IGN

• DS
• 7.4 / 10
• États-Unis

Drone Tactics is a solid strategy game wrapped in a sickly sweet candy shell. In order to get at the gaming goodness you have to bite through generic characters, laughable dialogue, and one of the most inane stories we've ever been forced to sit through (because we can't skip the damn things!). If you consider yourself a fan of turn-based strategy games, though, you may find the engaging insect mech combat to be worth it.

• WII
• 5.6 / 10
• États-Unis

I applaud developer Planet Moon for trying something fresh and original in the music game genre. But I have to give them a wag of the finger for treating the player like a child. Really, we can handle more than a few swings of the Wiimote. You'll only find it difficult if you don't know what the game's about -- because it won't explain things to you. Once you get past the novelty of hearing the classic funk song "Brick House" played by a country band, the game offers nothing else. At the end of your first song, you've experienced everything the game has to offer. Playing along with the songs isn't fun, there isn't any challenge, and there are barely any modes or options to speak of. Even as a casual game, Battle of the Bands fails to engage the player. The fun music player is the only thing saving this one from the scrap heap.

• PSP
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

The complaints I just mentioned shouldn't scare anyone away from this title. Like the Hot Shots before it, Open Tee 2 delivers a solid, easy-to-use golf engine that gets mixed with wacky characters and costumes. The amount of unlockables is insane, the load times are vastly improved, and there are 24 characters to master. However, the failed Wi-Fi matches and ho-hum online options hurt, and I think the review score reflects that. Hot Shots: Open Tee 2 feels like well-worn territory at times, but it's a ton of fun and a ton of content that comes with a miniscule $29.99 price tag. Pick it up.

• WII
• 6.1 / 10
• États-Unis

Critter Round-Up has its charms, but there's not quite enough here to justify the $10 price tag. If it were $5 I'd say this is a pleasant little download. The animals are cute, and the gameplay rests on some solid foundations put in place by Qix back in 1981. There just isn't enough of a challenge to keep the player engaged. Younger players might find it fascinating, but there are more robust WiiWare games for the rest of us.

• WII
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Beyond the new questions, the Wii disc version of TV Show King adds a couple of new modes and a better leaderboard, as well as non-Mii characters for computer controlled players. But beyond that TV Show King Party is a pretty lazy addition to the Wii library, a blatant quick-buck product that works as a downloadable game, but when it's considered a retail product all of its flaws are amplified.

• WII
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

There are people out there that will have a blast with Star Soldier R – we even fall into that category ourselves – but there’s no denying that Hudson is pulling a bit of a fast one with its current product. You’re essentially paying 800 points for a five minute experience that is fun enough to play through multiple times, but with so much more already offered on VC, it simply can’t be justified for anyone but the hardcore, high score-obsessed crowd. It’s a fun game, but it’s far too shallow. There’s even a warning before downloading on the Wii Shop channel that states it is a timed game, and will end after five minutes. It can be fun, but it was also fun as a bonus feature on previous, cheaper shooters already available on VC. We wouldn’t be surprised if the same team that worked on R released a full game down the line, and used Wii Ware as a chance to set up an engine, test the waters, and deliver a smaller chunk of content to make a few quick bucks. Yes it can be fun, and yes, some people will log some serious hours into it. In the end though, it’s just way, way too thin.

• DS
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

It's time to let Myst die. It had it's run, and now it's time for the game to finally stop appearing everywhere. Even when it's free, Myst is barely worth playing, so charging $30 for a portable version is just ridiculous, especially since the port absolutely ruins the game. No amount of nostalgia can make this pixelated, boring, sorry excuse for an adventure fun

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Let's Yoga and Let's Pilates are perfectly respectable exercise tools. What keeps them from being truly great pieces of software is their disinterest in embracing any sort of game mechanics. Wii Fit is a perfect example of an exercise tool that works a lot of traditional gameplay into its program. If Yoga and Pilates figured out how to make a game out of their routines, they could increase their audience beyond people who are already into yoga and pilates. But as they are, I think on-the-go types who like to stay in shape will find both of these pretty useful. If you have to decide between the two, there is more value to be found in Pilates.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Metal Slug is arguably the most notable Neo Geo action game ever made. It's an excellent game to play through yourself, and even better when tackled with a friend through its co-op mode. So bite that bullet. Clean out the fridge, drop the cash, and blast some Rebels with your Slug.

• X360
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

For Fall Line Studio's first game, Prince Caspian isn’t half bad. It's clear that a lot of work went into making the battles cool, but it's a bummer that the rest of the game isn't as fun or engaging. It's a short experience, but if kids are into the DGamer stuff and want those costumes they could devote considerably more time into it, even play the game again to get some stuff they missed. I'd love to see Fall Line do an RPG aimed at an older audience, since they have a really good template for a great strategic game. At the very least the next Chronicles game should come with a mode for those of us that are too old to return to Narnia.

• PC
• 6.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Baseball Mogul's existence is predicated upon the support of a fervent fanbase, many of whom play in online leagues using either Baseball Mogul online or the game, proper. As a result, many of the features and new items put into the game are for the primary purpose of increasing online interactivity and the leagues that require the game. Last year's online encyclopedia simplified the process of creating an online database that team owners could view, a fantastic addition, but one geared entirely towards online players. This year's batch of features were more of a half-hearted attempt to provide an improved experience to the single-player user, but outside of updated rosters and the new startup and depth chart screens, there's not much in this version representing a significant improvement over Baseball Mogul 2008. A year spent dramatically improving the game's AI and adjusting a now years-old gameplay mechanic is the prescription for this series.

• MD
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

Earnest Evans is one of those Genesis bargains that is still not cheap enough to warrant a look. Renovation was responsible for bringing some real greats to American gamers from Japan, though, so don't let the disappointment of Earnest Evans steer you completely away from the label.

• WII
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Defend Your Castle is a fun WiiWare game and a perfect example of what the service can bring to Wii owners. Namely, seemingly shallow pick-up-and-play experiences with hidden depth. XGen Studios' project features only a handful of basic play mechanics -- primarily, the ability to grab villagers and toss them around -- but it's frantic, occasionally strategic, and fun, particularly as a multiplayer game. It's also a deal at only 500 Wii Points. The big problem is that you will inevitably tire of the single challenge, even with the bells and whistles surrounding it. And, of course, there's the fact that a similar experience can be had for free on your Internet browser.

• WII
• 8.2 / 10
• États-Unis

We're right out of the WiiWare gate and I'm already taken aback by the quality of LostWinds. Here's a game that proves with smart play mechanics and a beautiful visual style that developers can do so much with 43 megabytes, let alone the disc space available for full Wii games. The game's got a fresh gameplay hook, mostly tight controls, surprisingly clean and polished graphics and perfectly peaceful melodies. Unfortunately, it all comes to an end too quickly for my liking. (I'm hopeful for sequels.) Still, if you've got the cash to spare and you're all right with a three- hour experience, LostWinds is a WiiWare showpiece and definitely worthy of your attention.

• PC
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

This is an even worse game than Empire Earth 3 for the simple fact that the design shows promise, but it's utterly undermined by the horrible execution. With a better interface, a stable engine, and better pacing, this could have been a decent RTS, particularly for multiplayer. To the developer's credit, it didn't waste its time on a turgid storyline (see also Sins of a Solar Empire), and it knew enough to borrow from better games. But for whatever reason, the execution completely falls apart. Even with the latest patch (v1.04), it's still an inexcusable mess. In its current state, Enlight should be ashamed for releasing it and Dreamcatcher should be ashamed for publishing it. You're better off taking almost any RTS at random from the last 10 years than you are playing Seven Kingdoms: Conquest. The only good to come from this soupy half-baked mess is that maybe it'll pique your curiosity to see how one of the original Seven Kingdoms holds up. Hmmm, I wonder if I still have those disks in a closet somewhere....

• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Even despite its issues, V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack is still a fun experience, and something we could see ourselves hitting up for a few hands whenever we boot up the system. The game’s a little too slow for our liking, and it’d be nice to skip out on some of the dealer animations to get things moving, but the core blackjack mechanic is there, and it’s all laid out well. There are 22 achievements which include things like amassing various levels of bankroll, hitting hands under certain conditions, and marathon playing the game for various levels of time, and the actual in-game production is pretty clean, allowing you to move the camera around to each player, bring up everyone’s hand with the pull of the B trigger, and mouse over individual hands to see a clear visual of your cards. If blackjack was a bit deeper as a game, there’d be more to see here, but it’s inherently simple, and doesn’t have any options above and beyond a quick game of 21. When all is said and done though, this simple offering still trumps other card games on the system, and is a decent option for anyone that fancies themselves a blackjack player. Just don’t expect a long list of options on top of the main deal, bet, show mechanic.