Champions Online
Real men wear tights. OK, maybe not outside of Hollywood sound stages (sorry, Dancing With the Stars!), but at least in the world of massively multiplayer online superhero games, Spandex reigns supreme. See the latest outing from Cryptic Studios, makers of City of Heroes, which lets you personalize your own caped crusader, pile on the force fields and heat rays, then save a sprawling 3D universe. Trading tedious, turn-based combat and simulated dice rolling for more action-packed crime-fighting, it's an unexpectedly superhuman effort.
www.atari.com / PC
Digidude
Face it: It's tough enough trying to take decent photos when you're simply relaxing on the beach, let alone hanging half-naked, upside down over a pool of Jell-o while a midget tickles your toes. Thankfully, these funky portable tripods-disguised to look like keychains modeled after cartoon versions of robots, dragons and bling-sporting chumps-make it easy to snap the perfect shot. Just mount a digital camera or pocket camcorder to its retractable, bending legs to effortlessly fire away from any angle.
www.quirky.com / $19.99
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
While we're still praying for versions based on Air Supply and Winger, you've got to appreciate a hard-rocking music simulation that could shame even American Idol the way it squirts out the assembly-line hits. You know the drill: Same game, different catalogue of hair-metal smashes, including "Hot for Teacher," "Runnin' With the Devil" and "Panama." Guest acts (Blink-182, Weezer, etc.) aside, there's little new here, but we're still suckers for strumming along to "Jump." For sake of potential hernias though, just watch those Diamond Dave-style splits.
www.activision.com / PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Reader Daily Edition
Reading may be fundamental, but it also kinda sucks when you're forced to carry a 10-pound copy of The Lost Symbol halfway across America. Enter a worthy digital alternative to hefting hardbacks in Sony's supposed Kindle killer, which packs a seven-inch monitor, touchscreen interface and 3G wireless connectivity for on-demand downloads. Making it easy to purchase eBooks, add storage for your growing library or enjoy thousands of free manuscripts via the open ePub format, there's even options for virtually checking out volumes from the local library.
www.sonystyle.com / $399
Cliq
Cell phones based on the open-source Android operating system have yet to impress, but this may well be the one to finally raise eyebrows. In addition to noteworthy frills like 3G and WiFi connectivity, a slick 5.0MP digital camera, a touchscreen interface, and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, you also get fully integrated social networking features. See a screen filled with widgets, or little pop-up windows that keep you constantly updated on e-mails, tweets and Facebook status updates. Beware, though! Whether it's an OMG or LOL ultimately depends on if you're a social butterfly.
www.motorolla.com / $TBD
Grand Theft Auto:
Episodes From Liberty City
Sick and tired of working your way up the Eastern European underworld's ranks, rampaging through a living, breathing virtual metropolis, and wooing fussy computerized dames? Us neither, but if you need a change of scenery, try this killer expansion disc. Pairing addictive add-ons The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and The Damned in one box, it ditches the original GTA IV's storyline, but adds two equally polished successors. Note that smart shoppers will skip the box entirely and download direct to their Xbox 360, however.
www.rockstargames.com / Xbox 360
Ipod Nano (5g)
One of the world's most mobile MP3 players switches up its game, adding a video camera, larger 2.2-inch screen and built-in microphone/speaker, becoming more of an all-around portable media powerhouse in the process. Beyond fielding songs, photos and videos, you also get a new FM tuner too, allowing you to pause and rewind live radio or tag unknown songs for later enjoyment on iTunes. While videos are only of standard-definition quality, low-light filming performance sucks and it's tough watching full-length movies on the tiny monitor . . . as sheer versatility goes, this small wonder remains unmatched.
www.apple.com / $149 (8GB), $179 (16GB)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
With Super Bowl season here and dreams of pork rinds and Iron City dancing in everyone's head, it's hard to believe: This is what most of the world pictures when you say "football." But despite its lack of public awareness, FIFA's chief rival continues to deliver a World Cup-worthy performance year after year, delivering sharper controls and higher-definition visuals than ever before. Between smarter CPU opponents and expanded online options, it's enough to keeping you bending it like you-know-who for weeks on end.
www.konami.com / PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii