‘Far Cry 2’

‘Far Cry 2’

(Ubisoft) for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rating: M

Grade: C+

If you can peel your eyes away from the breathtaking African landscapes in “Far Cry 2” and avoid ticking off the local mercenaries who want you dead, you can definitely have one heck of a time playing this game.

Besides the typical first-person-shooter aspects expected in such a game, there are a great rewards system and run-and-gun mechanics to liven up the story. Included is the constant threat of malaria — a threat that adds a whole other aspect to the gameplay.

Most of the time, however, you will be doing fun stuff, like traveling from jungles to deserts and decrepit villages to shoot it out as you attempt to thwart a high-level arms dealer.

Teaming up with other mercs and having the freedom to attack missions any way you see fit give this game an openness you don’t get from most FPS titles. It’s also nice to see some realism thrown in (guns breaking down, the effects of malaria limiting your abilities, etc.), tossing a wrench into any well-thought-out plan. Improvisation is not something you can expect regularly from any video game, and it is certainly welcome here.

‘Spider-Man: Web of Shadows’

(Activision) for Xbox 360, Play-Station 3, Wii, PC, PSP, PS2, DS

Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: T

Grade: B

After several lackluster games that were tied to the movie franchise, “Web of Shadows” at last delivers the web-slinging adventure that Spider-Man fans have always hoped a video game could provide.

First, you get the overall experience of playing as Spider-Man. In past games, swinging around Manhattan was fun, but you were tired down by missions that were tacked on and had little feel for the overall game. In “Web of Shadows,” you are freer, and the experience is the better for it. The game’s wholly original story (a mass symbiote invasion) has lots of great twists and turns, and your decisions as Spidey can influence the outcome.

Then add in all the great Marvel characters that are littered throughout and lots of send-ups of the comic-book series (in particular, a trivia battle with Wolverine will have non-Spidey fans hitting Google to search for the right answers).

Lastly, the action is top-notch comic-book stuff. Yes, there is some button-mashing, but chase sequences through the city, for example, feel and look amazing. Gamers should waste little time giving this game a shot.

‘Wii Music’

(Nintendo) for Wii

Genre: Party/Music;

Rating: E

Grade: C+

Sure, this is probably not going to turn you into Beethoven or Yo-Yo Ma, but for an entry-level title in the music/sim genre, it’s a great chance to jam out on numerous instruments.

And I mean numerous. My goodness, you can play everything from castanets to a trumpet to a violin to a piano to your basic rock guitar — and much more.

“Wii Music” is not going to supplant the “Guitar Heroes” and “Rock Bands” of the gaming world, but this is a sure-fire way to introduce young people to the various sounds of music.

— Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard