DS

CHICAGO – If I could go back in time and tell the nine-year-old me that there would one day be a video game in which I would stand alongside Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, battling Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and other supernatural baddies, that kid would have had a permanent smile whenever he thought about what the future would bring.

CHICAGO – Pixar movie tie-ins can be hard to review simply due to the strength of their source material. Pete Docter’s “Up” is the most critically acclaimed and brilliantly written films of the year. How can a game possibly match “Up”?

CHICAGO – Majesco’s odd Nintendo DS version of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” is a movie tie-in that uses the term more loosely than any in a very long time. Guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller in the movie), Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), and Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) all make appearances, but what the rest of this title has to do with the movie is beyond me.

Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The first hour of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is a total blast, a great blend of above-average graphics, interesting story elements, and clever fighting moves that hint at an enjoyable gaming experience to come. The hint is never quite fulfilled, as “Wolverine” becomes as repetitive and frustrating as the blockbuster film that inspired it.

CHICAGO – The potential interactivity between handheld systems and next-gen consoles feels like an untapped resource in the gaming world but that’s starting to change in 2009. “Resistance: Retribution” on the PSP opened up an alternate mode when synced with “Resistance 2” on the PS3. Nintendo takes it a significant step further with “Final Fantasy Chronicles: Echoes of Time,” a well-made role-playing game that hints at the future of handheld and console interactivity by allowing multi-player across the platforms.

Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Even part-time game players have a movie tie-in horror story to share. Show me one blockbuster that produced a quality video game companion and I’ll show you ten that failed to do so. So no one’s more surprised than this writer at how enjoyable Activision’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” is from start and nearly to finish.

CHICAGO – All good summer movies come with video game tie-ins and Activision sent over a new vignette from their summer offering, “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” which will ship to retail stores in June for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS, and PC.