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This week's video games
[November 29, 2012]

This week's video games


Nov 29, 2012 (The Arizona Daily Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- "ADVENTURE TIME: HEY ICE KING! WHY'D YOU STEAL OUR GARBAGE" (3DS, $40, Everyone 10+) The ludicrously wacky Cartoon Network series gets a platformer adaptation that sticks closely to the art style and sense of humor of the source material.



Light role-playing elements let you increase your attributes as you scamper around the world, slide-kicking foes, scaling obstacles and tangling with unashamedly silly bosses.

Advanced players may find themselves bored with the mechanics, because of the simple design, which keeps challenge to a minimum. But fans of the show of any gaming experience level will find much to appreciate.


"BEN 10 OMNIVERSE" (Wii U, 360, PS3, $40, Everyone 10+) Since the animated action show is basically a video game in toon form, it makes sense that it loses nothing as a video game.

One you break free of a cumbersome tutorial, the character palate-swapping action hits its stride. Designed with co-op play in mind, you play as Ben -- who can become one of 13 super-powered aliens -- or his sidekick, gadget guy Rook. Efficient level design and entertaining, if repetitive battles, keep things moving.

The 3DS version is just as entertaining as its Xbox 360 counterpart, losing little in translation as a solo experience.

Also available on 3DS, DS and Wii.

"CRASHMO" (3DS, $9, Everyone) A downloadable 3D brainteaser, "Crashmo" sets up stages with interlocking brick stacks, tasking you to push, pull and move them into the shape of a staircase that lets you ascend to the top.

After an extended tutorial gets you up to speed, you're left to dream up strategies to work your way through each stage. If you muck things up you can hit a reset button that gives you a fresh start. You can also ask for a hint to get you started.

While the difficulty ramps up considerably after the first half hour or so, the puzzles are uniformly fair and ingeniously designed. If you get stuck, you have only your limited imagination to blame.

Overcoming a tough puzzle, though, yields thrills that make you want to keep pushing on.

"DISNEY EPIC MICKEY 2: THE POWER OF TWO" (360, PS3, $60, Everyone) I never thought I'd miss motion controls, but the Xbox 360 version of this paint and thinner-splashing sequel accomplished the feat.

You help Mickey Mouse and his sidekick, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, work their way through puzzle-filled stages -- playable solo or in offline co-op -- often by choosing to color objects to life with paint or destroy them with thinner.

A two-analog stick point-and-shoot mechanism makes the activity less fun than the original was on Wii. However, significantly upgraded graphics, a better camera system and co-op make the sequel marginally better.

Comedic musical sequences make the story feel like a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon come to life, and it's a joy to interact with an array of Disney icons.

Also available on Wii U and Wii.

"DISNEY EPIC MICKEY: POWER OF ILLUSION" (3DS, $35, Everyone) A side-scrolling tribute to the 1990 Sega Genesis Mickey Mouse game "Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse" recaptures the magic and tells a charming and emotionally urgent tale with the Mouse House characters.

Making use of the touch screen, you overcome many obstacles by sketching with the stylus. At first the tasks seem fun and engaging, but eventually start to seem like unnecessary busywork that artificially lengthens the game.

While not as deep as "Disney Epic Mickey 2," the old-school-friendly design is more calibrated to pick-up-and-play sessions. There's also an engaging metagame that allows you to build a fortress and add to it as you go along.

"RATCHET & CLANK: FULL FRONTAL ASSAULT" (PS3, $20, Everyone 10+) Sony's cartoonish, heat-packing dynamic duo ditches the platforming routine to blast their way through a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)-styled setup. The game includes an offline mode but is clearly geared toward multiplayer.

Fast-paced and accessible even to those who, like me, have little experience in the genre, the wild weapon selection and clever map design keeps matches fresh. Thanks to the built-in fan base for the characters and the dearth of MOBAs on consoles, I can see a sizable community developing around the game.

Further sweetening the deal, the PS3 version also scores Vita owners a copy of the game when it's released on the handheld in January. Those with both versions will be able to swap save files, and the handheld and console versions will share multiplayer functionality.

"RISE OF THE GUARDIANS: THE VIDEO GAME" (360, PS3, Wii U, $40, Everyone 10+) The hack-and-slash, multiplayer-friendly adaptation of the family movie plays a lot like "Gauntlet." Playing as North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandman or Jack Frost, you hop the globe at your whim, battling nightmarish enemies in each of the characters' home realms.

The button-mashing combat is bland yet mind-numbingly enjoyable, and the drop-in/drop-out multiplayer keeps things playable if your partner loses interest faster than you.

Also available on Wii, DS and 3DS.

Phil Villarreal ___ (c)2012 The Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.) Visit The Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Ariz.) at www.azstarnet.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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