Eidos

Game Description: In Soul Bubbles you are a young shaman apprentice, who is entrusted with saving lost souls and guiding them to safety. You must protect these fragile beings from the hostile and dangerous world around them, and you do this by creating protective bubbles to keep the spirits safe. Manipulate your bubbles by first drawing them, then deflating them, cutting them or joining them to other bubbles, filling them with water or gas; then escape traps, extinguish fires and avoid all the sticky or dangerous surfaces that will slow the bubbles down. The game features 8 worlds, with over 40 levels to explore which will challenge the shaman in a variety of ways and push the physics capabilities of the Nintendo DS to the max.

Hearing that IO Interactive was working on a 2-player title with a crime theme, my mind jumped to the only logical conclusion—that they were making the co-op Hitman title that all right-thinking people have been demanding for five years now. Upon playing Kane and Lynch, I suddenly remembered that in addition to that franchise, IO also produced Freedom Fighters, the cartoonish squad-based shooter about a plumber thwarting a Russian invasion of America.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Game Description: Kane & Lynch: Dead Men follows the violent and chaotic journey of two men—a flawed mercenary and a medicated psychopath and their brutal attitude towards right and wrong. This volatile partnership combined with innovative technologies allow for an unparalleled gaming experience. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will immerse players into an emotionally intense crime drama with unflinching action. Lo-Interactive's proprietary technology will deliver fluid high definition graphics and lighting, highly destructible environments, massive crowd AI, single, co-op and squad-based combat, a cinematic interface, and non-stop dialog between Kane and Lynch. The title also features innovative two-player co-op and groundbreaking online game play.

What's happened to Traveler's Tales? Coming out of the relative obscurity of developing licensed games and children's entertainments, they produced Lego Star Wars, pulling off the dual miracle of making the best Star Wars and Lego game ever, all at the same time. So my hopes were pretty high when I found out that they were responsible for Bionicle Heroes. After all, it was Travelers' Tales back with Lego, what could possibly go wrong? Everything, it turns out.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Fantasy Violence

Game Description: Bionicle Heroes brings the characters and world of LEGO's Bionicle universe to life. This brand-new action/adventure title for kids allows players to control the entire of Bionicle figures, from the heroic Toa Inika to the villainous Piraka. Battle and explore your way through the jungles, volcanoes, and deserts of the mysterious island of Voya Nui in this epic quest. In order to survive, players will need to master the powerful weapons and elemental powers of each Bionicle character. Solve the challenges and puzzles of this uniquely interactive LEGO universe, spanning over 25 different levels and 6 elemental zones. Unlock special playable characters, such as the Piraka Experience the simple controls and accessible gameplay design created just for kids and families.

It may not bring a lot of new ideas to the table, but there's something to be said for a few hours of ridiculously outrageous action with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

For all its popular appeal, Tomb Raider was a geekily strict platform game, but one unmatched (arguably to this day) in making your conquests over the land feel real. When you climbed to a great peak using just your hands and the rock around you, you really felt the achievement, the human achievement. Mario offered carefree, balletic fantasy; Lara, with her bone-breaking falls and audible strains of upper-body anguish, kept it very real.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes