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Games let users play against popular warriors
Midway photo
The Flash battles fan favorite Kitana in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, which also includes superheroes Batman and Superman.
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Published: November 27, 2008
Player-versus-player games have been popular in the world of video games since, well, Pong. As the holiday shopping season begins in earnest this week, there are plenty such games for players that offer much better graphics than Pong ever did.
WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009, for most game systems, offers players a chance to play wrestling superstars such as Chris Jericho, Kane, The Undertaker, Triple H, Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels. It emphasizes tag-team matches and has a "Road to Wrestlemania" mode that lets players follow a wrestler on his way up the ladder.
Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, for PlayStation3 and Xbox 360, blends the martial artists of the Mortal Kombat game series with the superheroes from DC Comics for a battle royale.
Among the familiar heroes joining in on the melee are Superman, Batman, and The Flash. There's also a storyline that explains how these characters end up together, if you want something more than a slugfest.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Lightsaber Duels, for Wii, lets players take on the roles of Jedi Knights and evil Sith Lords as they do battle. Special light-saber controllers are even available for those who want to get really into the game.
Another title that will likely be a big hit this holiday season is Tomb Raider: Underworld, the latest adventure of the lovely-but-lethal archeologist Lara Croft.
The realism of the game's graphics has gotten to the point where footprints are left in the mud as she walks along. The game takes her to the Arctic, Mexico and the Mediterranean. It's available for PlayStation3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC and Nintendo DS.
Internet-connected Xbox 360 owners saw big changes last week, when the New Xbox Experience was downloaded onto their machines. Gone are the old interface's cramped, text-heavy menus, which have been replaced by eye-catching, 3D displays of all the games and movies that you've stored on your console.
In a nod to Nintendo's beloved Mii characters, you can also create your own personal avatar. Microsoft has made it easier to play with your friends, letting you set up eight-person parties that can move from game to game.
And you'll finally be able to copy entire games onto your hard drive, which will be a relief to players who still haven't gotten used to that whirring from the disk drive.
Netflix members will be able to choose among 12,000 movies and TV shows, including some high-definition titles, for streaming through Xbox Live.
Further offerings, such as community-developed games and exclusive downloadable game content, are on the way.
Microsoft's goal was "reinventing the entire product through software," said Aaron Greenberg, Xbox 360's director of product management. "It makes it easier for current owners and more accessible to new gamers."
The success of Nintendo's Wii Fit certainly hasn't gone unnoticed by other software publishers. Even Electronic Arts, whose EA Sports titles let couch potatoes pretend they are superstar athletes, is trying to get gamers on their feet.
EA Sports's president, Peter Moore, calls the company's coming fitness title, EA Sports Active, a "somewhat radical departure from the normal game experiences we provide customers."
It will also take a more Western approach than Wii Fit, focusing on higher-energy cardiovascular exercises and less on the yoga routines that make up the bulk of Nintendo's product.
EA isn't the only publisher catching the fitness bug. Majesco has brought out Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009, while Ubisoft is pumping up My Fitness Coach.
If you want a really fun workout, there's always our old favorite, Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series.
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