One-on-one fighting games such as "Street Fighter IV" have always been the main focus of the genre, but tag teams can be fun, too. "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" and "The King of Fighters" series have three-on-three matches a central feature, each in their own way.

"Marvel vs. Capcom 2," which has been around in various incarnations since 2000, is now nice and cheap on the Xbox 360 and PS3's download services. Players can select any of the game's 56 characters from the start – earlier versions required some of the fighter roster to be unlocked through play, a feature that's not missed this time around. Online play has been introduced in these new versions, a first for the series.

The fighters are culled from numerous Capcom properties – popular ones like "Street Fighter" and "Mega Man" and more obscure series such as "Darkstalkers" and "Captain Commando." The Marvel half of the lineup includes a broad selection of heroes and villains – Spider-Man, Iron Man, Dr. Doom, Venom, Wolverine, Magneto, the Hulk and many more.

Players control one fighter at a time from their chosen team of three, and with the touch of a few buttons a player can call backup fighters in to take over or to assist with an attack.

The fighting is flashy and chaotic, and often hard to follow, but the controls and special attack motions are pretty much burned into the brains of fighting-game fans by this point. The game is simpler and less balanced than "Street Fighter IV" – some characters are way better than others – but there's still room for strategy.

"King of Fighters XII" also has players choose a team of three, but they can't be tagged in and out of the fight at will. Instead, players choose the order they'll fight in – if one is defeated, another will fight in the next round.

The action is more measured and deliberate than that of "Marvel vs. Capcom 2." The game has its own feel, with an emphasis on trying to put the enemy off-balance for a string of attacks, and neat features such as equal simultaneous attacks canceling each other out, but the basic mechanics are similar.

The cast is drawn from several previous installments in the series, and range from the familiar Ryo Sakazaki and the Bogard brothers, Terry and Andy, to newer fighters such as "The King of Fighters XI's" Elisabeth Branctorche.

PICKS AND PANS

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2 stars

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is about what one would expect from a video-game companion to the new action film: brainless and loud.

Two "Joes" run and gun through various levels, facing soldiers of the terrorist group Cobra as well as turrets, tanks and other foes. It's a game about blowing stuff up, and little else.

There are three classes of Joes: Commandos tend to be better up close, soldiers are good midrange fighters, and heavies lay down fire from range. The computer controls the second fighter in solo games, and a second player can drop in to take control at any time.

Each character has a weapon with unlimited ammo; a special weapon that can be used occasionally; and the Acceleration Suit, which grants invulnerability and increased attack power for a short time once charged up.

The arcade-style game play is easy to pick up, and the co-op emphasis is a plus, but its looks are below average, and any difficulty level above the default one has the potential to leave a defeated player cooling his or her heels until the next checkpoint – or the next level.

Microsoft Xbox 360, also for Sony PlayStation 3, PS2, PSP, Nintendo Wii, DS; $59.99 ($29.99 to $59.99 for other versions)• Age rating: Teen

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

3 1/2 stars

"The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" is one of the very few direct sequels in the "Zelda" line, following up the Nintendo 64's landmark "Ocarina of Time." The game takes perennial hero Link on a bizarre journey through Termina, a land with only three days before an evil-looking moon crashes into its central location, Clock Town.

Link is cursed and loses his ocarina at the beginning of the game to the wicked Skull Kid (who wears the enchanted Majora's Mask). But once he regains the instrument, he's able to reset time to the beginning of the three-day timeline as he searches for a way to stop the moon, keeping any major items he's collected to that point. (Money has to be left in the town bank to carry over.)

Link gains powers by wearing different masks. He can use them to turn into a plantlike Deku Scrub, a fishlike Zora and a hefty Goron, and other masks grant their own benefits.

The basic mechanics of the game are identical to the "Ocarina's," but the endlessly repeating cycle of time makes this a unique adventure.

Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console download); $10 (1,000 Nintendo points) • Age rating: Everyone

– Justin Hoeger