Following the top-rated simulation-style NBA game on PlayStation and Xbox consoles in previous years, the 2K Sports series expands to play its pro basketball on Wii and PSP with NBA 2K10. Across all platforms, the game retains the basic flow and feel of the 2K series' play style on the court, while refining league management features and adding new presentational elements intended to bring NBA authenticity. The series' Signature Play system builds on the player-specific styles featured in earlier games. New Signature Tendencies influence player decisions in the heat of the moment. The 2K Sports "Association" franchise mode returns, offering almost complete control over trades across the league. NBA 2K10 also provides new defensive controls, which allow gamers to take charge of pressure, off-ball positioning, and shot blocks.

For gamers who prefer to see themselves as the heroes of the hardwood, an enhanced "My Player" mode allows the custom creation of an NBA superstar-to-be, who can begin in summer training camps and try to earn a starting position on a favorite pro team. For Internet-connected gamers, NBA 2K's suite of online features keeps the virtual league coordinated with real-world events. The "NBA Today" in-game rundown reports up-to-date wins, loses, and other news. Through the series' "Living Rosters" features, a team of expert sports analysts streams roster changes, trades, injuries, and player ratings. Released in autumn 2009, NBA 2K10 represents the tenth season of the basketball series, with developer Visual Concepts creating the Dreamcast-exclusive original NBA 2K a decade earlier. ~ 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

Need for Speed: Shift represents both a literal and figurative changing of gears for EA's popular acing series, as primary development duties have been transferred from EA Black Box to Slightly Mad Studios, and the gameplay moves from arcade-style action to physics-based simulation. Everything in Shift is designed to convey a sense of realism, from the cockpit view and disorienting effects of crashes, to the more than 70 licensed vehicles and 15 real-world courses. A 3D heads-up display mimics the movements of a driver's head, while depth-of-field effects blur the screen to simulate speed, inertia, and G-forces.

The "Career" mode finds players participating in traditional circuits, sprints, time trials, drifting events, and model-specific races. Finishing on the podium or completing specific in-race tasks earns players stars that help unlock more events. Each event contributes information to a "Driver Profile" system that records the way players behave on the track, branding them as either precision drivers or aggressive drivers, and keeps track of how "good" players are with a "Driver Level" ranking. Gamers can take their driver level all the way up to 50, unlocking new vehicles, accessories, and garage slots at ever step. Need for Speed: Shift supports both local and online multiplayer racing. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Picking up where 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein left off, Wolfenstein continues the alternate-history World War II storyline starring the heroic BJ Blazkowicz. The Nazis' depraved and twisted experiments in the occult have succeeded. Using portals to a dark dimension known as the Veil, the Nazis now have the capacity to construct a world-altering weapon. As the grizzled Blazkowicz, you must go behind enemy lines to stop the Nazis' terrifying technology. Battle a ghastly mix of human soldiers and supernatural creatures while using authentic weapons of the era, or wield more fantastical inventions like tesla guns and particle cannons.

Blazkowicz can also channel four mystical powers once he acquires an amulet from the Veil. These powers will grant you the temporary ability to slow time, enhance your vision, absorb bullets, and more. Discover hidden gold, intelligence, and tomes to trade for weapon upgrades such as silencers or enhancements to your Veil powers. Wolfenstein also includes optional side missions from the multiple cities you'll visit throughout the campaign. In addition to the solo game, Wolfenstein includes class-based online action for up to 16 players. Experience earned during the multiplayer component can be used to purchase various unlockables for use in subsequent matches. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Kameo: Elements of Power is an original role-playing game starring a young sprite with the power to tame and control various monsters to do her bidding. As she explores the deserts, forests, and hills making up the vast world, her goal is to find and rescue the six Elemental Children with the help of her animal friends. As Kameo captures creatures in their youth, she'll be able to nurture them and develop the abilities needed to take on more powerful beasts. In the heat of battle, players can switch from controlling Kameo to one of two animal companions; players can then fight using the creature's natural abilities in real-time. Certain boss battles require the Kameo to go it alone, however. ~ All Game Guide

Bizzare Creations' respected Xbox racing series speeds into the next generation with this launch title for Xbox 360. As in earlier versions of Project Gotham Racing, players are inducted into the fast-paced realms of underground street racing, and compete for pink slips in detailed re-creations of the world's most coveted brand-name performance vehicles. The series "kudos" system returns, rewarding gamers for praise-worthy stunts and impressively risky driving. Using the power of the Xbox 360 console, PGR3 is designed to present its real-world cars and cities in unprecedented detail, with high-definition support and state-of-the-art lighting effects. ~ All Game Guide

An action-oriented take on World War II from the development team behind such titles as Homeworld and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, The Outfit has players in command of a three-man squad of no-nonsense specialists. J.D. Tyler is a sniper who also carries a shotgun for when things get a little too close for comfort. Tommy Mac, a heavy weapons expert, prefers to barbeque his foes with a flamethrower. The easygoing Deuce Williams likes to destroy tanks and other vehicles, and few weapons are as effective as the bazooka when discretion is not an option. The Outfit’s action takes place from a third-person perspective as players advance through 12 single-player missions that range from reconnaissance to daring rescue attempts. Yet the focus is primarily on dealing heavy damage. All of the environments feature fully destructible objects, including bridges, walls, and structures, as players lay waste to world around them.

Rather than arm the soldiers with an arsenal of high-powered weapons from the onset, players must instead earn the tools of the trade by first accumulating field units. Field units are received from completing mission objectives, and they can be spent on an assortment of combat vehicles, air strikes, artillery strikes, reinforcements, and more. A key feature is that these field units can be spent during missions already in progress, allowing players to quickly react to situations by requesting things in the heat of battle. The Outfit includes Xbox Live support for up to eight players in multiple game modes. Players will be able to participate in traditional deathmatch and cooperative play, or try their hand at destruction mode, which involves a race to earn the most field units by destroying as much items as possible. Also available for multiplayer action is a variant on king of the hill, where two teams attempt to capture and hold strategic checkpoints from the opposite faction. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

No stranger to walking corpses, Capcom unearths another zombie-themed franchise with Dead Rising on Xbox 360. Players take command of a forceful photographer named Frank West, who believes he is on the verge of a breakthrough story at a remote suburban town called Willamette. Yet this is no ordinary visit. West soon learns that the unfriendly locals aren’t just wary of the media -- they’re hungry for flesh. Players must somehow find a way past hordes of zombies lining the aisles of the one place thought by West to be safe: a shopping mall. He was obviously wrong, but it’s up to players to keep him from being dead wrong.

Unlike the carefully scripted games in the Resident Evil series, Dead Rising features a more open-ended, action-oriented design where players can freely explore the various mall stores to use whatever tools, weapons, or items they find, from frying pans and umbrellas to lawn mowers and bowling balls. Time keeps ticking away as players search for potential survivors as well as a way out, with the zombies growing stronger as the sun goes down and certain events only occurring at specific intervals. West will be able to replenish lost health by finding vending machines or the food court, and he can also snap pictures of the chaos and mayhem to unlock different bonuses. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Fight Night: Round 3 makes its Xbox 360 debut with a new graphics engine that allows players to gauge their rival's health and energy simply by watching his dynamic facial expressions and body cues. The analog punch system from the 2005 version has returned with new punch types, each of which can shift a fight's momentum if landed correctly. The haymaker punch is now harder to connect, but it is also more powerful. The new flash KO punch can overpower a boxer in one hit, putting him in the dangerous position of being knocked out, while the stun punch switches the default third-person view to a first-person perspective as players attempt to finish off their stunned opponent with a devastating blow. While these impact punches can change the course of a fight within a few seconds, they are considered high-risk swings that can leave a boxer vulnerable to counter moves.

The career mode from the series has undergone a few changes to offer a more personal approach to a boxer's legacy. Rivalries will now be created from key match-ups, flamboyant claims at press conferences, and clashes during weigh-ins, allowing players to square off against their heated rivals in multiple rematches for fame, money, and respect. Players are also free to re-create some of the sport's greatest bouts with the included roster of legends from different eras and weight classes, whether it's Ali versus Frasier, Leonard versus Hagler, or Gatti versus Ward. As an added bonus, the game features ESPN Classic footage of the real-life fights that helped shape the sport. All of the featured play modes from 2005's game have made the transition to Round 3, although the create boxer option now lets players choose from multiple styles in footwork, punching, and blocking for greater customization. Online support is also included for head-to-head matches against players from around the world. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Saint's Row kowtows to 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. As in Rockstar's underworld oeuvre, Saint's Row features a free-roaming city rife with crime and served by an increasingly frustrated police force. As a member of the 3rd Street Saints, players must conquer Southern Cross block by block to earn the respect of their gangland peers. Numerous vehicles are available to "borrow," pedestrians can be slugged or robbed at gunpoint, and an assortment of missions exist to advance the game's cinematic storyline.

Players must also be wary of the law, with criminal actions often resulting in high-speed chases that can lead to crumpled fenders, large dents, broken glass, and explosive wrecks. Yet crime does pay in the world of Saint's Row, as the lead protagonist can attract women by wearing stylish new clothes, jewelry, and other accoutrements worthy of a crew leader. Xbox Live support for competitive action is included to settle the score with friends and foes alike, with special challenges and rewards offered to those who can prove their mettle. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

North -- to Alaska! The rush is on for virtual hunters and fans of Cabela's-brand outdoor equipment. Alaskan Adventures is designed to open up unending acres of pristine virtual frontier land, offering 30 adventuresome opportunities for fishing, hunting, snow-machining, and even dog-sledding. Firearm-ed sportspeople can go after big the game, including Yukon moose, barren ground caribou, grizzlies, and Kodiaks, or test their aiming and reflexes on a bird-hunting expedition for ducks, geese, ptarmigan, and other native species. Three styles of Alaskan fishing -- spin-casting, ice, and fly -- let savvy players pull prizes from coastal waters, inland lakes, and quick-running streams. Of course, before each adventure, outdoor enthusiasts will want to properly equip themselves for the unforgiving environments of America's last great wilderness, from a selection of hundreds of brand name guns, bows, fishing poles, and clothing options. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

The world encompassing the piñata community is slowly dying, and to keep these creatures from going extinct, players must create a world where the piñata can thrive. Viva Piñata offers a place for gamers to create a lush green environment where all kinds of piñatas can live and prosper. The player has complete creative control over the neighborhood they create, and can add grass, flowers, trees, fences, ponds, and other objects that will lure in the piñatas. Each type of piñata has different needs, such as a worm piñata's need for good earth to burrow and a rabbit piñata's need for long grass and carrots.

Piñatas can come in the form of customizable horses, sheep, raccoons, worms, crocodiles, or wolves, and just like in nature, some of them will not get along. Players can build fences to keep rival piñatas away from one another, and also to keep predator piñatas away from prey. Wild piñatas are red with black stripes and can cause general disorder in a garden. They are filled with bad candy that is poisonous to other piñatas and can be taken care of by asking helpers to beat them with a stick, taming them, or sending them off to pollute another player's garden. Connecting to the Xbox Live online community opens up opportunities for item trading, player competitions, and obtaining rare objects and game currency through the Xbox Live Marketplace. ~ Gracie Leach, All Game Guide