more of the same riddles and puzzles that this town is notorious for throwing at you.

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Publisher: Relentless Software
Developer: Relentless Software
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Riding the cusp of a jolly good job well done, your detective avatar is sent for some much deserved r & r in the quaint, picturesque village of Little Riddle. As fate has it, though, you soon find that Little Riddle is so crime-infested and violent that it makes Detroit look like Mayberry. And thus, as the enterprising detective you are, you’re forced to cut your vacation short and solve all of the various transgressions of Blue Toad Murder Files: The Mysteries of Little Riddle (gasp for breath).

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Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Tarsier Studios
Genre: Fighter
Release date: Available now

There are massive Dragon Age: Origins games that tie up your life for 40 hours or more. There are casuals such as Peggle or Zuma that are addictive enough to keep you playing just as long. And then there are those that you can pick up, enjoy for a couple of hours, then put down without forcing your spouse to send a sherpa out to bring you to the dinner table. Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic is just such a game. It’s a combination of colorful graphics, button-mashing gameplay and cheesy music and effects that won’t monopolize your free time, but will still have you coming back for more.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Tiburon
Genre: Sports
Release date: Available now

It’s Sunday. It’s halftime and the Bears are down by 24. Cutler has already thrown three interceptions, but you still have hope for a strong second half. Your phone rings. It’s your fiancé. She wants you to pick her up at the airport. You have to leave in 15 minutes, but you need to know how the game is going to end. You think to yourself, “I need a simulation. I’ll play Madden and see what happens.” You don’t have time for a full game of Madden so you decide to play Madden NFL Arcade instead. You win by a landslide, and your hopes for a Bears comeback soar. Unfortunately, in real life you can’t turn your opponent into a block of ice or make your receivers fast as lightning. You get home from the airport and find the Bears have lost by 40.

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Publisher: Sidhe
Developer: Sidhe
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now

Grab your shiniest shirt and your favorite glow stick; we’re hitting the clubs. Well…not actually, but playing Shatter will make you feel like you’re grooving at the swankiest spots. This game can only be described as Brick Breaker at a rave party. While the same basic mechanics of trying to keep a bouncing ball from dropping off the screen are present, it has so much style you might forget you’re playing it while wearing pajamas in your parents’ basement.

Shatter is, however, more than just another take on the brick breaking formula that has been around for decades. Sure, you’re still charged with clearing out stages full of blocks by slamming balls against them, but Shatter updates this tried and true formula with a modern look, trendy sound, advancements in gameplay and dazzling effects. Once you unleash your first ricochet-like combo, the shards explode all over the screen and the techno hits its groove, you’ll be glad that you’re playing this on your 52-inch HDTV and not your TI-86.

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Publisher: Zen Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release date: Available now

With the release of games such as The Punisher: No Mercy on PSN, we might just be witnessing the decline of the bargain bin. Why waste time and money manufacturing hard copies of a budget game and shipping them to retailers when you can distribute the game digitally at a cheaper, more attractive price? The current generations will be Web browsing through the latest B-list games such as No Mercy instead of doing what we all did as kids: walking to the mall and thumbing through the waist-high piles of cartridges at FuncoLand.

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Publisher: Tik Games
Developer: Creat Studios
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now
Review by: James Dolbeare

It takes a lot of staying power for a game to remain popular for more than a century. Mahjong has been around for about 2500 years, so by any account, the game has enduring appeal. But can a game like Mahjong succeed on a next-gen gaming platform such as the PS3? TikGames and Creat Studios think so. With Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom, the developers have brought Mahjong to the Playstation Network, and have added some new flourishes to boot.

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Publisher: TikGames, Creat Studios
Developer: TikGames, Creat Studios
Genre: Puzzle
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

There’s grandma, quietly putting together a jigsaw puzzle by the fireplace, listening to Bing Crosby and yelling single-syllable curses at the fichus plant. Flash forward two generations to Tetris; two lines from the top and all you want is a @#$%! straight piece. I could go on further about color matching, role-playing elements and a host of other complications that can cause unpredicted swearing in the puzzle genre, but I won’t. I’ll just say that Cuboid is a dirty little %#@$ and its simplicity is beautiful.

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Publisher: SCEA
Developer: thatgamecompany
Genre: Casual
Release date: Available now
Review by: Matthew Dart

If you ever thought that controlling flowers to combat the ugliness of the world (and support the ecosystem to boot) would make for an exhilarating video game, then think no more. Developer thatgamecompany’s Flower brings captivating visuals, musical elegance and a unique play style that anyone can love, despite its hippie premise.

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