Something for everyone in video games

By Steven L. Kent

MORE IMMERSIVE THAN movies and offering better replay value than most books, video games are a portal to new worlds that we can’t enter in real life. This year’s crop of hot games will transport players to futuristic wars, show them worlds through the eyes of toys and even let them compete in the Olympics. Leading the list of heavy hitters for the holidays are a family-friendly foursome of mostly familiar names. Here’s a look at some of the titles available.

LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues. It started with Star Wars and spread to Indiana Jones—interactive adventures based on hit movies featuring characters and items seemingly created out of LEGO blocks. LEGO games are adventuresome. Indy 2 re-creates the action from all four Indiana Jones movies, giving fans of the archaeologist/ adventurer a huge world filled with interesting characters, puzzles and mystic relics. (Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and up; for DS, PC computers, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360)

Bakugan Battle Brawlers. Move over, Pokémon. This year’s best battling beasts are brawling Bakugan, from another dimension. In Bakugan Battle Brawlers, players meet in 3-D arenas to match their monsters and their wits. (Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and up; DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. Two of the biggest celebrities in video game history are about to go head to head. Available in Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Nintendo’s plumber mascot takes on Sega’s spiky character in tennis shoes. Both mascots, of course, are escorted by teams of familiar friends as they compete in events such as ice hockey, figure skating and bobsledding. Bring your friends: Like the real Olympics, Mario & Sonic is a multi-player event. (Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and up; DS, Wii)

Toy Story Mania. Based on a theme-park attraction in which players shoot at targets while riding through a funhouse, Toy Story Mania ups the ante on the Disney Studios ride by adding multiple shooting galleries in which players shoot rings, darts, pies and hoops at Toy Story–themed targets. (Rated E, suitable for players ages 6 and up; Wii)

Halo 3: ODST.. Not all of the top-tier games are meant for kids. Take, for example, Halo 3: ODST, the return of the bestselling series that put Microsoft’s Xbox on the map.

Seen through the eyes of an “Orbital Drop Shock Trooper,” ODST adds a new single player perspective to the Halo experience, along with a treasure trove of multi-player maps and options. (Rated M, suitable for players ages 17 and up; Xbox 360)

Not what you are looking for? There’s much more.

This Christmas, Guitar Hero fans will have a chance to expand their virtual-gig experience with Band Hero and DJ Hero (both games are available for DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360). Those hooked on drumming, strumming and humming in Guitar Hero World Tour will feel right at home with Band Hero. Players looking for something new can add a turntable to the experience with DJ Hero.

Action fans will have plenty to keep their adrenalin pumping. One of the heaviest hitters this year will be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (for PC computers, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), the sequel to one of the mostly highly acclaimed games of 2007.

A first-person shooter set in the present day, Modern Warfare 2 packs enough guns, grenades and explosions to keep players coming back for more. And online players will adore this game for its multi-player action.

Other greats are back for another go as well. Hoping to attract a new round of players to PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment is publishing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves,, a new Nathan Drake action adventure. Electronic Arts hopes lightning will strike twice when it releases Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And Activision plans to take a whole new generation of players shredding with Tony Hawk: Ride, a game that comes with its own skateboard peripheral for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360.

Science-fiction novelist and journalist Steven L. Kent, www.sadsamspalace.com, lives near Seattle.