Pop in this Playstation 3 exclusive and be prepared for your avatar to be blown away. That’s because even though Warhawk is the best multiplayer online experience that the PlayStation Network has to offer, there is a slight learning curve due to the lack of single player mode. You will learn this game through a trial by fire—literally if you come across a player who likes the flamethrower a bit too much.  Between Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Zone Defense, there is a game mode for everyone. Warhawk‘s most innovative feature is the availability of aircraft (including the titular Warhawk), ground vehicles (including tanks, tanks!), and ground weapons that add variation to every game, regardless of whether you like to capture flags or killpoints. Flying will also take a bit of getting used to, especially in the more crowded games where missiles are constantly flying at you.  Once you get flying down, it becomes the highlight of the game. There are servers made specifically for dogfights if that becomes your cup of tea. This game is loads of fun and gives all PS3 owners a peek at what the PlayStation Network can offer in the coming year. 

—Darwin Hang

Almost every gamer out there either misses the LucasArts heyday or knows someone who does. The Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle, heck, even Loom… these are all classic games for their time, all of which used a point ‘n click interface that only truly made sense on a PC. Of course, perhaps the greatest of these adventures was Sam & Max Hit the Road, a crazy little adventure featuring Steve Purcell’s unforgettable characters that was just difficult enough and hilarious enough to be memorable. To date, the exchange of “Do you mind if I drive?” “Only if you don’t mind me clawing at the dashboard and shrieking like a cheerleader” remains one of the funniest moments in gaming history. Those longing for the halcyon days of LucasArts will find everything they’re looking for in Sam & Max: Season One, a six-part serial game that retains every bit of both the humor and the skewed sense of puzzle-solving logic that makes the series great. Plus, if you buy the whole shebang, you can get it on DVD with a case and everything, not to mention a bunch of fun little extras, including a gag reel. And really, every game based on animated characters should include a gag reel, right?  Right.  [Find Sam & Max at Telltale Games.com.]

—Mike Schiller

Nothing says holiday gift like a personality test in a book, or box in this case, that can reduce your every nuance to an easily classifiable genre type. No, that’s not a bit of music criticism or even a swipe at Hue Are U?, just a recognition that these types of products are ultimately designed to be fun gifts for co-workers and casual friends. The interesting twist on this personality test is that it plays off color cards, appealing to our visual side, unlike the vast majority of text based personality quizzes. Pick your color faves and dislikes and find out not just who you are, according to the helpful box, but also what motivates you and how others see you. Man, couldn’t we all have used this in high school? I can see many a wasted study hall or water cooler break absorbed in this set. Are you a Thinker, Humanitarian, Pioneer, Builder or something else altogether? Hue Are U? will “tell” you. 

—Sarah Zupko

New developer Neversoft didn’t turn Guitar Hero on its ear, this much is true, but why mess with a winning formula? Guitar Hero III is more of what makes Guitar Hero such a trip, with a fantastic combination of immensely popular and utterly unknown songs, enough skill variance to both coddle newbies and frustrate pros, and utterly addictive multiplayer modes. The Wii and the PlayStation 3 are getting their first doses of Guitar Hero, each with their own little tweaks and features (along with some of the best online play the Wii has to offer thus far), but if you have an Xbox 360, shell out for that version. Leaderboards, achievements, and the easiest-to-obtain downloadable content including Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver song packs that have already been released make the Xbox 360 version the choice for Guitar Hero aficionados. Really, if you’ve been hesitant up to this point to shell out the cash for the big plastic guitar thing with the game attached to it, Guitar Hero III for any of the systems it’s been released on is the best reason thus far to take the plunge.

—Mike Schiller

This came out of nowhere, eventually taking a place as one of the most fun Wii experiences of the year.  It’s not going to win any awards, given the lack of memorable characters and the fact that, well, fishing might not be everyone’s idea of an exciting gaming experience.  Still, not even The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, to date the most fun a Wii owner could have with a fishing pole, managed to replicate the thrill of a catch quite like Fishing Master does.  The general idea is this: You travel from place to place all over Japan, entering fishing tournaments, honing your skills, and trying to catch the rarest fish out there.  The thing is, it’s not just exciting when you catch one of these rare treasures, though the payoff of seeing the beautiful thing for the first time is addictive.  Even so, it’s almost as exciting just to catch a tin can, which happens quite frequently because, well, they don’t move around quite so much as the fish.  Those trapped inside for the winter might appreciate the zen that a good fishing experience brings as well, so go ahead, let your quest for the rarest fish—and, if you’re into it, the largest boot—begin.

—Mike Schiller

For such a well-respected Adventure/RPG game, the onset of a new entry in the excellent Ace Attorney series brings with it surprisingly little fanfare. This latest take on the characters brings with it a darker storyline and an end to Phoenix’s domination as the title character. Yelling “OBJECTION!” into your DS microphone at opportune times never really gets old, and the narrative threads presented in this edition of the series are perhaps the most well-constructed of any of the Phoenix Wright games. The graphics, as far as the DS is concerened, are top notch, and the puzzles will have you playing well into the night. Trials and Tribulations is not a role-playing game in the traditional sense, though it does force you to become immersed in your characters and solve puzzles based on personalities, dispositions, and, of course, the copious evidence. All in all, it’s simply a fantastic way to spend 20 hours.

—Mike Schiller