New Releases

Pep-filled gamers can use their Wii Remotes as pom-poms and treat their Balance Board like a dance floor in Dream Dance & Cheer. Players guide Hanna, a young cheerleader with dreams of becoming a professional dancer, as she dances and cheers through 20 different events spread throughout a variety of stadiums and arenas. As gamers progress through the story and begin to achieve a measure of success, they will receive medals and unlock a variety of new outfits, pom-poms, shoes, stadiums, and accessories. Players can go through the main campaign alone in "Story" mode, or they can compete with a friend in "Cheer Battle" mode. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Namco's hand-to-hand fighting game series debuts on high-definition consoles with enhanced graphics, destructible environments, online features, and the series' largest character roster to date. The "King of Iron Fist Tournament" brings 40 contenders into the fray this time around, with mainstays such as Jin, King, Anna, Law, Phoenix, and Heihachi, as well as six newcomers, including the jet-pack enabled Alisa Bosconovitch, the veteran warrior Lars Alexandersson, and the obese but impossibly quick American karate champion known as Bob. The series' fan-familiar match types and battle modes are included, although some have been revamped. In the storyline-driven "Scenario Campaign" mode, similar to the "Tekken Force" mode featured in earlier editions of the game, a chosen character battles through set piece areas, fighting numerous enemies to progress.

Online functionality is fundamental in Tekken 6. Players can join matches against others over the console network, or fight alongside a human-controlled ally in a co-op campaign mode (which becomes available in a free, downloadable patch). "Ghost" characters can be trained to fight in a gamer's personal fighting style, and then sparred against to reveal strengths and weaknesses, or shared and traded online to provide a customized challenge to other players. Worldwide and regional leaderboards track rankings and top performances in all main game modes. The series' new PS3 and Xbox 360 graphics feature character models and animations of unprecedented quality, as well as enrichments such as special lighting and depth-of-field effects, all in sharp, HD detail. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Namco's hand-to-hand fighting game series debuts on high-definition consoles with enhanced graphics, destructible environments, online features, and the series' largest character roster to date. The "King of Iron Fist Tournament" brings 40 contenders into the fray this time around, with mainstays such as Jin, King, Anna, Law, Phoenix, and Heihachi, as well as six newcomers, including the jet-pack enabled Alisa Bosconovitch, the veteran warrior Lars Alexandersson, and the obese but impossibly quick American karate champion known as Bob. The series' fan-familiar match types and battle modes are included, although some have been revamped. In the storyline-driven "Scenario Campaign" mode, similar to the "Tekken Force" mode featured in earlier editions of the game, a chosen character battles through set piece areas, fighting numerous enemies to progress.

Online functionality is fundamental in Tekken 6. Players can join matches against others over the Xbox Live network, or fight alongside a human-controlled ally in a co-op campaign mode (which becomes available in a free, downloadable patch). "Ghost" characters can be trained to fight in a gamer's personal fighting style, and then sparred against to reveal strengths and weaknesses, or shared and traded online to provide a customized challenge to other players. Worldwide and regional leaderboards track rankings and top performances in all main game modes. The series' new PS3 and Xbox 360 graphics feature character models and animations of unprecedented quality, as well as enrichments such as special lighting and depth-of-field effects, all in sharp, HD detail. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Designed for social gaming, Hasbro Family Game Night offers players digitized versions of classic Hasbro board games. Players can take on the computer or go head-to-head with a friend in games of "Operation," "Battleship," "Bop-It," and "Connect Four." Hasbro Family Game Night also puts a new twist on the old standards, letting players try out "Connect Four Power Chips" and "Reverse Yahtzee," and all of the game's festivities are hosted by the multifaceted Mr. Potato Head. ~ All Game Guide

SpongeBob SquarePants teams up with Plankton to recover Mr. Krabs' coveted Krabby Patty formula in Truth or Square. The platform-style action has you controlling the yellow cartoon character through an assortment of familiar locales, including downtown Bikini Bottom, the Krusty Krab, the Jellyfish Fields, and Rock Bottom, while advancing across 12 levels. With the help of Plankton's memory machine, SpongeBob will also revisit ten of the "happiest moments" in his underwater life. It is hoped that by revisiting his past, SpongeBob will remember where he placed the secret formula. In addition to jumping and spinning, SpongeBob can morph into a sledgehammer, water gun, and explosive cannon to defeat rivals. ~ 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

Nickelodeon's popular animated series for pre-school children comes to gamers with 24 musically themed mini-games in The Backyardigans. Players join the creative quintet of Austin, Pablo, Tasha, Tyrone, and Uniqua as their imaginations turn them into crime-fighting superheroes, adventurous treasure hunters, and trash-collecting astronauts. The mini-games are optimized for the DS control scheme, letting young gamers tap and scribble on the touch screen and speak into the microphone, and the game features all the real voice actors from the TV series. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Help the anthropomorphic animals from the Madagascar films win multiple go-kart championships in this four-player racing title from Activision. A total of nine themed environments are included, from a beach and volcano to a freighter and zoo, each offering hazards to avoid and power-ups to collect. Perform stunts, battle for three cups, and earn medals in one of four distinct vehicle classes: 50CC, 100CC, 150CC, and 200CC. Featured drivers include Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, Julien, the chimps, and the penguins. Play modes range from a Time Trial and Checkpoint Race to a Quick Race and Championship. As a special bonus, computer animated stars Shrek and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs. Aliens) are also included as playable characters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Help the anthropomorphic animals from the Madagascar films win multiple go-kart championships in this four-player racing title from Activision. A total of nine themed environments are included, from a beach and volcano to a freighter and zoo, each offering hazards to avoid and power-ups to collect. Perform stunts, battle for three cups, and earn medals in one of four distinct vehicle classes: 50CC, 100CC, 150CC, and 200CC. Featured drivers include Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, Julien, the chimps, and the penguins. Play modes range from a Time Trial and Checkpoint Race to a Quick Race and Championship. As a special bonus, computer animated stars Shrek and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs. Aliens) are also included as playable characters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Help the anthropomorphic animals from the Madagascar films win multiple go-kart championships in this four-player racing title from Activision. A total of nine themed environments are included, from a beach and volcano to a freighter and zoo, each offering hazards to avoid and power-ups to collect. Perform stunts, battle for three cups, and earn medals in one of four distinct vehicle classes: 50CC, 100CC, 150CC, and 200CC. Featured drivers include Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, Julien, the chimps, and the penguins. Play modes range from a Time Trial and Checkpoint Race to a Quick Race and Championship. As a special bonus, computer animated stars Shrek and B.O.B. (from Monsters vs. Aliens) are also included as playable characters. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Based on the Cartoon Network's animated series, The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun has you controlling young Zak Saturday and his family in a battle to protect creatures known as Cryptids from such nemeses as Van Rook, Piecemeal, Munya, and V.V. Argost. You'll travel to ten exotic locales around the world, from sweltering jungles to underwater cities, while solving puzzles, leaping across platforms, and battling foes in each area. Zak Saturday uses a grappling hook-type device called "the Claw" to swing across areas and strike enemies. Over 45 playable characters are included, the majority of which are new Cryptid types that can fly, swing, and perform various other actions. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, 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