Civilization Revolution
Civilization comes to consoles for the first time ever, and if you don’t have the patience for steep learning curves and/or spending hours building up a Greek society, then this is the game for you. It’s short and easy to learn: in a typical game, five minutes of game-play takes you through 700 years of civilisation, and there is minimal micro-management. You won’t need to tell workers what to do, and you’ll have access to various technologies. The animation is fun and lively, making the feel of the game altogether more inviting. It’s a refreshing re-imagining of the series, bound to attract a whole new world of fans. Available on Nintendo DS ($64.90) and Sony PSP ($59.90).

Ninja Gaiden
We hate to describe a new release as ‘much anticipated’ but in this case, it’s highly justifiable. Creator Tomonobu Itagaki has a bit of a reputation as a perfectionist, and it shows in the high-res graphics with very smooth frame-rate clips (60 per second) and with lovely weapon blurring effects to boot. You play a ninja fighting baddies in this new version, and there are new weapons like the falcon’s talons, a set of Freddy Krueger-style hand blades, combo attacks and a ton of new content set in landscapes like futuristic Tokyo or a vaguely European city that is filled with Venice-like canals that you can cruise across with your ‘walk-on-water’ ability. It has the same attack, range and jump buttons as the previous Ninja Gaiden game that gets you fighting ninjas, spellcasting dudes and ninja dogs. Mastering this game lies in learning the timing of blocks and attacks, and knowing how best to move your hero. Make no mistake: this is ninja action fully realised with excellent gameplay, and one of those landmark games that will get people buying an Xbox just to play it.
Available on Xbox ($74.90).