Digital Trends

• WIIU
• États-Unis

Need For Speed: Most Wanted U is still the great racing game it was last year, one that capably stands next to its big brother Burnout Paradise. It’s a more exciting racing game than that classic, even if it lacks its humor and variety. For Wii U owners starved for something to play, this is one of the best games out there. The bells and whistles Criterion adorned this release with don’t intrude on that sweet racing, but they also feel like a missed opportunity. As such, Need For Speed: Most Wanted U isn’t the definitive version it could have been.

• X360
• États-Unis

• PC
• 9.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Despite everything that is new here, along with the incredible eye-candy of the vibrant city in the clouds, the complete BioShock experience is just a shade paler than what the original game provided. That strange, spooky feeling you had while exploring the depths of Rapture – combined with the terror that would wash over you when you heard a Big Daddy’s bellow – were powerful. Not that Columbia doesn’t provide a similar experience, but it’s just not quite as gripping – but only by a matter of small increments, not a gaping, disparate gap. The bottom line is that BioShock Infinite is a triumph in storytelling that should not be missed. The small dings don’t detract from the deeply moving story, which comes down to the writing and the incredible voice acting. Be sure to stay tuned through the credits; Ken Levine directs voice actors Troy Baker (Booker) and Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth) through a scene where Booker plays the guitar and they sing a moving, sad version of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” When a video game can take you from explosive combat featuring magic powers and exploding weaponry and still move you on a deep emotional level, something special has happened — and there aren’t many games like Bioshock Infinite on the market still.

• PC
• États-Unis

• WIIU
• États-Unis

• PS3
• États-Unis

• 3DS
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Mercurysteam has the potential to become Konami’s most valuable developer, but it has a long way to go. Mirror of Fate can feel schizophrenic and almost improvisational in its design, but it also feels more distinctive and energetic than Lords of Shadow. Rather than an homage to other games and genres, this 3DS game feels like a developer stretching out and testing its limits. It even feels more like a proper Castlevania game. Even without all its callbacks and references to past entries, it nails the game’s mixed atmosphere of cartoon bombast and dread. It may be imperfect, but it’s exciting game making. The next time Mercurysteam shows up, we can’t wait to see what happens.

• VITA
• États-Unis

• PS3
• X360
• États-Unis

If you are a fan of hack and slash games, then ignore the score and dive in. The combat mechanics are solid and the ability to cut enemies into – literally hundreds if not thousands – of tiny pieces never, ever gets old. Once you learn the counter system, fighting your way through a large group is electric. In most other ways though, Revengenace is a very average game, with mediocre level art and a story that requires you to look at it through a specific lens. Becoming a cyborg would likely be a somewhat horrifying experience as your old body was cut away bit by bit, but instead it is seen as if through the eyes of a kid that thinks it’s “bitchin’.” Don’t take that as a negative, just as an example of the mentality at work in the story. It isn’t deep, but it is flashy. “Revengenace!” deserves to be yelled, because that is what the game itself does. It yells at your senses and assaults you with a fast-paced action game that rarely slows down, because when it does you can see the rough edges.

• PC
• X360
• États-Unis

It would be easy to go on and on about the many failings of Aliens: Colonial Marines, but what’s the point? The fundamentals of this game are so terrible that there’s little value in nitpicking smaller missteps. It’s best if we just shunt Colonial Marines off to the same landfill now occupied by Duke Nukem Forever and fire up some Borderlands 2 instead. There’s serious talent at Gearbox Software, but it is nowhere in evidence here. There’s got to be a story here, some series of events that set this awful effort on a path to release when it should have been re-tooled from the ground up or scrapped all together. Maybe we’ll even hear it one day. That matters little in the here and now, however. Despite a few golden flashes and a tolerable (at best) co-op game, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a heartbreaking failure and an insult to fans of the franchise.

• X360
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Dead Space 3 has issues with the level design, pacing, and story, but its biggest sin is simply not being able to live up to its predecessors. It may not even be in the same genre anymore. If you can divorce yourself of your preconceived notions formed from the experience playing the previous games, Dead Space 3 is still average, but doesn’t carry the crushing weight of the missed opportunities hanging onto it. If you can put that aside, the co-op makes up for the bland single player, and is fun almost despite itself. But it came at the cost of the franchise’s identity.

• X360
• États-Unis

• VITA
• États-Unis

• X360
• PC
• États-Unis

• WIIU
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

While still a great game and a must own for Wii U fans that are interested in the Assassin’s Creed series, there are tradeoffs between the Wii U version and its console cousins. The version on Nintendo’s system offers the ability to play on the GamePad, which is great, but it also reflects the graphical issues that are present on any display. The GamePad also isn’t made for this type of game, and while you can get used to it in time, the better option is the Pro Controller, which negates the benefits of the Wii U. Make no mistake, Assassin’s Creed III for the Wii U is still a great game and well worth your time, and the benefits the new console offers are nice. There are issues though, and those issues make the other versions a bit superior, but not by much.

• WIIU
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

In all other regards, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is an identical port of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, just with a few new game modes, and – sadly – a much smaller online community that will hopefully expand. While I did not enjoy the core game quite as much as Earnest, I can understand his passion for it. It’s packed with enough competitors, game modes, and moves that fight fans should happily embrace the Wii U version. Just be prepared to learn how to move all over again via the GamePad.

• WIIU
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

In all the important ways, the game is the same as its counterpart on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, just with the GamePad, the occasionally heightened graphics, and the Wii U’s chat issues taken into account. The ability to play on the GamePad is outstanding, but the GamePad itself is a bit of a handful for this manner of gaming. It probably just takes time to adjust, and the less experience you have with this game (or style of game) on other consoles is probably a boon. The chat, something that is so vital to any good online play, is just a feature Nintendo didn’t put a great deal of effort into and instead left it up to the developers. In time, this will likely find a good balance, but for now Treyarch did the best it could with what it had. But if you are hoping for the Call of Duty experience for Nintendo’s new system, you now most certainly have it.

• WIIU
• États-Unis