Game Downloads

Undoubtedly the highlight of this week's PlayStation Store update (which, once again, ignores PSP owners altogether) is the release of the long-awaited BioShock challenge rooms. For $10, you'll be able to work your way through three separate scenarios: Rescuing a Little Sister from a carnival, killing a Big Daddy without any weapons, and tackling a series of rooms containing wave after wave of enemies.

As someone who's closely followed the bizarre, often tragic trajectory that Sonic the Hedgehog's mascot career has taken, I approach each successive Sonic release with a heart full of dread. With his edgy, art-deco Sega Genesis glory days now long behind him, Sonic's recent platforming efforts have feebly attempted to recapture the well-crafted 3D prowess demonstrated by Dreamcast launch hit Sonic Adventure. Regrettably, every post-Adventure outing has garishly gilded the proverbial lily, screwing up the formula with the addition of extraneous playable characters (crocodiles, bees, robots -- you name it), misguided new gameplay styles (like Shadow the Hedgehog's guns-n-cars nonsense), and laughable narrative excess (I'm still trying to forget the sick cross-species romance that defiled Sonic's previous eponymous effort). Somehow, the kiddies have remained loyal throughout Sonic Team's decade of desperately grasping for relevance, but many of his more discerning fans have long since jumped ship. If Sega were to pull off something akin to Super Mario Galaxy -- a mainline franchise reboot that augments classic gameplay with clever new concepts -- he could once again be a contender. Sadly, Sonic Unleashed is not such a title.

Xbox 360 'New Xbox Experience Walkthrough'
With months of hype since its E3 announcement, the New Xbox Experience update was finally unleashed on Xbox 360s this week. In addition to instant Netflix movie streaming and a totally revised dashboard appearance, the NXE adds in the ability to create Avatars to represent you to friends and in some games. Now that everyone around the office has had some time to check out the new offerings, we've rounded up some of our editor's early impressions. We also grabbed some thoughts from 1UP users from our official forum thread on the New Xbox Experience. And even if your post isn't included, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

It's hard to resist Mama, Majesco's cooking series' head chef and gourmet, with her big, bright eyes and charmingly accented adulations. Stirred your soup particularly well? "Goo-late jahb!" she congratulates. "Bettah zen Mama." And with Wii debut Cook Off's motion controls, chopping onions and grinding beef was never quite so fun. The satisfaction from a meal well cooked is profusely evident in both the original DS game and Cook Off -- not so much in Cooking Mama: World Kitchen. This latest installment moves Mama to the back burner, with you taking center stage as her apprentice. Worse yet, the motion controls are now slow and cumbersome.

Company X -- a Canada-based manufacturer of so-called "social gaming" accessories -- has brokered a deal with Everlast to produce genuine boxing gloves for Wii owners. Made from actual Everlast gloves, wannabe pugilists can slip their Wii remotes and nunchuks into the straps affixed to the top of the gloves, lending a little authenticity to their fake boxing experience. As an unadvertised bonus, they're also likely to help cushion the blow whenever you accidentally toss a haymaker into your kid sister's temple.