New Releases

Created by the development team behind such critically acclaimed role-playing games as Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins is an original fantasy RPG featuring real-time combat and content spanning an estimated 80 hours in length. Your custom-created hero is one of the few remaining members of the elite Grey Wardens, an ancient order that has sworn to protect the land and its citizens. The news is dire: a corrupted dragon is leading a powerful army of darkspawn to conquer the surrounding territories. In your quest to slay the dragon and cleanse the tainted lands, you'll battle numerous creatures, make critical decisions, and explore dozens of locales.

Shape your hero's personality by initially choosing one of six origin stories, which influences your character's background and starting area. Recruit others to fight alongside you, engage in branching conversations, and deal with such issues as murder, jealousy, love, politics, and even genocide. While the third-person combat occurs in real time, you can pause the action at any point to issue commands and plan your strategy. You can also switch between all four party members to take advantage of special skills and talents, as the computer carries out actions for heroes not directly under your control. A minimum of two years worth of downloadable content is planned to expand Dragon Age's universe with new quests, campaigns, and characters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Rabbids Go Home finds Ubisoft's raving mascots growing tired of Earth and ready to return to their lunar home, but rather than take a spaceship, they decide to collect a massive pile of human junk and simply climb to the moon. To accomplish their task, the lunatic lagomorphs commandeer a shopping cart and speed through 15 different environments in a Katamari-like effort to collect as much stuff as possible. The materialistic humans won't let go of their precious junk without a fight, however, so they deploy hordes of "Verminators" who are intent on wiping out as many Rabbids as possible. Gamers can use a variety of high-powered upgrades to turn their shopping cart into a runaway wrecking ball, racing through more than 40 missions in a fast-paced symphony of havoc and destruction. ~ Christopher Brown, 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

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

Dream Salon puts gamers in the fashionable shoes of Jenny, a young graduate of the New York Beauty Academy with a dream of becoming the biggest stylist in the world. In order to increase her profile, Jenny must style a number of models in preparation for big fashion shows set in ten different locations around the globe. Players begin by choosing from 20 different hairstyles, including coloring and highlights, and then selecting the perfect combination of more than 100 cosmetic items such as eye shadow, lipstick, and blush. Fashion is paramount for models, of course, so gamers must also come up with the most stylish outfits possible, including hats, eyewear, and other accessory flourishes. Players can add finishing touches with a fresh coat of nail polish, and then take snapshots of their favorite overall designs for safekeeping in the photo gallery. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Young gamers can join the pint-sized heroine Dora and her friends Boots and Allie as they head off to restore color to the Crystal Kingdom in this adventure game from 2K Play. A Greedy King has stolen all of the crystals that give the kingdom its wonderful color, and only players can help Dora and her friends jump, climb, and run through levels to recover the jewels and restore order to the land. Levels take place in such fanciful environments as a butterfly cave, a land of dragons, and a castle in the clouds, and the "Helper" feature lets parents use a second controller to jump in and assist their children. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Konami's best-selling soccer series returns with updated features designed around consumer feedback. The analog controls now allow for full 360° movement, 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 more expressive player faces, dynamic lighting, 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

Aspiring culinary artists can turn their Wii Remote into a kitchen knife as they slice and dive their way through more than 30 real recipes in Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked! Players can learn how to prepare a wide range of meals, from simple breakfasts to elaborate feasts, and Food Network personalities Susie Fogelson and Mory Thomas offer up tips, instructions, and critiques of each dish. Food-loving gamers can try the challenges alone, or they can take on a friend in head-to-head cook-offs. ~ 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

Mixing inventory puzzles, point-and-click adventure, and traditional hidden object gameplay, Hidden Mysteries: Titanic -- Secrets of the Fateful Voyage puts players aboard the opulent cruise ship during its final few hours. Gamers must hunt for hidden items through 15 chapters, all the while interacting with fellow characters to gather information and obtain important objects. Some of those objects can then be used in more than 20 mini-game puzzles, many using specific touch screen controls, while the dialog choices players make affect which paths are available and alter the ultimate conclusion of the game. ~ Christopher Brown, 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

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is a compilation that bundles together the two downloadable expansions to Grand Theft Auto IV on a single game disc. The package includes the two-wheel gangland adventures of Johnny Klebitz in Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, and the more glitzy nightclub escapades of Luis Lopez in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide