New Releases

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

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

Gamers get a feel for the bohemian lifestyle as they take on the role of an aspiring young painter in Imagine: Artist. A variety of shading, color-mixing, and composition mini-games are designed to hone players' skills with drawing, painting, and collage, and the touch-screen controls help gamers fill their studio with original works of art. And while starving for one's art may be noble, Imagine: Artist aims to give aspiring Van Gogh's a taste of success by having them create original art, maintain their studio, and pump out commissioned work for clients. Proud artists have the option to upload their works to the Imagine website, while DSi gamers can use the system's camera to take photos and incorporate them in future artwork. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

EA's NCAA Basketball series returns with both CBS and ESPN licenses in an attempt to create an authentic, television-style presentation that incorporates broadcasters Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery, Brad Nessler, Dick Vitale, and Erin Andrews. Revamped shot controls, more diverse animations, and improved positional AI are just a few of the changes to the gameplay over previous versions. Each school also features distinct motion offenses, from the dribble drive to the flex, and the home stadiums for 20 of the toughest teams to play against will make life difficult for visiting athletes. Playing in such venues as Clemson, Xavier, and North Carolina will cause the camera to shake during play, influence free throws, and more due to the raucous crowds. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

EA's NCAA Basketball series returns with both CBS and ESPN licenses in an attempt to create an authentic, television-style presentation that incorporates broadcasters Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery, Brad Nessler, Dick Vitale, and Erin Andrews. Revamped shot controls, more diverse animations, and improved positional AI are just a few of the changes to the gameplay over previous versions. Each school also features distinct motion offenses, from the dribble drive to the flex, and the home stadiums for 20 of the toughest teams to play against will make life difficult for visiting athletes. Playing in such venues as Clemson, Xavier, and North Carolina will cause the camera to shake during play, influence free throws, and more due to the raucous crowds. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Handheld gamers can rock sold-out clubs and scratch their way to worldwide fame in DJ Star. The career mode finds players working their way up from small parties to giant clubs in New York, Miami, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Berlin, all by using the stylus and touch screen to mix and scratch 40 popular electro, house, funk, and hip-hop songs. Gamers can use the "Creation Studio" to compose their own mixes, choosing from 200 different samples in the process, and those seeking feedback can wirelessly share their original tracks with friends. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Konami's best-selling soccer series returns with updated features designed around consumer feedback. The AI for both referees and goalkeepers has been adjusted, and there are more feints and special moves available on the pitch. Over 300 moves have been added in total, with new animations for dribbling, turning, and kicking. Other refinements include enhanced stadium details and new crowd chants and cheers. The franchise-style Master League mode adds depth with new fiscal responsibilities, corporate sponsorships, and youth team coaching. Online play is once again supported with a two-on-two option as well as an assortment of new competitions to enter. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, developer Infinity Ward aims to ratchet up the intense first-person gunplay, graphical verisimilitude, and deep multiplayer experience that won the original title wide acclaim from critics and consumers alike, while at the same time adding to the overall package with the new, fast-paced "SpecOps" mode. The single-player campaign picks up where Call of Duty 4 ended, with gamers once again descending into the shadowy world of terrorists, arms dealers, and nationless armies. Players take on the role of Sergeant Gary "Roach" Anderson, an elite member of the multinational Task Force 141 and subordinate of one of Call of Duty 4's protagonists, John "Soup" MacTavish.

Task Force 141 is on the trail of Vladimir Makarov, a maniacal disciple of Imran Zakhaev, who has used the death of his mentor as a means of expanding his own base of power. Missions find gamers working off sketchy intelligence as they battle whiteout conditions in the jagged mountains of Russia and Kazakstan, shuffle though expansive desert and cave environments in Afghanistan, and weave between City of God-like Brazilian slums, where misfires result in dead civilians and a failed mission. As was the case in Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2 supplies players with the most technologically advanced weapons, vehicles, and accoutrements available, including SCAR-H rifles, snowmobiles, and heartbeat sensors.

The new "SpecialOps" mode brings gamers more than 20 fast-paced missions inspired by the frenzied mid-fuselage gunfight at the end of Call of Duty 4. Players find themselves racing snowmobiles, battling a huge number of enemies at once, or simply attempting to get in and out of a building without dying, and missions can be played solo, in local split-screen co-op, or online with a friend. Those looking for more online action can also take on the "Free-for-All," "Demolition," "Domination," "Search & Destroy," "Capture the Flag," and "Team Deathmatch" multiplayer modes.

The much-lauded RPG-like system of doling out experience points and unlockable rewards returns in Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer modes, but Infinity Ward has also included a number of new wrinkles to spice up the action. Maps are designed to be both more expansive and more vertical; weapons feature a variety of new attachments; new "Pro Perks" let players gain more stopping power, greater speed, or automatic health boosts; and gamers who manage to string together a number of kills gain access to the new "killstreaks" system, which lets them call for seven different kinds of heavy-duty support, including supply drops, helicopter gun attacks, and unmanned aerial vehicle strikes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Based on the trading card game and inspired by the animated television series, the first Chaotic video game is designed to bring the supernatural mugic spells, fantastic battle gear, and amazing heroes and creatures to life, in strategic turn-based battle. Set on the world of Perim, the game's plays through an ongoing struggle for survival and supremacy between the forces of the heroic OverWorlders and the dark UnderWorlders, along with the ant-like Danians, the reptilian Mipedians, and the spooky, mind-controlling M'arrillians. Gamers can take on the role of any of 40 playable characters, making use of tactical combinations of dozens devastating spells and empowered pieces of battle gear, in eight winner-take-all fighting arenas. Battles are fought in the Chaotic realm, following the rules of the card game, with onscreen creatures acting out each strike and counter-strike in colorful, 3D animations. Victory unlocks new cards, representing additional gear and mugic powers. Two players can match their card-battle skills in head-to-head play, or a single player can face an RPG-style "Story" mode campaign against computer-controlled opponents. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The third Call of Duty title to come to DS, and the first to feature a wholly original storyline, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare -- Mobilized offers handheld gamers new weapons, new gameplay modes, and new multiplayer options. Players can wield 20 different firearms, including an automatic shotgun, and missions find gamers engaging in traditional ground-based urban combat, piloting a tank through hostile territory, controlling and deploying weapons from UAV spy drones, and, in a nod to the console version of the original Modern Warfare, manning the turrets of an AC-130 gunship. Aside from the main campaign, single players also have the option to take on the new "Survival" mode, in which gamers use an array of different weapons to hold off hordes of encroaching foes for as long as possible, and the new "Arcade" mode, where a clock winds down as players attempt to rack up high scores in the main campaign. A variety of multiplayer game modes now allow for six-person competitions, gamers can host their own online battles, and a new weapons unlock feature lets players earn more powerful armaments as they improve their multiplayer stats. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Infinity Ward's critically acclaimed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare comes to the Wii thanks to the efforts of Treyarch, known for its slightly less polished, if still highly competent, contributions to Activision's hugely popular franchise. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare -- Reflex Edition eschews the traditional WWII setting that had been the hallmark of the series, instead taking on the more nebulous world of modern warfare. Nazi storm troopers and kamikaze pilots have been replaced by a patchwork group of terrorists and insurgents, and traditional WWII weapons have been jettisoned in favor of more than 70 modern armaments. Though the story is a departure from the previous games, Modern Warfare -- Reflex still features intense mission-based first-person shooter gameplay that should be familiar to fans.

The plot centers on two megalomaniacal madmen who are fomenting unrest around the world in an attempt to cement their own power. Imran Zakhaev is a one-armed Russia nationalist who longs to return his country to a Soviet Union style of government by seizing a stockpile of nuclear weapons. Zakhaev has support from several divisions of the Russian army, but, knowing that the United States would quickly come to the aid of the Russian government, he funds a coup in the Middle East to divert attention. Led by Zakhaev ally Khaled Al-Asad, the Middle Eastern coup results in intense fighting which eventually leads to the launch of a Russian nuclear missile toward American soil. Players fight through this chaos as both Sergeant John MacTavish, a British SAS operative doing battle in Russia, and Sergeant Paul Jackson, a U.S. Marine fighting in the Middle East.

Modern Warfare -- Reflex Edition aims to capture the challenges of modern war by pitting the superior technology of the U.S Marines and British SAS against the cunning guerilla tactics of a terrorist group. In addition to close quarters combat, players will be called upon to perform fast-rope helicopter drops, provide air support from an AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter, call in precision air strikes, and man the turret of an AC-130 Spectre Gunship to engage enemy fighters from the sky. Gamers also join a two man sniper team on a flashback mission in which players head to the Chernobyl Zone of Alienation on a mission to assassinate a younger Zakhaev.

The Wii version of the game lets two players join forces to take on the main campaign, but it otherwise features the same expansive set of online multiplayer modes as its console cousins. Players will be able to choose from Assault, Special Ops, Light Machine Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper classes, or create up to five special classes with customizable weapons and perks. Gamers can then take their fighters through a dozen different multiplayer modes like Free-for-All, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Headquarters, Domination, and Sabotage. Players who frequently battle online will be able to accrue experience points, unlock special weapons and gear, and eventually unlock Prestige Mode in which gamers can trade in their rank for special insignias. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Crafty gamers can create unique jewelry lines and run their own boutique in Style Lab Jewelry Design. Players choose from an extensive selection of charms and beads as they create necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, while the stylus and touch screen let budding designers draw out lengths of wire or cut and paint beads. Gamers then arrange displays to sell their custom creations and build their boutique business. Those who are particularly proud of their jewelry can trade items with friends, upload designs to the Style Lab online gallery, and even order real-life replicas of their designs from the Style Lab website. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide