The James Logan Courier

By Victor Godinez
The Dallas Morning News (MCT)

Let's face it, while the Wii and PS3 are neat machines, not every gamer will be lucky enough to get one of those consoles before the holidays are over. With that in mind, here's a look at some of the coolest games currently available for a whole host of platforms. In cases where I haven't actually had a chance to play some of these games, I've included titles getting positive word of mouth.


One lucky Logan student who obtained a Wii brought it to school on Friday. Michele Morimoto/ Courier Photo

PLAYSTATION II
Guitar Hero 2 ($79, ages 13 and up): Think of it as karaoke for guitar players. Press the buttons on the included guitar to match the tunes on the screen.

Final Fantasy XII ($49, ages 13 and up): The most popular role-playing franchise in the world recently got its 12th installment. Not much seems to have changed from previous entries, but it's still one of the most beautiful games you'll play on a PS2.
Okami ($39, ages 13 and up): You play as a mystical wolf who uses calligraphy and paint to save the world. Interesting gameplay and stunning visuals could earn this little-known title game-of-the-year consideration.

NINTENDO DS
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin ($34, ages 13 and up): Use magic and a bullwhip to defeat Dracula in 1944. Can't go wrong.

Elite Beat Agents ($34, ages 10 and up): Keep up with the rhythm of the funky dance moves and psychedelic graphics to defeat evil and save the world.

XBOX 360
Viva Pinata ($49, all ages): Think of it as Microsoft's answer to Pokemon. You have to raise and breed pinatas and eventually develop a colorful menagerie of papier-māche critters.

Gears of War ($59, ages 17 and up): Gritty, bloody, futuristic combat. Instead of rewarding itchy trigger fingers, though, this game teaches you the value of cover and concealment.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas ($59, ages 17 and up): While the counterterrorism gunplay is nice, the best part is the multiplayer component that lets you map your own face onto your character with the separate Xbox Vision camera.

PLAYSTATION 3
Resistance: Fall of Man ($59, ages 17 and up): A standard, but fun, first-person shooter. Shoot the gooey mutants, rinse and repeat. But online play, with up to 40 players at a time, is a frenzied delight.

Blast Factor ($9, all ages): A simple shooting game that you download from the PS3 online store. Yes, it's a rip-off of Geometry Wars on the Xbox 360, but so what?

NINTENDO WII
Wii Sports (free, all ages): The best game on the console is actually bundled with the system. Tennis, golf, bowling, boxing and baseball as you've never played them. Too bad there's no online play, yet.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ($49, ages 13 and up): Nothing revolutionary, but plenty fun. Note to GameCube owners: Nintendo doesn't talk about it much, but a nearly identical Cube version of the dungeon crawler comes out this month. PC

Left Behind: Eternal Forces ($39, ages 13 and up): OK, I haven't actually played this one, and reviews have been mixed. But this real-time strategy game based on the religious Left Behind novels is intriguing.

ParaWorld ($19, ages 13 and up): Another real-time strategy game that I haven't yet played, but the few gamers who have say it's one of the best-looking and most fun games they've ever played.

Victor Godinez: vgodinez@dallasnews.com
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