I both love this time of year and despise it.

I love it because there are a gazillion great games coming out. I despise it because there are a gazillion great games coming out.

Most of the big games are released at this time of year, and most of them will be really good. Unfortunately, they all come out at the same time, and games are expensive and time-consuming.

With my stack of games to play piling up, I spent this week playing "Dead Space" and "Saints Row 2." I liked both a lot.

"Dead Space" is an edge-of-your-seat, things-jump-out-at-you horror game that takes place in the depths of space.

You play as Isaac Clarke, part of a security team for a deep-space mining company sent to a spaceship called the USG Ishimura. The Ishimura is a type of ship called a planet cracker because it does just that: cracks open a planet and extracts minerals.

Unfortunately, the Ishimura has gone dark. When the team arrives, there are no radio transmissions and no signs of power.

Once on the ship, Isaac becomes separated from the rest of his team, and they quickly discover that not only is everybody dead, but the ship has been overrun by aliens. Bodies and blood are strewn all over everywhere.

Alone except for radio communications, Isaac must travel around the giant ship to get it running again, all while trying not to be eaten.

This kind of game has been done before, and at first I wasn't too impressed. But the farther I played into the game, the more its differences became apparent.

A lot of it is in the little things. There's no head's-up display because the important details are worked into your gear. Your life bar shows as colored lights on the back of your suit (you control Isaac with an over-the-shoulder third-person view). Your ammo appears on the weapon when you hold it up to aim.

This is a fantastic way to keep the player immersed in the gameplay. The menus you do bring up - inventory, map, video logs - show in three dimensions in front of Isaac. You can actually rotate your camera around behind them, which is awesome.

The game doesn't stop when you bring up a menu, leaving you to wonder if something is sneaking up behind you while you're trying to examine the map.

"Dead Space" doesn't use typical weapons either. Isaac uses whatever is lying around: mining tools, such as saw blades and plasma cutters.

The most unusual part of "Dead Space" is something called "strategic dismemberment" (a phrase that makes me giggle). The monsters don't die if you shoot them in the body or the head. The only way to kill them is by taking off appendages. As long as your aim is good, your weapons do so with gruesome efficiency.

It seems obvious, but "Dead Space" is not for children. Adults will be shocked and creeped out; a kid probably will be terrified.

For players who like to be scared and have a solid gaming experience at the same time, though, "Dead Space" is dead on.

"Saints Row 2" also is not for children, though for different reasons. Taking place five years after the events of the first "Saints Row," the sequel has you playing the fallen leader of a gang called the Saints. After years in a coma, you wake up to discover that your gang has lost all its territory. You break out of prison and set out to bring the Saints back to the top.

The best part is the ability to customize your main character; you can even make a female. Once you set their looks, voice and mannerisms, you can buy clothes for them in the game.

The comparison to "Grand Theft Auto" is inevitable. Some liken "Saints Row" to a cheap knock-off. I beg to differ; I found both "Saints Row" games more light-hearted (some say immature) than the "GTA" games and highly enjoyable.

There are similarities, though. "Saints Row 2" is a sandbox game, meaning you can run, drive or boat anywhere you want right from the start.

Story-related missions, which involve taking down rival gangs, are extensive, and it will take a long time to complete all of them. You also can play cooperatively with a friend via system link or over Xbox Live, or versus other players online.

In addition to missions, there are tons of "activities," most of which are a blast. My personal favorite returns: insurance fraud, in which you throw yourself in front of cars to get insurance money.

"Saints Row 2" has "GTA" beat with its free-aim targeting system, which is as good as it gets.

Unfortunately, not everything works so well. While most vehicles control fine, trying to drive anything with something attached is not. A tow truck, airport luggage carts, a person pushing a gurney: They all move like they're on ice, constantly skidding sideways.

Driving and shooting at the same time also needs work. Some missions have you chasing someone and needing to shoot, but it's hard to aim with the right thumbstick while also having to use the same thumb to hold down the acceleration button.

For the most part, though, the controls are superb. "Saints Row 2" is colorful, both in its dialogue and its visuals. It controls well and offers hours of gameplay outside of the main missions. I couldn't stop playing.

Anyone who thinks "Grand Theft Auto IV" took itself too seriously should try "Saints Row 2."

Dead Space

By: Electronic Arts, for Xbox 360 (also on PlayStation 3, PC)

Rated: Mature

Cost: $59.99

Score: 9/10

Saints Row 2

By: THQ, for Xbox 360 (also on PlayStation 3, PC)

Rated: Mature

Cost: $59.99

Score: 8.5/10