New Releases

Animal Paradise Wild takes gamers through savannah, forest, and jungle as they play with and care for a variety of baby creatures. There are 18 different wild animals to unlock, including elephants, cheetahs, pandas, and gorillas, and players can participate in a number of mini-games with their new pets, such as a round of rock-paper-scissors with a monkey, or a game of meerkat whack-a-mole. Gamers can also unlock unique habitats for their animals or use the stylus-based controls to snap pictures of their furry friends for a photo album. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Duelists can unleash more than 3,500 cards and battle through a classic good-vs.-evil campaign in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 4. Based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's animated series, the story of Tag Force 4 finds the immortal Dark Singers reborn with incredible new abilities, and a desire to topple New Domino City. Those not interested in the formalities of a "Story" mode (that Konami claims is more than 300 hours long) can step right into the battling action in "Free Duel" mode, or they can use an Ad-hoc connection for four-player action or one-on-one battles. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Taking its story and setting from the concurrently released TriStar Pictures feature film, Planet 51: The Game is a mission-based driving adventure, set on an alien planet that is oddly familiar. In something of a role-reversal, players take control of Captain Chuck Baker, an astronaut explorer who lands on the strange planet, believing it to be uninhabited. Instead, he finds himself in the midst of picket-fenced suburbs, reminiscent of 1950s America -- except for the "little green men"-like inhabitants, who treat Chuck exactly like the alien invader that he is. The play of the game involves exploring the 3D suburban world from a behind-the-back, third-person perspective, sometimes on foot but usually in a vehicle, and accomplishing tasks such as reaching a distant location or escaping from pursuers. As in the computer-animated movie, the ultimate goal, ostensibly, is to recover Chuck's lost spaceship.

Chuck can commandeer essentially any vehicle he comes across in this travels, including family sedans and motorcycles, taxi cabs and cop cars, and even heavy-duty trucks or zippy riding lawn-mowers. Different cars and trucks have different power and handling, and although the vehicles on Planet 51 hover instead of roll on wheels, most rules of the road still apply. Rules are made to be broken, however, especially when you're a giant alien on the run from a frenzied mob. Chuck can also break from the main story, to interact with various characters from the film in side-quests and various mini-games. In some sequences, players can take control of Lem, the young alien boy who befriends Chuck, and his pet robot Rover, making use of their special skills and abilities to overcome game-world obstacles or beat special challenges. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Four weary humans work together in an apocalyptic world overrun by grotesque zombies, collectively known as the "infected," in this sequel to 2008's third-person shooter, Left 4 Dead. In addition to the new protagonists and five new campaigns, the game offers more enemy types to battle and adds a slew of weapons to improve your chance of survival. Joining the hunters, tanks, smokers, and boomers from the first game are jockeys, chargers, and spitters. Jockeys are short creatures that leap on the backs of characters and steer them toward dangers. Chargers are hulking brutes that run quickly toward characters and use their powerful arms to slam victims to the ground. Spitters spew out projectile acid that can also form deadly pools on the ground.

Each campaign area, ranging from a Coney Island-style amusement park to a Louisiana bayou, also contains distinct enemies to face. The "Dark Carnival" campaign, for example, features zombies wearing clown makeup, while "Swamp Fever" features creatures known as mudmen. New weapons and tools include a katana, baseball bat, grenade launcher, hand axe, Desert Eagle, military sniper rifle, chainsaw, MK17 assault rifle, and a defibrillator to revive fallen foes. In addition to the co-op campaigns and both the survival and versus modes from the original, Left 4 Dead 2 introduces a new multiplayer mode entitled "scavenge." As a survivor, your goal is to locate and collect 16 gas cans on each map before time expires, all while user-controlled members of the infected try to thwart your progress. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Based on Walt Disney Pictures' 2009 animated film, The Princess and the Frog for DS is a side-scrolling platform game starring characters Tiana and Ray. Use each character's abilities to swing, leap, and even fly through 27 quest-filled levels set within New Orleans. Collecting various items and ingredients throughout your journey will enable you to cook authentic New Orleans-style cuisine and perform music with up to three other friends. Each cartridge also includes access to Disney's online portal, "DGamer," where you can create a profile and 3D avatar before connecting to friends for chats, sharing accessories, and earning in-game awards. Owners of the Wii version can also unlock bonus items by linking the two games together. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Single-handedly take out well-guarded targets through a combination of stealth and acrobatic maneuvers in this anticipated sequel to 2007's Assassin's Creed. Featuring a new protagonist in a different era, you'll control a young nobleman named Ezio Auditore da Firenze in 15th century Italy, at the height of the Renaissance. After a tragic event befalls his family, Ezio trains to become a master assassin, looking to exact his revenge on those responsible. Ezio will explore three sprawling cities, countryside, and various small villages while completing objectives during the day or at night. Assassin's Creed II offers three times the mission types found in its predecessor, with more things to see and do within each setting.

Money is now an important part of the game, allowing Ezio to purchase weapons, clothing, armor, repairs, and decorative items for his Italian villa. Ezio can pickpocket people, search for hidden chests, and complete side missions to fill his coffers. Other key changes include Ezio's ability to swim and even soar through the sky thanks to friend Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine. The open-ended world also allows for more free-running, climbing, and leaping from great heights. Among the new weapons at Ezio's disposal are pikes, maces, war hammers, scimitars, axes, and twin wrist-mounted blades that can be used to kill two people at once. Updated combat techniques include the ability to grab, kick, head-butt, drown, disarm, or pounce on enemies. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Gamers once again don the hooded cloak and hidden daggers of Altaïr for more Crusades-era assassinations and open-world acrobatics in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. Though released at the same time as its Renaissance-themed console cousin Assassin's Creed 2, this PSP exclusive takes place immediately after the events of the original game, sending Altaïr to Cyprus where he must track down and kill all of the island's Templar officers. Altaïr retains all of his weapons and skills from the original game, and PS3 compatibility means that players who collect special Templar coins in Bloodlines and Assassin's Creed II can unlock and share new abilities across platforms. There are nine different mission types, including tailing, interrogation, and treasure hunts, and the action takes place in two sprawling cities, with gamers once again scaling the tallest monuments and towers in order to locate their next target. The Animus system returns, with seven different "memory blocks" serving as the game's levels, but Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines eschews the futuristic sojourns, protracted missions, and expositional death conversations of the original game in favor of shorter, more direct action aimed at on-the-go portable gamers. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Players return to a virtual playroom re-creation of the iconic movie series in LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues. As in LEGO Indy's Original Adventures, gamers play through famous scenes from the films, with 3D characters and settings created completely from colorful LEGO building blocks. The 2009 sequel game features scenes from all four feature films, including the most recent Indiana Jones movie, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Some characters have new moves since the first game, and new vehicles are available to recreate well-known movie scenes on boats, motorcycles, and mine carts. In a feature new to the LEGO movie game series, players can also create their own levels, using an almost unlimited supply of blocks. Custom levels can be built completely from scratch, or created by altering and adding to the pre-designed levels included in the game. As in the Indiana Jones original and other LEGO movie games (LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Batman), players can collect objects hidden throughout the game world to unlock playable characters. More than 60 hidden artifacts in The Adventure Continues can be collected and used to unlock Crystal Skull characters such as Marion Ravenwood and Mutt Williams, as well as supporting characters and villains from throughout the film series, such as Short Round and Indy's father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Sony's family friendly mascot Sackboy comes to portable gamers with new platform adventures, new worlds to explore, and new user-generated levels in LittleBigPlanet. Following the "Play.Create.Share" model of its console forebear, LittleBigPlanet for the PSP once again finds gamers guiding their lovable burlap doll through more than 35 themed levels in "Play" mode, designing their own unique levels in "Create" mode, and uploading their creations to the PlayStation Network in "Share" mode. The "Play" mode levels are filled with prize bubbles that reward curious and thorough players with new costumes, stickers, and level-building materials. Once players have completed a series of "Create" mode tutorials they can begin to craft and share their own levels, limited only by their imagination and the number of items they have collected in "Play" mode. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Taking its story and setting from the concurrently released TriStar Pictures feature film, Planet 51: The Game is a mission-based driving adventure, set on an alien planet that is oddly familiar. In something of a role-reversal, players take control of Captain Chuck Baker, an astronaut explorer who lands on the strange planet, believing it to be uninhabited. Instead, he finds himself in the midst of picket-fenced suburbs, reminiscent of 1950s America -- except for the "little green men"-like inhabitants, who treat Chuck exactly like the alien invader that he is. The play of the game involves exploring the 3D suburban world from a behind-the-back, third-person perspective, sometimes on foot but usually in a vehicle, and accomplishing tasks such as reaching a distant location or escaping from pursuers. As in the computer-animated movie, the ultimate goal, ostensibly, is to recover Chuck's lost spaceship.

Chuck can commandeer essentially any vehicle he comes across in this travels, including family sedans and motorcycles, taxi cabs and cop cars, and even heavy-duty trucks or zippy riding lawn-mowers. Different cars and trucks have different power and handling, and although the vehicles on Planet 51 hover instead of roll on wheels, most rules of the road still apply. Rules are made to be broken, however, especially when you're a giant alien on the run from a frenzied mob. Chuck can also break from the main story, to interact with various characters from the film in side-quests and various mini-games. In some sequences, players can take control of Lem, the young alien boy who befriends Chuck, and his pet robot Rover, making use of their special skills and abilities to overcome game-world obstacles or beat special challenges. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Taking its story and setting from the concurrently released TriStar Pictures feature film, Planet 51: The Game is a mission-based driving adventure, set on an alien planet that is oddly familiar. In something of a role-reversal, players take control of Captain Chuck Baker, an astronaut explorer who lands on the strange planet, believing it to be uninhabited. Instead, he finds himself in the midst of picket-fenced suburbs, reminiscent of 1950s America -- except for the "little green men"-like inhabitants, who treat Chuck exactly like the alien invader that he is. The play of the game involves exploring the 3D suburban world from a behind-the-back, third-person perspective, sometimes on foot but usually in a vehicle, and accomplishing tasks such as reaching a distant location or escaping from pursuers. As in the computer-animated movie, the ultimate goal, ostensibly, is to recover Chuck's lost spaceship.

Chuck can commandeer essentially any vehicle he comes across in this travels, including family sedans and motorcycles, taxi cabs and cop cars, and even heavy-duty trucks or zippy riding lawn-mowers. Different cars and trucks have different power and handling, and although the vehicles on Planet 51 hover instead of roll on wheels, most rules of the road still apply. Rules are made to be broken, however, especially when you're a giant alien on the run from a frenzied mob. Chuck can also break from the main story, to interact with various characters from the film in side-quests and various mini-games. In some sequences, players can take control of Lem, the young alien boy who befriends Chuck, and his pet robot Rover, making use of their special skills and abilities to overcome game-world obstacles or beat special challenges. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Players return to a virtual playroom re-creation of the iconic movie series in LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues. As in LEGO Indy's Original Adventures, gamers play through famous scenes from the films, with 3D characters and settings created completely from colorful LEGO building blocks. The 2009 sequel game features scenes from all four feature films, including the most recent Indiana Jones movie, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Some characters have new moves since the first game, and new vehicles are available to recreate well-known movie scenes on boats, motorcycles, and mine carts. In a feature new to the LEGO movie game series, players can also create their own levels, using an almost unlimited supply of blocks. Custom levels can be built completely from scratch, or created by altering and adding to the pre-designed levels included in the game. As in the Indiana Jones original and other LEGO movie games (LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Batman), players can collect objects hidden throughout the game world to unlock playable characters. More than 60 hidden artifacts in The Adventure Continues can be collected and used to unlock Crystal Skull characters such as Marion Ravenwood and Mutt Williams, as well as supporting characters and villains from throughout the film series, such as Short Round and Indy's father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Ubisoft's ever-expanding series of animal-themed life development sims lets young gamers turn their rodent friends into performance artists in Petz: Hamsterz Superstarz. Players rear a young hamster and train it to take on a variety of outrageous activities, including running through mazes, parachuting, bowling, and participating in fashion shows. As the hamsters get better at certain events they earn coins that help unlock new toys and accessories, and gamers can always send their furry friends over to the Petz Nursery if they need extra care. ~ All Game Guide