Arcade and Puzzle Video Games

Mojo! is a 3D puzzle game played with a series of colored blocks suspended in space. Instead of arranging the blocks to create different stacks, players instead control a ball in an attempt to smash through the blocks. All stages are timed, and players can only smash blocks of the same color, requiring them to roll to special areas to change the ball into the correct shade. To succeed, players must quickly plan each move in advance so as to clear the stage using as few moves as possible. Each move reduces a player's available "Mojo," which can only be replenished by collecting the specific number of Mojo blocks needed to advance to the next stage.

Mojo! offers more than 100 stages set within three distinct environments and includes an editor feature so players can design their own custom levels. As the game progresses, players will encounter obstacles in the form of death blocks, repulsers, and attractors that require new strategies to overcome. Some levels also feature multiple platforms connected by warps, portals, and slides. Up to four players can compete simultaneously in specially designed battle arenas as well as a variant of miniature golf that has them quickly rolling the ball toward different holes. The Xbox version also supports cooperative play throughout the main game. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Super Bubble Pop is a 3D puzzle game played on an angled grid of squares arranged in a nine-by-nine layout. Players move one of five characters left and right along the bottom of the screen while shooting multicolored bubbles that appear on the grid. The object is to create a match of three colors in either a horizontal or vertical line in order to remove the bubbles from the screen. Over time additional bubbles will appear, stacking on top of each other and creating new rows in 3D space, thereby pushing existing bubbles toward the character. If the bubbles end up blocking the character's movement, the game ends. A total of 150 timed stages are available, with high score bonuses achieved by clearing a stage as quickly as possible or by chaining together combos.

Pick-ups will also randomly appear, offering characters the temporary ability to freeze rows, flip columns, or a similar power. Each character has a special attack that can be used to keep the bubbles from advancing. In a departure from similarly themed puzzle games, Super Bubble Pop emphasizes dancing and techno-flavored music. Characters will periodically dance as they move back and forth to the beat of four different soundtracks. The Xbox version adds a two-player battle mode that includes power-ups not found in the single-player game, as well as custom soundtrack support. Other Xbox features include a jukebox where users can set the order of music tracks that play during the action, a choice of multiple background effects, and an assortment of bubble skins. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

This third release in the unique series of Oddworld adventure games adds a new dimension as it finds comes to a new platform. The fully-3D Xbox rendition of the surrealistic Oddworld is populated by many strange creatures and contraptions, some familiar to veterans of earlier games and some never seen before. While previous protagonist Abe is a major character in the game, he's joined by the aqua-oriented, high-velocity wheelchair pilot Munch in a struggle against the sadistically scientific Vykkers and the greedy corporate Glukkons. Though they don't always get along, the duo must work together as a team to overcome many obstacles that neither character could conquer on his own.

In this escapade, the hero Munch can use a special power to take control of mechanical devices, while the more athletically inclined Abe has the ability to possess different creatures that the two meet along the way. Though Munch rides in his wheelchair as the pair travels cross-country, he is an excellent swimmer and excels when the adventure leads to a body of water. While players can enjoy this title for its challenging missions and the action of its gameplay, the game is designed with a level of reticulated detail intended to create a dynamic, living world full of quirky events and subtle nuances, making thorough exploration and free-form interaction a worthy experience in its own right. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide