Guitar Hero II

If Frequency and Amplitude were Harmonix's idea of rhythm action games in germination, Guitar Hero was the culmination of those ideas into something that resoundingly clinched the developer's spot as the new king of the genre, dethroning the mighty Konami in the process. The first Guitar Hero was addictive, sure, but the second added bass lines, true multiplayer battles and a track list that some feel may never be beaten.

In a word it ruled, and became nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. In dorm rooms and bars (to say nothing of inter-office throw-downs), it became the de facto standard for substance-fueled, clicky plastic instrument war, catalyzed by a generation of YouTubers throwing their accomplishments up onto the web for all to see. Future games may have improved on the ability to play against others and have certainly widened the track list, but Guitar Hero II was the perfect sequel at the perfect time; it capitalized on the success of the craze while adding a few new things here and there. It was and still is the prime example of instrument-driven videogames at the height of their boom. Sure, future games have enhanced the formula, but none of them will have the same kind of charm and freshness that Guitar Hero II had back in the day.Get it here

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Strategy role-playing games have been around for decades now, but it was Nippon Ichi Software's tongue-in-cheek approach to the macabre land of demons and angels that truly perfected the grid-based setup of classics like Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics. Plus, let's face it Disgaea superfans, the first game still has the best characters (and Prinny voice actors, d00d!); no offense to Adell and Mao, but Laharl, Flonne and Etna are where it's at.

It wasn't just the cute, dark world that NIS created though, it was the ease in which players could move their units around and make tag-team attacks. That you could cancel out of moves or stack multiple actions in quick succession lent itself far more to setting up ridiculous tag team strikes. The first game's then-ludicrous numbers have since been surpassed thanks to people that power-leveled through the game and influenced NIS to make its own adjustments to things, but for sheer amounts of depth, grind-ability, story and relatively newbie-friendly approach to executing actions within turns, nothing beats the original.Get it here

Jak 3

There can be no discussion of Ratchet & Clank without also mentioning the Jak and Daxter series. The twin developers of the games, Insomniac and Naughty Dog, respectively, had long enjoyed career parallels, both rising to fame as Sony-focused development houses before Naughty Dog was eventually acquired by Sony. Naughty Dog's first Jak game was, true to form, a fantastic platformer, with tight controls, some great characters and a massive world to explore.

The sequel bit the style a bit too hard off the GTA games and tried to go open world -- perhaps too ambitious for the development timeline. Jak 3, however, mixed elements of both games; Jak talked, but he wasn't a whiny, brooding emo figure like in the second game (well, not as much), but weapons were brought back to mix more with the platforming of the first game. The scale of the world and the storyline were both widened and everything was brought more or less to a close. It represents the height of Naughty Dog's considerable production values on the PS2 and like our Ratchet pick, is not to be missed.Get it here

We ♥ Katamari,

Synopsis: Bah… bah-buh-bah-buh-bah-buh bah-bah-bah -- oh, hey, didn't see you start reading this. Sorry. Sure, anytime we think of We ♥ Katamari, we start thinking about how much fun it is to roll trees, buildings and random junk into a big sticky ball, but we mainly get lost thinking about that hypnotic soundtrack with its simple beats and distant voice. Sigh. Still, if you're looking for a summary of what makes We ♥ Katamari awesome, we can sum it up in one word: quirkiness. Yup, it's a term that gets thrown around quite a bit nowadays, but from its simple blocky visuals to its goofy story -- you're the prince and you're rolling up stuff on Earth to make your father, King of All Cosmos, happy -- We ♥ Katamari is all quirk and a game so goofy you just have to love it. You'll start with a tiny ball and run it into tiny objects. When the ball gets bigger, you move on to bigger objects. Eventually, you're going to have a massive ball eating up anything and everything in its path. It's awesome. Get it here

GrimGrimoire

GrimGrimoire, it almost sounds like one of those knockoff Harry Potter toys you'd find in your local supermarket's children section. Here, you'll play as a new student in a magic academy that's got a bunch of devious students and creepy teachers and is run by "Gammel Dore." However, once you get past those Hogwart-like nods, you'll find a real-time strategy game so engaging that you won't mind some of the upper-tier battles taking 90 minutes to best. Once the Archmage of Fear is released, you'll keep reliving the same five days as you use the skills you've learned -- such as the ability to breed dragons, command the dead, and use fairies effectively -- to engage in massive sprite battles on a 2D plane representing the halls of your school. Our bet is that somewhere between managing your mana and ordering your massive chimera into battle you'll forget that this isn't a current-gen game, that there are no Trophies and that there are no HD visuals. This is one of those games that just consumes your life.Get it here

God Eater First Look

It's easy to see the similarities between Capcom's massively popular Monster Hunter and Namco Bandai's latest third-person action role-playing game God Eater. Both feature protagonists sent on quests to hunt down huge creatures, with oversized weaponry, real-time combat, and an experience clearly geared towards playing with friends cooperatively. Despite this, God Eater introduces a number of features that set it apart from Monster Hunter, such as a postapocalyptic setting, lock-on targeting, and multiple weapon modes. Is it enough to turn it from a mere clone to a true competitor? We took a first look at the game to find out. Get it here

Phantasy Star Portable 2 coming to North America, Europe

Sega's long-running series Phantasy Star might be flickering of late, but the sci-fi role-playing game franchise still has life left in it yet. Sega provided the latest example of that today, as it announced North American and European releases for Phantasy Star Portable 2 for the PSP.Get it here

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Hands-On

Like the other Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands games across various consoles, the PlayStation Portable version takes place during the seven-year gap between the previous Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Warrior Within. What makes this one unique is that it's a side scrolling 2.5D platformer where you're essentially on rails as you navigate through a 3D world. Even though your path is pretty obvious, some puzzle-solving is required to get to where you need to go and there are some tricky platforming sections that will take time to master. It's a change of pace from exploring vast 3D environments, and the stages are broken up in such a way that you can easily replay them to perfect your score.Get it here

Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess! Hands-on

Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess! is a humourous Minis game developed by London-based studio MediaTonic. We had the opportunity to see what those no good monsters are up to when we got some hands-on time with the PlayStation 3 and PSP platforming game. Get it here

The Mother of Violence

Face off against some nasty opposition in this exclusive footage from Bulletstorm's mother of all boss battles.Get it here

Pach-Attack!

Will DRM hurt Ubisoft's future game sales? Plus, why are games more expensive in other countries? Pickpockets beware, Pach is on the Attack! Remember to visit the Ask Pach page to get your questions answered in future episodes!Get it here

Bullet Heaven

Cliff Bleszinski shares the twisted tale of Bulletstorm with amazing new footage. Then, Dr. Kaku dissects the science of Portal. Get it here

Adventure Chronicles Screenshots

How would you like to travel all around the world, seeking some of the rarest and most precious treasures in existence. That's the opportunity Susan has been presented with, after barely getting out of her earthquake-ravaged museum. Adventure Chronicles is a hidden object game, and a good one at that, with lots of fun diversions and puzzles to keep you busy for hours! Download now and start playing right away!Get it here

Restore peace and tranqulity to the lands!

More than just a mahjong game, Liong: The Lost Amulets also features traditional hidden object scenes. Your goal is to restore peace and tranquility by recovering five magic amulets. What's so special about these amulets? They keep the five natural elements in balance, that's what! There's a lot of depth to Liong: The Lost Amulets too, with literally hundreds of locations. Download now and start playing right away!Get it here

Virtual Villagers 4:

In this new chapter of the fantastic Virtual Villagers series, the inhabitants of Isola are growing restless. The chief of the island is troubled by signs that life is slowly diminishing on the island. Since he's a man of action, he selects a group of explorers to find out what's wrong, leading them to the unpopulated eastern shores. At the heart of the game is the Tree of Life- what secrets does it hold? Download Virtual Villagers 4: The Tree of Life now and start playing right away!Get it here

Game of Death

Bruce Lee died after shooting only a few scenes of his ambitious Game of Death, but that didn't stop greedy producers from finishing and releasing "Lee's last film," even if he's doubled for most of it. Lee planned an ambitious expression of his fighting philosophy, and his story culminates in the rigorous challenge of the "Game of Death," in which combatants take on successively greater and greater masters as they fight their way to the top of a tower. Only a few fight scenes were completed, and the released film is about a martial arts movie star who takes on a syndicate of drug dealers. Lee faces down the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in an impressive battle, one of the only surviving scenes from Lee's original shoot, while outtakes from his battle with Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon are used along with real-life footage from Lee's funeral. The rest of the film is a mishmash of car chases and clumsily edited fights, complete with awkward inserts of Lee's face. His double remains hidden behind a pair of dark glasses or a motorcycle helmet throughout, and he abruptly changes into a yellow jumpsuit for no reason other than to match Lee's costume in the final scene. --Sean Axmake.Get it here

The Hunger Games (Kindle Edition)

Starred Review. SignatureReviewed by Megan Whalen TurnerIf there really are only seven original plots in the world, it's odd that boy meets girl is always mentioned, and society goes bad and attacks the good guy never is. Yet we have Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, The House of the Scorpion—and now, following a long tradition of Brave New Worlds, The Hunger Games. Collins hasn't tied her future to a specific date, or weighted it down with too much finger wagging.Get it here

Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins

Travel to an archaeological dig to unearth a lost Mayan temple and its priceless treasure in this exclusive story for Nintendo DS.Get it here

Spy Game [Blu-ray]

When a top-secret, unauthorized mission goes awry, CIA agent Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) is captured—and sentenced to die. With just 24 hours to get him out alive, Bishop’s boss, Nathan Muir (Robert Redford), must battle enemies abroad and the system inside the CIA to save his friend. Now the clock is ticking and the race is on … as the deadliest game of all explodes into the spectacular, adrenaline-fueled thriller that ABC Radio says “sizzles with suspense!”.Get it here

Microsoft Children's Miracle Network Games Bundle

Microsoft and Children’s Miracle Network are working together to ensure that children have the specialized care they need and deserve in our local communities by creating this special value pack of family games. 100% of Microsoft’s net proceeds from this Family Games pack will go to support local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.