BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins is ‘an epic tale of violence, lust and betrayal’ — hopefully this isn’t the lust

Like it or not, fall is coming, and that means the snowstorms of winter aren't far behind. Here's a look at some of the video games recently released or coming soon that will keep you busy when you're frozen to the floor.

• Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo; rated everyone; available now) starts with you parachuting to an island paradise. There you can exhaust your Mii by wakeboarding, throwing Frisbees, shooting arrows, canoeing, cycling and more. Shipping with the game is the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which helps the Wii more precisely detect the movement of your Wii Remote controller.

• The next game in the Wolfenstein (Activision; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature; available now) franchise is ready for some attention. Set during the Second World War, this shooter pits American soldier B.J. Blazkowicz against the Nazis, who are trying to gain control over occult forces.

• We waited all summer for Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated teen; available now) and it's one of the best of the year. Taking its art style from the DC comics, the Joker has schemed to lock the Dark Knight in Arkham with the inmates. Batman skulks and secrets his way around in an effort to escape.

• In addition to finally bringing songs from the Fab Four's entire catalogue to the Rock Band library, The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games; PS3, Xbox 360, Wii; Sept. 9) enables three vocalists to play simultaneously. If you need help working out those harmonies, a new "vocal training" mode will help.

• The objective in Wet (Bethesda; PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature; Sept. 15), developed in Montreal by A2M, is to take out as many enemies as possible in as acrobatic and stylish a manner as possible. You'll play as Rubi Malone (voiced by Eliza Dushku), a gun-toting, sword-wielding beauty who rivals any John Woo character.

• NHL 10 (EA Sports; PS3, Xbox 360; rated everyone 10+; Sept, 15) improves the hockey simulation by letting you control a player's skates when they're against the boards. Not to mention the revamped fighting — grabbing a jersey and throwing some rights is oh-so-satisfying.

• October arrives with a bang as Sony releases its new handheld device, the PSP Go. The smaller form means it fits nicely in my palm, and I really like how it slides open to reveal the controls. It comes with 16 GB of internal memory and uses Memory Stick Micro chips.

• Wise-cracking adventurer Nathan Drake returns in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (SCEA; PS3; rated teen; Oct. 13). In the first game, Drake was following the path of his ancestor, Sir Francis Drake. In this sequel, Drake is on the trail of Marco Polo, trying to figure out what happened to Polo's fleet on the journey home from the court of Kublai Khan.

• If you're looking for a chance to take on the role of a covert agent, Alpha Protocol (Sega; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature; Oct. 27) is your best bet. Using safe houses around the world, burned operative Michael Thornton looks to uncover a conspiracy within the U.S. government. This game requires you to make careful dialogue selections as much as weapons and gadgets.

• Taking place on another planet that's been colonized by humans, Borderlands (2K Games; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature; Oct. 20) lets you play one of four characters, all of whom eke out a survival existence on the alien world by searching for treasure and technologies. This is a role-playing shooter, so you'll be able to improve your character's skills as you see fit.

• Dragon Age: Origins (EA; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature; Nov. 3) is the new game from BioWare. An old-school role-playing game, the Edmonton developers call this "an epic tale of violence, lust and betrayal." Sign me up.