After a few turns around the Anime Fest, it was time for me to make my way past the booth babes at the Playlogic table and wrap my fingers around the controls of Fairytale Fights. Set to ship Oct. 27, Fairytale Fights is not the sweetsy-peetsy, E-rated title you might be conjuring in your head.

I discovered Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers for Xbox Live Arcade while looking for a traditional card game. I downloaded the demo, and I was immediately struck by the artistry of the game board and the simplicity of the user interface. The interface is ornate and magnificent looking, and it complements the artwork featured on the cards. The game’s graphics were amazingly impressive for a card game; I purchased the full game the same day I downloaded the demo. I learned the game by following the brief tutorial. It familiarizes players with the basic gameplay rules and controls. I highly recommend everyone who gets this game play the tutorial.

TellTale Games has impressed me yet again with the third installment of Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventure. This time, in Wallace & Gromit Episode 3: Muzzled!, the ingenious inventor and his trusty canine partner are up against the cunning wits of a swindler named Monty Muzzle. The backdrop for the game is, as always, West Wallaby Street.

For the rest of us who admire the work of train hobbyists but can’t afford to spend a ton of money or don’t have the space available for that track layout, there’s Trainz Simulator 2009 — World Builder Edition. Developer Auran, who runs Planet Auran for Trainz enthusiasts, has developed a pretty formidable simulation for those who want to ride the tracks or produce their own layouts on the computer.

I remember when SquareSoft would come out with a game and it meant I was about to be sidetracked by something grand for a good month. SquareSoft definitely made sure to hand out nothing but RPG gold, and it did so pretty effortlessly. Enix eventually came along and, well, ruined that. Not being a huge fan of much that’s come out of the SquareEnix group, the Kingdom Hearts series has not yet hit a real snag and has maintained interest for me as an RPG lover. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a portable spin of the console series and is between the first and second games.