IGN

• WII
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars isn't all bad, as its simplified gameplay and toned-down difficulty likely made it a favorite of some of the youngest Master System players back in the late '80s. But today it simply stands as a disappointment, and the mark of the moment when SEGA's Master System mascot, in just his second appearance on the system, began to go downhill fast. In his recent retro review of the game, our Retro channel editor Levi Buchanan (a huge Alex Kidd fan) even declared that he wished this game wouldn't come to the Virtual Console -- for fear of it spoiling the opinions of new fans who found the series through the VC release of the far superior Miracle World. I'll support his assessment, and recommend steering clear of this one. If you're spending 500 Wii Points on an Alex Kidd adventure, make it Miracle World. Don't waste your time on The Lost Stars.

• PC
• 6.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Major League Baseball 2K9 fixes some of the issues from the past and sets the groundwork for a great game, but there are far too many bugs to recommend. PC gaming once had a strong hold on baseball sim quality, but those days are clearly long past. MLB 2K9 is an enjoyable game for a casual fan, but those who are really dedicated to baseball are certain to find the bad AI annoying. Let's hope next year 2K Sports can deliver a game worthy of baseball's immense fan base.

• PC
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Age of Booty is an addictive multiplayer strategy game that rewards communication and teamwork, both of which proved impossible during my time with the PC version due to a broken online matchmaking system. Bide your time until Capcom provides a patch to fix the online multi. The single-player game serves mainly as a tutorial for the multiplayer and isn’t enough to serve as a standalone experience. So to sum up, Age of Booty was designed as a multiplayer online game and doesn’t work as such right now. If that changes soon, give it a try.

• PS2
• 7.3 / 10
• États-Unis

While the Show on the PS2 is still an engaging and enjoyable game, it's definitely been overshadowed by the other versions on Sony's other systems. The visuals are getting a bit worn, and some of the changes feel like they weaken elements of the game, like those made to the fielding. While there is a lot more depth thanks to the Franchise mode, there are so few changes that this is almost a repeat of last year's game.

• WII
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

If you're not lucky enough to be one of the owners of one of those copies, you would have been looking at spending a hefty chunk of cash to buy a legitimate edition before this past Monday -- but now, with the game available for download from the Wii Shop for just eight bucks, it's an incredible deal. If you're at all a fan of strategy titles like Fire Emblem, Shining Force, Advance Wars or any modern game with the word "Tactics" in its title, you owe it to yourself to check out one of the rarest and most respected entries into the genre from the 16-bit generation. And, if we're lucky, this might only be the first Ogre Battle to see a VC re-release -- March of the Black Queen's sequel, Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, is also an incredible game that could potentially appear in a future Wii-kly Update. So use your digital dollars to let Square Enix and Nintendo know there'd be an audience for that one too -- your reputation will go up if you do.

• PS2
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

As there are so many fantastic fighting games emerging recently -- especially the incredible Street Fighter IV -- it's difficult for me to give a wholehearted recommendation to King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match. With that said, this game will probably please fans of the old-school stuff, especially considering the fact that Ultimate Match includes the original King of Fighters '98 on the disc, along with an extra disc with plenty of wallpapers and other goodies. And for only 20 bucks, it's definitely not a bad deal.

• PC
• 9.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 8.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Avalon Code offers a unique experience among action RPGs. Capturing people and objects in the Book of Prophecy and playing with their attributes is a compelling mechanic you won't find anywhere else. The interface isn't perfect, but it's definitely engaging. Avalon Code is also paced very well, and doles out new abilities to the player at regular intervals over its 20+ hours. Players looking for a cinematic DS experience will find it here. Now that the groundwork has been laid, let's hope for a sequel that refines the interface.

• X360
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• PS3
• X360
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Though the very idea of a Watchmen brawler may sicken some, this could have been a good game. Unfortunately, the design lacked any imagination whatsoever. Add Watchmen: The End is Nigh to the long list of movie-licensed games that aren't any good.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Tenchu: Shadow Assassins is by no means a revolution, either for the series or the stealth genre and if you've played any of the previous titles, you will already have accurate expectations of this Wii sequel. But despite some issues with regard to character control and the fact that some series staples like lots of rooftop exploration are oddly missing from the Wii sequel, the end product is still fun. The 10-plus- hour game is full of thrills and strategy, not to mention satisfying assassination sequences, and you can keep playing long after you've completed the main mission, either attempting to better your level scores or exploring the dozens of quick, relatively easy side missions designed to extend replay value. If you're a Wii owner in search of something beyond the next mini-game fest, Shadow Assassins is a surprisingly good choice.

• PSP
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

No Gravity isn't a bad game, but its homebrew roots are still obvious. Does that mean the game's not worth a shot? Of course not -- just the fact that it made a successful (and impressive) transition from being an indie product to something Sony actually endorses is a commendable one. Your tolerance for laying on the fire button and scooting around in space, however, is going to determine if that ten bucks is actually worth it. For me, it's bumping up against the border, but a feeling of repetition and a bit of tedium kills the freshness the game has initially. If the price drops a few more bucks, I'm definitely pulling the trigger and I'd recommend the same to everyone else.

• WII
• 5.4 / 10
• États-Unis

We Ski & Snowboard goes too far into casual territory and ends up being apathetic. With no structure or goal to reach the game just lays there. Players have no incentive to do anything. It doesn't come close to the exhilarating feeling of playing these sports because the game is slow and the waggle controls are clunky. The balance board has been implemented well, but that's about the only reason to give this sequel a try. Otherwise, it's an exercise in apathy

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

While EndWar seemed fairly advanced for a console game, it's easily lost in the crowded and competitive RTS field found on the PC. This is also a game that revolves around its voice command system, which is necessary for a console game but relatively worthless on the PC. For PC gamers accustomed to faster, deeper, and more exciting RTS games, EndWar will seem like a voice in the wilderness.

• WII
• 6.4 / 10
• États-Unis

I’d love to say that MLB 2K9 picked up where MLB 2K8 left off, but that’s really not the case here. 2K’s second-year offering is nearly identical to what we saw in its rookie campaign with a few minor tweaks here and there. While I was pleased to see trading cards introduced in 2K9 and I think that making batting tougher was the right thing to do despite the fact that it makes the game tougher to pick up and dive right into, I was disappointed that two aspects of the game that needed to be addressed in a glaring way were left untouched – graphics and online play. While this game doesn’t look bad, it certainly isn’t going to win any beauty contests, and given how few changes the developers made from last year’s offering to this one, it’s really inexcusable that they didn’t include online play in 2K9. Still, there’s no getting around the fact that this is a fun game that should offer hours and hours of entertainment over the course of the baseball season as you build your franchise into a dynasty and piece together your own dream team using your unlocked trading cards.

• PS2
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

It’s weird for me to say that the best version of MLB 2K9 is on the PS2, but it really is. The oddities that happen in other versions (players running through walls and missing easy fly balls) don’t happen nearly as often and the overall experience is, simply put, better here. Sure, it doesn’t have a single new feature aside from commentators and a roster update, but the baseball is fun for the most part even if the hardware is older than your kid brother.