Spring has officially sprung for the video game industry, with new systems such as Nintendo's glasses-free, handheld 3DS and new titles such as "Crysis 2" and "Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars" leading the charge.
Because it's one of the busiest gaming seasons outside of the holidays, it's hard for even the most dedicated players to keep up with it all. Credit a string of high-profile new console ("Homefront"), PC ("Shogun 2: Total War") and portable ("Pokémon Black & White") releases, including handheld 3-D versions of popular series such as "Pilotwings," "Ridge Racer" and "The Sims."
Of course, things continue to pop on the digital front too. Thank new PlayStation Network and Xbox Live downloads such as "Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime," PC titles such as "Magicka" and iPhone/Android apps including "Angry Birds Rio," which captivate us with their affordability and coffee-break convenience.
Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games such as "RIFT" haven't slowed their charge either, nor have dozens of new free-to-play social network titles, with even the venerable "FarmVille" recently rolling out an English Countryside expansion.
Wherever you are this season, whether flying the friendly skies or comfortably seated in front of your favorite Web browser, expect plenty of excuses to keep your head buried in a TV or smartphone screen. From fantasy ("Dragon Age: Origins II") to full throttle racing simulations ("Shift 2: Unleashed"), sports ("Top Spin 4") to sci-fi ("Lego Star Wars III"), there's no shortage of promising new games.
To help with your list, here are five games that look to rank among the coming weeks' best:
Super Street Fighter IV (Capcom, Nintendo 3DS) -- Numerous titles for the new Nintendo 3DS, such as "Super Monkey Ball 3D" "and "Madden NFL Football," offer graphics that pop from the screen. But few look as good in old-fashioned 2-D as well, or provide as much replay value for dedicated enthusiasts as this edition of the popular one-on-one fighting game franchise.
Letting you clobber friends with flying punches, helicopter kicks and gravity-defying combination moves, the game comes with 35 individual characters who are ready-made for online multiplayer action. Fire it up, find a willing victim and watch the smack-talk begin.
Release Date: Available Now
Jurassic Park (Telltale Games, Mac/PC) -- With neither the series' signature films nor games enjoying much play this side of the millennium, this episodic downloadable adventure seems as much of an anachronism as the newly resurrected dinosaurs it features.
But this all-new tale, which takes place during and after the events of the first film and has been compared gameplay-wise to cinematic outing "Heavy Rain," aims to rekindle the spirit of the franchise's early-1990s heyday. Given the success developer Telltale has had recently reigniting interest in hits such as "Back to the Future" and "Sam & Max," as well as the point-and-click adventure genre, we wouldn't bet against it just yet.
Release Date: April
Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros., PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- The ninth installment in the ultraviolent fighting game series gets back to basics, fusing gory 2-D brawls with jaw-dropping 3-D graphics. Highlights include play that's more accessible for beginners, a super meter that can be charged to unleash more powerful assaults and brutal bone-breaking special effects, viewed as X-rays that display the cringe-inducing aftermath of especially vicious assaults.
Extensive online multiplayer options, combat buttons mapped to each individual limb and countless nods to campy martial arts films make it a promising return to form that should amuse fans new and old alike.
Release Date: April 19
Portal 2 (Valve Software, PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- An atmospheric blend of action and physics-based puzzles, this game lets players use portable wormholes to transport distant objects and individuals to remote and seemingly inaccessible locales.
By allowing you to tinker with items' physical properties and utilize props such as tractor beams and air vents to manipulate momentum and angle of approach, "Portal 2" promises to tax both your wits and reflexes. This sequel to one of gaming's most innovative and beloved best-sellers, thanks to its hefty one-two punch of addictive solo and cooperative multiplayer options, should become another feather in the franchise's cap.
Release Date: April 19
L.A. Noire (Rockstar Games, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360) -- From the makers of "Grand Theft Auto," this interactive ode to detective serials and film noir sees players solving mysteries in a seedy recreation of 1940s Los Angeles. The game offers impressive attention to detail in terms of ambiance and characters' facial expressions. Players must conduct thorough interrogations, read body language and watch for little tics and idiosyncracies that give away suspects' innermost secrets.
A gritty crime drama for mature audiences, this mystery game should give armchair gumshoes plenty to contemplate when it ships.
Release Date: May 17
source: cnn.com
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