SAINT’S ROW THQ, Xbox 360, $59.99 In the world of crime, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to become the boss; it just takes a lot of muscle, nerve, and luck. It’s a pretty simple formula and plenty of wannabe hoodlums try to use it to climb to the top. In the […]

PREY
2K Games, Xbox 360/PC, $49.99-$59.99
Many years in the making, the development process of Prey was as twisted as the game, an innovative first-person shooter that uses the horsepower of the Xbox 360 to create a convoluted world of special effects and anti-gravity. As Tommy, a Native American abducted by aliens into an enormous spaceship, […]

SCARFACE: THE WORLD IS YOURS
Vivendi Universal, PS2/Xbox/PSP/PC, $49.99
“Say hello to my little friend!” screams Tony Montana in the final scene of Scarface as he sprays, and is sprayed by, a ridiculous amount of bullets. Unlike many other movie-themed video games, Scarface: The World is Yours doesn’t simply play through the storyline–it begins with this […]

SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT
Ubisoft, GC/PS2/Xbox/PC $49.99, Xbox 360 $59.99
Choices, choices–elite operative Sam Fisher faces nothing but tough ones here. Operating beyond the law (and official government acknowledgement), the game industry’s most iconic secret agent isn’t just out for dolo anymore. Now he’s actually playing both sides of the field: The NSA as well as […]

OKAMI
Capcom, PS2, $39.99
Behold, the best all-digital outing inspired by sumi-e, the ancient art of Japanese watercolor painting. And no, we’re not just saying that because it’s the only one we’ve seen. A 3-D adventure spread across stunning pastel landscapes (like something straight out of feudal-era scrollwork), Okami is as much a groundbreaking visual experiment […]

ULTIMATE GHOSTS N’ GOBLINS
Capcom, PSP $39.99
Few games boiled my blood back in the ’80s like Ghosts N’ Goblins (in particular, that flying red bastard with the shit-eating grin). Whether or not you made it through the graveyard without turning into a bonepile, you likely have painfully fond memories of the game. Ultimate Ghosts N’ […]

NINETY-NINE NIGHTS
Microsoft, Xbox 360, $49.99
Released exclusively in Japan earlier this year, Ninety-Nine Nights carried hopes of currying favor with Japanese gamers, who so far have not given a snow monkey’s ass about the 360. Turns out they still don’t. Regardless, the talented duo of Tetsuo Mizuguchi (Lumines) and Sang Youn Lee (Kingdom Under Fire), […]

LEGO STAR WARS II
LucasArts, PS2/Xbox/Nintendo DS/PSP/Game Boy/Game Cube, $29.99-$49.99
Admit it–fooled by the family-friendly visuals and unlikely licensing tie-in, you slept on last year’s most underappreciated arcade blaster. Thankfully, like a bolt of Force lightning to the groin, this star-studded sequel (featuring over 50 favorite signature characters ranging from Luke to Ponda Baba) will shock formerly […]

FINAL FANTASY VII: DIRGE OF CEREBUS
Square Enix, PS2, $49.99
Put away that 20-sided die and warm up your twitch reflexes, because the latest Final Fantasy offering from Square Enix isn’t an RPG (gasp!) In what some would consider blasphemy, the venerable role-playing game series is taking a severe departure from its roots, presenting the sequel to […]

CHROMEHOUNDS
Sega, Xbox 360, $59.99
Giant robots. Guns. Explosions. Everything good in life can (mostly) be found in Sega’s mech simulator, Chromehounds, which takes place in an alternate reality where the Cold War never ended and blue jeans still cost an exorbitant amount of rubles. In this single-player game, you run through a series of training exercises […]