A Wish List for Gamers
WASHINGTON—Consumer electronics sales have been down this season, yet the video-game industry has been relatively stable. Sony, for example, recently slashed expectations for holiday sales of flat-panel TVs and digital cameras, but then nudged up its projection for the PlayStation Portable for this quarter by a million units. v Industry analyst Michael Pachter said video games are “very recession-resistant.” Maybe the typical Xbox-owning family isn’t going on the ski vacation this year, he said, but they’ll still pick up a video game or two. v Here’s a guide to what video-game titles are available at your neighborhood electronics store. For a longer listing, check online at www.washingtonpost.com.
Multiple-platform games
Call of Duty: World at War. The popular shoot-em-up series returns to World War II, this time, in part, to the Pacific theater. Some gamers grumbled that they didn’t want to go back to the Second World War after last year’s installment of this series incorporated modern scenarios and modern weapons. But World at War, which features the voice of 24 star Kiefer Sutherland, has been getting a thumbs-up from fans. The graphics in this game are very impressive and also very intense. (Rated M. Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PC)
Dead Space. How come nobody ever designs a spaceship with adequate lighting? This space horror game draws on influences like the Alien flicks and video games like Doom 3. The storyline: A mining ship has stopped communicating with the rest of the fleet. You’re sent to investigate—a task that, it turns out, involves blasting away at a lot of scary monsters. (Rated M. Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Wii
Wii Fit. One of the year’s ongoing bestsellers, this title comes with a balance board that wirelessly connects to the Wii console. The offerings on the game disc include everything from yoga and strength-building exercises to simple balance-your-body games. There’s already been a shortage of this title at sites like Amazon.com, so don’t get stuck in a last-minute rush. (Rated E)
PlayStation 3
ONE selling point for Sony’s game console is that the system also lets users play movies in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
LittleBigPlanet. Players control a whimsical character who hops and climbs his way through a series of obstacle courses in a mostly two-dimensional world. But the really interesting part about this game is how it lets players build and upload their own levels. (Rated E)
XBox 360
Microsoft’s console has some nifty features and some hot games not available elsewhere. A recent revamp of the system’s software interface means that Netflix subscribers can use the system to stream a selection of video-content instantly.
n Fable II. As players explore a mythical kingdom called
Albion, they have a lot of freedom to choose whether their characters are good guys or bad guys as they go on quests, take jobs, start a family. But there are adult themes aplenty. (Rated M)
Gears of War 2. Most action games encourage a run-and-gun approach, but this game emphasizes that players find a place to duck behind as they take on the role of a warrior named Marcus Fenix. (Rated M)
Computer games
Macs have sometimes been left out of the fun when it comes to new releases, but both of these popular releases are designed to run on both Windows and Mac systems.
Spore. The guy who created The Sims was at the helm of this Pixar-looking game, which lets users take control of a species from the cellular level all the way up to the era when they develop space-travel technology, venture forth and travel into the universe.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. If someone on your gift list wants this title, they will have already told you. With 11 million subscribers, the online sword-and-sorcery title World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ） is a phenomenon unto itself. (Rated T. Internet connection and $15 monthly subscription fee required.)
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