Verdict: Avast! (sea of fun)

In a Nutshell: Lair of the Leviathan is the third chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.

(from the game’s website)

“Trapped in the belly of the beast, our hero encounters a surprising band of castaways, including the long-lost (and obsessive-compulsive) explorer Coronado De Cava. Can the Mighty Pirate win the suspicious De Cava’s trust? Will sexy pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay prove to be a ruthless enemy, or an unlikely ally? Will the group find La Esponja Grande in time to save Elaine from the rampant Pox of LeChuck? And will the world be crushed by the gnashing teeth of a certain demonic skull? Tales of Monkey Island’s moist and absorbing third episode, Lair of the Leviathan, will answer some of these urgent questions — and raise still more — as the five month adventure builds to its epic climax!”

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Verdict: interesting

In a Nutshell: This is a first-person shooter/puzzle and was one of the 2009 PAX 10.

(from the game’s website)

“Tag: The Power of Paint, a first-person platformer created by seven RTIS and BFA students at DigiPen, was chosen from ten IGF Student Showcase Finalists as winner of the Best Student Game Award.”

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Verdict: not bad

In a Nutshell: This plays like a puzzling variation on pinball but with a rag doll and was one of the 2009 PAX 10.

(from the game’s website)

“CarneyVale: Showtime is a vertical ragdoll platform game for Xbox LIVE Community Games. In the game, you play as Slinky, a circus acrobat trying to rise up the ranks by performing acrobatic tricks and death-defying stunts through increasingly complex arenas.”

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Verdict: spooky

In a Nutshell: I can’t describe it any better than the website can.  The still-being-developed, second installment of Closure was one of the 2009 PAX 10.

(from the game’s website)

“A creepy puzzle about darkness and the unknown.”

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Verdict: more please

In a Nutshell: Puzzle game involving a tree spirit and captive bears. This was one of the 2009 PAX 10

(from the game’s website)

“Puzzle Bloom is the innovative action-puzzle game where you control the tree spirit Canotila in her quest to bring back life to her island. Canotila needs the assistance of the island’s native creatures to get past the rigid machines of the world. She flies from creature to creature and uses her powers to guide them. New life will bloom into the world for each time Canotila breaks a machine, bringing Canotila closer to her ultimate goal of a return to nature.”

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Verdict: cute and nostalgic

In a Nutshell: Interactive story book about a kid cyclops that includes a memory game and music videos.  This was one of the 2009 PAX10.

(from the game’s website)

“What is Bothering Carl? is the tale of a young cyclops named Carl whose laid back attitude is disrupted by a single nuisance. Readers will discover Carl’s dilemma and follow along as he tries to solve his problem in this colorful interactive adventure.”

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Verdict: An amusing distraction that can get a little monotonous after a while.

In a Nutshell: Capture the flag with a silly, bloody cartoon shell.

(from the game’s website)

Rescue your beloved princess through teamwork in this comic medieval battle royale. There’s a catch, though—the other team has been feeding her magical cake, making her harder to escort back to your castle. Choose from five distinct character classes and switch at any time to best help your team. Charge head first into battle, heal teammates as they break through enemy lines, and upgrade your team and the castle defenses as you work with your team to save your princess.

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Verdict: Woo-hoo!

In a Nutshell: Wii Sports + 1:1 control + 10 new game types = hours of fun when friends or family come over.

(from the game’s website)

“Twelve exhilarating sports and activities are taking place all over Wuhu Island, and the residents of Wii Sports Resort can’t wait for you to come join the fun.

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Verdict: my swash is buckled!

In a Nutshell: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is the first chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series and picks up where the Lucasarts Monkey Island series left off.

(from the game’s website)

“While explosively stripping the evil pirate LeChuck of his demonic mojo, Guybrush Threepwood inadvertently infects the entire Caribbean with the arch-fiend’s expelled voodoo, which threatens to transform buccaneers into unruly pirate monsters. Pursued by a notorious cut-throat Pirate Hunter and a creepy French Physician who believes that Guybrush’s eerily-infected hand holds the secret of eternal life, Threepwood sails the seven seas in search of La Esponja Grande, a legendary sea sponge with unparalleled voodoo exfoliating abilities. But little does Guybrush know, his quest is part of a larger, more sinister plot, and good and evil are not always as they seem…”

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Verdict: extreme challenge!

In a Nutshell: This is a top-down, real-time strategy space conquest.

(from the game’s manual)

“You are a space war commander who controls a small fleet of ships and must win against all odds. While your enemies usually have more money and ships than you, a clever strategy can always turn the situation upside down so that you’re the one with all the cash and a giant armada. One last thing. In an act of sabotage, someone turned on your starbase’s self-destruct mechanism. This means that it will gradually destroy itself, assuming that your enemies don’t eliminate you first. Really, you have no time to waste. Get to it, commander!”

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