Two new games in the "Battlefield" series revisit the familiar territory of World War II but in a fresh way.

"Battlefield 1943" offers an experience similar to last year's "Bad Company," with destructible buildings and explosive action on several islands in the Pacific theater of the war, but as a download for $15 or so instead of "Bad Company's" full $60.

"Battlefield Heroes" is a more cartoonish but no less entertaining version of the "Battlefield" formula, and it's free to play, though there are ways for players to spend money. Neither the Allies nor the Axis is to be found in name, though the teams – the Royals and the Nationals – draw obvious visual inspirations.

The game play is as familiar as the settings. Both games pare the selection of soldier classes to three; both streamline the vehicle options to a jeep, tank and plane; both offer only the standard conquest game in which players battle over several control points and try to reduce the opposing team's stock of "tickets," or extra lives. There are no single-player modes.

In "1943," players can freely choose from three classes with each new life. The infantryman is armed with a submachine gun, an anti-tank weapon, grenades and a wrench used for attack and repair. The rifleman has a long-range rifle, grenades for launching and throwing, and a bayonet. The scout carries a sniper rifle, a bladed weapon and remote-activated explosives.

The game looks fantastic, particularly for a downloadable title, and plays just like "Battlefield" should.

"Heroes" plays just a bit differently, with the action taking place from a third-person perspective and the graphics given a much cheerier look than the gritty "1943." Instead of a direct download, players install a plug-in program and launch the game directly from their Web browser after logging in at www.battlefieldheroes.com.

"Heroes" players earn Valor Points as they play; the points can be spent on better weapons and Widgets, items that provide an in-combat boost such as healing or vehicle repair. Players may also, at their option, purchase Battlefunds in increments from 700 ($5) to 7,000 ($50). These allow players to purchase cosmetic items such as jackets, masks, hats and boots, along with other items. Players may pay a small amount to use these items temporarily, or a larger amount to keep them permanently.

PICKS AND PANS

Wii Sports Resort

3 stars

"Wii Sports," the game packed in with the Nintendo Wii system, did a great job of showing the basics of what could be done with the motion-sensitive Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

"Wii Sports Resort," an expanded take on the original game, means to do the same for the new Wii Motion Plus accessory, which increases the remote's sensitivity and accuracy. The game comes with one Wii Motion Plus unit (they're available separately for $19.99).

Bowling and golf are the only returning "Wii Sports" activities. New events include swordplay, wakeboarding, Frisbee, archery, basketball, table tennis, power cruising on personal watercraft, canoeing, cycling and air sports. Some games are better than others: Swordplay, archery, table tennis and the returning games are quite a bit of fun but wakeboarding, cycling, canoeing and power cruising are less so.

Most of the games have more than one play mode – Frisbee with a dog and Frisbee golf, for instance – and multiplayer options range from two to four players, depending on the event.

Nintendo Wii; $49.99 (includes Wii Motion Plus unit) • Age rating: Everyone

G-Force

2 1/2 stars

"G-Force," based on the computer-animated film about a team of small animal operatives, makes for a decent game.

The enemy gadgets are cleverly designed and well-animated, the graphics on the whole are pretty good, and the game comes with two sets of glasses for playing in 3-D mode.

Players control agents Darwin, a guinea pig, and Mooch, a camera-equipped fly, in a mission to stop an evil billionaire's plan to take over the world with an army of robotic gadgets. It's these gadgets – computer mice, computers, waffle irons, blenders and so on – that Darwin will face as enemies.

Darwin has his own gadgets, including an electro-whip and a plasma gun at the start, as well as a scanning tool called a Saberlizer. Later on, he'll be able to buy or find upgrades and new weapons such as a freeze cannon and the NanoHacker, which turns enemies to his side.

The player can take control of Mooch at any time to scout ahead, hit out-of-reach switches or carry back crucial items like key cards.

Sony PlayStation 3, also for PS2, PSP, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS; $49.99 ($29.99 to $49.99 for other versions) • Age rating: 10-plus

– Justin Hoeger