Arcade and Puzzle

The third entry in the TouchMaster series of stylus-based mini-games once again finds players flicking their way through a variety of touch-screen activities. There are 20 different mini-games spread across five categories, and players earn trophies, badges, and medals for completing the five achievements associated with each mini-game. New goal-oriented gameplay means there are no more time constraints, and gamers looking for multiplayer fun can wirelessly share Touchmaster 3 with a friend using the single-cart Download Play option. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

In A Boy and His Blob, players take the role of a young hero out to save an entire planet, with the help of an amorphous, alien ally and a pocketful of jellybeans. To help his new friend Blobert, an adventuresome little blob who came to Earth on a desperate mission, the boy has travels to the world of Blobonia, to defeat an evil emperor who has seized the throne. As in the classic 1990 Nintendo Entertainment System original, jellybeans of different flavors allow the blob to transform into different useful items, such as a ladder, a trampoline, a shield, an anvil, a parachute, and even a portable hole. These items allow the boy to make his way through 40 multi-tiered, side-scrolling platform levels, full of both dangers and treasures. More than a dozen flavor-based transformations are available, including all the jellybean types featured in the NES original as well as several new flavors. The Wii remake features hand-drawn characters and backgrounds, giving the game the appearance of an animated feature film. A Boy and His Blob was designed by veteran developer WayForward Technologies, creator of many character-driven games for Game Boy and Nintendo DS, as well as the WiiWare game, Lit. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The world's most famous "gourmet" jellybean gets a bit of cross promotion thanks to more than 150 action-packed levels in this puzzle title from Zoo Games. Players blast jellybeans out of a cannon and into matching cups, navigating complex puzzle patterns, earning bonuses, gathering power-ups, and garnering high scores along the way. There are five different game modes and eight themed game worlds, including Halloween, Space, and Sport themes. Solo gamers can take on the "Beantastic" mode or concoct new jellybean flavors in "Recipe Mode," while those looking for human competition can square off against friends in "Battling Beans" mode. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Roogoo Attack is the Nintendo DS edition of SpiderMonk Entertainment's shape-matching puzzle game. In Roogoo, players manipulate discs with holes of different shapes, reminiscent of a toddler's toy, in order to allow objects of different shapes to fall through. The action moves from disc to disc, each of which must be turned to line up the correct hole for the dropping object -- a circle, square, triangle, star, heart, or object of another shape that falls from above. The DS game features more than 100 puzzles set in ten themed environments. Puzzles become more sophisticated as players progress. Single- and multi-card multiplayer option are available over a local wireless connection, with a selection of competitive game modes. When Roogoo Attack is connected to the concurrently released Wii version of the game, Roogoo: Twisted Towers, additional levels are unlocked for play in both games. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Electronic Arts and Steven Spielberg team up again for 400 new levels of physics-based block-busting action in this sequel to the 2008 game that was, quite literally, a smashing success. Boom Blox: Bash Party picks up where its predecessor left off, with gamers using their Wii Remote to topple towers and strategically destroy blocks through a variety of themed environments. Bash Party flaunts its physics engine by sending gamers into outer space and deep under the ocean, while new blocks and tools, such as cylinders, paint blocks, the virus ball, and the slingshot, offer players an assortment of new ways to create havoc and destruction. Multiplayer options have expanded as well, with more chances for co-op or head-to-head play, and an all-new team mode. The game includes a series of new characters, each of whom can be thrown, grabbed, and launched just like any other block, and gamers with an Internet connection can head online to download new levels or use the "Create" mode to design and share custom levels of their own. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Infinite Interactive, the developer responsible for the puzzle/RPG fusion game Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, aims to spice up another genre with Puzzle Kingdoms. Though superficially a "match-three" puzzle game, Puzzle Kingdoms nevertheless offers a deeper empire-building strategy storyline, in which true victory can only be achieved through properly managing resources, swiftly upgrading fortifications, and cautiously deploying troops into battle. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The sequel to one of the very first tilt-and-roll games for Wii, Marble Saga: Kororinpa brings 150 new puzzle box-style challenges and Wii Balance Board compatibility. As in the original Marble Mania, each game board consists of a 3D pathway, suspended in space. The goal is to guide a rolling marble across the narrow pathway without allowing it to fall off the side. By either tilting the Wii Remote or shifting their weight on the Balance Board, players cause the onscreen game board to tilt correspondingly, which in turn causes the marble to roll downward -- around and through the platform puzzle (or right off the edge and out of play!). The single-player "saga" in the game stars Anthony the Ant, who longs to one day create a path to the glorious golden sunflower, which is an entire ant world away. Players help Anthony toward his dream, one marble-rolling puzzle at a time. The game also offers mini-games and multiplayer races for up to four. Players can create their own levels and share them with friends through the Wii24Connect service. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Casual giant PopCap Games brings one of its most popular titles to the DS for the first time in Peggle: Dual Shot. Handheld gamers can make their way through 120 pachinko-inspired levels, shooting and clearing orange pegs through two complete "Adventure" modes based on the original Peggle and Peggle Nights games. Players can also make use of 11 different magic powers as they collect valuable gems and careen through ten DS-exclusive "Bonus Underground" levels designed by developer Q Entertainment. A new "Peggle Zoom" feature offers more precise aiming, advanced gamers can test their mettle with 90 specific challenges, and those looking for competition can take on a friend in multiplayer "Duel" or "Quick Play" modes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

SPRay puts a twist on traditional platform games by employing the forceful discharge of liquids as its primary means of defeating enemies and solving puzzles. Players take on the role of a prince named Ray, who must fend off the attacks of a banished evil Queen by spraying her minions with a variety of fluids. A magic crown allows Ray to summon "angelic" and "wicked" spirits that gamers can use to spray water, oil, and goo, among other liquids. Solo players can use the different properties of each liquid to foil enemy advances and solve specific puzzles, while friends can douse each other in the "Paint It!" and "Sticky Chewing Gum" multiplayer modes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Rubik's World is a collection of puzzles drawing inspiration from, and set within the mythical "27th part" of, the famed Rubik's cube mechanical puzzle. Rubik's World takes on the form of an abstract city, where characters known as "Cubies" make up the backbone of eight different puzzles. Each mini-game's mix of quizzes, music, sound effects, and puzzles, is designed to encourage forward thinking and careful planning, because each move has multiple consequences. As players advance they can bring more Cubies to life, and in the process unlock new challenges and activities. Social gamers can participate in multiplayer games, and creative types can use the game to compose their own mini musical masterpieces. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Rubik's World is a collection of puzzles drawing inspiration from, and set within the mythical "27th part" of, the famed Rubik's cube mechanical puzzle. Rubik's World takes on the form of an abstract city, where polygons known as "Cubies" behave like living creatures and make up the backbone of eight different puzzles. Each mini-game's mix of quizzes, music, sound effects, and puzzles, is designed to encourage forward thinking and careful planning, because each move has multiple consequences. As players advance they can bring more Cubies to life, and in the process unlock new activities, while social gamers can join friends and participate in multiplayer challenges. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Zenses: Rainforest is a collection of mini-puzzles designed to appeal to casual gamers looking for a relaxing game experience. An ambient soundtrack and misty, forest-themed visuals accompany players as they use their DS stylus to play puzzle and brain training-style games inspired by rain drops, waterfalls, exotic flowers, and giant trees. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

A remake of the classic Commodore Amiga title (later released on many other platforms as Pipe Dream), Pipe Mania is a puzzle game in which players lay down a series of pipe pieces in order to guide the mysterious and constantly moving substance known as Flooze from one end of the puzzle grid to the other. The 2008 version comes with updated visuals, new characters, new non-pipe pieces (roads and assembly lines, for example), and multiples floozes. There are more than 70 levels in all, set across seven themed worlds, and gamers can play in World, Arcade, Bonus, Multiplayer, and Classic modes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide