Notes de presse

• PC
• 7 / 10
• Allemagne

Driver: Parallel Lines bleibt zumindest auf den PC hinter den Erwartungen zurück. Bis auf ein leichtes Grafik-Update, bei dem sicher mehr drin gewesen wäre, bekommt ihr hier das gleiche Spiel wie auf der Xbox – mit all seinen Stärken und Schwächen. Zwar ist die Maus-/Tastatur-Kombi beim Ballern ein Vorteil, doch seid ihr beim Fahren besser mit einem Controller unterwegs. Hier müsst ihr selbst abwägen, welche Art der Steuerung ihr bevorzugt. Auf Nintendos Wii stellt sich diese Frage nicht: Zwar ist es schade, dass keine freie Tastenbelegung möglich ist und das Bedienen der Kamera mit den Bewegungssensoren der Wii-Remote arg fummelig ausfällt, doch sind die Möglichkeiten des Controllers insgesamt eine Bereicherung für den Spielablauf. Vor allem das Zielen geht auf der Nintendo-Konsole leicht von der Hand – dafür bedarf es etwas Übung, die Fahrzeuge nur mit dem Nunchuk zu steuern und dabei nicht ständig aus Versehen die Handbremse zu betätigen. Trotzdem ändert dieses Plus an Spielgefühl nichts an den sich wiederholenden Missionen, dem lahmen Verkehr, gelangweilten Sprechern und all den anderen Schwächen, die von der PS2- und Xbox-Version übernommen wurden. Deshalb bleibt Driver: Parallel Lines trotz einiger guter Ansätze weiter im Mittelfeld stecken. Fans von GTA & Co können einen Blick riskieren, zumal es gerade auf der Nintendo-Konsole keine Alternativen gibt. PCler bleiben dagegen besser in San Andreas oder hoffen auf eine schnelle Umsetzung von GTA IV im nächsten Jahr.

• X360
• États-Unis

• X360
• États-Unis

• X360
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 84%
• Espagne

• X360
• États-Unis

• X360
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 4 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Mario Party 8's core gameplay is dull, the mini-games uninspired and the presentation severely lacking. One all but the hardest of Nintendo fans should avoid.

• PS2
• 8 / 10
• Royaume-Uni

Not much can be said about SingStar '90s. If you like SingStar and like the thirty tunes listed on the box, you'll love it.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• XBOX
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• NGC
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 5.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Mega Man Star Force is a game that appeals to the extremes. Battle Network loyalists will find what they love here, and gamers ignorant to the style and feel of Battle Network games could also find an RPG worth playing. But everyone else in between is going to be bored with the title. There's not enough of an RPG foundation to keep RPG purists' attention, there's not enough action to appeal to the mainstream gamer, and the linear feel of the game will leave most gamers feeling trapped (though there are sidequests here and there). The lack of innovation and change creates a vacuum which will trap most gamers in its wake. And with such a weak storyline which we’ve attempted not to spoil, there’s little reason to play in the first place, nonetheless keep playing. Unless you're confident this type of game is your cup of tea, your money is almost certainly better spent elsewhere. We were expecting innovation this time around, because this is a game we wanted to like. Unfortunately, we were left disappointed.

• XBOX
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Madden NFL 08 is one of those titles that you feel had good intentions, but just didn't fully fulfill all of them the way it needed to. While the concept behind making the game more accessible to casual gamers is a laudable one, the actual implementation of the casual elements over the standard gameplay elements is somewhat lacking. The weapon system, which is obviously carried over from the newer consoles, doesn't deliver the kind of experience that you'd hope it would, and the adjustments to the older gameplay doesn't do enough to radically improve the title. While Madden 08 is still an enjoyable title, it isn't nearly as impressive as last year's game.

• WII
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Escape from Bug Island is a fitting name because it accurately describes the player's point of view. You will want to escape this island, but not simply to get away from the bugs. Rather, you'll want to escape the entire dated, clumsily pieced together affair, which plays and looks like a last generation survival horror game developed by an inexperienced studio. Obsessed horror fans who eat up would-be scary games may be able to delve deeper into Bug Island than most, but even the most die-hard fan will likely grow tired of the package as the foggy environments continue and nonsensical fetch quests wear on.

• WII
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Boogie has style, but it unfortunately doesn't have substance. Too bad because this game had the potential to reinvent rhythm titles, but that potential has fallen well short of the mark. The presentation is spectacular for the most part and the core gameplay mechanics are functional. Younger players and casuals who don't know any better may even find something to like about how immediately "accessible" Boogie is, but we're not going to confuse a title that practically plays itself with accessibility. For all of its extra bells and whistles – and there are many – Boogie fails to deliver the necessary tangibility and sense of accomplishment that go hand-in-hand with playing videogames of any kind. When you're never quite sure if you've mastered the controls or if you just got lucky, well, that speaks volumes. We hope EA will take another stab at the franchise and rework the control scheme into something more enjoyable because the potential for a remarkable rhythm game is still there – it just hasn't been realized with this first endeavor.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Despite all its additions and Wii-specific content, Madden 08 is still a tough one to rate overall. The game makes great use of motion with better-implemented and easier to pull off moves than 07, it has more modes, far more multiplayer both locally and now online, and is generally superior in nearly every regard. On the flipside, Wii’s second Madden still suffers from a ton of last-generation bugs, with everything from moronic AI and cheap pass defense to disappearing pass icons and odd camera glitches that cloak the entire playfield in blur effects. Madden 08 isn’t nearly as polished as it should be, but it offers a ton of great gameplay despite its flaws, and that’s where you’ll need to balance just how much you need a new Madden, or how forgiving you are in the gameplay department. The running game is still dominant over defense and passing strategies, the Wii-mote and nunchuk make on-ground players simply deadly with the amount of moves available, and the newly-added Player Weapons, Big Hit 2.0, context-sensitive Power Moves, and Superstar mode are huge leaps for the series, while simple programming errors bring the experience down from where it could potentially be on Wii. Granted there’s a ton in Madden 08, but it can still be a grab-bag of both good and bad. It comes down to this; Madden 08 offers more, but sacrifices polish along the way. Overall it’s a better package than 07, as it has more to do, far more depth, vastly superior multiplayer both online and locally, and a new way to play in family mode. For core football fans, however, you’ll find a stronger game of pure football in Madden 08 for 360, as it’s one of the best Maddens in years. The Wii version is still a great game, it just suffers from a few key “last generation” downsides, and that’s something that simply can’t be tolerated. It’s still worth your cash, still a damn solid game of football, but there’s definite room for growth in 09.

• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• PSP
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• NGC
• 7.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Madden NFL 08 is one of those titles that you feel had good intentions, but just didn't fully fulfill all of them the way it needed to. While the concept behind making the game more accessible to casual gamers is a laudable one, the actual implementation of the casual elements over the standard gameplay elements is somewhat lacking. The weapon system, which is obviously carried over from the newer consoles, doesn't deliver the kind of experience that you'd hope it would, and the adjustments to the older gameplay doesn't do enough to radically improve the title. The lack of importing NCAA legends and online play hurts a bit also. While Madden 08 is still an enjoyable title, it isn't nearly as impressive as last year's game.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

There will be plenty of gamers, even longtime, dedicated Nintendo fans, who decide to pass on downloading Metroid. And that's not because it isn't worth 500 Wii Points – that's a deal for this adventure. It's because this first Metroid has just been so prolific in other releases in recent years. You could unlock and play it on the Metroid Prime GameCube disc. You could unlock and play it on the Metroid: Zero Mission Game Boy Advance cartridge. You could even buy it as a standalone cart for GBA, by itself, when it came out as part of the Classic NES Series for that system a few years ago. But if you don't already own it, if you haven't ever experienced the first ever Metroid, do so here. You'll see how the series established its foundation – in exploration, in isolation, and in never holding your hand.

• PSP
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Extremely deep gameplay. Balanced tactical strategy and fast paced action with rich game mechanics. An intriguing twist on a well known tale. These three statements only scratch the surface of Jeanne d'Arc, which manages to deliver on all of these fronts. Packed with challenging strategic play and tactical action, Level-5's latest title is a phenomenal game that will keep you engaged for hours. If you've been eagerly awaiting a game to end the Strategy RPG drought on the PSP, look no further: your title has arrived.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• Allemagne