In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, developer Infinity Ward aims to ratchet up the intense first-person gunplay, graphical verisimilitude, and deep multiplayer experience that won the original title wide acclaim from critics and consumers alike, while at the same time adding to the overall package with the new, fast-paced "SpecOps" mode. The single-player campaign picks up where Call of Duty 4 ended, with gamers once again descending into the shadowy world of terrorists, arms dealers, and nationless armies. Players take on the role of Sergeant Gary "Roach" Anderson, an elite member of the multinational Task Force 141 and subordinate of one of Call of Duty 4's protagonists, John "Soup" MacTavish.

Task Force 141 is on the trail of Vladimir Makarov, a maniacal disciple of Imran Zakhaev, who has used the death of his mentor as a means of expanding his own base of power. Missions find gamers working off sketchy intelligence as they battle whiteout conditions in the jagged mountains of Russia and Kazakstan, shuffle though expansive desert and cave environments in Afghanistan, and weave between City of God-like Brazilian slums, where misfires result in dead civilians and a failed mission. As was the case in Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2 supplies players with the most technologically advanced weapons, vehicles, and accoutrements available, including SCAR-H rifles, snowmobiles, and heartbeat sensors.

The new "SpecialOps" mode brings gamers more than 20 fast-paced missions inspired by the frenzied mid-fuselage gunfight at the end of Call of Duty 4. Players find themselves racing snowmobiles, battling a huge number of enemies at once, or simply attempting to get in and out of a building without dying, and missions can be played solo, in local split-screen co-op, or online with a friend. Those looking for more online action can also take on the "Free-for-All," "Demolition," "Domination," "Search & Destroy," "Capture the Flag," and "Team Deathmatch" multiplayer modes.

The much-lauded RPG-like system of doling out experience points and unlockable rewards returns in Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer modes, but Infinity Ward has also included a number of new wrinkles to spice up the action. Maps are designed to be both more expansive and more vertical; weapons feature a variety of new attachments; new "Pro Perks" let players gain more stopping power, greater speed, or automatic health boosts; and gamers who manage to string together a number of kills gain access to the new "killstreaks" system, which lets them call for seven different kinds of heavy-duty support, including supply drops, helicopter gun attacks, and unmanned aerial vehicle strikes. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

The roguish fortune-hunter hero Nathan Drake returns in Among Thieves, a high-adventure follow-up to the original Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. In action, Drake employs a movie-set worthy of the most daring video game tomb raiders and relic hunters, with agile running and jumping, light hand-to-hand combat, and a noteworthy talent with small arms. These skills are put to use as the hero once again finds himself adventuring in the wilderness, facing a tricky location-based platform puzzles or vastly outnumbered by bands of violent, heartless bandits. The game runs on the developer's own engine. The character is designed to move with a smooth, realistic flow as he runs, sneaks, climbs, and fires his weapon from nearly any position -- behind makeshift cover, or even while hanging by his fingertips from high on a cliff face or treetop vine. The action shifts seamlessly from one scene to the next, with no loading screens.

In this adventure, Drake seeks answers to the mystery of Marco Polo's lost fleet. Great riches and wisdom are tied to the fate of ships and treasure that left China with the famous explorer at the end of the 13th century, but did not arrive with him back home at his final destination. Although Marco Polo took the secrets of the lost ships and crew to his grave, Drake seeks answers on a journey through history, to the fabled Himalayan valley of Shangri-La. The key to the mystery may be a legendary sapphire, known as the "wish-fulfilling jewel." Magical properties or no, the billions of dollars the stone would be worth in modern markets should be enough to make nearly any wish come true. In addition to the main single-player story, the game features cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. Among Thieves was developed by Naughty Dog, the studio that created the original Uncharted as well as other successful Sony-system exclusives. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Borderlands is a far-out first-person shooting and driving game with a penchant for team-based tactics. The game is designed to be played cooperatively, by a team of human- or computer-controlled characters. Set on a science fiction frontier planet where anarchy rules, the action-adventure casts the player as a mercenary character of one of four basic types: A well-rounded soldier skilled with weapons and vehicles, a hulking berserker specialized in heavy weapons and up-close melee combat, a stealthy siren with the power to disable enemies and vanish from view, and a sniping-specialist hunter with a pet hawk that helps in battle. The characters have complementing strengths and weaknesses, so in campaign missions as well as in pick-up battles, there are advantages for different character types that work together as a balanced team

In the main campaign, players fight through rewarding missions in the wilds of the desolate planet, engaging in high-speed vehicular battles and small-squad combat through sophisticated settings in which solid recon and tactical planning win the day. Characters gain experience and level up, with customizable ability improvements as in a traditional role-playing game. With interchangeable parts, thousands and thousands of different possible weapons are available in Borderlands, and a character's proficiency and accuracy chances rise with repeated use of a certain weapon type. Resources such as ammunition and cash are shared among the squad, but the weapons and armor pieces that drop from fallen enemies may be up for grabs. In some multiplayer modes, characters on the same team can duel one another for the right to claim gear from a slain monster.

Designed for play on Internet-connected consoles and computers, the game features multiplayer combat with the four basic character archetypes in quick, online pick-up games. The high-def art style portrays eccentrically geared, slightly exaggerated human forms, in a land of rich, gritty textures, with a hint of an outline drawn around people and objects, for the appearance of a graphic novel come to life. Borderlands was developed by GearBox Software, the studio behind the Brothers in Arms World War II games, acclaimed for their realistic portrayal of squad combat and historical accuracy of weapons and vehicles in fine detail. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

A key feature introduced in the Reflex edition of Rainbow Studios' off-road series is independent control of the rider from the ride. The game's trick system allows players to make their character perform freeform switches, extensions, and more, while the vehicle continues along its own trajectory. Under the new system, players can also control their riders to shift weight and momentum and pull their bike or four-wheeler back from the brink of a big spill, staying on track and out of the ditch. The control system is designed for intuitive movements, with high-flying hilltop stunts and balanced acceleration through corners and in valleys. The game's terrain effects allow the track to change during the race, as riders knock the dirt around, or even dig out a new path through the malleable earth. The vehicles themselves are deformable as well, with real-time damage in competitive events. Races are set in a variety of international locations, including tracks in the U.S. and Europe. The revamped game engine emphasizes the traction and handling on different surfaces such as mud, packed dirt, and snow. A variety of vehicles is available, including event-specific MX motorcycles, ATV four-wheelers, super-buggies, and specialized off-road racing trucks. The high-def graphics have been updated, for granular detail several times greater than in the polygonal rendering of previous MX vs. ATV games. Multiplayer modes are available for online-connected gamers, with new "Snake" and "Tag" modes, as well as the standard off-road racing set-ups. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Batman: Arkham Asylum is an original adventure with fast action and large-scale combat sequences, played from a close third-person perspective in a dark, survival horror-styled setting. The game begins as Batman delivers the Joker to Arkham Asylum, Gotham City's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. The villain springs a trap and takes over the institution, with an army of thugs and a host of dangerous inmates to back him up. The twisted plot plays out in a freely explored re-creation of the asylum and surrounding island. In addition to prowling the corridors of Arkham, Batman can explore the outdoor areas, using his equipment to reach high spots and glide safely back down.

Specially suited for the game's one-against-many melee style, the three-button combat control scheme is intended for free-flowing moves and strings of combo attacks on multiple opponents. Batman also has a belt full of useful gadgets to help even the odds, with x-ray scanners and chemical tracers that let him see through walls and follow invisible tracks. Stealthy prowling gives advantages of positioning and surprise, rewarding the hero's caution and patience with one-hit takedowns. Experience earned through combat, exploration, and experimentation allow Batman to create better equipment, more finely tuned to the given tasks.

In addition to the Joker and his brilliant aide in evil, Harley Quinn, Batman faces other super-powered asylum patients, including Bane, Killer Croc, Zsasz. As usual, brains as well as brawn are required to unravel Joker's insanely inspired scheme. The story for Batman: Arkham Asylum was written by Paul Dini, writer and producer for Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond. Cartoon series regulars Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin perform voice acting. The game was developed by Rocksteady Studios, creator of Eidos' 2006 first-person shooter Urban Chaos: Riot Response. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The Guilty Gear fighting series makes its Wii debut with 23 playable characters, 14 backdrops, and a retooled combat system. Once again the action unfolds from a side-view perspective as anime-styled combatants unleash an assortment of punches, kicks, slashes, and special moves in dramatic, stylish fashion. The fast-paced fighting system introduces three new countering and defensive techniques to master: force breaks, throw escapes, and slash backs. Move lists for each character have also been tweaked for more balanced battles, and two fighters (Order-Sol and A.B.A.) make their first appearance in a U.S. game.

Five play modes include Arcade, Versus, Survival, Training, and "Medal of Millionaire." The latter rewards characters with medals for stringing together elaborate combos. The more medals earned during each fight, the higher one's score. Accent Core also features an assortment of options, allowing players to customize everything from button configurations and round lengths to AI settings and time limits. Multiple controllers are supported as well, with players able to use their choice of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk for gesture-oriented attacks, or the GameCube and the Classic Controller for a more traditional experience. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

A popular series in Japan, Baroque makes its U.S. debut as an action role-playing game with dark, religious overtones. Players will journey into a foreboding tower filled with horrific monsters, mutated humans, and mysterious angels. The world is essentially a distortion of reality that finds everything in a constant state of flux. How this happened is a complete mystery -- as is the lead protagonist's past. The only thing the protagonist knows is that he must venture into the Neuro Tower to atone for a past sin. He can save the world, so he is told, by battling the bizarre creatures lurking within each randomly generated room and reaching the tower's bottom floor. To defeat the monsters, these so-called "meta-beings," players will be able to find and use an assortment of weapons and items. While Baroque's content is the same on PlayStation 2 and Wii, the latter features motion controls, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and progressive scan support. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Monkey Mischief! Party Time is a collection of 20 mini-games that give players a glimpse of what really goes on when visiting hours are over at the zoo. Up to four gamers can take control of maniacal monkeys as they harass other animals, squirt water guns, and compete in games of dodgeball, "Shock the Monkey," and "Monkey See, Monkey Do." ~ All Game Guide

Barbie Horse Adventure: Riding Camp lets gamers strap on the stirrups of the world's most famous fashion-doll and ride around an open game world in search of quests and adventure. There are 15 distinct horses for players to ride, and young equestrians can take their mount to a camp to develop riding skills and perform a variety or horse care tasks. Gamers can scour the landscape participating in time trials, races, and special challenges in order to earn trophies, medals, ribbons, and unlockable clothing and accessories. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Big League Sports is a collection of athletic mini-games, not unlike Wii Sports, in which players make use of the Wii Remote's motion controls to play virtual games of basketball, soccer, lacrosse, football, tennis, and hockey. Each of the six sports offers players four mini-games, such as "Slap Shot Shoot Out," "Three-Point Challenge," and "QB Pass Challenge," and all of the activities are designed to be played by as many as four people at a time. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Players take the role of the darker, grittier James Bond in Quantum of Solace, the first 007 game from publisher Activision. Following Daniel Craig's portrayal of a violent, driven Bond, the young MI6 agent's methods may be messy, but he is ultimately effective. Gameplay features plenty of gun-fighting and hand-to-hand combat, as well as surveillance and stealth sequences. The game is built on Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4 game engine, and features similar graphical quality, third-person cut-aways, and lively enemy AI.

The setting and story of Quantum of Solace are based directly on the movies, both Casino Royale and its sequel, which shares the game's title and autumn 2008 release. Developers re-created locations from both films, based on thousands of photos. All main characters have the likenesses and voices of their cinematic counterparts, including Craig as Bond and Olga Kurylenko as Camille, plus Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Eva Green, and Mads Mikkelsen in their respective roles.

The Wii edition of the game offers multiple control schemes; one uses the standard Wii Remote and Nunchuk set-up and another makes use of the Wii Zapper accessory. A Wii-exclusive split-screen mode lets up to four players shoot it out together, and online multiplayer modes support up to 12 players. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Gamers must explore the worlds of Far Far Away in Shrek the Third as they track down and face Prince Charming. Adventuring through 20 levels including the Academy Grounds, the Evil Queen's Castle, and the Pirate Ship, players take the role of Shrek, Puss-in-Boots, Princess Fiona, Arthur, Sleeping Beauty, and Donkey to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and take down the evil prince's henchmen. Gamers will utilize such special moves as "Ogre Power," "Flying Kick," "Swoon," and "Cute Puss" to complete each stage. There are a variety of challenges including three princess levels found within the single-player storyline, and players can compete with friends in "Castle Attack," "Shrekleboard," "Catacombs Leap," and "Ships Ahoy" among other multiplayer mini-games. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide

The first dedicated bowling game on Wii draws its inspiration from Wii Sports, featuring full motion-based controls for throwing the ball. Three play options include Bowl Now, Practice Mode, and Tournament Mode. The latter supports up to eight characters as players alternate turns while competing for the highest score. A surfer, princess, drill sergeant, punk rocker, cowgirl, and jock are the eight oddball personalities included to play as or against. Gamers can also participate in bowling-themed versions of Space Invaders, pool, and soccer. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide