New Releases

Assemble a band, brick by colorful brick, in this family friendly version of Harmonix Music's popular rhythm series. Featuring the same level of customization and whimsical humor found in previous LEGO video games, LEGO Rock Band lets you create your own band members, roadies, and even managers from a variety of individual parts. Completing songs and rock power challenges earn you studs that can be used to unlock additional venues, characters, instruments, vehicles, and items for your personal "rock den." Challenges involve achieving such offbeat feats as summoning storms, demolishing skyscrapers, and defeating a giant octopus with the power of music.

As with earlier entries in the Rock Band series, gameplay involves using supported guitar, microphone, and/or drum peripherals to rhythmically follow a series of cascading, color-coordinated notes. A total of 45 songs are included on the disc, all performed by the original artists. Tracks include "Crocodile Rock," "Ghostbusters," "Summer of 69," "So What," "I Want You Back," "Free Fallin," and more. Owners can also download other songs designed for the Rock Band series as well as export the LEGO Rock Band track list to Rock Band 2 for use in all game modes. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Namco's pep-filled cheerleading series returns with new dance moves, new characters, and an all-new soundtrack full of licensed hit songs in We Cheer 2. Players once again treat their Wii Remotes as pom-poms, waving their arms and kicking their feet as they mimic color-coded on-screen prompts. Gamers can customize the physical attributes and appearances of more than 40 male and female characters, and as the avatars compete they help players earn points to unlock new stages, songs, and outfits. The "Training" mode helps players master new routines, "Exercise" mode is designed to help gamers burn calories, and "Championship" mode finds players guiding their squad through a series of competitions in hopes of winning a cheerleading title. Those looking for multiplayer action can join up to three friends for head-to-head competition. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The movie series may be over, but the saga lives on with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The storyline takes place between films Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, with the Galactic Empire nearing the peak of its far-reaching power. You are none other than Darth Vader's secret apprentice, engaging in covert missions to defeat those with designs on dismantling the Imperial regime. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions feature custom designed technologies that let players interact with the environment in diverse ways. Mastery of the Force allows the protagonist to lift writhing bodies into the air, letting them dangle powerlessly, before pushing them at high speeds into the background. Objects of varying sizes and strengths can also be manipulated, acting as mere toys for the evil Jedi to use in his nefarious deeds. Lightning crackles from fingertips, lightsabers twirl in the air, and entire spaceships move with the mind. It's all part of being a Jedi.

The protagonist will travel to various worlds in his relentless search for the few remaining Jedi who escaped Order 66. Featured locales include a TIE Fighter construction facility, the Wookiee home of Kashyyyk, a junkyard-like realm known as Raxus Prime, and a fungus-infested planet called Felucia. Each features groups of enemies that must be eliminated in stylish fashion, with Force power combos earning players experience points to customize their character. The action is viewed from a third-person perspective with the apprentice holding his red lightsaber pointed upward behind his back. Accompanying the lead character at various points is a prototype "holodroid" called Proxy as well as a blond Imperial pilot named Juno Eclipse. The Sith Lord's apprentice faces several deadly foes throughout his mission, including Maris Brood, a Zabrak warrior bent on revenge, and the primary target: grizzled General Rahm Kota, who learned the ways of the Force under the tutelage of Mace Windu and Yoda.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed -- Ultimate Sith Edition includes three new levels detailing an alternate storyline in which the apprentice kill Darth Vader and takes his place during several key moments from the films. Players visit Coruscant for another mission, head to Tatooine to square off against Obi-Wan Kenobi, and face Luke Skywalker himself in a final confrontation on Hoth. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

C.O.P.: The Recruit puts players in the shoes of Dan Miles, a former underground street racing champion who decides to put his lust for danger to good use by joining the Criminal Overturn Program. Working under Detective Brad Winter, Miles scours the streets of New York City investigating a series of terrorist attacks. But when Winter is arrested for a crime he didn't commit, players must take Miles back into his former life as he goes undercover to exonerate his mentor, unravel a citywide conspiracy, and prevent a catastrophic terrorist attack. C.O.P.: The Recruit offers gamers more than 60 missions set throughout six square miles of bustling Manhattan streets. The stylus-driven 3D action includes back-alley races, shootouts with criminals, and terrorist surveillance, and players can make use of modern technology to coordinate SWAT team assaults, call for ambulance support, and access the city's surveillance cameras to locate suspects. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Winter sports enthusiasts can take to 25 powdery trails aboard some of the finest sleds around in Ski-Doo: Snowmobile Challenge. Players can choose from 20 authentic Ski Doo snowmobiles, and a full line of real accessories and clothing, as they compete in frenzied snow-cross races, maximum torque hill climbs, and death-defying big-air stunt competitions. Gamers looking for more than single-player action can take on a friend in split-screen head-to-head races. ~ All Game Guide

Activision takes the Wii mini-game compilation to powdery slopes and icy valleys for seven different outdoor activities in Mountain Sports. Players can use their Wii Remote to take on skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tubing, bobsledding, biathlon, and curling activities modes, and every mode except curling is optimized for use with the Wii Balance Board. There are 22 different tracks to explore, and gamers can compete in single-player "Career" and "Quick Play" modes, or challenge up to three friends in any event in "Multiplayer" mode. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The Cartoon Network's Ben 10 series returns to DS as the lead protagonist ventures into outer space for the first time to defend exotic worlds. The storyline follows archenemy Vilgax, who has created a formidable team of young Ben Tennyson's rivals in his bid to take over the universe. To succeed, you'll need to master each of Ben's ten alien forms to solve puzzles and to battle hordes of enemies. Gameplay features a mixture of platform-style exploration, fast-paced combat, and puzzles built around each of Ben's distinct forms. Use each alien's special powers to undermine Vilgax's diabolical plans while saving multiple planets in the process. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The Cartoon Network's Ben 10 series makes its Xbox 360 debut as the lead protagonist ventures into outer space for the first time to defend exotic worlds. The storyline follows archenemy Vilgax, who has created a formidable team of young Ben Tennyson's rivals in his bid to take over the universe. To succeed, you'll need to master each of Ben's ten alien forms to solve puzzles and to battle hordes of enemies. Gameplay features a mixture of platform-style exploration, fast-paced combat, and puzzles built around each of Ben's distinct forms. Use each alien's special powers to undermine Vilgax's diabolical plans while saving multiple planets in the process. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Players take their table waiting skills on vacation in Diner Dash: Flo on the Go. In this release, Flo is working the restaurants on a cruise ship and must keep her patrons happy and earn enough tips by taking orders, bringing desert, offering beverages, serving food, and presenting appetizers all before the customers lose their cool. Flo will wait tables in five new restaurants and must cater to nine customer types including single mothers, lovers, mixed families, and tourists. Additionally, gamers can change Flo's outfit in her new closet and upgrade each restaurant with over 25 items. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

The Cartoon Network's Ben 10 series returns to PlayStation 2 as the lead protagonist ventures into outer space for the first time to defend exotic worlds. The storyline follows archenemy Vilgax, who has created a formidable team of young Ben Tennyson's rivals in his bid to take over the universe. To succeed, you'll need to master each of Ben's ten alien forms to solve puzzles and to battle hordes of enemies. Gameplay features a mixture of platform-style exploration, fast-paced combat, and puzzles built around each of Ben's distinct forms. Use each alien's special powers to undermine Vilgax's diabolical plans while saving multiple planets in the process. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Microsoft's premiere driving simulation series revs up with its second high-definition release for Xbox 360, Forza Motorsport 3. The third in the series enhances or improves upon nearly all the key features of earlier games, while adding new driver-assisting functions to make play more accessible to a wider audience. Central to Forza 3 are detailed, virtual re-creations of more than 400 models of automobile, from 50 different manufacturers. Races may be run on more than 100 tracks, including old favorites and some new to the series, based on actual locations around the world. Graphically, the cars are built from over ten times the number of polygons used to create the cars in Forza 2. The game's physics model refines the systems used in the previous game, and developers worked with other driving-game experts as well as with representatives of several auto manufacturers, in their efforts to build-in authentic cause-and-effect elements in minute detail.

For more casual drivers, Forza 3 offers features such as auto-braking and computer-assisted tuning, allowing for a freer driving experience without the constant danger of a crash around each tight corner, or concerns about inefficient settings for the current road conditions. When accidents do happen, the game's new "rewind" feature allows the player to stop, roll back time, and try again. Meanwhile, the hardest-core of driving aficionados can eschew the computer assistance for realistically demanding experience, just as gearhead gamers are free to do their own custom tuning, with the ability to make essentially any adjustment to their virtual auto that could be made to its real-life counterpart, for realistic performance tweaks. Xbox Live-connected Forza 3 players can race against others online in a selection of events, and show off their favorite tunings and custom paint jobs. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Nintendo's exclusive Sims spinoff moves out of the forest and into the jungles, deserts, and river beds of Africa for another adventure in taming, training, and playing with wild animals. SimAnimals Africa features a new, more playful art style and a wide selection of new creatures, but the gameplay once again involves picking up and placing animals in stimulating environments where they can thrive and be happy. Players can interact with a variety of different creatures, such as lions, zebras, crocodiles, and gorillas, and every species has a unique skill that can be used to maintain the serenity of an environment, unlock new landscapes, and discover special items. There are more than 70 rare bugs, fruits, and flowers to find, and new mini-games let players use their Wii Remote to pet and play games with the animals, making it easier to progress through the overall adventure. Gamers can also choose to play as one of the various creatures, allowing them to water the foliage as an elephant, kick fruit off trees as a zebra, or chase after gazelles as a lion, among many other activities. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide