IGN

• DS
• 3.5 / 10
• États-Unis

I reviewed Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune on the Wii a few weeks ago, and I tore it apart because it was so fricking frustrating -- Timmy moved like a tank but was expected to make precise maneuvers and darts often hit off target. The DS doesn't share these same criticisms -- Timmy is quick enough and the tap-to-shoot system is super-accurate -- but there's still no reason for you to pick up this game. The enemies just stand there, every mission is pretty much the same thing, and it hurts to play. Unless you're looking to punish yourself or a misbehaving child, I'd avoid this title.

• WII
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Forgotten Worlds falls into place far from the level of excellence seen in the Wii Shop's best shooter options, as it's mostly forgettable and its compromised control in this remapped Genesis edition (then remapped again for the Virtual Console) isn't as fluid and inviting as the coin-op cabinet's original rendition. But its two-player co-op mode, its likably goofy flying shirtless heroes and the fact that you can attack in any direction might just add up to a justified purchase for some shooter fans looking for something a little different on the VC. If it sounds like something you'd be at all interesting in, don't feel bad putting down eight bucks to give it a shot. If you want to play things safer with your digital cash, look to some of the more memorable series in the Wii Shop, like Gradius or R-Type.

• PS2
• WII
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Sonic Unleashed is half great game and half tedious gimmick. The daytime levels will amaze you for they harken back to the 2D classics and are positively overrun with raw speed, zigzagging pathways, loop- de-loops and more, all of it complemented by responsive controls and good technology. As far as I'm concerned, these stages are so well crafted, in fact, that die-hard Hedgehog fans can probably justify purchasing the title for the sunlit selection alone. Just resign yourself to trudging through the nighttime stages as penance for the daylight ones. Come on -- if you're a Sonic fan, you should be used to sacrifice and suffering by now, anyway. And if you've never liked Sonic before, the newly implemented werehog component will certainly not make you a believer in the franchise. If anything, you might come to appreciate the traditional levels by comparison. It's a shame, too, because this time more than any other, Sonic Team nearly had it. Indeed, had Unleashed shipped with a focus on polished daytime levels, I have no doubt that it would've been one of the best entrants in the franchise's long history. But the developer's insistence on avoiding a pure hedgehog experience at all costs has once again backfired, transforming a speedy beauty into a slow beast.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Skate It comes highly recommended. The original Skate rejuvenated skating games with a new control scheme and a real sense of freedom, and that success carries over to the Wii. If you already played the 360 or PS3 version you won't find much new here, but it's great to have it on Nintendo's platform. This is a big package, including a long story mode, a huge variety of challenges, multiplayer games, a great soundtrack, and balance board support. It's too bad the balance board controls aren't friendlier, but I'm perfectly happy just using the remote and nunchuk. Aside from the sleek menus it's not much to look at, but the gameplay is engaging enough to overlook the visuals. Scanning your environment, plotting a long line of tricks, then figuring out how to pull it all off is very rewarding. Buy it.

• PC
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

As with most expansion packs, Vae Victis will definitely enhance and extend the life of the game for people who just can't get enough of the origina, but it's hardly a must-have, even for fans of the series. More to the point, the addition of a more meaningful political element better helps to recreate the vagaries and intrigues that nations must endure on their long march towards either fame or oblivion. The player has just enough of an influence in the process to feel important, but not so much that it's just one more thing to manage. The few interface improvements like the handy character list and the province-bound diplomacy help to speed along the more cumbersome aspects of management. It's too bad that those same conveniences couldn't be applied to the game's awkward military movements.

• PS3
• X360
• PC
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People has been consistently entertaining, and Dangeresque 3 is another great graphic adventure. This episode is more cinematic, and while I love the minimal Casio tunes of the previous chapters, Dangeresque's more ambitious spy soundtrack is aces. Both Telltale and Homestar creators the Chapman brothers have really taken the time to craft the games that Homestar fans want to play. If you aren't one of those fans you'll probably be pretty lost here, but few licensed games get this much TLC.

• X360
• 8.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Much of Broken Bond improves on Rise of a Ninja, but there are a few areas that seem worse. In particular, the lack of innovation in mission design hurts, as you will be sent on numerous fetch quests. It doesn't help that the forest looks pretty much the same no matter how differently each area has its traps set up. Aside from some bad quests, The Broken Bond is a great game. I'm not a huge Naruto fan, but I couldn't help but be drawn in by the story. And the end set of missions -- which can take well over an hour to complete -- are thrilling. A fun online brawler is just more reason to keep playing Broken Bond after you've beaten the main mode.

• PS2
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

The Call of Duty games have moved beyond the stuff established in the PS2 era, both in terms of setting and in how they're presented. A lack of online multiplayer or co-op and an overpowering sense that you've done all this before -- multiple times, in fact -- dilutes any of the impact that Final Fronts could have had. There are moments where it's fun, sure, but does it come close to the advancements to the series in recent years? Hardly, and thus it's really not worth your time.

• PS3
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

If you have a group of like-minded friends, Age of Booty is an addictive online strategy game that rewards communication and teamwork. It’s simple to grasp, but there’s enough depth and balance to please hardcore players. However, the lack of folks online and a single-player mode damaged by uncooperative AI teammates who seem to be lone wolves more than a band of pirate brothers hurt the experience.

• PC
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

It may be damning with faint praise to say SAS: Secure Tomorrow is leagues better than the patently awful Sniper: Art of Victory. It is that much better, and it certainly should do the trick for tactical shooter newbies without a lot of cash to burn. Still, it is not without its foibles, and it's both too easy and too short. Judge accordingly.

• 32X
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Tempo was never a great game. It was simplistic, a little repetitive, and smacked of a dying generation in graphics and gameplay. Still, despite that, it's hard not to find something genuinely charming about it. The character, art, animation, and strange sense of humor make for a memorable experience, and the classic gameplay was nostalgic, even when the game was new. Even though it was never really a hit, Red Company was right to realize they were onto something. After a faithful Game Gear sequel, and a Rayman-esque departure on Saturn, the series was retired, but it will always be the original vision that remains the purest. An overpriced 32-bit upgrade wasn't the right platform to sell a game like Tempo, but with a few years behind us, maybe it's time we gave it a second chance.

• PC
• 7.2 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• X360
• 7.1 / 10
• États-Unis

NCAA Basketball 09 doesn’t make the mistake of adding an over-ambitious feature like NBA Live’s DNA, but it’s also a shame to not see them incorporate some of the easier, more standard feature into the game. There’s plenty missing from NCAA Basketball 09 and the dynasty mode is need of a revamp, but the core basketball is progressing nicely and effectively borrows some of what worked in NBA Live 09. NCAA 09 needs more to warrant a purchase from basketball diehards, but newbies should be satisfied with what the game has to offer.

• PS2
• 3.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Dynasty Warriors 6 isn't necessarily broken, but the fundamental formulas that govern the gameplay are terribly stale. But at the end of the day, hardcore Dynasty Warriors fan who only own a PS2 will still probably pick up a copy; it's a shame that they'll have to suffer through such inexcusable technical issues. After playing so many Warriors games, I'm becoming hard pressed to see where the fun is here.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

If you've already made up your mind about the DS version of Guitar Hero, Decades isn't going to change your mind since it's essentially the same design with new content. If you loved the first one, you're probably going to dig the follow-up. If you bitched and complained about the game giving you hand cramps and carpel tunnel, that'll probably continue for this sequel. I personally think the original Guitar Hero On Tour was an outstanding addition to the Nintendo DS library, and while Guitar Hero On Tour Decades loses a bit of the novelty that influenced the first score, the sequel is still a very appealing portable product.

• PS2
• 2.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Seriously, there's no reason to play this game. The controls are a pain, the graphics are bad, there's next to no sound, and the objectives are dumb.

• PS2
• 5.1 / 10
• États-Unis

NCAA Basketball 09 for the PS2 is a lackluster offering at best. The game doesn’t provide its audience with anything new, apart from a quartet of new tournaments, or improve at all upon the drab gameplay of previous editions of the game. Often times fans of sports videogame franchises can be enticed to purchase a franchise’s most up-to-date offering simply because the latest version includes the most current players and rosters, but in a title like NCAA Basketball, where player names can’t be included anyway, EA can’t even hang its hat on that draw. In short, there’s absolutely no reason to buy or play this game rather than keep plugging away at your copy of NCAA March Madness 08.