Major League Baseball's only cross-console video game series returns to the field with a 2010 release for Wii. Once again, a system-exclusive, motion-sensitive control system simulates the real-life actions of pitching the ball and swinging the bat. Built on the same engine as the previous year's game, the 2K10 edition of the MLB game boasts improvements in accuracy and offers new features to give players more control while pitching and hitting. The "Total Hitting Control" system allows players on offence to swing for the fences, aim for a well-placed fair ball, or foul out of play, to work against the pitcher's stamina in a full-count battle. The "Batter's Eye" feature occasionally gives players a momentary preview of a pitch will cross the plate, depending in part on the skill and accuracy of the athlete at bat.

On defense, the game's "Total Control Pitching" system is designed to allow pitchers to put the ball right where they want it, working the corners to wear the hitter out and tempt him to take a swing at a tough pitch. For gamers who want to place themselves in the action, the "My Player" mode allows for the creation and development of a custom player, from the farm leagues through a career in the Bigs and, with dedication and a little luck, on to immortality in Cooperstown. In addition to the new features, the game has undergone dozens of refinements, for smoother transitional animations, more accuracy between the play on the field and the umpire's calls, and a better-integrated presentation. As usual, MLB 2K10 features all the teams, players, and venues of Major League Baseball, based on the most recent 2009 rosters. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

SpongeBob's Boating Bash is a go-kart-styled racing game with straightforward controls and fast action, set in the underwater world of the animated series. Some modes of play encourage reckless driving or demolishing competitor's vehicles with well-placed collisions. The game uses colorful, flat shaded 3D graphics that mimic the look of the cartoon. Players steer from a behind-the-boat perspective, using the Nunchuk thumbstick or simply tilting the Wii Remote in the direct they want to go. A split-screen multiplayer mode supports up to four. SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Squidward, Sandy, and five other characters from the long-running Nickelodeon show are available for play, along with a wide choice of vehicles and more than 100 customization options. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a classically styled kart racing game, with zippy vehicles, fantasy-themed courses, and over-the-top power-ups. Players choose to race as a favorite Sega game character, from a roster of 20 that includes Sonic, Tails, and Dr. Eggman, as well as Ai Ai and his monkey-balled companions, and the maracas-shaking Amigo from the Dreamcast's hit rhythm game. In classic kart-racing form, each character drives a vehicle with different attributes -- such as acceleration, handling, and top-speed -- allowing players to choose a ride that complements their driving style or to pick a character best suited for the challenges of a particular course.

The game features two dozen different tracks, set in medieval castles, lush rain forests, and busy city streets, all stocked with hazards to avoid, bonuses to collect, and shortcuts to discover. Up to four players can compete in a split-screen mode. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Endless Ocean: Blue World invites gamers to once again explore Earth's vast and varied underwater realms, this time with a greater emphasis on adventure than its scuba-diving predecessor Endless Ocean. Players join the explorers of L&L Diving as they search for the origin of the mysterious Song of Dragons in waterways around the world, including the Ciceros Strait, the Weddell Sea, the North Coast of Canada, and the Gatama Atoll. During their travels, gamers will explore shipwrecks, search for sunken treasure, and interact with more than 300 different species, including lionfish, piranha, arapaima, penguins, seals, squid, and a variety of sharks, dolphins, and whales.

A number of different tools let players use their Wii Remote to highlight important or interesting underwater landmarks, lure friendly creatures, snap photos, cure sick animals, fend off aggressors, and track down rare materials and treasure. Any items that gamers salvage can be sold to purchase decorations for a personal reef or aquarium, and players can also befriend a dolphin and bring it along for dives. Endless Ocean: Blue World also includes a multiplayer aspect, letting two gamers use Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection and Wii Speak functionality to chat while they explore the same underwater locales. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Starring the original ronin hero of Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon, Shiren the Wanderer is a classically styled combat adventure that spans a millennium. From a slightly angled top-down perspective, players guide the hero and his companions on dungeon-crawls through the mythology of feudal Japan. Along with his faithful ferret companion, Koppa, Shiren can be accompanied into dungeons by up to two companions, including other distinctly gifted heroes and rogues who join the adventure along the way. Players can take direct control of each character in the party, or focus on Shiren while the computer controls the others. Dungeons are stocked with monsters, traps, and treasure. Combat plays out in a turn-based fashion. Characters gain strength as they adventure and gain new equipment. Special items, such as the mysterious Dragon Orbs discovered in dungeons, can be used to imbue items with new powers and abilities. Unlike earlier games in the series, the Wii edition of Shiren the Wanderer offers two difficulty settings, allowing new players to learn the game in "Easy" mode while Mystery Dungeon veterans can quest for greater rewards in the more challenging "Normal" mode. The adventure begins as Shiren, once a dedicated samurai warrior, receives a mysterious key from his uncle and former master, known as Sensei. He is told that the key unlocks the fabled Karakuri Mansion, a labyrinthine place, where adventurers have been known to become lost in time, as well as in its twisting corridors. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Sega makes a monkey out of fans like never before in Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll, the first game in the tilt-to-go series that makes use of the Wii Balance Board. As in earlier installments in the family-friendly franchise, players take control of little monkey characters that are encased inside clear spheres (similar to over-sized hamster balls), which they move by tilting the entire game world floor in the direction they want to roll. In Step & Roll, players can shift their weight on the balance board to tilt the floor, or use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in a more traditional control scheme. In the main modes, the game is played like an oversized puzzle box, challenging gamers to make their way over and around obstacles while maintaining control and avoiding a fall over the edge. The game features 70 original levels, designed to offer challenge to players of all skill levels. Co-op play is available for two same-screen players, and as many as four may compete in a selection of 21 mini-games that includes "See Saw Ball," "Monkey Race," and "Monkey Bowling." ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The third title in Tamsoft Corporation's line of family friendly mini-game collections, 30 Great Games -- Winter Fun offers up to four players a variety of snow-themed outdoor activities and extreme winter sports. Gamers choose from a roster of 17 wacky characters, including a superhero and a polar bear, and then take on events such as snowboarding, curling, ice hockey, and bobsled racing. The events aren't limited to athletics however, as players can also participate in snowball fights, guess animal footprints, plow snow, and look at winter constellations. An Olympic-style presentation rewards participants with gold, silver, and bronze medals, and top scores unlock new levels, characters, and costumes. Gamers join up to three friends in competitive or co-op multiplayer action, and "Tournament" mode lets them take on as many as ten of their favorite events in one giant competition. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Fast Food Panic is a casual-style game with quick-paced, action-puzzle play and a lighthearted storyline straight out of the kitchen. As in popular downloadable games such as Diner Dash, players take the role of a start-up restaurateur. They must manage customer service in the front of the house, as well as the cooking and cleaning behind the counters. Similar to the game Cooking Mama, Fast Food Panic also has players preparing meals, through a hands-on control scheme that makes use of the console's unique input options. Hamburgers are assembled, dishes are washed, and trash is picked up from the restaurant floor, all by using the Wii Remote to point and click onscreen objects in the correct order. In many of the activities, quickness counts -- after all, time is money and "fast" is the name of the game. Players who can keep the orders coming from the back of the house and still find time to help the wait staff run the registers and serve the guests may be able to turn a profit in the fast food business. Success can lead to new options and equipment to help the eating establishments operate even more efficiently, and unlocks new mini-games to be played alone or with friends. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars is a 2D fighting game featuring fantasy match-ups between fan-favorite franchise characters from the animation studio and the game publisher. More than a dozen characters from each corporately aligned faction are available for play. In Capcom's corner are Street Fighter veterans Ryu and Chun Li, Batsu Ichimonji from Rival Schools, the succubus Morrigan Aensland from the Darkstalkers series, and cinema-inspired superhero Viewtiful Joe, along with characters from the Mega Man, Lost Planet, Dead Rising, and Okami game series. Fighting for Tatsunoko are Ken the Eagle, Jun the Swan, and Joe the Condor from Gatchaman, Yatterman-1 and Doronjo from the Yatterman cartoons, Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade, and heroes from Neo-Human Casshern, Golden Warrior Gold Lightan, Karas, and Hurricane Polymar anime series. As in earlier Vs. fighting games from the publisher (Capcom vs. SNK, Marvel vs. Capcom), several modes are available, including two-character team-ups and tag-out rules, but the focus of play is squarely on the one-on-one fighting between onscreen opponents. To keep the punches and kicks flowing for everyone, the game uses an accessible three-button control scheme, instead of the six button set-up found in many of Capcom's arcade-inspired fighters. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was designed for play on Wii. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

As in the original violent combat adventure game, the structure of No More Heroes 2 leads protagonist Travis Touchdown to battle a series of exorbitantly stylized boss characters in hand-to-hand combat, using his trusty "light beam katanas" and a complement of agile and effective grappling moves he learned as a lifelong fan of big-time wrestling. The combat uses motion-based controls, with players wielding Tavis' light saber-like weapons by swinging the Wii Remote. The adventure again plays out in Santa Destroy, a caricatured Southern California city that can be freely roamed and explored, full of bonuses and side-quests for players who seek them out. The sequel game's story picks up about three years after the original. Travis has dropped out of the deadly competitive United Assassins Association, and thus dropped down to a negligible 51st ranking. The enigmatic agent Sylvia Christel returns to entice Travis back into action, pushing him to slay his 50 higher-ranked opponents and reclaim his position as the top assassin in town. No More Heroes was conceived and planned by eccentric Japanese game designer Goichi "Suda51" Suda, who also created the original No More Heroes, as well as the GameCube's conspicuously unorthodox Killer7. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide