Arcade and Puzzle Video Games

Players control cute characters that curl up into bouncing balls, for block-busting action and color-coded collisions with animal-trapping gems. The 3DS's 2011 version Gem Smashers is based on Frame Studios' 2003 fixed-screen puzzler for Game Boy Advance. The action looks something like a cross between Breakout and Bubble Bobble, except that the player controls the ball itself (which is actually a cute little character) as it spins and ricochets around the screen.

Each level presents a new layout of breakable blocks and differently colored gems, in which innocent forest creatures are entrapped. In order to smash open a gem, the colliding character must be of the same color. Limited magical energy allows the characters to change colors. There are three characters to choose from -- Bau, Bam, and Bom -- and each offers a different mix of speed, spin, and bounce. As the only creatures to have escaped a mad scientist's plot to encase all the animals of the world in magic crystals, they must now use their special powers to set the others free. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The most famous puzzle game in video game history makes its 3DS debut with Tetris Axis. Over 20 variants on the shape-stacking game are included, from "Survival" to "Marathon" to "Bombliss." The fast-paced "Fever" mode has you racing against the clock, while "Fit" mode involves placing blocks in differently shaped holes. In "Capture," you'll attempt to cover stars on both sides of a matrix playing field, whereas "Jigsaw" lets you solve picture puzzles with an option to import your own images. Up to eight players can challenge each other in select modes via Download Play, where only one copy of the game is needed, or online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Five local multiplayer modes are also included, along with two augmented reality modes. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide