It's not a Toy, it's a Drum Peripheral!

Rock Band
(360, PS3; $169.99 special edition, $59.99 game only; Rated T for Lyrics/Suggestive Themes; rockband.com)



The only reason I'm not playing "Rock Band" right now is because I'm writing this review.

Christmas came early for me the moment I got to open the gigantic box that contained everything I needed to start my own faux-band: Guitar modeled after a Stratocaster (and almost the same size), USB microphone that doubles as a tambourine or cowbell, a four-pad drum set complete with kick drum foot pedal and wooden drumsticks, and 55 songs ranging from The 'Stones to The Strokes. Even better was the fact that after seeing it played for the first time, my wife wanted to sit down at the drums and give it a go- I picked up a guitar and now we're the digital equivalent of The White Stripes- without all of the bizzare relational ambiguity.

Like a Broken Bottle, Mario is Unstoppable

Super Mario Galaxy
(Wii; $49.99; Rated E; nintendo.com)



Just when a title like "Rachet and Clank Future" for the PS3 seems to take the top spot for adventurous and fun platforming, "Mario Galaxy" comes along and turns the entire genre on its side, then top, and then bottom. See, "Mario Galaxy" shoots our hero into space to explore a number of different galaxies in all sorts of gravitational environments. Players will land on small "planetoids" that can be circumvented in any direction- though when Mario runs to the underside of the planet, the camera doesn't necessarily change to keep him right-side up.

'Tomb Raider,' now 100% Silicone-Free

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
(PS3; $59.99; Rated T for Blood/Language/Suggestive Themes/Tobacco/Violence; uncharted-thegame.com)



Speaking of pulp action, following in the footsteps of famous tomb raiders like Indiana Jones and Lara Croft is Nathan Drake, alleged heir to Sir Francis Drake and treasure-hunting protagonist of the PS3's most cinematic and adventuresome game to date, "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune." A lot of people who dismiss this game as being merely "Tomb Raider" without the... ahem... enhancements of Lara Croft, will fail to see "Uncharted" as being much more of an homage to "Indiana Jones" and the adventuring serials that were the inspiration for the famous archeologist. Though mechanically, the game plays similar to "Tomb Raider" with exploration and puzzle solving, it also has the charisma, cinematography, and playfulness that "Tomb Raider" lacks. Add in cover-based firefights similar to "Gears of War," and graphics and cutscenes that put both "Tomb Raider" and "Gears of War" to shame, and you have one heck of a fun diversion from your hum-drum life.

Though the puzzles aren't complex, and the entire game can be played through in a few short sittings, its presentation is top-notch and the adventuring strikes a chord with the 10 year old boy in me who grew up believing that Archeology was actually that cool- "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" is the videogame equivalent of the winter "popcorn film," and should be experienced by everyone looking for that type of entertainment.

Adjutorium Nostrum In Nomine Bioware

Mass Effect
(360; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Language/Partial Nudity/Sexual Themes/Violence; masseffect.bioware.com)



A handful of hours into this title, and I realize I've just barely scratched the surface of this epic sci-fi opera that's better at acting like "Star Wars" than Episodes I and II ever were. "Mass Effect" elevates the action-based role-playing game to levels that no other game has: namely, it allows the RPG purists out there to tweak, refine, and micromanage every step of their character and his party, while still lets the action junkies run-and-gun their way to galactic victory without much need to worry about hit points and damage percentages- it's all done in the background for you.

Although it borrows liberally from franchises like "Star Wars," "Battlestar Galactica," and "Star Trek," "Mass Effect" still manages to define itself as its own intellectual property as it pays homage to the 70's sci-fi pulp fiction it emulates. The character designs are as varied as anything you'd see in the Mos Eisley Cantina, the costuming has a distinct retro-feel, and the music contains hints of John Carpenter-styled synthesizer- all of which makes the galaxy of "Mass Effect" feel like a legitimate addition to popular Science Fiction. The story is tightly woven, the backgrounds on the history of the universe is exhaustive, and the presentation is incredibly cinematic. Notwithstanding the quality and volume of other holiday titles, it could be the only game you play for the next several months.

Straight to Video

Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action!



Microsoft jumps on the party trivia game bandwagon with their "Buzz!" imitator, "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action!" from the successful DVD-based board game of the same name. Unabashedly ripping off of the "Buzz!" control scheme, "Scene It?" also comes with four of its own Big Button Controllers that allow players to ring in to answer any of more than 1,800 movie-based trivia questions. The Big Button Controllers are also wireless, which is a nice change from the octopus-styled confusion of the "Buzz!" wired controllers.

What is "British Humor," Alex?

Buzz! The Mega Quiz
(PS2; $39.99; Rated E10+ for alcohol and tobacco references/comic mischief/mild language/suggestive themes/mild violence; buzz-games.com)



When you have the family over in the next couple of weeks, rather than breaking out the ol' Monopoly or watching "It's a Wonderful Life" yet again, why not dust off that old PS2 of yours and serve up a game of "Buzz! The Mega Quiz?" Up to eight players can face off to see who has the most useless knowledge in over 5,000 trivia questions spanning history, sports, and entertainment. The gameshow inspired environment of "Buzz!" starts with the wise-cracking, bad-haired host of the game, Buzz and extends to the buzzer controllers that are used to ring in to answer. Oddly enough, though, the buzzer button isn't used as nearly as much as it should be, and the bulk of the games I played focused more on the colored buttons that correspond to the multiple choice answers for questions.

Questions can get down-right ruthless in terms of difficulty, but the difficulty is balanced throughout the game overall. Minor scoring gripes aside- like rounds that can drastically re-distribute points, without any basis of skill- "Buzz!" is a great party game that can keep the whole family yelling at the TV, instead of each other.