Chicago Sun-Times: GAME ZONE

GAME OF THE WEEK

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Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

Sony; PlayStation 2; $39.99

There's never been a year quite like this. So many great games have been released for all three consoles. That's great for gamers but bad news for game publishers. A quality title that would have been celebrated in an off year has to fight for both gamers' attention and shelf space alongside "GTA: San Andreas," "Metroid Prime: Echoes" and "Halo 2."

"Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal" -- the third entry in the popular franchise -- is one such title. It has the potential to become a vastly underplayed flop like Ubisoft's great game from last year, "Beyond Good & Evil" (though, "Arsenal" will no doubt benefit from a huge advertising push from Sony).

The plot this time, while still hilarious, is of the standard "evil robot hell-bent on wiping out humanity" ilk. Dr. Nefarious has teamed up with a warrior race called the Tyhrranoids to kill every living thing. The cat-like Ratchet and his ever-faithful sidekick robot Clank are called back into action. Thankfully, the rapport between the two title characters turns the cliched story on its head. There are, of course, tons of new weapons upgrades that help to keep the game fresh. You'll also come across a slew of unlockable 2-D side- scrolling games that help break up the otherwise predictable storyline and action.

Many reviewers have put this game in the platform genre -- even going so far as to suggest that the platform king Nintendo has lost ground. It has me scratching my head wondering what game everyone else is playing. The first entry into the series was certainly a platformer. However, "Arsenal" is an action adventure shooter with platform elements. It's a notable distinction that becomes even more apparent through online play. Sony has touted this as the first online multiplayer platformer. The online play, while enjoyable, is no more a platformer than is "Halo 2" -- both offer death match and capture the flag. Gamers will just have to wait for the first online platformer. Fortunately, "Arsenal" will fill the void. (Rated T for crude humor and fantasy violence)

-- Misha Davenport

World Championship Poker

(Crave Entertainment;

Game Boy Advance; $19.99) (STAR)(STAR)

A game once considered dirty and unrefined, poker has hit the mainstream. So it's not surprising video games have cashed in on the craze. This is a fun way to play Blackjack, 5 Card Draw, Texas Hold- Em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha Hold-Em and even video poker. The game is set in a town that consists of a few casinos and a loan shark. As you play, you earn comps from the casino, which range from T-shirts and drinks to owning the casino and touring with rock stars. It doesn't take long to learn each character's playing traits (one lets out an exuberant yell with each card, only to check his bets). Novices will learn how to play the games and get a feel for the odds of making a hand, but don't bet on this to help you beat the odds playing against real people in Vegas. The betting strategies are pretty transparent and everyone will follow you "all in" when you have a good hand. It's like taking candy from a baby -- and where's the challenge in that? (Rated E for everyone) -- Jae-Ha Kim

Taiko Drum Master

(Namco; PlayStation 2; $59.99) (STAR)(STAR)

I don't want to work, I just want to bang on the drums all day. Trouble is, this drum -- a plastic version of a traditional Japanese taiko drum -- makes an awful racket when you beat it with the plastic drumsticks that resemble oversized chopsticks. The sensors in the drum are none too sensitive, which means you really have to pound on it. Doing so naturally causes it to move slowly across the surface of whatever you've put it on, so you spend half the time beating the drum and the rest trying to keep the drum from falling onto the floor. Pound. Slip. Pound. Slip. Crash. Curse. Repeat on your choice of 30 songs. The game is a staple of Japanese arcades; perhaps it's better experienced in that setting. (Rated E, some songs contains suggestive lyrics) -- Misha Davenport

CHICAGO'S TOP TEN

TITLE PLATFORM

1. Halo 2 Xbox

2. Halo 2 Limited Edition Xbox

3. Shrek 2 GBA

4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PS2

5. Madden NFL 2005 PS2

6. The Incredibles GBA

7. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door GC

8. DDR Max 2: Dance Dance Revolution PS2

9. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 PS2

10. The Incredibles PS2

UPCOMING RELEASES

GAME PLATFORM RELEASE DATE

Castle Shikigami 2 PS2 Nov. 19

ESPN College Hoops 2K5 All consoles Nov. 20

World C'ship Pool 2004 GC Nov. 20

Dead to Rights GBA Nov. 24

Viewtiful Joe 2 GC and PS2 Nov. 25

Courtesy of Gamefly.com

BIZ BYTES

Don't look now, but a certain green-armored Marine has stolen a bit of a carjacker's thunder.

Rock Star Games sold 2.1 million copies of its latest game for the PlayStation 2, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" in October, according to New York-based market research firm the NPD Group. The game, set in a gritty, gang warfare-plagued version of Los Angeles, single- handedly led to a 35 percent increase in video-game sales from the previous October.

It's pretty amazing for a title that was released on Oct. 26 -- the last week of the month. In fact, in any other year, those would be impressive numbers. Unfortunately, the $101 million "GTA: San Andreas" has thus far generated pales to the sales figures for Microsoft's "Halo 2" game for rival system Xbox. That game took in $125 million on Nov. 9, its first day of release.

With more than 1 million copies sold of each game, both titles are already hits by video-game industry standards.

Who will ultimately end up on top? Only Santa knows for sure. There are still 35 shopping days left until Christmas.

-- Misha Davenport

Contributing: Bloomberg