The quick-moving card game, brought to life by the illustrations of artist and custom toy designer Michael Slack, isn't predicated on strategy or subversion. There's enough of both to keep game play interesting, but as is the case with many card games, luck is a player's best friend.

The main drawback to Ick's regular rules is that the fortunate are rewarded. Players keep drawing until they each reach six cards in hand per turn, but if a house card isn't drawn, then there's little chance to play gross stuff and continue the cycle. In addition, players can only put gross stuff into their own houses, so being dealt a bum first hand is usually bad news.

Fortunately, winning requires 100 points, a feat that takes a number of rounds to achieve. Ick is also sped up a great deal when alternate rules are enforced that allow players to throw down grody gunk in others' homes.

Back stabbing is brought to a boil by allowing players' monsters to swipe homes with their favorite items, and King Stink cards enable all-out theft as well as the protection of acquired goods.

The result is a rivalry-inducing bonanza that is most fun due to the visual stimulation of Slack's creations (see Carlbuncle in his tighty whiteys above). For those that enjoy card games without confounding set-ups or rules, Ick comes recommended.

- Scott Morrow

Ick: The Game
$15.95, Chronicle Books
Release: July 19, 2007

Ick: The Game: www.chroniclebooks.com/ick/index.html
Chronicle Books: www.chroniclebooks.com
Michael Slack: www.slackart.com

The control scheme in Metroid is intuitive, feels wonderful, and is completely innovative. Aiming is done with the remote, whereas the analog stick on the nunchuk is used to strafe from side to side and move forward and backwards. Buttons and triggers on the two controllers handle the firing of missiles, transformation into the Morph Ball, and any other commands.

With some strange exceptions — activating the scanning visor can be awkward — the controls "just work" and almost immediately become second nature. Anyone accustomed to playing first-person shooters on a PC will feel right at home, and Halo fans will wonder how they managed to use a dual-analog system in the first place.

The Metroid formula — a story about space pirates, delivered by exploring a gradually expanding environment and scanning artifacts and enemies along the way — remains fundamentally unchanged. The elaborate puzzles and small skirmishes are punctuated frequently by larger boss battles, and progress is usually impeded until a new weapon or technique is discovered that allows access to further areas.

Navigation is aided by a very user-friendly 3D mapping system that makes it easy to see where you've been and where you're heading. In a nutshell, it's another Metroid Prime game — and it's nearly perfect.

- Patrick Hajduch

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
$49.99, Nintendo Wii
Retro Studios
Release: August 27, 2007

Nintendo: www.nintendo.com
Metroid: www.metroid.com
Retro Studios: www.retrostudios.com

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Created to appease relaxed and hardcore gamers alike, this multi-faceted Nintendo DS title pushes colored blocks towards the top of one's screen and requires their quick organization into groups of three or more.

Once such a group is made, the blocks disappear and the real strategy begins as subsequent combinations can be formed.

These combinations — achieved when blocks clear and new ones drop to again create groups of three or more — are the real way to score beau coup points. Not unlike chess, doing so on harder levels requires players to fully analyze their situations and think multiple moves into the future.

It is in that regard that the diehards can log countless hours while trying to top high scores in a number of modes. But those less inclined to perfect the game can pop in their cartridges and go right to work with the stylus, a tool that quickly and efficiently shuffles blocks with the DS' marvelous touch-screen sensors.

Besides the instantly consuming gameplay, Planet Puzzle League holds players' attentions with the perception that much is being accomplished. Hey, if we're going to procrastinate doing our taxes and other forms of paperwork, then we can at least organize and clear various colored blocks.

Multiplayer, time attack, garbage challenge, puzzle, and endless modes prevent the thrill from ever truly being gone, so Planet Puzzle League works for both life's short lulls and cross-country train rides.

- Scott Morrow

Planet Puzzle League
$29.99, Nintendo DS
Intelligent Systems
Released: June 4, 2007

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Given the task of selecting the winner of the contest were David Kwok, senior program director for the Tribeca Film Festival, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, and Lew Harris, editorial director of Movies.com.

Paccione's clever live-action short pits the two proverbial opposing forces, good and evil (or in this case, "wiivil") against each other to fight for control of a man working in an ice cream shop. The innovative multi-functionality of the "wiimote" is on display throughout the film, with more than just a nod to several of the most popular Wii games, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

For his winning entry, Paccione has been awared with $10,000, a public screening at the Tribeca Drive-In Short Films Series at New York's Rockefeller Center along with the other top two submissions, and a "power lunch" with Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Craig Hatkoff.

Additionally, all ten finalists have received Nintendo systems and software for their efforts.

Jack Paccione, Jr. – "Good vs. Wiivil"
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Set in ancient Japan, the newest installment of the Tenchu franchise gives players the opportunity to slice enemies, save bystanders, and become impeccable assassins either solo or with two to four allies in co-op mode. The fifty-plus-mission adventure, which was created by Microsoft, FromSoftware, and K2, is exclusive to the XBox 360.

Certain techniques of deadliness are available only in co-op, so be sure to pair up with fellow ninjas via XBox Live or the system link. Curious parties can download the Tenchu Z demo from XBox Live Marketplace.

The high-end model also offers a built-in Wi-Fi connection and extra media storage slots that are not available in the now-defunct version. Sony will now focus on expanding its catalogue for the PS3, and will have to compete with the forthcoming Xbox 360 Elite, which will offer 120 gigabytes of space for $479.

The next releases for the Playstation 3 will be F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon), a popular PC shooter, on April 24 and Spider-Man 3 on May 4.

And to help drum up support for the event, Nintendo has announced that it will be the "flagship contributor" as E for All takes place from October 18-21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Attendees will be able to test out the latest in games and videogame gadgets, as well as shop at an on-site facility, take part in various tournaments, and go to an industry job fair.

Nintendo, whose Wii and DS systems have done extremely well since the holiday season, also recently publicized plans to join trademark character Mario with longtime Sega mascot Sonic the Hedgehog in an Olympic-themed game set for release this fall.

To play, all participants split up into two squads, and each side takes turns sending up a representative to peruse any given card. The representatives glance over the words and, starting at twenty-five, try to outbid each other for the lowest amount of clues needed to have his or her teammates utter all five nouns. The bidding ends when one rep acquiesces and allows the other team to attempt the card with his or her allotted amount of clues. If the winning bidder cannot accomplish the feat in a minute, the opposing team wins the card. A team must tally ten cards to win.

It should be noted that twenty-five clues is far beyond the amount necessary to win even the hardest of cards. The upper hand usually goes to the bidder that can get his or her teammates to guess certain words in only one clue, as well as those bidders that know when to let the other team take the card. Hubris can be one’s downfall in 25 Words or Less (as is the case in real life).

In addition, it’s important to know the capabilities of one’s teammates. If one’s partners aren’t the sci-fi/nerdy type, it may not be wise to use “lycanthrope” instead of “Lon Chaney” or “silver bullet” in order to save a word while getting them to say “werewolf” (true-life example!). Still, slicing down clues is always important. If “monstrous ape” will suffice for teammates to say “King Kong” instead of “Fay Wray film,” go for it.

As you may have gathered, much of the fun here lies in the strategy of the bidding process. If you love some good, old-fashioned word association mixed with the verbal equivalent of a limbo stick, 25 Words or Less should be up your alley.

- Scott Morrow

25 Words or Less: People, Places, and Things Edition
$20.95, Winning Moves Games
http://www.winning-moves.com
Available online and at some retail outlets

Created by the makers of the bi-monthly magazine of the same name, this two-to-six-player contest covers everything from the phobias of Salvador Dali to the decomposition of uranium and the home state of Clark Kent. Questions such as whether Aldous Huxley devoured entire slices of cake without chewing or Voltaire drank 50-75 cups of coffee a day put players’ bullshit detectors to the test, and themed “enlightening” rounds allow the adventurous to risk one of their “piece of mind” tokens for an extra turn.

The most interesting twist of the game, however, is the collusion-causing “mental block,” allowing opponents to swipe each other’s tokens for incorrectly answering handpicked questions. The “blocks” also allow for second opportunities after wrong answers, which isn’t nearly as entertaining.

One of the few drawbacks of Mental Floss is the sheer difficulty of correctly completing many of the enlightening rounds before being able to risk a token, but the range of trivia and ability to backstab more than make up for it. If you’re a knowledge seeker that doesn’t like the length of Trivial Pursuit, pick this up.

- Scott Morrow

Mental Floss: The Trivia Game
$24.95, Mental Floss Magazine
www.mentalfloss.com
Available online and at some retail outlets