IGN

• WII
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Don King Boxing houses a decent concept and good intentions with motion control, but in the end it just doesn’t pay off. Boxing is one of the more demanding sports to try and bring motion control to, and while MotionPlus could change all that once is releases later this year, 2K China included just one control scheme in Don King, and it only sort of works. When Wii debuted, I assumed we’d see games with lots of control options, tons of preference tweaking, and the like. Instead, dozens of games come out each year that push forward with one sloppy control scheme, try to embrace it fully, and then fall flat. Granted the control is just one aspect of Don King Boxing, and the main story mode – while unique and promising for future titles – and lack of real in-ring intensity are also to blame, it seems silly to put so much work into a title, offer only one control setup, and then have it not be reliable. At least add in classic controller support in case the controls don’t work. The core Don King experience is decent, but flawed, and once you factor in only somewhat-reliable motion this one moves well into the “skip it” category.

• DS
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Don King Boxing is a nice first effort on DS, and a game that does a lot of things very well considering the limitations of the platform. Touch-based boxing is accurate and fun, the overall presentation is decent, and the feeling of first-person, 3D brawling is surprisingly visceral and effective. Four training games add a bit to the mix, the inclusion of legendary fights against top champions is an added bonus, and the career mode will last most players a good six hours or so. Unfortunately, in the attempt to push the game technically, the game deals with slowdown and lagging bouts, specifically when two players are in close going toe-to-toe. The game never becomes unplayable, but punches are slow to carry out in the ring, and if the engine was optimized (or if a bit of 2D was snuck in to put less stress on the hardware) a slicker boxing experience would yield a better overall product. With that being the case, Don King is still extremely fun on DS, offering a nice balance of punches, blocks, counters, supers, and a cinematic knockdown and recovery system, and it paves the way for what is hopefully a long-lasting franchise on Nintendo’s portable. Bring it back for Round 2; this rookie has promise.

• PS3
• X360
• 6.6 / 10
• États-Unis

It sucks that Afro Samurai isn't awesome. If you take the plunge and buy this game, there will be times when you'll be playing, having a blast, and think that I'm full of crap. Falling through the air while brawling with Afro Droid while rocking out to some fat beats is an amazing experience, but when you couple that with a piss-poor camera, terrible platforming sections, and cheap/mentally challenged bosses, the end product suffers. Don't doubt that there is fun to be had with Afro Samurai, but be ready to deal with a lot of lame to get to it.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

If you're completely obsessed with the Shippuden series or you don't have a PS3, Ultimate Ninja 4 is still a fair Naruto game and has enough unlockables to keep you busy for a long time. But the battle system just doesn't feel right after you've played Ultimate Ninja Storm (which is also a much better game for players not overly familiar with Naruto). But if you're not even a fan of the Naruto universe, I'd skip Ultimate Ninja 4 altogether.

• DS
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

It's not like the game didn't have at least a little potential; the engine is solid enough that it all runs well, and is even animated and modeled decently, but all that voice acting is wasted on cutscenes that jump all over the place or belittle what actual story the movie itself was trying to deliver. No one part of the game is exceedingly worse than the others, but rather they all combine to create a kind of listless malaise that makes you hate the fact that you even wasted a few hours playing through everything. So save yourself the trouble and don't. Please don't. I at least got paid to do it, and somehow I can't help but feel like I may be ripping someone off. Or maybe that's just anyone who ends up interacting with this game.

• PC
• 2.1 / 10
• États-Unis

It's a shame that Stormrise had to suffer under so many issues, including inefficient group control and poor unit AI. The Whip Select system was a good idea for consoles and the basic premise behind Stormrise's gameplay is appetizing, but the entire project just doesn't come together properly. But really, why would you bring this game over to the PC landscape and not even let gamers use a 360 pad? There are so many incredible RTS games on the PC -- Stormrise is not one of them. Avoid it at all costs.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• PSP
• 4.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Having all that Samurai Shodown goodness on one UMD is neat, but unfortunately the PSP version just runs horribly, which puts a huge damper on the game, especially with an almost unplayable multiplayer mode. If you only have a PSP, the single-player modes run just well enough to appreciate the old-school charm, but there's really no reason to get this over the PS2 version. Make the right choice: leave the portable behind.

• PC
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

Dark Sector's fun. Hearing guards scream for help just before they take a glaive to the face, marching around in this Metal Gear-looking Jackal tank while rocketing bad guys into the air and wielding a pimped-out shotgun make the experience something any action fan can get behind. However, when the really similar levels and waves of opponents get too repetitive towards the end of the game, Dark Sector's weak storyline might not be enough to carry the more fickle fan to the finish line. Still, $20 is an attractive price point for the game. It's fun, but it's not perfect.

• DS
• 4.2 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

While this might not be the Ultimate Edition of Red Alert 3 thanks to some of the visual miscues and control issues that plague the title, this is still a fun tongue in cheek real time strategy title that PS3 strategy fans have been looking for. It's a good and amusing experience, and if you're willing to overlook some of the gameplay issues that come along with it, you'll enjoy battling Soviets, Allies and Imperials until the next true RTS comes along – or until EA decides to provide the Uprising content as a downloadable pack through the PSN.

• DS
• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a great dungeon crawler that is not only a step above Ring of Fates, but also one of the best loot-based hack n slash games outside of PC. With that being said, the easy purchase isn’t found on Nintendo’s console, but on DS, where the intended touch control, two screen presentation, on-the-go local and online gaming, and audio/visual offering is at the top of the system’s library, and not lost in the shuffle. On Wii you’re getting an emulation of the same game, though with no visual upgrades, tacked on IR control, the ability to take your character to a friend’s system locked out (except on Wi-Fi), and an overall lackluster port over it doesn’t seem worth it. If the Wii offering was a cheaper WiiWare program that let you play DS games on your Wii (or even just this DS game on your Wii), I’d be all for it. At full price, however, and with a lackluster control scheme to boot, there’s just no reason to play this one on consoles. It’s obvious that Square Enix is trying to fill a gap in its Wii library, and is justifying the DS port by adding in crossover support. If you own both systems, buy Echoes of Time for DS, and wait for the real Crystal Chronicles Wii game which is hitting later down the line. The concept of a DS-to-Wii connected game is one that needs to be done, but more than that, it needs to be done right. Echoes of Time is a great DS game, and it should be played on DS.

• PS3
• X360
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

So, yeah. WWE Legends of WrestleMania is kind of just there. The historic videos are great, Road to WrestleMania is an interesting idea and who doesn't love seeing the Ultimate Warrior back in the ring? Still, the actual gameplay falls short in this one. The matches aren't that exciting, the controls are lacking, little nuances (such as proper titles) are missing and this just doesn't feel like a solid WWE offering.

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

All in all, Pop 'Em Drop 'Em SameGame offers a fairly robust and attractive array of options for a WiiWare puzzler. Its price is also right -- at just 500 Wii Points, this is a package that puzzle players should definitely consider as a compliment to the Tetris Party and Dr. Mario Online Rx already in place on their Wii's channel array. It probably won't get as much play as those two, and doesn't offer quite as much nostalgic value even with the similar age of its earliest editions. But for five bucks, you can't really go wrong with it -- it's certainly a game that's too good to just be brushed past and forgotten, like some of those other WiiWare puzzlers from this past year. Alternatively, if you want an even cheaper point of entry into the SameGame world and you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, Hudson also launched another version of this same design into the App Store there just last September. NeoSameGame, as it's called there, can be had for less than a buck as of this writing. Whichever way you go, the new versions of this vintage puzzler are worth a look. Lame name and all.

• WII
• 5.3 / 10
• États-Unis

It's too bad because the basic mechanics of SimAnimals would make for a fun game. The Sims franchise is insanely popular for a reason, and growing a community, whether it be man or animal, is rewarding. But no effort has been put into the presentation here. The game doesn't run smoothly, the forest is unattractive, and the controls aren't user-friendly. Even if EA is aiming at kids here, they deserve a game that's easier to play and makes use of current graphics technology. There's a good game buried in here, but we shouldn't have to dig through the muck to find it.

• DS
• 8.8 / 10
• États-Unis

And that's what really makes Pokemon so great: its little elements expand the experience even after the main game's over. If you've finished the RPG you can still hang about the town collecting the hundreds of creatures and levelling them up for use in local and online battles. Nintendo also ensures that the Pokemon investment will carry over to the console, where the player's collection can be transferred to Wii Pokemon titles like Pokemon Battle Revolution and Pokemon Ranch. I'm reluctant to recommend Pokemon Platinum Version to anyone who's plowed through either Diamond or Pearl in its entirety. Unless, of course, you're completely addicted to the collection element and absolutely must have every creature available. However, for those who haven't jumped into the Pokemon adventure yet, Platinum is the one to back. Even though it's not a huge advancement over Diamond and Pearl, it does have a larger list of features. The single player adventure has a bit more to explore, and more importantly the online component is fleshed out a bit more compared to the 2007 releases.