New Releases

As its title proposes, this game combines the fast-paced prioritization puzzles of Diner Dash with a matrimonial theme. Players plan their own wedding, choosing flowers, cakes, and food, and then serve the guests as efficiently as possible, to keep everyone happy and satisfied. Players follow a humorous story that develops through between-level cut scenes, introducing characters and framing each new challenge. ~ All Game Guide

Based on the Monkees-style TV series starring the teen singing sensations The Jonas Brothers, Jonas finds gamers helping the fictional Lucas brothers balance a normal life with the demands of being pop stars. Players guide the trio through familiar locations from the series, interacting with their friends Stella and Macy, and collecting and unleashing "guitar action chords" that let Nick, Joe, and Kevin escape sticky situations. Gamers join the brothers as they perform their songs in six different live concerts, and there are a variety of different stylish outfits to unlock and customize. ~ 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

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.

The "Hardened Edition" comes in a steel case and includes a hardbound art book as well as a code to download the original Call of Duty game. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The developers of Carnival Games invite Wii gamers back for more mini-game madness with over 40 activities under the big top in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Players can use their Wii Remote and Nunchuk to juggle, keep their balance in the high-wire act, or swing through the air on the trapeze, while the game also supports the Wii Balance Board for a number of mini-games. As many as four people can compete in eight multiplayer activities, and gamers can unlock more than 100 distinct prizes, including costumes, posters, and balloon animals. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

In Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5, players pilot heavily armed, tricked-out combat vehicles, through missions to save the planet Earth from alien intruders in another dimension. Released alongside the computer-animated television adventure series, the game features racing and battle sequences that pit the heroic Battle Force 5 team against its recurring enemies, the robotic Sark and the beast-like Vandals. The game features all of the show's main heroes as playable characters, including Vert Wheeler, in his "Saber" race car, Agura Ibaden in her "Tangler" ATV, Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV in his "Reverb" sports car, Zoom Takazumi in the "Chopper" motorcycle, and brothers Spinner and Sherman Cortez, who operate the high-velocity "Buster" tank. Players race and crash into opponents, in order to find the keys to Battle Zones, and then transform their vehicles for head-to-head combat. Races and battles play out in areas and locations featured in the syndicated television series. The Wii version of the game features competitive and co-operative multiplayer modes, with split-screen racing for two players and tournament-style battles for up to four. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The "Flying Tomato" returns to the slopes with more outrageous stunts, backcountry exploration, and multiplayer challenges in Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage. Players join White and his friends as they travel to eight distinct locations around the world, from grabbing insane air off the half-pipe in Times Square, to carving through powder in the Italian Alps. There are 16 events, including new boardercross races, and 75 unique challenges in all, with gamers increasing their prestige and unlocking new characters, equipment, and stickers at every stop. The game lets players recruit new characters at every location, and each of the 15 riders introduces a variety of new tricks and an entirely new way to shred. Solo gamers choose a rider, then pick a companion snowboarder to videotape the run, offer power-ups, and occasionally sabotage competitors, with the ultimate goal of gaining enough prestige to take on the best riders in the world. Controls are once again fully optimized for the Wii Balance Board, and gamers looking for multiplayer action can enlist the help of three friends in co-op "Career" mode, square off in competitive action, or upload their best scores to online leaderboards and see how they measure up to the rest of the world. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders once again finds gamers helping the balding Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, this time in an effort to track down a serial killer who has been dispatching his victims in alphabetical order. The killer taunts Poirot by revealing the location of each murder beforehand and leaving an ABC Railway Guide with each body, but the detective always arrives too late. It's up to players to enlist the help of Hastings and Japp, use the touch screen to inspect crime scenes, interact with 20 different characters and suspects, and travel throughout England on the hunt for the ABC killer. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Star Wars: Battlefront -- Elite Squadron is a third-person shooter that allows players to take part in famous battles from throughout the Star Wars story. As in previous Battlefront games on consoles and home computers, players take the role of a soldier from the sci-fi fantasy series and engage in frontline combat with infantry weapons, light artillery, and vehicles. In Elite Squadron, players can customize their character by choosing weapons, armor, gender, and combat attributes, and by earning and using their choice of hundreds of unlockable weapons, items, and bonuses. In addition to the custom character they develop, in some modes, gamers can also play as central characters from the Star Wars saga, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kit Fisto, Count Dooku, and Boba Fett, as well as some main characters originally featured in earlier Star Wars games. Players may commandeer equipment and vehicles in the heat of combat, including AT-RTs and troop transports, as well as TIE and X-Wing fighters. Following the Battlefront design, the main campaign is composed of decisive battles from the six Star Wars feature films, including the firefights on Endor, Yavin 4, and the icy planet Hoth. PSP gamers can also connect online, for multiplayer matches with up to 16 human-controlled soldiers. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

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

Jurassic: The Hunted is a fast-paced first-person shooter that sends players back through time, to pit them against the monstrous creatures that ruled the title era. Survival itself is the greatest measure of success, as the player is challenged to outgun and outsmart aggressive oversized enemies such as raptors, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus. Various game modes have players scavenging the prehistoric environment for useful weapons and equipment, defending makeshift fortifications under siege, and in all-out boss battles and arena fights against giant, ferocious opponents. A bullet-time styled "adrenaline burst" feature allows players to slow the action down during key sequences, for a one-time chance to take careful aim at a dinosaur enemy's most vulnerable points. The budget-friendly game puts players in the role of expert survivalist Craig Dylan, who has been hired to help protect a team of researchers investigating a temporal distortion on a heretofore-unknown island. When Dylan is mysteriously pulled backward through time to the era of the dinosaurs, he has only his wits and his weapon skills to keep him from becoming some terrible lizard's lunch. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Jurassic: The Hunted is a fast-paced first-person shooter that sends players back through time, to pit them against the monstrous creatures that ruled the title era. Survival itself is the greatest measure of success, as the player is challenged to outgun and outsmart aggressive oversized enemies such as raptors, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus. Various game modes have players scavenging the prehistoric environment for useful weapons and equipment, defending makeshift fortifications under siege, and in all-out boss battles and arena fights against giant, ferocious opponents. A bullet-time styled "adrenaline burst" feature allows players to slow the action down during key sequences, for a one-time chance to take careful aim at a dinosaur enemy's most vulnerable points. The budget-friendly game puts players in the role of expert survivalist Craig Dylan, who has been hired to help protect a team of researchers investigating a temporal distortion on a heretofore-unknown island. When Dylan is mysteriously pulled backward through time to the era of the dinosaurs, he has only his wits and his weapon skills to keep him from becoming some terrible lizard's lunch. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Jurassic: The Hunted is a fast-paced first-person shooter that sends players back through time, to pit them against the monstrous creatures that ruled the title era. Survival itself is the greatest measure of success, as the player is challenged to outgun and outsmart aggressive oversized enemies such as raptors, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus. Various game modes have players scavenging the prehistoric environment for useful weapons and equipment, defending makeshift fortifications under siege, and in all-out boss battles and arena fights against giant, ferocious opponents. A bullet-time styled "adrenaline burst" feature allows players to slow the action down during key sequences, for a one-time chance to take careful aim at a dinosaur enemy's most vulnerable points. The budget-friendly game puts players in the role of expert survivalist Craig Dylan, who has been hired to help protect a team of researchers investigating a temporal distortion on a heretofore-unknown island. When Dylan is mysteriously pulled backward through time to the era of the dinosaurs, he has only his wits and his weapon skills to keep him from becoming some terrible lizard's lunch. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide