'Battlefield: Bad Company'

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

As we continue into 21st-century gaming, one of the least-developed aspects has been fully destructible environments.

We're not there yet, but, by golly, "Bad Company" (Xbox 360, PS3; EA Games; T, for Teen) sure does give us a taste of the glory that could be in our future.

No longer are bullets, RPGs and tank rounds simply passing through objects or exploding into walls without consequence. Now you can open up new routes for squadmates or take down an enemy position in new and more tactical ways. It all looks awesome as well. Not as great as some other first-person shooters, but still awesome.

You play as a member of Bad Company.

Before long, you and your fellow grunts are left behind on the battlefield and must make it out, but not before pilfering some gold and meeting up with an assortment of lunatic characters.

Beyond the single-player mode (a first for the "Battlefield" franchise), the ever-popular multiplayer modes are back, though there are some glitches. Upgrades are not easy to come by and the conquest mode won't be available online for some time. The visuals and audio are not up to the level of "Call of Duty 4" or even "Medal of Honor," but they definitely get the job done. Fans of "Battlefield" will no doubt find plenty of satisfaction here, and newbies to the series will enjoy leveling anything and everything in their path.

'Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

When the original "Trauma Center" was released, I found it difficult to enjoy but also difficult to put down. Its gameplay is addictive but the dialogue, plot and surgical procedures at times are simplistic and silly.

Once again you play as Dr. Stiles, who, after defeating and curing the dreaded GUILT virus from the first game, must now deal with a new deadly viral killer. The gameplay here (DS; Atlus; T, for Teen) is quite similar to the first game. You'll make incisions, remove foreign objects and clean wounds, all at breakneck speed. It's comforting to know that real surgeons don't always have five-minute time limits for procedures or else we'd be in a much different world.

Most of the tools at your disposal will be familiar to game vets, but new players won't have trouble diving right in (so to speak). A tiered difficulty setting, something the original didn't have, will also help newbies. The visuals are right on cue, and the dialogue is as melodramatic as an episode of "General Hospital." DS owners should not fret about getting their hands dirty saving lives with this game.

'Hail to the Chimp'

1 star = Awful
Ratings explained

I'll never be one to trash the lampooning of our current president, and cartoons or satire making him look like a monkey is not exactly breaking new ground.

Intentional or not, it's worth noting the humor behind the cover art of "Hail to the Chimp" (Xbox 360, PS3; Gamecock Media Group; T, for Teen) because if giving us a chimp parading over the White House was a ploy to get me to play the game, well, congrats -- you got me.

The problem is that once you start playing, everything begins to crumble and there is no way to put it back together again.

This is supposedly a humorous romp of a party game, but the minigames never feel exciting, nor do they possess the hectic pace you need to keep energy levels high. The visual design is witty and so is the accompanying humor, for the most part.

But it's clear that the cover art and the comic bits when you begin playing are just setting you up for an eventual letdown.

-- Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard News Service