Halo 3? No hurry! Rendered in heart-pounding high-def and surround, Gears of War (Microsoft, Xbox 360, Rated M) skyrockets the bar for future generations of sci-fi shooters. You're Marcus Fenix, former war hero imprisoned for treason, now set free to fight the Locust Horde - a nightmarish race of bloodthirsty beasts.
For $400 (Xbox 360 not included!), this space-saving system delivers 155 watts via four compact satellites, a center channel, and a subwoofer that neatly houses a Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1 receiver (leaving only a small display unit outside).
Combine an all-star group of Disney characters with combatants from Final Fantasy, and you get Kingdom Hearts II (Buena Vista Games/Square Enix; PS2; Game •••, Graphics/Sound •••••). It's an epic, action-heavy romp. But before you get to the good stuff, you've got to suffer through the prologue - four mind-numbing hours of dialogue-heavy cut-scenes and lame gameplay.
Can't we all just get along? Up to 12 of your home entertainment devices can do just that, thanks to Logitech's Harmony Advanced Universal Remote for Xbox 360 ($130). Simple setup has you connect the remote to your computer, enter the model numbers of your A/V gear, and answer some easy questions.
