IGN

• WII
• 8.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Over on the PS3 review of Band Hero, I said “For better or worse, this is a re-skinned version of Guitar Hero 5.” That applies to the Wii version as well, but I’m not as disappointed in the move. Yes, the career is shallow, the songs are poppy Top 40 tracks that you’ll either love or hate, and there’s a focus on getting in, playing and getting out; but this also is all of the functionality you’d expect from a GH sequel (drop-in/out gameplay, GHStudio, etc.) coupled with the still new Wii-exclusive features such as Roadie Battle and DS Party Play. These modes add a lot to yet another music game. The mini-games are really fun and the ability to manage your setlist from the portable is cool. Band Hero is an impressive game, but it does take a hit for not feeling that unique because this is really just Guitar Hero 5 with a pink/purple motif. In the end, this is one of the examples people will point to when they talk about Activision milking the Guitar Hero franchise for all it’s worth – even though this time the milk is quenching the thirst of every Taylor Swift fan out there with a plastic guitar.

• PS3
• X360
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

For better or worse, this is a re-skinned version of Guitar Hero 5. Now, that’s not bad because that game was great, but it is disappointing if you were expecting something special from Band Hero. All the functionality you’d expect from a GH sequel is here (drop-in/out gameplay, GHStudio, etc.) except that it’s framed in a sugary sweet pink/purple motif. The career is shallow, the songs are poppy Top 40 tracks that you’ll either love or hate, and there’s a focus on getting in, playing and getting out. Band Hero is a good game, but it lacks any kind of spark that makes it feel unique. In the end, this is one of the examples people will point to when they talk about Activision milking the Guitar Hero franchise for all it’s worth – even though this time the milk is quenching the thirst of every Taylor Swift fan out there with a plastic guitar.

• DS
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Again, don’t get me wrong; Band Hero’s fun. The trouble is that it’s just a noisemaker that you pick up and jam out with before moving on to the next thing. You’re not going to get super involved with your band and you’re going to be lugging around a bunch of add-ons if you want to get the full experience. Band Hero is fun and has a bunch of good tunes if you like junk food music like I do, but this is the same experience you’ve been getting out of the Guitar Hero On Tour franchise.

• PS2
• 6.4 / 10
• États-Unis

FIFA 10 on PS2 is yet another sports game on the system that should have never been. The gameplay is fine for what it is, but it hasn’t seen much attention over the last few years. If this is your only option for virtual soccer, you could do worse than FIFA 10 on PlayStation 2, but you could also do much better with pretty much any version of the game currently on the market.

• PS3
• X360
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Jurassic is a guilty pleasure of a shooter. It certainly has its issues, particularly with repetitive segments of play and easy encounters which clearly hold it back. However, it's more of a diversionary game that you can play for a few hours and be amused by blasting dinosaurs from one side of the island to the other. In that respect, it does its job adequately.

• PSP
• 5.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Zombie Tycoon has a fun aesthetic, numerous items and a sensible control scheme. But the gameplay runs into too many problems. An overly sensitive camera, frustrating AI and a brutal lack of good checkpoints (play for ten minutes, make one small mistake and start over from scratch) make Zombie Tycoon more of a frustrating disappointment rather than an enjoyable RTS. Most importantly: $7.99 for a game you can get through in a few hours? No thanks.

• WII
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

In trying to create an arcade hunting experience with Big Game Hunter 2010, so much was sacrificed that you're left with only scraps of gameplay that fail to satisfy any appetite. All you need to do is make sure you're in a high percentage cover spot and aim for the heart. The thin gameplay certainly won't interest someone looking for a virtual hunting experience with an edge of authenticity, and isn't enough to entertain anyone looking for an arcade-style game with a solid hook. That being said, the game's shooting gallery mode can be fun in a Duck Hunt sort of way, especially with a Top Shot or Zapper peripheral. It is cheaper than most retail games, however, and features some decent visuals and sound. The rest is forgettable.

• PC
• WII
• 7.2 / 10
• États-Unis

The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood is an attractive addition to the series, but the strength of it comes more from the way it advances the story and offers up a couple of groups of interesting puzzles. Not everyone will like the unexpected twists of the story but the bits about Elaine and Morgan are very appealing and add some much-needed weight. It's true that the jokes aren't as funny this time around but the puzzles are challenging without being frustrating, which should help you see this one through to a satisfying conclusion.

• DS
• PS3
• WII
• X360
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Because the designers don't really do anything new, exciting or original for Madagascar Kartz, the game already starts in a somewhat underwhelming position of being a "me too" kind of game. The racing action works well with decent control and a fun focus on turbo boosts, but the weapon system nearly a game killer because it's just so frustrating when the opponents target your kart. The pros do outweigh the cons in this kart racer, and hopefully the younger players can tolerate the elements I found entirely too frustrating.

• PSP
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Sports Interactive has crammed a stadium’s worth of stats and figures into FM on the iPhone, and then conjured up a slick and intuitive control system that enables you to easily access this information. This is a distillation of all that’s good about FM, and one that is just as fiendishly addictive as its PC cousin.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

FIFA 10 on DS is a fun soccer outing for when you’re on the go. It makes good use of the limited control options available to the system and avoids unneeded stylus annoyances by limiting the core gameplay to the face and shoulder buttons. The action suffers from zero framerate hitches thanks to the 60 frames per second that the game maintains. The artificial intelligence could be ramped up a bit as players have a tendency to react without a sense of urgency to some situations and the Be A Pro mode could be better designed, but all in all FIFA 10 on DS is worth the asking price for soccer fans.

• PSP
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Although beginners can get by in Tekken 6 by mashing buttons, the real fun comes from learning the game's intricate sub-systems and developing a sense of the mind games that play out about between two skilled opponents. Tekken 6 has a lot to offer, including a massive roster, refined gameplay, plenty of modes and a smooth Ad Hoc multiplayer experience. If you already own Tekken 6 for consoles, the PSP version is just more of the same. Then again, it is an excellent port and will give you plenty of time to practice while on the road, so it just might be worth that extra investment.

• PS3
• X360
• PSP
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 6.2 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Even with the movie I’m not sure what the fan base for Astro Boy is going to be with kids. But even if you, or your kid, loves the movie, or the manga or anything about Astro Boy, avoid this game. It’s a bad platformer, combined with a bad brawler, combined with a very mediocre flying shooter.

• X360
• 7.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Rainbow Islands is a fun little arcade game that has a couple unusual tricks up its sleeve. Not many games let you zip around the screen firing rainbows with pelvic thrusts. I also like the countdown mechanic that gives you a time limit instead of a set number of lives or chances. While this is a spiritual sequel to Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands is a little less memorable and a little less charming. It's still a good time but it doesn't have the fan base that its prequel has and this XBLA release won't change that fact.

• PSP
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

FIFA 10 is a solid game of soccer on PSP, even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in the same way as its console brethren. The gameplay is solid and there are enough fun little distractions (Soccer IQ and Challenge Mode) to keep things fresh for quite some time. I’m a little disappointed that they weren’t able to switch up the core modes and gameplay all that much, but the small additions here and there are still appreciated. If you didn’t pick up FIFA 09, you owe it to your handheld to fork over the cash for FIFA 10.