Donkey Kong Country Returns

When I got Super Nintendo at the tender age of 11, I had to play Donkey Kong Country because it was the only game I had. It turned out to be a lot of fun, but so frustratingly hard that I grew to be a bit of a potty mouth. More than 14 years later, Donkey Kong Country Returns (released in November on Wii) brings back old memories of exciting platforming gameplay - and some stress-induced vulgarities.

Microsoft's Kinect sensor (released November 4 for the Xbox 360 system) is a different beast from the Wii and PlayStation Move. Employing a camera to create controller-free gaming, the Kinect sensor puts you into the game like none of its competitors. There are a few kinks in the system, but the overall product goes a long way toward making me a believer.

While Wii simply picks up the controller's movements, your entire body and play space are utilized for Kinect games. For example, if a ball is flying at your left side, stepping to the right will dodge it, or if a hurdle is in your running path, you can physically jump over it. And unlike the Wii-too approach of PlayStation Move, Kinect is a genuine step forward for motion-controlled gaming.

Since 1986, the action-adventure Castlevania games have featured the Belmont clan battling a stable of classic horror creatures - from skeletons, vampires, and werewolves to iconic characters such as the Grim Reaper and Frankenstein's monster, all under the lord of the night, Dracula. While the series thrived as a two-dimensional side-scroller, it has for almost 10 years suffered from substandard attempts at 3D gameplay, resulting in poor combat and platforming.

The new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes a big step in the right direction. Borrowing heavily from the play style of God of War with a great presentation is one thing, but the story is a powerful light that repels the darkness of doubt.

Halo might be the most important franchise for the Xbox. The 2001 original defined console first-person shooters with its groundbreaking precision controls, keeping Xbox system sales alive during its early years and setting the standard for nearly every modern shooter to date.

What the truly hardcore fans realize, though, is that the original game's popularity skyrocketed with prequel novels that dug deeper into the tale of humanity's desperate battle for survival against the aliens known as The Covenant. The key book in all of this was 2001's Halo: The Fall of Reach. That novel comes to life in the final game in the franchise, Halo: Reach, and developer Bungie has crafted one of the best stories in video games today while adding even more to its trademark multiplayer in what is truly the defining version of Halo.