"LocoRoco 2" and "Patapon 2" are ideal sequels. Both are instantly playable for anyone who spent time with the original games, and both add a number of new features into the mix without losing what made the games work in the first place.

"Patapon 2," a continuation of the first game's story about cute little eyeball-shaped warriors trying to find a new homeland, remains a quirky mixture of strategy game and rhythm challenge.

With the aid of several drums represented by the PSP's four face buttons, players command their army of Patapons to advance, attack, defend and so on by punching in four-beat combinations in time with each level's music. Against lesser enemies, it's often enough to simply attack and defend until they die before moving on, but against more ferocious foes, it's necessary to carefully time the different commands to best avoid and defend against their attacks while dealing as much damage as possible.

Several new varieties of Patapon warrior can be found to join in the fight alongside the original fighters, such as the Robopons, who punch and throw stones; the flying Toripon; and the magic-wielding Mahopon.

Players can customize several units of Patapon warriors, and can arm and advance each individual warrior through a tree of upgrades by spending items gathered in battle.

Finally, the tribe gains a powerful new ally, the Heropon, who can come back to life in the midst of battle when killed, take on the role of any available Patapon class and summon a hero spirit to add extra punch to his attacks.

The game also offers a local multiplayer mode in which each player controls a hero as the group tries to carry an egg to the end of the stage and hatch it for a reward of items. This mode also can be played solo, with one hero controlled by the player and the others by the computer.

"Patapon 2" is being used as something of a test run for downloadable PSP games. Players can either download it from the online PlayStation Store or buy a retail box with a manual and a voucher code for the download.

Like "Patapon 2," the super-cute "LocoRoco 2" is true to its core. Players use the shoulder buttons to tilt the onscreen environment left and right, allowing a happy little blob creature to roll either way. The LocoRoco blob also can jump, grow larger by eating special berries, and split into numerous smaller selves to go through small passages or sing and re-form at will.

Various mini-games add some variety to the game play, and a purple LocoRoco joins the original six. The bottom line for both games is that anyone who enjoyed the originals will enjoy these sequels – neither tries to fix what wasn't broken.

PICKS AND PANS

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Uncaged Edition

3 stars

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has the good sense to crib from "God of War," the current king of hack-and-slash action games, and not just for its gore. (The mutant's metal claws actually do what one would expect in this game.)

The game play is combo-based, with the player stringing together weak and strong attacks, long-distance pounces, throws and special "rage" techniques against scores of lesser foes and occasional greater ones, such as Wolverine's nasty half-brother, Sabertooth. Wolverine increases in power as he kills foes, and players can purchase new skills for him and augment his powers.

Wolverine's regenerative powers make him very difficult to kill, and the bloody action is fast-paced, fun and extremely violent. The choppy narrative is largely told by story scenes prone to irritating freezes and skips.

Microsoft Xbox 360, also for Sony PlayStation 3, PC; alternate versions for Sony PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, DS; $59.99 ($29.99 to $59.99 for other versions) Age rating: Mature (10-plus to mature for other versions)

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut

3 stars

A point-and-click adventure game set in Paris, "Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars" makes good use of the DS stylus and touch screen to re-create the mouse-driven feel of a genre that was once a mainstay of PC gaming.

The original version of the game only had players direct American tourist George Stobbard; in this edition, the player also guides his ally, reporter Nico Collard, as the pair tries to unravel a murderous conspiracy.

The two explore their surroundings, finding clues and combining items to solve puzzles and the larger mystery. Nico's segments of the game and other additions make this version quite different from the original. The game play is confined to the lower screen, with animated scenes taking up the top one.

Nintendo DS, also for Wii; $29.99 ($49.99 for Wii) • Age rating: Teen

Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack

3 stars

The latest bundle of "Halo 3" multiplayer maps provides a couple of small battlefields and one blank-slate map designed for customization.

The first, Assembly, is a multilevel map set in a Covenant factory, its walkways and platforms oriented around a central hub structure and floor at the bottom. The Orbital map is a human space station with lots of ramps and right angles in its passages.

Finally there's Sandbox. The map consists of three separate tiers on which to build: the Sandbox ground floor, a deep pit below it called the crypt, and the skybox, a large area high above the Sandbox itself.

Microsoft Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade download); $10 (800 Microsoft Points) Age rating: Mature

– Justin Hoeger