Wipeout Pulse
3 1/2 stars
Futuristic racing returns to the PSP with "Wipeout Pulse." It's the sequel to "Wipeout Pure," which was launched alongside the system a few years ago as one of its best games. Like its older sibling, "Pulse" is slick, fun and fantastic-looking. "Pulse" makes a few tweaks here and there, but the racing still starts fast and only gets faster, with players guiding anti-gravity vehicles along twisting and looping tracks, picking up weapons to hamper other players and trying to get the best lap times. The physics of the racing craft are tricky to master; they slide more easily and turn more sharply than wheeled vehicles would. There are numerous tracks and race types that spring from the game's race campaign mode grid – each level of the grid features several events. Only a couple of races are unlocked at first; placing bronze or better in these two unlocks the rest of the grid. The game is hard without being cheap – it's easy to lose a lead and tough to regain it, but not because of any cheating on the computer's part.
PUBLISHER: Sony
SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation Portable
PRICE: $29.99
AGE RATING: 10-plus
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
3 stars
Fans of puzzles should search no farther than "Professor Layton and the Curious Village." This charming DS game punctuates its many puzzles with some good-looking hand-drawn animation and a storyline that uncovers the secrets of the strange town of St. Mystere as Professor Layton and his assistant, Luke, explore it. As the pair meet townsfolk and find objects of interest, many puzzles spring up to be solved. The pressure mounts with each failed attempt because the reward for solving a puzzle decreases with every wrong answer. The player may buy up to three hints per puzzle with special coins, but these aren't unlimited in the game. "Professor Layton" has a light mood, but its puzzles are fiendish, starting out simple and quickly getting tougher. Most have a solution that seems totally obvious in hindsight – these aren't obtuse brain-teasers, so they're fun to solve. Additional puzzles can be downloaded to the DS, as well.
PUBLISHER: Nintendo
SYSTEM: Nintendo DS
PRICE: $29.99
AGE RATING: Everyone
PixelJunk Monsters
3 stars
"PixelJunk" sends wave after wave of monsters against the player, who controls bizarre little creatures desperate to save the critters gathered at its hut. Each monster that reaches the hut takes with it a little guy, so it's up to the player to keep them at bay. Enemies come in several waves in each stage, following different routes depending on the layout, and the player must feverishly work to devise a tight defense with limited resources and time. There is no direct way to attack or slow the monster waves. Instead, the player can replace trees with defensive towers. The trick is that certain towers are better against certain monsters. A cannon won't hit flying enemies, and an anti-air gun won't fire at the ground, for example. The game has a cute look and a deceptively easy set of game mechanics, but this is one tough cookie. Collecting coins and crystals from defeated enemies allows the player to upgrade existing towers, tear them down and build new ones and buy the plans for higher-level defenses. The latter waves of a stage are often a frantic effort to pick up money as it's dropped, then rush to the rear lines to bolster defenses.
PUBLISHER: Sony
SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3
PRICE: $7.99 (PlayStation Store download)
AGE RATING: Everyone
