Best New Games This Week: 4-21-08

April's release drought is coming to an increasingly torrential end, as this week sees every platform having its fair share of debuts. Understandably, many hardcore gamers are probably saving their pennies for next week, which sees the killer one-two punch of huge, long-awaited titles, Grand Theft Auto IV and Mario Kart Wii. But if you're not into M-rated crime sprees or classic racers, there's still plenty hitting the streets this week to choose from. Here's our pick of the top new releases.

Top Three:

NBA Ballers: Chosen One (PS3 and X360)

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Midway's NBA Ballers series makes its next-generation debut, slam-dunking its way onto both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Sharing as much with fighting games as it does with basketball, Ballers brings a new combo system to the mix, and Public Enemy's legendary frontman Chuck D. provides both commentary and musical entertainment.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time

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Yes, Pokemon games are still big news. Explorers isn't a catch-em-all role-playing game like most Pokemon titles, though. It's a dungeon-crawling adventure where you actually control your pocket monsters directly instead of just issuing them orders. You'll still see all your favorite Pokemon along for the ride, and as is typical for the series, Explorers is available in two near-identical versions with slightly different Pokemon selections.

Jane's Hotel: Family Hero

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Are you tired of the same old restaurant and cafe time-management games? Try this fresh new twist on the genre, which takes heroine Jane to such exotic locales as Japan, the Canary Islands and France during her quest to make her family hotel chain into a top-rated four-star success. Can you keep Jane's guests happy while purchasing new property, selling souvenirs and managing your team of assistants? There's only one way to find out.

Best of the Rest

• Battle of the Bands:
  This Wii musical mashup delivers all the fun of Guitar Hero but with none of the silly plastic guitars.
• Magic Farm:
  Gardening would be much easier if you had a magical green thumb, right?
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year Edition:
  It's the PS3's turn to receive the collector's edition of this superb military FPS.
• Turok (PC):
  PC owners get the chance to go dino-hunting as this long-running series evolves over from the consoles.
• Sword of the Stars Collector's Edition (PC):
  If you missed out on this top-rated PC space strategy hit, here's your chance to pick it up together with its expansion pack.