VIDEO GAMES: The Force of a Drive-By Shooting

Anti-video game groups like to pick on the Grand Theft Auto series, but they should really focus on its innumerable imitations, which are just as morally reprehensible, but feature shoddy gameplay (a true crime against humanity). Considering how many of these wannabe GTAs I've suffered through, I didn't go into Saints Row with much enthusiasm. So the game's quality caught me off-guard with the force of a drive-by shooting. Saints Row puts you in another open-ended fictional metropolis located within a moral vacuum and populated only with criminals and victims. Carjacking is the accepted method of transit and explosive gang wars are so common, they're hardly newsworthy. The missions, which only involve driving, shooting or both, can be somewhat repetitive, but the game's excellent production values really bring the city of Stillwater to life. If this is how a Grand Theft Auto knockoff looks on the Xbox 360, I can't wait to see the real thing.

TEST DRIVE UNLIMITED BY ATARI (4 stars)
Platform: Xbox 360.
Rated: E10+.

This game is worth its retail price based on real estate value alone. It gives you a scale reproduction of the entire island of Oahu for $40. And you thought the Louisiana Purchase was a good deal. If you don't mind sharing that gorgeous tropical backdrop with others, you can go online and challenge any random driver you find to a race. With its expansive environment, the online component practically makes this the first massive multiplayer online racing game ever.

YAKUZA BY SEGA (3 stars)
Platform: PlayStation 2.
Rated: M.

If you're getting tired of American mobsters, you can try your hand at crime in the neon-lit Far East with the honor-bound Yakuza. Apparently, they prefer not to use guns, so be prepared to do a lot of third-person brawling. A few melee weapons are thrown in occasionally to break up the two-fisted monotony, but they break after only a few hits. How hard do you have to hit someone to break a steel pipe in five blows?

STAR FOX COMMAND BY NINTENDO (4 stars)
Platform: Nintendo DS.
Rated: E10+.

Fox McCloud and his gibberish-speaking, anthropomorphic posse have successfully made the transition to the DS. Though slightly inferior to its Super Nintendo and N64 predecessors, this Star Fox still has solid, touch-screen-controlled aerial acrobatics that put recent DS flight sims like Top Gun and Freedom Wings to shame. Online wi-fi dogfights are also a blast, as long as you don't mind repeatedly getting shot down by Japanese players. Man, those guys are quick with the stylus.