Something for
everyone in
video games
By Steven L. Kent
MORE IMMERSIVE THAN movies and
offering better replay value than most books,
video games are a portal to new worlds that we
can’t enter in real life. This year’s crop of hot
games will transport players to futuristic wars,
show them worlds through the eyes of toys
and even let them compete in the Olympics.
Leading the list of heavy hitters for the
holidays are a family-friendly foursome of
mostly familiar names. Here’s a look at some
of the titles available in the warehouses and
online at Costco.com.
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure
Continues. It started with Star Wars and spread
to Indiana Jones—interactive adventures based
on hit movies featuring characters and items
seemingly created out of LEGO blocks.
LEGO games are adventuresome. Indy 2
re-creates the action from all four Indiana
Jones movies, giving fans of the archaeologist/
adventurer a huge world filled with interesting characters, puzzles and mystic relics.
(Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and up;
for DS, PC computers, PlayStation 3, PSP,
Wii, Xbox 360)
Bakugan Battle Brawlers. Move over,
Pokémon. This year’s best battling beasts are
brawling Bakugan, from another dimension.
In Bakugan Battle Brawlers, players meet in
3-D arenas to match their monsters and their
wits. (Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and
up; DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii,
Xbox 360)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter
Games. Two of the biggest celebrities in video
game history are about to go head to head. In
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games,
Nintendo’s plumber mascot takes on Sega’s
spiky character in tennis shoes. Both mascots,
of course, are escorted by teams of familiar
friends as they compete in events such as ice
hockey, figure skating and bobsledding. Bring
your friends: Like the real Olympics, Mario &
Sonic is a multi-player event. (Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and up; DS, Wii)
Toy Story Mania. Based on a theme-park
attraction in which players shoot at targets
while riding through a funhouse, Toy Story
Mania ups the ante on the Disney Studios
ride by adding multiple shooting galleries in
which players shoot rings, darts, pies and
hoops at Toy Story–themed targets. (Rated E,
suitable for players ages 6 and up; Wii)
Halo 3: ODST. Not all of the top-tier games
are meant for kids. Take, for example, Halo 3:
ODST, the return of the bestselling series that
put Microsoft’s Xbox on the map.
Seen through the eyes of an “Orbital Drop
Shock Trooper,” ODST adds a new single-player perspective to the Halo experience,
along with a treasure trove of multi-player
maps and options. (Rated M, suitable for
players ages 17 and up; Xbox 360)
Not what you are looking for? There’s
much more.
This Christmas, Guitar Hero fans will
have a chance to expand their virtual-gig
experience with Band Hero and DJ Hero (both
games are available for DS, PlayStation 2,
PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360). Those
hooked on drumming, strumming and humming in Guitar Hero World Tour will feel right
at home with Band Hero. Players looking for
something new can add a turntable to the
experience with DJ Hero.
Action fans will have plenty to keep their
adrenalin pumping. One of the heaviest hitters this year will be Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2 (for PC computers, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360), the sequel to one of the mostly
highly acclaimed games of 2007.
A first-person shooter set in the present
arts & entertainment
Video Games
COURTESY OF LUCAS ARTS
COUR TESY OF AC TIVISION
Hot games this
year include LEGO
Indiana Jones
(top); DJ Hero (
middle) and Band Hero
(right).
COURTESY OF ACTIVISION
day, Modern Warfare 2
packs enough guns,
grenades and explosions to keep players
coming back for more.
And online players will adore this game for
its multi-player action.
Other greats are back for another go as
well. Hoping to attract a new round of players
to PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment
is publishing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, a
new Nathan Drake action adventure.
Electronic Arts hopes lightning will strike
twice when it releases Mass Effect 2 for Xbox
360 and PlayStation 3. And Activision plans to
take a whole new generation of players shredding with Tony Hawk: Ride, a game that comes
with its own skateboard peripheral for
PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. C
Science-fiction novelist and journalist
Steven L. Kent,
www.sadsamspalace.com,
lives near Seattle.
