Product: Seinfeld Scene It?System(s): DVDRelease Date: August 2008Publisher: Mattel (Screenlife)Price: $39.99Pros: Wide variety of trivia questions, nice board design, unique player tokens and really follows the Seinfeld theme.Cons: Too easy for die-hard Seinfeld fans, too difficult for those with a passing interest in the series. Only four people can play.Overall: A great gift and game for people who watch the show when its on TV or own some of the DVD sets.Rating: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 85/100; B; *** 1/2 out of 5

I was eager to try and play Seinfeld Scene It?, the latest entry in the series of trivia games which also incorporate video segments via DVD. I had to prove my wealth of knowledge concerning the show, especially after a Harry Potter Scene It? debacle where, despite my having read all the books and seen all the movies at least twice, I still came in last…

Last year (2007), Hallmark released the Player 1 Christmas ornament, which was a pretty cool mini game controller with sound effects.

This year (2008), Hallmark is again releasing a game-themed ornament, reaching a little further back in time and producing a mini Pac-Man arcade machine complete with sound effects. The ornament, which stands approximately 4.5 in. tall, retails for $18.50, is battery operated (batteries included), lights up and plays classic Pac-Man sounds. Wakka-wakka!

The cabinet is…

Title: Pet Shop Monogatari DSPrice: $48.90System: Nintendo DSRelease Date: July 8, 2008Publisher (Developer): Taito (Dream Age Collection)ESRB Rating: Everyone Pros: Simple controls, huge selection of pets to discover, variety of items to accessorize pets, many locations to explore, not having to clean any pet danderCons: Simple game play may become repetitive, trial and error pet catching can become frustrating, lack of ability to actually pet animalsOverall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88/100; B+; ***1/2 out of five

With Taito’s infamous Mama making the leap from cooking (Cooking Mama) into gardening (Gardening Mama), it was only a matter of time before Mama would spread her bountiful cheerfulness and optimism into yet another game. Pet Shop Monogatari DS (PSMDS) revolves around the newly opened pet shop in Greentown where you, the player, and Mama are in charge.

Click through for the full review…

Get ready to spend more hours killing time in front of your computer – PopCap has just released Bejeweled Twist. Currently, the casual puzzle game is available only through the official Bejeweled Twist site, both as a free demo and a 19.95 full version and is designed for Windows XP and Vista machines. PopCap is also offering a deal where people can get Bejeweled, Bejeweled Twist and Bejeweled 2 for $34.95. Bejeweled Twist will be available in stores and on other game portals on November 18, 2008.

The new version has you rotating four gens in the grid to match up three or more gems of the same color to eliminate lines. If you’re curious how this works, sign up for the free-to-play pet sim Moshi Monsters and play the electric factory game. The original Bejeweled had you just swapping two gems’ positions at a time to make rows of three or more of like colored gems…

It seems as though Amazon wants to be taken seriously as a video game retailer to its market because it’s teaming up with Atlus to offer some very rare and exclusive merchandise corresponding with the release of the very anticipated Persona 4 (P4) being released this winter.

For only $29.99, fans can obtain the appropriately named Social Link Expansion Pack which includes the following…

Title: Sims 2 Apartment LifePrice: $19.99System(s): Windows PCRelease Date: August 28, 2008Publisher (Developer): EA (EA)ESRB Rating: “Teen” for crude humor, sexual themes and violencePros: Witch character class/lifestyle, reputation system, apartments, new items/clothing/decor and a new neighborhood.Cons: Adding this to the other expansions can slow down your game a bit, custom content you’ve downloaded may not be compatibleOverall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 88/100; B+; *** and 1/2 out of 5

The Sims 2 Apartment Life is a memorable expansion pack for the Sims 2. It features a slew of new gameplay additions, lots of extra items, a witch/wizard character class/lifestyle and the ability to have multiple households in a single home. In short, the expansion gives fans of the game a lot of things they’ve wanted, all in a single package.

It is easily one of the best expansion packs released for the game. If you’re a newcomer to the series, Apartment Life, Nightlife, University and Seasons are definitely the four expansion packs you will need to maximize your Sims 2 experience…

Title: Boogie SuperstarPrice: $59.99System(s): WiiRelease Date: October 14, 2008Publisher (Developer): EA (EA Montreal)ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for lyricsPros: 38 songs, you get to choose dance or karaoke challenges, comes with a microphone, cute character designs, pretty accurate controls and appeals to target audience.Cons: Gibberish voice acting gets annoying, the cover artists for the 38 tracks aren’t that good and a lot of unlocking must be done.Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 83/100; B; *** out of 5

When I heard I was going to be able to review Boogie Superstar, my inner teeny-bobber squealed with delight. The Wii-exclusive follow up to the original Boogie was redesigned and retooled to fix problems found in the original, mainly the lackluster single player mode, the dysfunctional karaoke and the simple dancing controls.

Despite all this, some gamers may choose to criticize Boogie Superstar and EA for choosing to make the sequel appeal mainly to women and going with an incredibly poppy soundtrack. That doesn’t matter though. The important thing is that Boogie Superstar appeals to its target audience. Girls between the ages of 8 and 16 (and women who are young at heart) who enjoy Top-40 music will have fun playing this game…

Title: Princess CrownPrice: $29.90System(s): PSPRelease Date: March 8, 2007Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Vanilla Ware)ESRB Rating: N/A, Cero APros: Easy to play, especially if you use a guide. Beautiful sprites and graphics. Interesting story. Unofficial ‘prequel’ to Odin Sphere. Also affordable.Cons: Controls take some getting used to. The frames on the sides of the screen get distracting.Overall Score: 8/10

Vanillaware and Odin Sphere fans won’t want to miss Princess Crown, purely for the nostalgia value. The port of the Sega Saturn title has some issues, but overall is a delightful game. After only a few minutes of playing, you can see how Princess Crown influenced Odin Sphere, and if you’ve played Odin Sphere, you’ll have no problem navigating Princess Crown.

While Princess Crown is a completely 2D, sprite-based game, it is one of the most beautiful PSP titles. The graphics are very detailed and striking, and the characters are memorable. If you can look past the stark frames, you’ll see a stylish game that belongs in the same catagory as Patapon, Loco Roco, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy and Brave Story: The New Traveller.

Title: Fire Emblem: Radiant DawnPrice: $49.99System(s): WiiRelease Date: November 5, 2007Publisher (Developer): Nintendo (Intelligent Systems)ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ for fantasy violence and mild languagePros: Multiple difficulty levels, new support system, multiple chapters, multiple control schemes, deep storyline, double promotionsCons: You can feel left out if you haven’t played Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Only one support relationship per character. New support system. Can be quite challenging, so newcomers might be intimidated.Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 90/100, A, **** 1/2 out of 5

The Fire Emblem series is one crafted for the serious strategic RPG fan. There is a degree of realism brought into the series that doesn’t exist in other RPGs, from the permanent character deaths, specific character skills, troops who develop relationships if they work closely together and the weapons which aren’t invincible. It also is one of the more hardcore games, known for its difficulty level.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is the first game in the series on the Wii, and the second game in the series to be released on a North American console. Being one of the few RPGs on the system, it has a lot of expectations to meet, and thankfully it surpasses everyone. It is challenging enough and has enough characters and nostalgia to satisfy Fire Emblem fans, yet offers difficulty options, simple control schemes and a rich storyline that new-comers will enjoy…

Title: Video Games Live: Volume OnePrice: $16.98 ($0.99 per song download)Release Date: July 22, 2008Publisher: EMI Records Ltd. (Angel Records)Pros: An excellent collections of impressive performances. Often well-orchestrated collections and homages to game music with an honest air of respectability that even non-gamers can appreciate. The name implies there will be a Volume Two.Cons: A few segments are a bit slow and some of the instrumentation plainly mimics or masks the vocals.Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 91/100; A-; * * * * out of five.

No matter where you fall in the games as art spectrum there’s no denying that plenty of artistic efforts are put into many games’ production. Case in point is the Video Games Live tour which offers orchestral performances of video game music that would be difficult for any music snob to scoff at.

The CD (and digital download) release of Video Games Live: Volume One offers selected studio and live performances featuring the Slovak Symphony Orchestra, Crouch End Festival Chorus and various soloists as conducted by Jack Wall.

Click through for a track-by-track review…