Navigating the flood of game releases over the holiday season can be a chore even for the savviest shopper. For every masterpiece, there are 10 low-budget flops dressed in a fancy franchise wrapping.
So we've compiled our reviews of the hottest (and not-so-hottest) games you'll see on the shelves, added a few more wrap-ups of games and products we like, and rated each out of five stars.
Game Hardware
Xbox 360
$300 and up, Microsoft
Rating: 3
Microsoft's updated console boasts great graphics, but the best thing is its nice user interface -- and this from the company famous for crappy interfaces.
Nintendo DS Bundles
$150, Nintendo
Rating: 5
Save a few bucks and get a limited-edition colored Nintendo DS when you buy one of Nintendo's game-and-system bundles: a teal DS with Nintendogs or a red unit with Mario Kart.
PSP Giga Pack
$300, Sony
Rating: 4
Sony's portable system doesn't have the strong holiday game lineup that Nintendo's does, but the new package includes a 1-GB memory stick for storing movies, music and photos.
Game Boy Micro
$100, Nintendo
Rating: 4
The Micro's incredibly tiny size and customizable style take portable gaming one more step down the road toward social acceptability.
N-Gage
Price varies with service plan, Nokia
Rating: 1
With maker Nokia admitting that the N-Gage gaming phone was a failure and that no more units will be produced for the United States, you'd do best to shy away from buying one, even at a bargain price.
Gizmondo
$230 and up, Tiger Telematics
Rating: 1
The Gizmondo is such a terrible portable gaming system that it makes the N-Gage look like the PSP. If you happen to live near one of the 12 retail locations nationwide that sells the unit, just walk on by.
Console Games
From Russia With Love
$50, Electronic Arts, PS2/Xbox/Gamecube/PC
Rating: 3
Based on the 1963 film, the game features the voice and (youthful) likeness of Sean Connery, the original James Bond. Much of the action revolves around shooting.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
$50, Konami, PS2/Xbox
Rating: 3
The gameplay in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness fails to measure up to its impeccable presentation.
Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix
$50, Nintendo, GameCube
Rating: 3
Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix is great for rhythm-game newbies, but seasoned dancers will find its grooves too slow-paced.
Dragon Quest VIII
$50, Square Enix, PlayStation 2
Rating: 5
If you're looking for an adventure to sink 90 hours into, Dragon Quest VIII is without question your best bet.
Guitar Hero
$70, Red Octane, PlayStation 2
Rating: 5
This PlayStation 2 game lets the rest of us become rock gods.
The Matrix: Path of Neo
$50, Atari, PS2/Xbox/PC
Rating: 2
I didn't feel as if I had any direct control over what was happening while playing Path of Neo -- just that I was mashing buttons and watching the results play out randomly.
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
$50, Ubisoft, PS2/GameCube/Xbox 360/Xbox/PC
Rating: 4
I breezed through this adventure game in a couple of days -- but it was an unforgettably wild ride.
Shadow of the Colossus
$40, Sony, PlayStation 2
Rating: 5
Arguably this year's best video game -- in great part because it so roundly rejects most of what we expect a video game to be.
Star Wars Battlefront II
$50, LucasArts, PS2/Xbox/PC
Rating: 5
With nearly every facet of the game expanded and refined, the series evolves from a decent Star Wars game to a truly excellent game, period.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
$50, Aspyr Media, Xbox
Rating: 3
Stubbs the Zombie blends humor and intense action to create a polished experience, but the game could use more variety.
We Love Katamari
$30, Namco, PS2
Rating: 4
The sequel to last year's innovative roll-everything-into-a-ball game is a whole lot more of the same, which is a good thing.
Portable Games
Mario Kart DS
$35, Nintendo, Nintendo DS
Rating: 4
No matter whether you're playing alone or over Wi-Fi, Mario Kart DS delivers hours of furious, frantic racing action.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
$50, Rockstars, PSP
Rating: 4
Even if you're not into recursive murder, GTA III on a handheld is an impressive technological feat.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
$30, Capcom, Nintendo DS Rating: 4
Phoenix Wright proves compelling, due to its well-written crime stories and its impeccable and very funny English translation.
Shrek 2 (Game Boy Advance Video)
$20, Majesco, GBA
Rating: 3
Shrek 2 is totally passable for a $20 video on an $80 piece of hardware that has 90 minutes of animation.
Trauma Center: Under the Knife
$30, Atlus, Nintendo DS
Rating: 3
More Star Trek than ER, Trauma Center is unique and challenging enough to merit a play-through for fans of precise action gaming.
