Adventure/Explore

Game Description: LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures takes the fun and creative construction of LEGO and combines it with the wits, daring and non-stop action from the original cinematic adventures that enthralled audiences everywhere (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). With a unique tongue-in-cheek take on the original adventures, LEGO Indiana Jones follows Dr. Jones escapades through the jungles of South America to the mountaintops of India. Fans can build, battle and brawl their way through their favorite cinematic moments, from Indy’s entanglements with snakes to his dashing boulder run.

Game Description: Retaining the wit and deep gameplay of the previously released PS2 Bully title, Bully: Scholarship Edition takes place in the fictional New England boarding school of Bullworth Academy and tells the story of 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins as he experiences the highs and lows of adjusting to a new school. Capturing the hilarity and awkwardness of adolescence perfectly, Bully: Scholarship Edition pulls the player into its cinematic and engrossing world set in the most vile and sadistic setting yet in a Rockstar videogame: the schoolyard. Laugh and cringe as you stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks on malicious kids, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the fictitious Bullworth Academy.

I attended what I would consider to be a pretty typical public high school. We had a wide range of personalities and social cliques. There were occasional fights and pranks and general instances of trouble making. A few of the teachers seemed a bit strange. But for the most part, the students were reasonably well behaved and the teachers were, by and large, competent and conscientious. In short, my high school was absolutely nothing like Bulworth Academy, the setting for Rockstar's Bully: Scholarship Edition.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

After an extended trek through the bloated and tedious middle of the Metroid Prime trilogy, the execrable Echoes, I was more than a little hesitant to start another session with the usually-enjoyable Samus Aran. After the last installment, I felt certain that Retro Studios had run out of ideas and lost the touch that originally brought this famously 2D series into the third dimension with such grace. After biting the bullet and giving it a try, I found that the end result was better than I had expected... though a bit too familiar.

Game Description: As a little pirate with big dreams, Zack doesn't just have his sights set on mere treasure or spectacularly speedy pirateships; he wants to be the greatest pirate who ever lived! To reach that lofty goal, he is going to have to outwit, outsmart and outduel every obstacle that gets in his way. It's a good thing he's found his new enchanted pal, Wiki, a magical hand bell with the power to transform any object into something practical. Get ready to explore seven vibrant and fantastic lands, from lush jungles and frigid ice temples to colossal castles and floating airships. Each level contains multiple sub-levels of peril, puzzles and plunder. Play alone or as a group to work through each increasingly complex puzzle. Use the Wii Remote to navigate, open objects, transform items and unlock new pathways with a whole new variety of methods. Even boss battles are puzzle-based, so you'll need to think on your feet!

Cute. Stylish. Smart. These words are apt when referring to Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.  The game melds devilish puzzle solving with a bold, stylized look and an adorable golden monkey. Although it's a mystery to me, gamers by and large seem to love monkeys. So everybody wins, right? For the most part, yes.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Cartoon Violence

Although I personally found Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction to be a little disappointing, there's no denying that Insomniac rarely fails to produce a title of respectable workmanship. The action here will completely satisfy anyone looking for the kind of lighthearted, kinetic run-and-gun that was mastered several iterations ago.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language