IGN

• X360
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• PS2
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Like I said, there’s really nothing particularly bad about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (well, except for the dreadful Arcade Mode cutscenes). It’s a fun, frantic fighting game that has a solid foundation. That foundation -- and I know I’m sounding like a broken record at this point -- is Smash Bros., and the designers don’t make any effort to hide from that fact. The game does a good job mimicking the classic fighter with TMNT characters, but in all honesty the game really just makes me want to play Smash Bros. instead. Smash-Up is a good game for those that really want a decent TMNT fighter, but it doesn’t do a whole lot to make it its own experience.

• WII
• 7.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Even though Mini Ninjas might not be as in-depth or content heavy as its modern peers, it's still a charming, fun game that opens up ninja culture to kids. The folks at Io Interactive clearly have a lot of love for the genre, as the stirring environments and music make this journey a pleasure to experience, even if the Wii version was an afterthought. Although the combat is fun and grows as the game progresses, Mini Ninjas is still a little on the simple side and that will throw some gamers off (also, the boss fights are giant quick time events/button prompts, which is disappointing). With that said, this is the perfect game to introduce younger siblings or your own children to the classic Japanese tales and ninja quests so many of us love. I consider Mini Ninjas to be a very pleasant surprise.

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Spyborgs seems like a game with a slight identity crisis. On the one hand, it's an extremely polished, but straightforward beat-'em-up with an unimposing style ripped right out of a Saturday morning cartoon. That seems to suggest that it's right for kids. But it also happens to be incredibly hard, particularly if you play it on the recommended core and adrenaline difficulty settings, which in contrast indicates that maybe Capcom wanted to satisfy an older audience. The end result is a game that probably won't thoroughly captivate either demographic because older players will want something grittier and younger players something a little easier. If, however, you happen to fall in the middle and don't mind the fact that Spyborgs doesn't really innovate the beat- 'em-up genre, you will discover a fun and highly polished brawler for Wii. I will be interested to see what Bionic Games does next.

• DS
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

NHL2K10 has a simply staggering amount of content in it. To say that this game is a value at its price is an understatement, but while there’s an insane amount of modes and options – 2K sliders, MotionPlus, WiiSpeak support, online leagues, 10-console team-up mode, season mode, franchise mode, pond hockey, practice mode, Mii Superskills, create-a-player, create-a-team, and the list goes on and on -there’s also a lack of polish throughout. A fast-paced game like this needs to run at a high framerate, and the closer to 60 frames a second you can get when you’re using Wii MotionPlus the better. The game is both fun and extremely deep, but I also can’t help but wish the team would rethink its strategy on Wii. The massive amounts of modes can stay, but a simpler look (not “hockey for babies,” but just a smarter allocation of assets) and more polished core game of puck would do the game wonders on Wii. As is this is a great offering for hockey fans looking for a long overdue Wii NHL experience, but it’s in dire need of a ground-up engine change. A faster, more arcade-inspired game of hockey would fit Wii’s bill a whole lot better, even without pushing too far down that road and sacrificing NHL legitimacy. If next year’s game has literally no new modes or options, but is simply a stronger game of hockey on both a visual and gameplay front it’ll get my full recommendation without question. It’s got the depth. Now 2K just needs to bring more intensity and fun back into hockey. As for the sheer amount of options, modes, and just all-around ambition though, 2K is opening a clinic in Wii game development.

• PS3
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Interpol is good for a few short bursts of seek-and-find fun, but it's just not a game that's very well suited to the console. Add that to the poor image resolution, inconsistent puzzles and overall shaky production value, and you have a game that?s probably not worth the download.

• PSP
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey manages to stand out simply because it's a flight combat title on PSP. It's pretty, it includes bits of the great soundtrack from the console version, and it features some wobbly controls that can be adapted to after a little practice. While some might see the IL-2 name and immediately assume it has something to do with simulation, that's not the case here. This is an arcade-style game through and through, and a short one. Expect a few thrills once you acclimate to the controls, but don't expect to stick around for very long.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

We missed out on reviewing Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier when it first came out this past spring, as one part of the huge wave of solid releases that Atlus unleashed upon us unsuspecting Americans one after another through that whole season -- Knights in the Nightmare, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Steal Princess, The Dark Spire and more all came out together, within just a few months of each other around April, May and June. I picked up a copy of Endless Frontier over the summer, though, and have been thoroughly enjoying it when I've had the time to return to it for a little bit more exploration, juggling combat and humorously insensitive dialogue from the main character. It's a game that deserves more than to be lost in the shuffle, so here have been my thoughts, and my recommendation. You've got plenty of great RPG options on the DS this year, including all that competition from Atlus itself and some other notable tongue-in-cheek adventures that don't take themselves seriously, like the just-released Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. But if you're looking for something even more over-the-top than that, if you have the patience to endure some of the most epically lengthy boss battles you'll ever see in your life as a gamer, and if you haven't felt compelled to pick up that picket sign and decry Atlus's lack of good sense for having built an entire RPG storyline around a man who probably spends his free time trying to sneak into the Playboy mansion, then give Endless Frontier a second glance. The OG is all good.

• WII
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

There's no spark to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 on the Wii. The same cutscenes are used from the 360/PS3 version so you're getting the story of Secret and Civil War, but other than that you're left with a ho-hum game that packs some dumb AI, frustrating bits, and odd hold ups. Sure, the Human Torch's blasts looks sweet and swinging around as Spidey is cool, but this lacks that hands-on feel of crafting a team and leveling your characters. You never connect with this title, and that's needed to keep you going in a Marvel action RPG.

• X360
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Bubble Bobble is a classic arcade game and it remains fun today. The updated visuals aren't so hot, but they don't get in the way of one of the most fun co-op experiences around. Increasing the number of players to four, adding 100 new levels, and introducing a versus mode really makes for a nice retro package. Now we just need Puzzle Bobble on XBLA...

• X360
• 4.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Brave: A Warrior's Tale is a simple title meant for kids unfamiliar with the gaming world. As an introductory product -- an ultra light action-adventure -- Brave has far too many rotten bits and oddities to recommend. It's still a functional game on a basic level, despite its control and camera issues, and its low level of difficulty keep it readily accessible. With gameplay ranging from straightforward platfoming and combat to swooping down on an eagle amidst a herd of buffalo to nab enemy riders, there's been a definite effort made to keep things from getting stale. If only it all worked as smoothly as it should. It's expected that a family friendly title may not have the depth some are looking for, but that doesn't mean it should be given a free pass when it's this sloppily thrown together.

• X360
• 8.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Madden NFL 10 packs a lot of football under its 60 dollar price tag. While some of the modes don’t perform as well as I’d like, every football fan will still be able to latch on to something for months of fun. The graphics have taken a nice step forward from Madden 09 and the presentation does a wonderful job of emulating the experience of watching a game on Sunday. Commentary and general voiceover work is pretty bad, but it doesn’t overly dampen the gameplay. Madden NFL 10 doesn’t redefine the series or innovate in any monumental way, but that doesn’t stop it from being a truly great football game.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Considering the game costs 40 USD and includes all that's described here in addition to more maps, it's quite a deal. If you've got a decent gaming machine and are willing to sacrifice maximum settings for a more stable framerate, then I'd say go for it. The game's story and mission structure aren't the strongest around, but the addictive thrill of pummeling buildings into tiny bits is something you won't regret experiencing. The appeal of behaving as an architect's arch-nemesis does wear thin as the game progresses, but then you can head into the online component where it's easy to have a good time swinging sledgehammers and shattering supports in an adversarial environment against live opponents. As I said at the end of the console review, while the game may not do everything right, it's your best bet for free-form demolition and unpretentious entertainment.

• PS3
• X360
• 6.7 / 10
• États-Unis

NHL 2K10 isn’t a bad effort, it just feels like the development team spent most of their time on the graphics and forgot about adding a worthwhile game mode. There were subtle additions to the gameplay formula (stick lifts, slightly improved AI, player progression in franchise mode) but there are so many lingering issues from last year’s game that the improvements get lost. With such a great hockey effort available elsewhere on the market, there really isn’t a reason to pick this one up unless you’re looking for a simpler, less realistic brand of the sport.

• WII
• 5.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Spaceball Revolution boasts higher production values than a lot of WiiWare games, but the gameplay gets old fast. It makes good use of the Wii's pointer controls but the design is too limited to be the addictive puzzle game it wants to be. The competitive multiplayer mode fares a bit better and is the real draw here. But $8 is a bit much for something that's so meager in scope.

• WII
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

For as much potential as the Wii version had, Dirt 2 just ends up being a letdown, especially when the package boils down to being a port/crossover of the PSP offering that Sony fans are getting. The visuals are sub-par, and while the sense of speed is there you won’t find any serious customization, or reason to go back and race any of the tracks in the game’s linear career mode. You go one by one through races, beat them, and move on, and while there were times when the racing felt tight and responsive, those moments were few and far between. Two player splitscreen is included for players that want to go head-to-head with friends, but there’s no sort of online integration, and with a career mode that’s a basic as Dirt 2 you’ll be looking for a new racer within an hour or so of play. There’s serious potential in a racer with this much sense of speed and the power of the Dirt 2 branding (licensed cars, X-Games, famous names in rally racing) but the Wii version unfortunately misses the mark. Hopefully we’ll see another attempt down the line with more attention given to the Wii audience, as this game is Dirt 2 in name alone. If you own a DS, pick it up for Nintendo’s handheld. All other serious racers will want to splurge for the 360/PS3 versions if that’s an option, or wait on our final verdict for Need for Speed Nitro coming in the next couple months.