Action & Adventure Video Games

Sega's speed-loving mascot returns to foil another evil plot in Sonic Unleashed. This time, Dr. Eggman has caused a catastrophic event that shattered the world into many pieces, and gamers must guide the spiky-haired Sonic on a quest to reunite the planet. The cataclysm also brings about an unexpected change in Sonic, and in order to find the lost chaos emeralds and reconnect the world's continents, players must master both his traditional daytime abilities, and the new nighttime abilities of his slower and stronger alter ego Sonic the Werehog.

Sonic Unleashed makes use of a new "Hedgehog Engine" designed to give the game an unparalleled sense of speed and provide smooth transitions between the 2D and 3D sections of each daytime level. As always, players collect rings as they reach supersonic levels of speed, making use of the "Quick Step" and "Speed Drift" abilities to avoid obstacles and handle corners without losing momentum. There are nine game worlds, all designed to resemble real places such as Greece, China, and New York City, and each of the worlds features branching pathways and multiple routes to the finish line. Other familiar characters from the franchise, such as Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose, make appearances in a number of optional mini-games that offer a break from the high-speed action. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Veteran publisher Koei draws more inspiration from Chinese literature's Romance of the Three Kingdoms for its sixth installment of Dynasty Warriors. As with previous titles in the action-oriented series, players choose from a variety of stout heroes and noble warriors before engaging in historically inspired battles featuring hundreds of combatants. While the series has been criticized for its lack of significant changes from release to release, Dynasty Warriors 6 adds a number of enhancements to the well-traveled franchise. Though it lacks the graphical flourishes of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, the PS2 edition of Dynasty Warriors 6 offers ten new scenarios, five additional stages, and host of new weapons. The emphasis is still on defeating throngs of enemies with swords, giant hammers, polearms, and other weapons, with lengthy combo chains possible by varying attacks.

As players become more skilled in combat, they can choose from a variety of skills to customize their heroes as they see fit. A new "renbu" system allows characters to earn immediate combat bonuses through dexterous play, but these bonuses are lost once the battle is over. Characters also have the ability to swim across water and scale walls to perform surprise attacks on enemy camps. Another change is the omission of bodyguards, so players must go it alone instead of having a personal entourage. In their place is a faithful steed that can be called upon in a pinch to make hasty retreats or to charge at full gallop into groups. The character's horse will also level up along with characters, improving attributes in speed or power in combat. Featured game types include Musou Mode, a character-specific campaign, Challenge Mode, offering specific goals to complete, and Free, which involves building a character's stats on any unlocked battlefield. Players can also team-up with a friend via split-screen display. ~ All Game Guide

Similar to the original Madagascar game, Escape 2 Africa plays out in a series of platform levels, featuring exploration, collection quests, and light combat. Players change characters to fit the challenge. Gloria can knock over enemies with her size, and she's also an excellent swimmer. Melman has special healing powers, and the ability to toss objects great distances. When there's a need for speed, Marty's the right zebra for the job, and Alex is a good choice for platform exploration, with his special ability to climb poles and vines.

New characters introduced in the sequel, such as King Julian and Moto Moto, offer their own special abilities and bonuses, and the penguins are back as well. Also like the original game, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa features a selection of mini-games for single players or a whole family, including soccer, racing, rhythm-based dancing, and safari photography challenges. In a creative collaboration between DreamWorks and Activision, some locations have been expanded for feature in the game, including the Watering Hole, the African Savannah, the Volcano, and others. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Based on the best-selling series of spooky children's books by author R.L. Stine, Goosebumps HorrorLand puts gamers in the middle of a horror-themed amusement park full of fright-filled rides and attractions. Things go awry though, and gamers find themselves in a classic action-adventure, fending off real vampires, ghouls, and mummies through five different park zones. Players can unlock 30 different games and challenges in the main Story mode, top their best scores in Arcade mode, and take on friends in a dozen different challenges, all while collecting trading cards for popular Goosebumps ghouls. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Gamers join the world's preeminent pint-sized traveler for wintry adventures in Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess. The Magic Snowy Forest has begun to thaw because of a spell cast by a mean witch, and Dora, Boots, Swiper, Pirate Piggy, and their new friend Snow Fairy must work together to keep the forest from melting completely. Along the way, players must help the crew build a snowman, paddle a canoe, steer a dogsled, and ride Pegasus. Gamers can also ice skate, snowboard, and ski through the Winter Forest, the Icy Coast, and the Frozen Mountains on a quest to find the magic crystal and save the Snow Princess. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The world's preeminent pineapple-dweller joins a cast of nine fellow Nickelodeon cartoon characters on a quest to rid the world of the diabolical Morphoids. Gamers can control both heroes and villains as they traipse through familiar locations such as Bikini Bottom, Amity Park, and Retroville, collecting gadgets along the way and occasionally working co-operatively. The cast of playable characters includes heroes such as SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom, Tak, and Zim, while the playable villains include Dib, Professor Calamitous, Plankton, Technus, and Tlaloc. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Based on the third and final season of the acclaimed, animé-influenced action series, Into the Inferno follows Aang and his friends while they prepare to make their final stand against the Fire Nation. As a fateful comet nears its return to the world, the Last Avatar must find a way to bend the terrible powers of Fire Lord Ozai's armies -- and the raw power of fire itself -- away from the ultimate domination and destruction they imminently threaten. From an isometric perspective, players guide Aang, Katara, Sokka, and other characters in martial arts combat and through 3D action sequences. Each character fights in his or her appropriate style, employing the powers of air, water, earth, and fire, as in the animated series. Characters can also ply their various elemental bending powers to alter the environment to their advantage, and may need to do so in order to progress through certain key stages. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

THQ's tiny tribal shaman returns for another series of adventures, this time on a quest to rid the world of four giant "Grosstrosities" that he accidentally unleashed. The series' traditional platforming has been supplemented with a new "parkour" style that lets Tak run up walls, slide down poles, and swing on vines, all while trying to rid the world of the Stink Giant, the Slime Giant, the Landfill Giant, and the Molten Cheese Giant. There are a handful of stench-themed mini-games in each level, gamers can control Jeera through a special jungle-driving level, and as always, players collect "juju" magic spells to help ward off enemies. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The Dynamic Duo hits the bricks in LEGO Batman: The Videogame. In the game's main campaign, players take control of Batman and Robin for familiar bust-and-build action and puzzle-solving adventure through more than a dozen levels of Gotham City -- re-created completely from Lego brand toy building blocks, of course. There are plenty of thugs, goons, and even supervillians ready for a brawl along the way, and Bat-gadgets, vehicles, and a special-purpose "tech suits" allow the Caped Crusaders to make their way through various precarious situations.

Once the good guys have won the day, another full campaign has players taking the roles of the bad guys, including favorites such as the Joker, Catwoman, Mister Freeze, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face, and others. Different characters have different abilities, and it sometimes takes teamwork to overcome an obstacle and progress to the next area. As in the earlier Lego games, collection quests and other side activities may allow players to create even quirkier mixes and matches.

LEGO Batman is the first co-production of Warner Bros. Interactive and its 2007 acquisition, TT Games, which includes developer Traveller's Tales. The game features the humor, action, and family-friendly presentation found in the developer's popular LEGO Star Wars games, while incorporating characters and content from nearly 70 years of Batman comics, cartoons, television shows, movies, and music available under the publisher's license. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The worlds of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors collide yet again for intense combat in Warriors Orochi 2. Though the original Warriors Orochi saw the diabolical Serpent King Orochi die, the world soon returned to chaos due to splintering within the factions led by Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo, Masamune Date, and Cao Cao of Wei. In the main story mode players can choose more than 90 characters as they try to beat back the forces of evil once again. The new Dream mode offers players a separate storyline, while a new "Orochi" storyline lets gamers learn more about the origins of the Serpent King. Multiplayer options include a new Versus mode that resembles traditional fighting games in its use of one-on-one combat, and the Team Battle System returns, once again allowing players to form battle squads of three in which two warriors rest while the third fights. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide