Video Game Bytes: Where the Wild Things Are, Astro Boy

Here’s an abbreviated look at video games for the entire family.

• Where the Wild Things Are (from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Xbox 360, $49.99) — Extending the story of Maurice Sendak’s 10-sentence classic children’s book and the new live-action film from Spike Jonze, this third-person action game takes a player into the world of mischievous Max and his adventures with some really cool monsters.

The player mainly controls the pint-size boy in wolf pajamas as he wields a glowing scepter and interacts on a gorgeous island filled with areas to explore, stuff to collect and aggressive insects to swat.

Max has a full set of movements used to climb a plant stalk, crawl up a rock wall of vines, swing between branches, shimmy across ledges, hang over cliffs, push a tree stump and carry items.

Between the platform-style missions, where Max might seek honeycombs for Douglas so he can build a firefly farm, he might climb atop the horned Carol and have him run though a forested obstacle course or return to his boat for a harrowing ride.

At any time, a player can hit a side button to roar for the sake of making noise, get near a Wild Thing and hit a button to start a primal dance or toss a rock to start a dirt-clod fight. All are guaranteed smile producers for the kiddies.

The best part of the action is picking up a pair of Douglas’ feathers and taking a short flight.

The game and its cut scenes look great, embellishing the vibe and character designs from the film, including the levels of foliage, water effects, rock formations and an indoor cavern loaded with goopy, black, viscous enemies.

Max also returns to the village where he can cause more mayhem or find challenges that involve collecting extra items for his new pals.

Parents will love that Max gets healing hugs from the Wild Things, but might not appreciate the level of violent encounters with large fireflies and electrical bugs.

Although fans of the film will not be disappointed, the shortness of the game and limited amount of stuff to do makes it a rental at best.

• Astro Boy: The Video Game (from D3Publisher for the Wii, $39.99) — An iconic Japanese cartoon hero from the 1960s returns with a computer-animated film and a new game in its honor that manages to deliver a colorful retro look at Osamu Tezuka’s famed robotic boy.

Stuck in a primarily two-dimensional universe, one or two players work through more than 30 side-scrolling, platform-leaping missions mixed with some frenetic aerial combat to defeat President Stone, Hamegg and the Peacekeeper.

The Wiimote and Nunchuk are used in tandem to quickly move our hero around (remember those jet boots) and unleash signature attacks using Astro Boy’s finger laser, arm cannon and butt cannon. (Yes, butt cannon. Further explanation is not necessary.)

Our hero uses a certain number of Supers available to attack with intense powers or to restore health on each level as he battles against myriad robotic minions through eight locations in Metro City.

Beating bots restores Supers, but they are not required to survive. Astro Boy has enough combat moves to knock out foes such as red fire robots or military ships with upgrades rewarded for his successes.

In a welcome extension to the action, a second player can join in as another Astro Boy, with sleeves rolled up, ready to fight alongside his double.

Featuring the voices of the film’s stars (Freddie Highmore as Astro and Kristen Bell as Cora) and a presentation that looks as if it was ripped from the late 1980s, Astro Boy offers a sad story in the vein of “Pinocchio” and Steven Speilberg’s “A.I.” The game does revel in an antiquated style that may put off the youngsters, but it will take veteran gamers back to the days when Mega Man and Defender ruled.