New Releases

Academy of Champions: Soccer brings an arcade feel and story-driven gameplay to the world's most popular sport as gamers guide a young student through the prestigious Brightfield Academy. Soccer legend Pelé serves as the academy's headmaster, helping players improve their fundamental skills, and keeping them away from the underhanded Von Trappe and his evil Scythemore Academy. Gamers are also joined by U.S. soccer star Mia Hamm, who serves and both a mentor and a teammate as users hit the pitch for five-on-five competitions. Game action helps players upgrade their skills and equipment, and gamers can also work on their skills in more than a dozen mini-games, including goalkeeping, shooting, and tackling activities, as well as the Wii Balance Board-friendly Brazilian freestyle juggling drill. There are a variety of spectacular moves for players to unlock and 18 different teams to challenge, including a squad of Rabbids, and a team comprising adolescent versions of such Ubisoft luminaries as Rayman, Altaïr, and Sam Fisher. Those who grow tired of taking on AI competition also have the option to join a friend for head-to-head matches. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

All Star Cheer Squad 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, with new aerial stunts, tumbling, and formation changes designed to give gamers a more authentic competitive cheerleading experience. Routines have once again been designed by chief Bring It On choreographer Tony G, and All Star Cheer Squad 2 lets players use two Wii Remotes, a Nunchuk, and the Wii Balance Board to achieve more realistic cheers. The upgraded Routine Designer features a new music mixer and choreography editor so creative gamers can set their original routines to music, and players can design a unique look for their squad by customizing each cheerleader's body type, facial features, hair, and outfit. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Slip on a stethoscope and a pair of latex gloves to diagnose and treat 40 species of animals in Activision's Vet Life. Based on actual cases featured on the Animal Planet cable and satellite channel, Vet Life has you practicing 60 distinct procedures on a combination of domestic, farm, and exotic animals throughout the world. As you progress, you'll learn an assortment of facts and trivia through "Did You Know?" questions from the Animal Planet archives. You'll also have the opportunity to care for your patients after their medical treatment. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Based on the popular prime time game show, premiering on Fox in the U.S., Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Game Time challenges players to answer questions and solve quick puzzles based on facts and trivia that might be taught in an elementary school classroom. The game features over 5,000 original questions, in 28 primary school categories such as "World History," "Drama," "Science," and "Vocabulary." Questions become more difficult as the game progresses from first to fifth grade levels, and correct answers become more valuable, with the top prize reaching a million video game dollars. Gamers play along with fifth-grade classmate characters, and a virtual Jeff Foxworthy hosts the proceedings, with familiar charm and gentle ribbing toward contestants. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Army Rescue is an action-oriented shooter in which players attempt to safely guide paratroopers into waiting rescue boats while simultaneously fending off enemy soldiers. There are more than 50 levels of fast-blasting action, and by shooting the parachutes of friend and foe alike, gamers can acquire a variety of upgrades and wacky weapons, such as the Bubble Gun, the Black Hole Gun, and the Windy Gun. Those who prefer multiplayer modes can team up with a friend in two-player co-op, or square off against each other in a battle for sharpshooting supremacy. ~ Christopher Brown, 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 II, 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

Based directly on the 2009 computer-animated film interpretation of Osamu Tezuka's influential sci-fi cartoon series, Astro Boy: The Video Game is a side-scrolling combat game for Wii that follows the story of the origin of the mighty robot boy. The game features both traditional indoor platform-style levels and in-air flying shooter levels, as players take control of Astro Boy and his arsenal of futuristic abilities. In his quest to save the world, Dr. Tenma's greatest creation faces an army of robot enemies, both in the mysterious Surface region and back home in Metro City. As he defeats opponents and accomplishes goals, Astro Boy can increase the powers of his weapons and abilities, including his Laser Fingers, Rear Machine Guns, Arm Cannon, and Drill Attack. Two players can battle the bad guys together in the game's same-screen co-op mode. Voice actors from the film, Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy and Kristen Bell as Cora, reprise their roles in the video game. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Based directly on the 2009 computer-animated film interpretation of Osamu Tezuka's influential sci-fi cartoon series, Astro Boy: The Video Game is a side-scrolling combat game for PlayStation 2 that follows the story of the origin of the mighty robot boy. The game features both traditional indoor platform-style levels and in-air flying shooter levels, as players take control of Astro Boy and his arsenal of futuristic abilities. In his quest to save the world, Dr. Tenma's greatest creation faces an army of robot enemies, both in the mysterious Surface region and back home in Metro City. As he defeats opponents and accomplishes goals, Astro Boy can increase the powers of his weapons and abilities, including his Laser Fingers, Rear Machine Guns, Arm Cannon, and Drill Attack. Two players can battle the bad guys together in the game's same-screen co-op mode. Voice actors from the film, Freddie Highmore as Astro Boy and Kristen Bell as Cora, reprise their roles in the video game. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The first video game based on the Bakugan license combines the action of the collectible card game with a storyline penned by writers of the animated series. Players will engage rivals in a series of battles to develop their unseasoned Bakugan brawler into a fierce competitor. The action first involves throwing Bakugan cards onto the ground before tossing a Bakugan ball toward them. When two balls land on the same card, they will transform into powerful monsters that will fight over the card. Bakugan Battle Brawlers offers an assortment of distinctive battle arenas, featuring various shapes, sizes, traps, and other distinguishing elements. Forty Bakugan are available to collect and defeat, with hundreds of cards included to fine-tune strategies. Battle the computer or challenge friends to a multiplayer match with custom rules. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The first video game based on the Bakugan license combines the action of the collectible card game with a storyline penned by writers of the animated series. Players will engage rivals in a series of battles to develop their unseasoned Bakugan brawler into a fierce competitor. The action first involves throwing Bakugan cards onto the ground before tossing a Bakugan ball toward them. When two balls land on the same card, they will transform into powerful monsters that will fight over the card. Bakugan Battle Brawlers offers an assortment of distinctive battle arenas, featuring various shapes, sizes, traps, and other distinguishing elements. Forty Bakugan are available to collect and defeat, with hundreds of cards included to fine-tune strategies. Battle the computer or challenge friends to a multiplayer match with custom rules. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Although guitar heroics often take the lead in modern popular music, rock & roll has always been a group activity, and Activision's Band Hero aims to gets the whole crew into the act. As its title proclaims, the continuation of the genre-founding Guitar Hero series sets center stage for the whole band -- drummers and vocalists as well as lead and bass guitarists -- and is designed to let gamers play along with a diverse selection of contemporary and classic rock and pop songs, using their favorite instruments in their own style. To keep the focus on fun, Band Hero offers "No Fail" gameplay modes for instrumentalists, and a "Sing-Along" mode for karaoke-style parties, allowing players to open up and express themselves, without worrying about keeping up with progressions or scoring points. The game's "Party Play" mode allows players to drop in and out of a song at will, as the music keeps playing.

Hardcore console rockers looking for a challenge can still find it, in the game's more traditional modes of play. Bands can battle in "Rockfest" competitive modes such as "Elimination," "Do or Die," "Perfectionist," and "Pro Face Off," that can be played with up to four others on the same console, or as many as eight over an online connection. For veteran guitar heroes, the game is also compatible with previously available Guitar Hero content, with updates that allow players to perform any instrument part and take advantage of new Band Hero features with many of the earlier downloadable songs from the Guitar Hero: World Tour edition of the game. Also building upon the series' World Tour release, the high-def console editions of Band Hero include a fully featured "GHTM Studio," allowing players to remix with new samples, patterns, and playing styles.

The console disc edition of Band Hero offers more than 65 popular songs. Top-selling country crossover star Taylor Swift is prominently featured in the game, with the inclusion of three songs from her first two original albums, and the artist's performances were motion-captured to bring her in-game persona realistically to life. Guitarist and singer Adam Levine of Maroon 5 was motion-captured, as well, for his appearance in the game as a playable character. Band Hero's play-along soundtrack also includes timeless tracks such as David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Devo's "Whip It," the Jackson 5's "ABC," "Mr. Roboto" from Styx, and original hit singles from a diverse selection of artists, including Aly and AJ, Cheap Trick, Fall Out Boy, the Go-Gos, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Roy Orbison, Tonic, the Village People, and many others. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide