Six hit games that'll leave you conflicted

From conflict come art, story, and illumination of the human condition. Conflict features in all six of these games, but that conflict arises between people and aliens, princes and tyrants, superheroes and supervillains-even man and nature. One of them, not like the others, portrays conflict between man and Shroob. What's a Shroob? Good question.

Half-Life 2
Gordon Freeman escaped the research facility at Black Mesa and now finds himself at City 17, a holding area for humans being processed by alien conquerors called the Combine. Half-Life 2, from Valve, picks up where the first game left off and provides an immersive experience embedded in a cracking story told through interaction with characters, not the traditional movie clips (so you'd better pay attention). The Xbox version is an exact replica of the PC version, and as a result it suffers from some minor graphics weirdness, but it ultimately plays fine. Although Half-Life turned the first-person-shooter genre upside down, this sequel sticks to what made that first installment so special. It's not new, but it still kicks alien ass. Rated mature.

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Ubisoft's epic trilogy about the coming of age of the Prince from Babylon concludes with The Two Thrones-for the GameCube, PC, PS2, and Xbox-and what a finale it is. It combines the best features of the first two games and throws in a couple of new ones (including chariot racing) to create a seamless, perfectly paced adventure in which the prince finally grows up and takes responsibility for his actions (and their consequences). Farrah, the smart and witty heroine from The Sands of Time, make her return as his ally, and the interaction between the two is very Moonlighting, as it should be. This time, much of the action takes place on the rooftops of Babylon, which means beautiful and rich environments. The developers have wisely returned to a more Middle Eastern-fusion soundtrack, fitting the experience much better than the speed metal of Warrior Within. This series goes out on a high note. Rated mature.

Peter Jackson's King Kong
The video- game adaptation of the master filmmaker's remake is, like his movie, one hell of a ride. Created for GameCube, PC, PS2, Xbox, and 360, it has a story that differs slightly from the film's. The controls are simple and intuitive, so you'll be flinging spears at dinosaurs in no time, and the screen is dedicated to your view of the surroundings; there are no icons or life bars to distract you from what's going on. You'll still know when you're in danger of kicking it, though, because the clever developers at Ubisoft use sound and visual cues to warn you. And have no fear: Jackson would never allow players to miss out on the opportunity to be Kong, so there are exhilarating sequences where you star as the great ape. It's not the longest game to play, but the action is tense and exciting, and this one is well worth the price of admission. Rated teen.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
The Italian brothers are back, but in this adventure they're joined by their younger selves. Mario and Luigi, and Mario and Luigi the younger, travel back and forth in time trying to rid the kingdom of the evil, alien Shroobs. Partners in Time, from Nintendo, has been cleverly designed to make use of the dual-screen DS, and with the colourful graphics and arcadelike sounds you'd expect, this is a great contribution to the Mario Bros. franchise. Keep in mind that you're in control of at least two and often four characters at any given time, so the button combinations can get a bit tricky. Rated everyone.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
The first X-Men Legends game was a multiplayer role-playing extravaganza, pitting gamers, in the guise of their favourite X-Men superheroes, against the mutant Magneto's Brotherhood. This sequel for the GameCube, PC, PS2, PSP, and Xbox is more of the same great smash-'em-up action, with a great comic-book twist: in Rise of Apocalypse, you form a team of mutants from the members of the X-Men and the Brotherhood. The rationale for burying the hatchet is the appearance of Apocalypse, the biggest baddie of them all, and forcing mortal enemies to work together is a great way to fill a story with tension. Besides, comic-book fans have favourite villains too, and it's fun to be able to play as them. Activision has put together an excellent sequel by keeping the mechanics of the game stable but providing an interesting story to hook players. Rated teen.

Soul Calibur III
Ever since the Dreamcast, Namco's Soul Calibur franchise has been the head-to-head fighting game of choice for discerning couch warriors. The thing that sets Soul Calibur apart from its Tekken counterpart is that its characters use weapons, which brings all kinds of surprises to the simple act of trying to knock down your opponent. This latest incarnation, for the PS2, introduces a few new characters, all of whom move with an unnatural fluidity, and because the graphics glisten, things couldn't look better. It's an easy game to pick up and play, too, but to get really good will take time, and practice. Get on with it. Rated teen.