"Battlefield: 2142" -- The fourth edition to the winning "Battlefield" universe jumps 200 years ahead with cool sci-fi innovations like battle walkers, cloaking devices and "Titan mode" in set-piece battles of up to 64 players in a wintry post-nuke milieu. (PC) "Gears of War" -- A stunning third-person shooter from the folks who brought you the "Unreal" games. Incredible graphics, tight gameplay and the ability to carve up aliens with the simply awesome chainsaw gun make this our action game of the year.
(Xbox 360) "F.E.A.
R." and "F.E.
A.R.: Extraction Point" -- Sure you need a souped-up PC to really appreciate the eye candy in "F.
E.A.R.
," but boy, is it worth the effort. Creepy gameplay, gun-blazing action, cool slow-motion effects. Check out the "Extraction Point" expansion for PC or play the Xbox 360 version of "F.
E.A.R.
" if you lack the PC hardware. (PC, Xbox 360) "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" -- We admit to having a weak spot for the bloody Midway game series. This one has so many characters it's a bit ridiculous and you can "Create-a-fatality," which is just good fun for the holidays.
(For all major game consoles) "Medieval II: Total War" -- Set 1,000 years in the past, this painstakingly detailed game is the season's must-have for the hardcore PC gamer. Combines a fascinating and deep turn-based struggle for Europe with gloriously rendered battles of cinematic impact. Beware the high system requirements.
(PC) "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" -- The possibilities of the innovative Wii remote begin to be realized in the long-awaited signature title for the new console. Battle sequences let you wave and slash hero Link's sword in real time. The innovate control (and the fact that an older, more intense Link turns into a wolf) make this "Zelda" a different animal.
(Nintendo Wii) "Final Fantasy XII" -- The latest game in Square Enix's long-running franchise is probably the last on the current-generation consoles. Still, the company always manages to squeeze out gorgeous graphics and sumptuous music from the PS2. Expect epic gameplay, of course.
(PS2) "Company of Heroes" -- An intimidating system hog and another must-have for real-time strategy fans. The game depicts "Saving Private Ryan"-type World War II battles with spectacular clarity and intensity. Both single player and online battles.
(PC) "Neverwinter Nights 2" -- The best single-player role-playing game available to Dungeons Dragons fans. Features tons of choices for character development and an epic storyline of 50-plus hours. (PC) "LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy" -- Cuteness abounds.
All the fun of the original "LEGO Star Wars" title, but based on the much better, original "Star Wars" movies! The Mos Eisley cantina is your gateway to Episodes IV, V and VI .?
.?.
may the force be with you. (For all major game consoles) "New Super Mario Bros." -- Another update of a classic Nintendo title features the best of the original Mario games along with new moves and modes, including two-player and mini-games.
(Nintendo DS) "Yoshi's Island DS" -- A solid re-imagining of perhaps the greatest platform game of all time leads to hours of fun as Yoshi travels with baby versions of Mario, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Bowser and Wario, each with special abilities. This title sports exceptional use of the DS dual-screen format. (Nintendo DS) "Loco Roco" -- A very fun and basic Japanese import -- you roll a giant yellow blob across the landscape, growing as you collect little friends.
Wonderful music, great graphics, adorable gameplay. (Sony PSP) "Happy Feet" -- If box office returns are any indication, everybody loves penguins. Sure, it's one of those crass movie tie-in games, but we'll make an exception if the game will let us perform Tony Kornheiser's famed "Penguin dance.
" (For all major game consoles) "Brain Age"/"Big Brain Academy" -- Who'da thunk reading and math exercises could be so much fun? "Brain Age" gives you an initial test and rates your brain's "age" (younger is better). The mental gymnastics required here aim to give your gray matter a workout and lower that age.
Appropriately, the game requires that you hold the DS sideways, like a book. "Big Brain Academy" has shape puzzles suitable for younger players and measures your progress by brain weight. (DS) "Tetris DS" -- The title that made the original Game Boy a must-have gadget is back on a Nintendo portable.
The ability to face a live opponent at any time via the wireless capabilities of the DS makes this game maddeningly addictive. (DS) "Bookworm Adventure" -- Mixing the wordplay of the classic online game "Bookworm" (think Scrabble meets "Tetris") with role-playing elements, this new title from PopCap Games is a feast of gameplay for any logophile. (PC) "Madden 07" -- While many gamers complained that this year's update to the venerable franchise suffered from bugs on the Xbox 360, the Wii version is getting praise for its innovative controls.
It's still the only real football game left with a yearly update. (For all major game consoles) "Top Spin 2" -- We love our tennis video games, and this one is an ace with real-life tennis stars (Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Venus Williams). Play Wimbledon, play the U.
S. Open, then wonder why Sharapova keeps getting all your endorsement deals. (Xbox 360, DS, Game Boy Advance) "NBA 07" -- Even though EA Sports' Playstation3 basketball game was delayed, Sony's own hoops game for the system boasts great graphics and tight controls.
A happy surprise for the fledgling console. (PS3) "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07" -- While it may not get all the glory of the "Madden" series, the "Tiger Woods" golf games continue to improve every year, and EA Sports seems to have worked most of the kinks out for the new PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. (For all major game consoles) "City of Heroes, Good Versus Evil Edition" -- One of the most polished massively multiplayer universes out there, a terrifically fun super- hero/super- villain world with a robust squad system, the joys of superpowers and exciting player-versus-player zones.
The best character-creation system anywhere. Oh, and capes. (PC, requires subscription) "Guild Wars: Nightfall" -- The third chapter in the series stays true to the innovations that make it great, from the no-subscription-fee massive multiplayer formula to the head-to-head battles, the cooperative group play, cool new worlds to explore and guilds to join.
(PC, requires no monthly fee) "World of Warcraft" -- Currently the big orc at the top of the massively multiplayer online gaming mountain, "WoW" has topped 7.5 mil Guitar Hero II' -- It's still like "Dance Dance Revolution" for your fingers, but jumping around with a cool plastic guitar is still way cooler than just jumping around. This update of the original "Guitar Hero" has numerous tweaks, including a "cooperative" multiplayer mode and many more songs you're actually heard before.
Bonus: One of the tour stops in the game is Austin! Rock on! (PlayStation2; $79 with guitar controller.
) WTF' -- Similar to Nintendo's "WarioWare Inc.," this collection of short-attention-spam minigames brings some much-needed levity to the PSP. (PSP) Viva Pi?
ata' -- While its colorful visuals and TV cartoon tie-in make it seem like a kiddies-only game, this surprisingly deep sandbox game reminds us of "Pikmin." Build a garden, attract pi?atas, breed your pi?
atas and watch your garden grow and change. (Xbox 360) Sam Max Episode 1: Culture Shock' -- Available on the subscription service GameTap.com (which we highly recommend, by the way) or by download on Telltale Games' Web site (www.
telltalegames.com), this resurrection of the beloved LucasArts games maintains the wit and charm of the original, taking the rabbit and hound private eyes to the next generation in style. (PC) Elite Beat Agents' -- A rhythm game in which the beats of a song are tapped out on the DS touch screen as wacky animated stories play out.
It's crazy, but also crazy fun.
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