It’s Harry’s first year at Hogwarts and he’s still trying to take it all in, to get fully situated, when he and best friends Ron and Hermione stumble through a doorway and into a room guarded by a humungous, three-headed dog. Only after they successfully escape the beast’s huge jaws do they all simultaneously wonder why it’s hidden within the confines of the wizardry school and perhaps more intriguing still, what it could be guarding. So begins the tale of the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first of author J.K. Rowling’s incalculably popular books about “The Boy Who Lived.” The videogame take on the book and popular first Potter movie duplicates the action adventure gameplay found in EA’s previous Chamber of Secrets title.

A 3D action-fighting spin-off of the brutal fighting series, Mortal Kombat. Play as the shaolin monks Kung Lau or Liu Kang in this blood-soaked quest that takes players through the backstory and through many of the lands of the original three MK games.

In Red Faction, players find themselves in the middle of a rebellion on the hostile surface of Mars fighting for their freedom against the evil Ultor Corporation. Featuring a sophisticated physics engine, five fully controllable vehicles, a variety of unique natural environments, and Volition’s proprietary Geo-Mod Technology, Red Faction is one of the most advanced second-generation titles ever released for the PlayStation 2. Geo-Mod technology supports the real time, arbitrary modification of the geometry that makes up the game’s environment. This means that players have the full ability to destroy whatever they want. Just point a weapon at an object or structure and shoot — total destruction always follows.

Star Wars Starfighter allows you to fly through a unique chapter of the Star Wars universe, piloting 20 realistic and accurately rendered 3D starships amidst a variety of 14 environments set in air and space. The game sets players on an epic journey that begins on the lush paradise planet of Naboo and continues through the climactic assault on the Droid Control Ship inspired by the motion picture Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Players are introduced to the three main fighter pilots through a series of intense flight exercises from each character’s point of view. Regardless of whom they choose, however, gamers will be able to test their battle skills against more than 50 vehicles, including Trade Federation drop ships, battle tanks, droid starfighters and never before seen craft such as the deadly Protector, Scarab, and Dagger.

Already revered in the arcades for its personable characters, explosive graphics, and lightning-fast gameplay, Tekken 5 delivers the same intense fighting action home to the PlayStation 2. Boasting an improved fighting engine, speedier combos, and a return to the old-school Tekken stage design, Tekken 5 boasts more than 30 diverse combatants with dozens of special moves for each of them. New to the series is a customizable arcade mode that enables players to personalize all their favorite characters with special accessories like hats, glasses, and costumes, while a unique action/adventure mini-game known as “Devil Within” expands upon Jin Kazama’s personal storyline.

With the oversaturated and ailing rhythm game genre in a state of decline, it seems ill-timed to launch a new guitar-focused music franchise. But Ubisoft has pulled one out of left field with Rocksmith–a guitar game that successfully bridges the gap between musical gaming and actual rocking. It’s advanced enough to give seasoned guitar players a more realistic challenge than Rock Band or Guitar Hero, yet accessible enough to teach inexperienced guitarists the ropes of rock and roll.

Samurai Shodown Sen follows a young European girl named Suzu, rescued from a sinking ship off Japan’s coast, adopted by the Amori Clan and raised as Princess Suzu. A decade later she saves Takechiyo, a self-proclaimed master of martial arts, after his ship sinks and he ends up washed on the beach; soon after this chance meeting, the tables turn when Princess Suzu mysteriously disappears and Takechiyo pledges to find his missing rescuer.

Pure entertainment: that’s Vanquish in a nutshell. This speedy and thrilling third-person cover-based shooter is all madness, overwhelming you with gigantic robots, flurries of gunfire, and explosions so powerful and colorful that you might think you feel the heat. There are a lot of things to love about Vanquish, but its most impressive feat is that while it uses mechanics you’ve seen in other shooters, it feels nothing like them. The focus on speed, the relentless pace, and the fantastic boss fights give Vanquish a feel and style of its own, while its good looks and buttery-smooth frame rate ensure you’re always swept into the action. When you walk away from the campaign, buzzing with the rush of adrenaline, it won’t be the excruciating dialogue or the forced voice acting you remember most, but the joy you felt when zipping around the battlefield, gunning down metallic transforming scorpions and evading the barrage of bullets vomited by a dozen hardy turrets.