Action & Adventure Video Games

Young wizard Harry Potter and friends get the LEGO treatment in this continuation of TT Games' best-selling video game series. Based on the popular building toy line, Harry Potter: Years 1-4 features scenes, characters, and locales from the first four films, offering cooperative-based action viewed from a third-person perspective. The whimsical sense of humor from previous titles in the series, which include takes on Batman, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, is once again a key part of the experience. Control Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and other notables while attending classes, earning house points, soaring on broomsticks, conjuring magic, and more. Explore Diagon Alley, the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade, and of course, Hogwarts castle, to solve puzzles, confront challenges, unlock secrets, and battle foes. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Konami's Metal Gear Solid franchise continues with this exclusive PSP release, the first on the handheld to be designed and written by series creator Hideo Kojima. The '70s-era storyline focuses on "Naked Snake" and the mercenary-type soldiers under his command. Snake's soldiers are pressed into action when a mysterious, hostile force threatens Costa Rica's peaceful existence. While players will once again rely on stealth to accomplish mission objectives, Peace Walker borrows elements from other genres as well, from the tactics used in real-time strategy games to the character customization found in action role-playing titles.

In addition to the single-player campaign, Peace Walker includes cooperative multiplayer support for up to four soldiers. Key features within multiplayer games include the Co-op Ring and Snake Formation. In the former, players can freely share items, equipment, and even life gauges as they work together to complete various challenges. The latter has one player taking on a commanding role as the rest of the squad focuses on defensive maneuvers. Throughout the game, adversaries can be knocked out and transported to a main base, where you'll be able to gradually expand your team's capabilities using shared resources. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Sony's twisted take on "capture-the-flag" multiplayer action makes its way to the PSP with all the original maps and six new battlefields in Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake. Players once again put on different hats to switch between the five character classes -- Worker, Warrior, Ranger, Mage, and Priest -- in an attempt to capture an overweight royal whose ever-increasing girth makes "rescue" a difficult task. Online action lets two teams of four go head-to-head in Ad-hoc or Infrastructure mode, and there are now 14 multiplayer maps in which to do battle. Each class has special weapons and abilities, and the hat machines, weapons, and castles can be upgraded by using resources collected by Workers. Fistful of Cake features an extended single-player mode, and new multiplayer modes include "Grim Ripper," "Dilapidated," "Demolition," and "Jailbreak." ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

After more than three years without a release, one of Sony's signature platform franchises returns with more exploration, more gadgets, and more vehicular combat in Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier. Gamers once again join the heroic elf Jak and his surly sidekick Daxter as they travel to the ends of their planet to search for ancient Precursor technology that may alleviate a crisis caused by rapidly dwindling supplies of the world's "eco." But finding a new source of eco will not be easy, because the duo must suffer through their own Manichean struggles with light and dark eco, all while battling beastly creatures and fighting sky pirates out to secure the valuable resource for their own subversive desires. Luckily, players are armed with special abilities, a variety of powerful weapons, and five customizable ships for air battles. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Side-scrolling silhouetted rhythm warriors battle to the beat in Patapon 2, a stylish sequel in the visual style of the original, designed by French graphic artist Rolito. As in the original PSP game, players communicate with the little eyeball-like Patapons using rhythms instead of words. They give simple commands, such as "move," "attack," or "defend," by playing particular drumbeat sequences. The game's levels pose platform and combat puzzles. Players must use the correct commands to position their Patapon warriors and have them fight or perform special abilities at the right time, to defeat enemies or exploit the weakness in a giant boss monster. Command sequences must be entered in time with a background rhythm that plays throughout the stage, and so an improvisational percussion song is created as orders are given and fights are fought. Victory is often rewarded with upgrades to weapons or defenses. Patapon 2 features additional drumbeat commands and a new type of warrior, the Hero Patapon, which can be customized to fill a variety of roles in battle. Patapon 2 also offers music-themed mini-games and a multiplayer mode.


Note: The retail release of Patapon 2 comes packaged with a voucher containing a download code, which allows the consumer to obtain the game from PlayStation Network. The package does not include a UMD. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Ben 10 makes his PSP debut in this adaptation of the Cartoon Network's hit animated series. Players guide ten-year-old Ben Tennyson across 14 cel-shaded levels as he sets out to stop an alien invasion led by the diabolical Vilgax. To help save the universe, Ben must use his wristwatch-like Omnitrix to transform into one of five upgradeable alien forms: Fourarms, Heatblast, XLR8, Cannonbolt, and Wildvine. Each alien alter ego offers distinct powers needed to defeat enemies, from Cannonbolt's rolling ability to Heatblast's fire control. More than 80 combo moves are available to use in combat, with the developers borrowing the same style of mechanics used in God of War. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for PSP is an enhanced remake of Japan's Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood, originally released in 1993 for the PC Engine. Players will control one of two characters, Richter Belmont and Maria Renard, while advancing through nine side-scrolling stages filled with monsters. Several levels offer branching paths leading to alternate exits, increasing the total number of playable areas to 13. While the core game design is unchanged, the PSP version features 3D graphics, new music, and added cut-scenes. As a special bonus, players can unlock the original Rondo of Blood as well as 1997's critically acclaimed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Submit to the seedy streets of Vice City in this portable prequel to the top-selling PlayStation 2 game of 2002. British developer Rockstar Leeds revisits a familiar open-ended world while creating an original storyline with new missions and design elements. Lance Vance's brother Vic is the game's lead protagonist, and players will follow the ex-soldier in his bid for power and respect in 1984's corrupt, Miami-inspired metropolis.

The mission structure, controls, and perspective are similar to those introduced in 2005's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, albeit with several notable enhancements. The draw distance has increased, allowing players to see more of their surroundings, the missions are more intricate, and the variety of vehicles has expanded. Players will zip through the narrow streets in various sports cars and motorcycles, take to the air in helicopters or jets, and bob along the water in speedboats or on jet skis.

One of the Grand Theft Auto franchise's distinguishing features is its high production values, and Vice City Stories showcases professional voice acting, cinematic cut-scenes, and radio stations rife with licensed music, satirical commercials, and quirky personalities. More than a dozen '80s era songs include such hits as Dio's "Holy Diver," Ratt's "Round and Round," and Pat Benatar's "We Belong." Multiplayer options offer a mix of cooperative and competitive games playable over an Ad-hoc wireless connection. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Based on the innovative PlayStation original, this PSP edition of Ape Escape sets loose a whole new round of siren-helmeted simians, and challenges players to catch them all before they rewrite history to put themselves at the top of the evolutionary ladder. In the role of the absent-minded professor's plucky companion Spike, PSP gamers must use stealth tactics and an array of goofy gadgets to capture more than 200 escaped monkeys, hiding throughout more than 20 levels on eight historically inspired game worlds. ~ All Game Guide

The PlayStation 2's first and foremost online gaming series deploys on PlayStation Portable in SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo. A single-player campaign sends players through 14 missions of military intrigue and action, set in locations around the world. Multiplayer missions are supported wirelessly, between two PSP Fireteam players. The PSP's Fireteam Bravo also interoperates with the PS2's concurrently released SOCOM 3, through special "cross-talk" objectives. These mission goals require players to accomplish objectives in both versions of SOCOM, to move the shared story forward. When a particular goal is reached on either PlayStation platform, players receive a notification that prompts them to connect the PSP to the PS2 through USB ports, so both versions of the game are updated with new goals and rewards. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide