Game Day: Download and drive off
"Grand Theft Auto" is branching out, with the series' first big chunk of downloadable content and its first DS game released in rapid succession.
"The Lost and Damned" covers some of the timeline of "Grand Theft Auto IV" from a different perspective – that of Johnny Klebitz, vice president of the Alderney chapter of the motorcycle gang called The Lost – though "GTA IV" protagonist Niko Bellic pops up here and there.
Johnny's a thug and a generally unsympathetic character, and his gang is no bunch of winners, but the fresh-out-of-rehab president of his club, Billy, is even worse. He immediately goes back on drugs and breaks a truce with a rival gang, the Angels of Death – a truce that Johnny brokered. These two are headed for a break, and it won't be a clean one.
Being an extension of "GTA IV," "The Lost" looks, sounds and plays pretty much the same. And it has the same graphic violence, constant profanity and other mature content.
There's an emphasis on motorcycles, including the option to ride in a pack, as well as some new weapons and such.
"The Lost" also introduces six new multiplayer modes, including Chopper vs. Chopper, in which a player on a motorcycle tries to escape a player in an armed helicopter, and Lone Wolf Biker, a deadly game of reverse tag.
Where "The Lost and Damned" centers on Alderney, "GTA IV's" stand-in for New Jersey, "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" takes place everywhere in Liberty City except there.
The main character, Huang Lee, is newly arrived in Liberty City to deliver his late father's sword to his Triad crime-boss uncle Kenny.
He's ambushed, shot and robbed by mysterious assailants almost immediately. But he lives, and it's not long before he's doing jobs for his disappointed uncle.
"Chinatown" has a lighter feel than "The Lost and Damned," with cel-shaded graphics and shrunken-down carnage. But the game is still not for younger players.
The action is viewed from above, with the camera rotating to follow Huang. He can punch and kick, shoot and roll. There are secrets for him to find everywhere, such as guns stashed in trash bins. And of course, he can drive off with any car he can find.
Stealing cars is complicated by a set of mini-games that take advantage of the DS touch screen. Some cars can be taken simply by rotating a screwdriver a few times in the drive assembly; others have to be hacked or hot-wired.
The game makes players do this manually, and not always when they're in the best position to do so – while being chased by cops, for example.
Speaking of cops, players get to take a more aggressive role in getting their wanted levels down; instead of running away, simply ramming enough police cars or making them crash removes the stars.
PICKS AND PANS
Retro Game Challenge
3 1/2 stars
"Retro Game Challenge" is by far the best collection of classic video games that never existed.
Based on a Japanese game show, the hook is that the player has been sent back in time by a crazed game master (based on the game show's host) to fulfill challenges in a variety of 1980s-era games.
But these "classic" games were all invented for "Retro Game Challenge," and each is lovingly crafted to look, sound and play like it's about 25 years old, down to the clumsy English text.
There's "Cosmic Gate," a shooter in the manner of "Galaga"; "Rally King" and "Rally King SP," two iterations of the kind of lame racing game that was common in the era; three improving versions of a platformer called "Robot Ninja Haggle Man"; and "Guadia Quest," which takes strongly after the "Dragon Quest" series.
Nintendo DS; $29.99 • Age rating: Everyone
Tom Clancy's HAWX
2 1/2 stars
A futuristic air-combat game set in the "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter" universe, "HAWX" puts players in the cockpits of top-of-the-line fighter jets for a private military corporation.
The controls and heads-up display are well-configured and easy to learn. Each of the game's planes handles differently, and they're often configured to be effective against certain targets.
Because of the speed and distances involved, the player relies heavily on icons to determine where to attack. The environments look great from high altitudes but not so hot from up close.
Completing objectives earns experience toward unlocking new planes or weapons. There are also a couple of online modes for cooperative or competitive dogfighters.
Microsoft Xbox 360, also for Sony PlayStation 3, PC; $59.99 ($49.99 for PC) • Age rating: Teen
Trivial Pursuit
2 1/2 stars
A competent virtual version of the popular board game, "Trivial Pursuit" looks pretty good and is mechanically sound. But titles like these are little fun for one player, even when a solo mode is included, as one is here, so keep that in mind.
The look is attractive, and the board and pieces have been given about as much personality as possible. There are tons of trivia questions to mull over the answers to, and a handful of game modes in which to do so.
There's the standard game, with several options for trivia questions; Facts & Friends, in which there's only one puck that all players share; and a solo mode that shrinks the board with each quiz category conquered.
Nintendo Wii; $39.99 • Age rating: Everyone
– Justin Hoeger