Based on Walt Disney Pictures' 2009 animated film, The Princess and the Frog for DS is a side-scrolling platform game starring characters Tiana and Ray. Use each character's abilities to swing, leap, and even fly through 27 quest-filled levels set within New Orleans. Collecting various items and ingredients throughout your journey will enable you to cook authentic New Orleans-style cuisine and perform music with up to three other friends. Each cartridge also includes access to Disney's online portal, "DGamer," where you can create a profile and 3D avatar before connecting to friends for chats, sharing accessories, and earning in-game awards. Owners of the Wii version can also unlock bonus items by linking the two games together. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Ubisoft's ever-expanding series of animal-themed life development sims lets young gamers turn their rodent friends into performance artists in Petz: Hamsterz Superstarz. Players rear a young hamster and train it to take on a variety of outrageous activities, including running through mazes, parachuting, bowling, and participating in fashion shows. As the hamsters get better at certain events they earn coins that help unlock new toys and accessories, and gamers can always send their furry friends over to the Petz Nursery if they need extra care. ~ All Game Guide

Ubisoft's ever-expanding series of animal-themed life development sims spreads to the world of canine competitions in Petz: Dogz Talent Show. Players choose from a variety of dog breeds and then engage their pups in a number of different activities, including riding a skateboard, running through obstacle courses, and playing classic games of fetch, with each event helping puppies unlock new tricks. Gamers can share photos of their talented dogs with friends via wireless connection or on the Petz website, and Petz: Dogz Talent Show is compatible with Petz Nursery, meaning players can rear a newborn pup and, once it gets big enough, teach it new tricks and enter it in competitions. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Billed by Sega as a true successor to the groundbreaking Phantasy Star Online, Phantasy Star Ø transports gamers to an alternate Earth approximately 200 years after a massive war decimated the planet. The survivors managed to pick up the tattered pieces of once great civilizations and build thriving, albeit isolated, cities. And while the apocalyptic nature of the "Great Blank" led to a more peaceful society, a select group of adventurous citizens choose to explore the expansive wilderness areas in order to hunt monsters that threaten the safety of city life. Gamers take on the role of one of these explorers, choosing from the blade-wielding Hunter race, the gun-toting Ranger race, or the spell-casting Forces, and then selecting from 14 different class variations.

Players can also create unique robot "Mags" to provide stat boosts, heal injuries, or serve as an extra attacker, and feeding each Mag surplus items helps them level up in four key areas. There are more than 350 unique weapons available, and combat is handled in a three-beat system, whereby gamers can unleash as many as three normal or heavy attacks consecutively. Phantasy Star Ø includes three online modes: "Free" mode, in which players join a randomly assigned party; "Friend" mode, where two friends can set up a private adventure; and "Single" mode, in which solo gamers partake in online combat to increase their stats. A new "Visual Chat" option lets gamers use the stylus to create and store 20 different visual or written shortcuts in order to more quickly communicate with fellow players during online action. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

As its title proposes, this game combines the fast-paced prioritization puzzles of Diner Dash with a matrimonial theme. Players plan their own wedding, choosing flowers, cakes, and food, and then serve the guests as efficiently as possible, to keep everyone happy and satisfied. Players follow a humorous story that develops through between-level cut scenes, introducing characters and framing each new challenge. ~ All Game Guide

Style Lab Makeover lets gamers get creative as they apply new makeup and hairstyles to a variety of different faces. "Free" mode finds aspiring beauticians adding lipstick, blush, and eye shadow to their character's face, and then trying out new hairstyles and colors, while beauty challenges let players improve their skills and earn points to purchase new beauty products. DSi gamers have the option of taking pictures of themselves, letting Style Lab Makeover match their face to an in-game character, and then testing out new looks to see the potential results of real-world makeover. Wireless functionality lets players share their custom designs or snap photos and perform virtual makeovers for friends. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Ubisoft's expansive animal development series grows once more with Petz Nursery, a title designed to let gamers interact and care for small and vulnerable baby animals. Players must keep their newborn Petz clean while providing milk and warmth to a variety of creatures, including puppies, kittens, tiger cubs, and baby polar bears. Singing songs, letting the different animals frolic together, and playing games of peek-a-boo will help each creature grow up happy and strong, and Petz Nursery is compatible with other titles in the series, such as Petz: Dogz Talent Show and etz: Hamsterz Superstarz, so gamers can continue to keep track of their pets even after they leave the nursery. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The third Call of Duty title to come to DS, and the first to feature a wholly original storyline, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare -- Mobilized offers handheld gamers new weapons, new gameplay modes, and new multiplayer options. Players can wield 20 different firearms, including an automatic shotgun, and missions find gamers engaging in traditional ground-based urban combat, piloting a tank through hostile territory, controlling and deploying weapons from UAV spy drones, and, in a nod to the console version of the original Modern Warfare, manning the turrets of an AC-130 gunship. Aside from the main campaign, single players also have the option to take on the new "Survival" mode, in which gamers use an array of different weapons to hold off hordes of encroaching foes for as long as possible, and the new "Arcade" mode, where a clock winds down as players attempt to rack up high scores in the main campaign. A variety of multiplayer game modes now allow for six-person competitions, gamers can host their own online battles, and a new weapons unlock feature lets players earn more powerful armaments as they improve their multiplayer stats. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: Circus Friends -- Asian Elephants takes a Petz-like approach to its treatment of life in the big top, giving gamers control of a large Asian pachyderm. There are 15 different activities for players to try, including painting and plate spinning, and a variety of colorful outfits for the elephants to wear. The ultimate goal is to train the creatures well enough to eventually make it to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Big Top, but to get there, gamers must keep their oversized friends happy and healthy with stylus-based games and grooming activities. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Star Wars: Battlefront -- Elite Squadron is a third-person shooter that allows players to take part in famous battles from throughout the Star Wars story. As in previous Battlefront games on consoles and home computers, players take the role of a soldier from the sci-fi fantasy series and engage in frontline combat with infantry weapons, light artillery, and vehicles. In Elite Squadron, players can customize their character by choosing weapons, armor, gender, and combat attributes, and by earning and using their choice of hundreds of unlockable weapons, items, and bonuses. In addition to the custom character they develop, in some modes, gamers can also play as central characters from the Star Wars saga, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kit Fisto, Count Dooku, and Boba Fett, as well as some main characters originally featured in earlier Star Wars games. Players may commandeer equipment and vehicles in the heat of combat, including AT-RTs and troop transports, as well as TIE and X-Wing fighters. Following the Battlefront design, the main campaign is composed of decisive battles from the six Star Wars feature films, including the firefights on Endor, Yavin 4, and the icy planet Hoth. Nintendo DS and DSi gamers can also connect wirelessly, for multiplayer matches with up to four human-controlled soldiers. ~ T.J. Deci, 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

Although guitar heroics often take the lead in modern popular music, rock & roll has always been a group activity, and Activision's Band Hero aims to gets the whole crew into the act. As its title proclaims, the continuation of the genre-founding Guitar Hero series sets center stage for the whole band -- drummers and vocalists as well as lead and bass guitarists -- and is designed to let gamers play along with contemporary and classic rock and pop songs, using their favorite instruments in their own style. The game ships with a "Drum Grip" peripheral, which plugs into the Game Boy cartridge accessory slot of the Nintendo DS (and which is not compatible with the newer DSi model of the handheld). The action-buttoned grip is similar to the device included with the special DS edition of Guitar Hero: On Tour, but is designed to allow for drum kit simulation as well as virtual fret board work. Vocals are picked up by the handheld's built in microphone.

To keep the focus on fun, Band Hero offers "No Fail" gameplay modes, allowing players to open up and express themselves, without worrying about keeping up with progressions or scoring points. Guitar Hero's more familiar, challenging modes of play are available in Band Hero as well, and the game features "Stage Stunt" mini-games, which can boost a good performance over the top or drag it down into mediocrity, depending on the player's success. The Nintendo DS edition of Band Hero includes 30 popular songs from a diverse selection of pop and rock recording artists, such as Avril Levine, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, No Doubt, Queen, The Rolling Stones, and Spin Doctors. In the spirit of playing together with the band, up to four DS players can jam together on the same songs, each playing a different part or all on the same instrument. DS Band Hero musicians who also play the Wii edition can unlock additional challenges and rewards on the console through a wireless connection between the two games. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide