New Releases

Watch out for slime and avoid crossing the streams in this surprise continuation of Sony Pictures' Ghostbusters franchise. Written by stars Harold Ramis and Dan Ackroyd, who scripted both blockbuster films, Ghostbusters: The Video Game features a storyline set two years after the events depicted in Ghostbusters 2. Hailed by New York City residents as heroes, the Ghostbusters are hoping to turn their thriving business into a franchise, much to the chagrin of ex-EPA agent Walter Peck. After the Ghostbusters hire a new crewmember, the city is overwhelmed with a surge of paranormal activity. There's something even stranger in the neighborhood, and you're getting the call.

Since the game is all about hunting down and capturing ghosts, the perspective is set behind your character's shoulder to offer a clear view of the rooms and spectral anomalies ahead. The third-person viewpoint also displays one of the most important tools you'll have in confronting the ghosts: the Proton Pack. You must monitor the Proton Pack's power consumption to avoid overheating the device, and the backpack's flashing display also indicates health and weapon charge. Your character will be in constant radio communication with other members of the Ghostbusters team, including Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddmore, each voiced by the movie's original actors. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Konami's Silent Hill survival horror series returns to its roots in this re-imagined version of the 1999 original. The storyline and setting are the same as in the PlayStation game, which has you controlling a distraught Harry Mason as he desperately searches for his missing daughter, Cheryl. New to the game are characters that respond differently according to how you approach them. Also included are psychological twists on the original plot; a mobile phone that functions as a GPS device and connects you with characters you've encountered; and a new soundtrack by composer Akira Yamaoka. Throughout his journey, Mason must be prepared to confront ghastly, misshapen creatures and other horrors in nightmare sequences that can trigger at any time. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The Saboteur is an open-world action adventure, set in Nazi-controlled Paris during Germany's rise to power in World War II. Players take the role of an unlikely hero: An Irish mechanic with nothing left to lose. Sean Devlin has lost all he loved in life because of the heartless Nazi occupation, and he now devotes his keen engineering skills to revenge, by destroying as much of the German army's equipment and infrastructure as he can. Considering his skills with explosives and heavy machinery -- and with his two fists, as well -- this is a significant amount of potential damage. The hero can run, climb, and make use of many different kinds of vehicles he finds. He is free to explore the 1930s City of Lights as the player wishes, and progress at his own pace down the paths he chooses, but contact with British intelligence operatives and members of the local underground resistance movement provides information that leads to more structured operations.

As he works toward his ultimate goal of vengeance against the high-ranking Nazi officer who ruined his life, Sean embarks on missions of sabotage, sniping, and assassination, using his mechanical skills, stealth, and street smarts. Each job presents unique goals and challenges, but in nearly all missions, the key is to remain unnoticed, using the element of surprise to take out an important Nazi officer or unleash massive damage on tanks and heavy artillery, and then slipping back into the shadows to fight again another day. The game represents Sean's subversive successes in a more indirect manner, as well, with its "Will to Fight" system. As the hero deals blow after blow to the occupying German forces, the repressed people of Paris are encouraged toward their own insurgency, and the streets and neighborhoods that Sean has freed from overbearing Nazi presence begin to take on a more colorful, positive appearance in the game, emboldening new allies and opening up more missions. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is an action-adventure played from an isometric perspective, following the series' landmark DS game Phantom Hourglass and starring a similarly expressive, cartoonish Link as its hero. In some platform puzzle-solving sequences, players use both touch-screen directions and traditional D-pad and buttons to control two characters at the same time. For example, Link may need to distract guards while Zelda sneaks by, or a Phantom companion may need to inhabit the body of an almost-invulnerable statue, to stand in the way of a lava flow and allow Link to pass. Some overworld parts of the game are played, quite literally, as an on-rails shooter, with players using the stylus and touch-screen to aim ranged cannon attacks at enemies and obstacles, as Link's train moves forward down the tracks automatically. When the tracks split, players will need to choose which direction to take.

Set about 100 years after Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks plays out in a world that barely remembers the legends of a demon king, who was defeated and bound with powerful chains many lifetimes earlier. These magical chains still run far and wide across the landscape, but oblivious to their true purpose, the people now use them as train tracks to move carts full of cargo. As the story begins, Link is set to start his new career as a train engineer, when he is told by Princess Zelda that the magic tracks have been disappearing, and that she fears there is some great evil at work. The two escape from Zelda's suspicious overseers in the castle and ride Link's train as far as the tracks take them. The adventure leads to ruins and dungeons below ground, where Link must battle enemies and solve puzzles, using a whip as both a weapon and a tool to extend his reach. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

A key feature introduced in the Reflex edition of Rainbow Studios' off-road series is independent control of the rider from the ride. The game's trick system allows players to make their character perform freeform switches, extensions, and more, while the vehicle continues along its own trajectory. Under the new system, players can also control their riders to shift weight and momentum and pull their bike or four-wheeler back from the brink of a big spill, staying on track and out of the ditch. The control system is designed for intuitive movements, with high-flying hilltop stunts and balanced acceleration through corners and in valleys. The game's terrain effects allow the track to change during the race, as riders knock the dirt around, or even dig out a new path through the malleable earth. The vehicles themselves are deformable as well, with real-time damage in competitive events. Races are set in a variety of international locations, including tracks in the U.S. and Europe. The revamped game engine emphasizes the traction and handling on different surfaces such as mud, packed dirt, and snow. A variety of vehicles is available, including event-specific MX motorcycles, ATV four-wheelers, super-buggies, and specialized off-road racing trucks. The high-def graphics have been updated, for granular detail several times greater than in the polygonal rendering of previous MX vs. ATV games. Multiplayer modes are available for online-connected gamers, with new "Snake" and "Tag" modes, as well as the standard off-road racing set-ups. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

A key feature introduced in the Reflex edition of Rainbow Studios' off-road series is independent control of the rider from the ride. The game's trick system allows players to make their character perform free form switches, extensions, and more, while the vehicle continues along its own trajectory. Under the new system, players can also control their riders to shift weight and momentum and pull their bike or four-wheeler back from the brink of a big spill, staying on track and out of the ditch. The control system is designed for intuitive movements, with high-flying hilltop stunts and balanced acceleration through corners and in valleys. The game's terrain effects allow the track to change during the race, as riders knock the dirt around, or even dig out a new path through the malleable earth. The vehicles themselves are deformable as well, with real-time damage in competitive events. Races are set in a variety of international locations, including tracks in the U.S. and Europe. The revamped game engine emphasizes the traction and handling on different surfaces such as mud, packed dirt, and snow. A variety of vehicles is available, including event-specific MX motorcycles, ATV four-wheelers, super-buggies, and specialized off-road racing trucks. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Dave Seville's famous singing sciuridae perform on Nintendo DS in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, a rhythm-driven music game based on the 2009 holiday season 20th Century Fox feature film. The play of the game involves movement and timing, to the beat of popular songs sung by the hyper-falsetto-ed trio. In time with the music, icons move toward stationary symbols in the center of the screen, and players must try to tap the stylus in time as the icons hit the symbols. Other modes of play involve side-scrolling symbols in the forefront of the stage; players must move a cursor up and down to collect musical notes while avoiding other symbols. The play mechanics are similar to those of other rhythm-based games, such as Elite Beat Agents, using a basic "tap in time to the music" dynamic as in Dance Dance Revolution, except that the input is made with stylus strokes on the touch screen instead of with steps on a floor mat.

Taking direction from the 1980s Ruby-Spears Productions cartoon, the story of the film and video game follows the three music-star brothers to school, where they meet three signing chipmunk sisters of comparable talent and tenor. The Chipettes, as they come to be called -- Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor -- become both rivals and love interests for Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. In the game, single players can perform as any of the six characters, or as many as three DS gamers can play together over a local wireless connection. A story mode ties the musical mini-game performances together, following the Chipmunks and Chipettes to 11 rock & roll venues around the world. The set list includes songs made famous in the 60 years of Chipmunks stardom, as well as more contemporary hits such as "Ain't No Party," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," and "The Macarena," based on recordings by the original artists. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Set on the fantastical sci-fi planet of Pandora, James Cameron's Avatar: The Game is a third-person adventure with RPG-style character development, featuring predominant shooting and melee combat action. The game's story poses challenges to the player's moral perspectives, as well. A prequel to the movie, set two years earlier, Avatar: The Game follows its own original storyline. Humans have come to the planet to harvest valuable minerals. They find themselves at war with the dominant native species, the Na'vi, a humanoid race of great size and strength but only stone age technological development. The futuristic humans have developed a method by which they can remotely take control of a mindless, genetically engineered Na'vi body, and experience existence through this avatar.

Players take the role of a character named Able Ryder, who is a signals specialist soldier with the human Resource Development Agency, or "RDA." From mission to mission, the game moves from Ryder's experiences as a human soldier, and those in the role of a Na'vi avatar. Players can chose their character's gender and customize appearance, and add skills and abilities as they gain experience and power by progressing through the adventure. They will eventually face a crucial choice, similar to that of Jake Sully in the film: To remain loyal to the RDA, and lead the human forces to claim control of the planet, or to assume the identity of their avatar and side with the Na'vi, leading the native people to expel the invading humans from their sacred grounds.

As a human soldier, the game plays like a 3D third-person shooter. Players have access to high-tech weapons and equipment to help them survive in the brutal environments of Pandora, where hungry, dinosaur-sized creatures hunt and lurk all throughout the surreal wilderness. Humans can also use vehicles, including large, heavily armed, walking mech suits that are more than a match to the sheer physical strength of the towering natives. In the role of Ryder's ten-foot tall Na'vi avatar, players excel in melee combat, swinging a mighty battle staff, and gain expertise with a (truly) long bow as well. Na'vi also have all the advantages of a native people, and even the indigenous creatures may come to their aid, if properly coaxed.

As in special theater screenings of the film, Avatar: The Game can be played with stereoscopic three-dimensional display, using televisions and polarized viewing glasses that support the contemporarily cutting-edge technology. In the standard visual mode, the game runs on any TV that works with the console. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Set on the fantastical sci-fi planet of Pandora, James Cameron's Avatar: The Game is a third-person adventure with RPG-style character development, featuring predominant shooting and melee combat action. The game's story poses challenges to the player's moral perspectives, as well. A prequel to the movie, set two years earlier, Avatar: The Game follows its own original storyline. Humans have come to the planet to harvest valuable minerals. They find themselves at war with the dominant native species, the Na'vi, a humanoid race of great size and strength but only stone age technological development. The futuristic humans have developed a method by which they can remotely take control of a mindless, genetically engineered Na'vi body, and experience existence through this avatar.

Players take the role of a character named Able Ryder, who is a signals specialist soldier with the human Resource Development Agency, or "RDA." From mission to mission, the game moves from Ryder's experiences as a human soldier, and those in the role of a Na'vi avatar. Players can chose their character's gender and customize appearance, and add skills and abilities as they gain experience and power by progressing through the adventure. They will eventually face a crucial choice, similar to that of Jake Sully in the film: To remain loyal to the RDA, and lead the human forces to claim control of the planet, or to assume the identity of their avatar and side with the Na'vi, leading the native people to expel the invading humans from their sacred grounds.

As a human soldier, the game plays like a 3D third-person shooter. Players have access to high-tech weapons and equipment to help them survive in the brutal environments of Pandora, where hungry, dinosaur-sized creatures hunt and lurk all throughout the surreal wilderness. Humans can also use vehicles, including large, heavily armed, walking mech suits that are more than a match to the sheer physical strength of the towering natives. In the role of Ryder's ten-foot tall Na'vi avatar, players excel in melee combat, swinging a mighty battle staff, and gain expertise with a (truly) long bow as well. Na'vi also have all the advantages of a native people, and even the indigenous creatures may come to their aid, if properly coaxed.

As in special theater screenings of the film, Avatar: The Game can be played with stereoscopic three-dimensional display, using televisions and polarized viewing glasses that support the contemporarily cutting-edge technology. In the standard visual mode, the game runs on any TV that works with the console. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Based on former U.S. Navy SEAL Dick Marcinko's book series, Rogue Warrior is a first-person shooter with an emphasis on tactical warfare and real-world combat scenarios. Players take control of Marcinko himself in a series of covert missions set behind enemy lines in North Korea. The object is to lead a SEAL team safely across North Korea's shipyards, prison camps, submarine pens, and other locales to return back to South Korea. Designed using Unreal 3 technology, Rogue Warrior offers multiple ways to complete objectives by featuring wide-open environments and dynamically changing events. Ten multiplayer modes are included with a choice of more than 200 day and night maps, while the main campaign can be completed alone or cooperatively with a group of up to four players. The latter option lets friends drop out or join in at any time without requiring the rest of the group to pause the game or to save progress. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

A key feature introduced in the Reflex edition of Rainbow Studios' off-road series is independent control of the rider from the ride. The game's trick system allows players to make their character perform free form switches, extensions, and more, while the vehicle continues along its own trajectory. Under the new system, players can also control their riders to shift weight and momentum and pull their bike or four-wheeler back from the brink of a big spill, staying on track and out of the ditch. The control system is designed for intuitive movements, with high-flying hilltop stunts and balanced acceleration through corners and in valleys. The game's terrain effects allow the track to change during the race, as riders knock the dirt around, or even dig out a new path through the malleable earth. The vehicles themselves are deformable as well, with real-time damage in competitive events. Races are set in a variety of international locations, including tracks in the U.S. and Europe. The revamped game engine emphasizes the traction and handling on different surfaces such as mud, packed dirt, and snow. A variety of vehicles is available, including event-specific MX motorcycles, ATV four-wheelers, super-buggies, and specialized off-road racing trucks. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Scene It? Twilight is a game show-styled trivia contest for Wii, featuring more than 500 questions taken from the vampire romantic fantasy film by Catherine Hardwicke, based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer. Players compete to provide the most correct answers to a series of questions, which may be based on video clips or stills taken directly from the feature film. After watching a sequence from the film, players may need to choose the next line spoken, for example, or recognize the events taking place by quickly studying a freeze-frame of the action. As in earlier Scene It? games, designed for use on standard DVD players as well as on home computers and consoles, the controls are extremely simple; the challenge is in recognizing the scenes and remembering the characters or events hinted in the question. Created especially for play on Wii, Scene It? Twilight has players using the Wii Remote to buzz in and select their answers from multiple choices. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The world famous cartoon kitten returns to DS gamers with 25 different mini-games in Hello Kitty Party. Players join Hello Kitty and her Sanrio friends Keroppi, Badtz-Maru, and My Melody as they go shopping, make dresses, and cook meals in preparation for a big party. Activities include dancing, playing with memory puzzles, or taking on a game of "spot the difference," and gamers can outfit the gang with a variety of dresses, hats, and accessories, and then snap photos to capture the memories. ~ All Game Guide