PS3 launch news has been, for the most part, lukewarm to dire. Even if everything had gone smoothly, you'd still be stuck playing Untold Legends and Genji and brazen Geometry Wars rip-off Blast Factor.

Of course I've been chainsawing bitches in Gears of War, but Viva Pinata totally blindsided me. It's Rare, shitty since the turn of the century, doing Pokemon--who didn't this would be pants? Plus, how refreshing is it on a system where I haven't played a game that didn't involve a manly man beating and killing lots of monsters/terrorists since I made a female Nord character in Oblivion?

This is a one-two holiday punch that probably won't be beat.