IGN

• DS
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Just like the Wii version, Geometry Wars Galaxies comes down to “price vs. payoff” in the end. The game is amazingly hardcore, meant for the Contra 4 and Konami Arcade Classics fan base rather than the general DS audience, but for those that live for high scores, and consider the traditional, extremely challenging arcade designs to be the root of their gaming core, Geometry Wars won’t disappoint. There are over 60 planets to play through, each with their own online leaderboard, download/multi-card co-op and vs. play, the original Retro Evolved game found on Wii and Xbox Live Arcade, and game sharing for your lazy, unemployed friends. Leaderboards and game sharing is extremely fast as well, with rankings updates taking under ten seconds to update at any time; vital to the game’s community. The overall package still has some issues, including a choppy framerate once the action gets extremely intense, as well as a lack of analog control in the hardware, making for a control scheme that embraces the “DS-itis” that games like Metroid so kindly introduced us to, but as a pocket version of an undeniably addictive arcade game Galaxies is perfect for on-the-go gaming.

• PS3
• 8.4 / 10
• États-Unis

All five games in The Orange Box are awesome, and even though we had problems here and there with some of the control choices, the experience of playing Half-Life 2 games should not be missed. Valve should be counted among the few that simply know how to tell a good story. However, the PS3 version is without a doubt inferior, so think carefully before investing the money (if you only own a PS3). The choice is yours, Mr. Freeman.

• DS
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Jackass on the PlayStation 2 and PSP were games that simply contained stupid little casual challenges. I'll give Sensory Sweep props on taking the Jackass idea into a different direction, but I certainly can't give the team props for the final product. It's a bad game that never meets the potential of the of the original concept.

• PS3
• X360
• 8.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Burnout Paradise has its share of flaws, but it's also incredibly fun. The change to an open world brought its share of issues, like having to use the map as a crutch to get around for a while, but it also allows for freedom unseen in any recent racing game. Most importantly though, Criterion has once again delivered a racing experience that can best be described as controlled chaos, one where even crashing is immensely rewarding. If you're even a remote fan of racing games, be sure to check this out.

• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Barbie as The Island Princess is an average package overall. It succeeds in offering up twelve simple, focused mini-games that play as they should and are free of any control problems, which are otherwise common in mini-game collections like this. And it also does a good job of presenting Barbie's world, by utilizing several video clips from her latest direct-to-DVD movie. But, in the end, the experience is over far too quickly. It would take most players only about an hour to complete the entire game and see all there is to see, and the unlockable extras aren't implemented well enough to offer any real extension to the lasting value of the title. If you've got a young Barbie fan in your home and want to treat her to a brief new diversion for her DS, Barbie as The Island Princess could serve that purpose. But just be aware that it won't last her very long.

• WII
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

It's great to see a fresh puzzle game finally arrive on the Virtual Console, but Pac-Attack isn't one that's going to amaze many players. It's a fair design, but its frustrating elements like the sometimes-unpredictable Pac-Man paths and non-support of the lone Wii Remote keep it from earning an immediate thumbs-up for potential downloaders. Dedicated puzzle gaming fans will likely still want to check it out despite its drawbacks, but more casual Wii owners might want to wait for more puzzlers to pick from – hopefully, games like the N64's classic Tetrisphere and Tetris Attack from the SNES will hit the Wii Shop soon. And we can also still be looking forward to Dr. Mario & Virus Buster, the upcoming WiiWare version of that classic Nintendo puzzle design.

• X360
• 4.1 / 10
• États-Unis

Don’t spend ten dollars on Boogie Bunnies. Xbox Live Arcade games are meant to be fun, cheap distracters from more hardcore game experiences but Boogie Bunnies is neither cheap nor is it fun. It’s boring and unexciting gaming at its finest and should only be experienced by those so addicted to puzzle games that they’ve burned through everything else that’s out there.

• PS2
• WII
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

This is the second stint of Sonic Riders we’ve seen, and while there’s decent potential for the racer, we’d be fine if Zero Gravity was also the last. There’s no denying the entertainment that could come from a blazing fast Sonic racing title, but the Riders franchise has tried twice, and both times failed to deliver solid control and a true sense of speed. There are decent concepts to be found in Zero Gravity, such as the ability to freeze time and go into bullet-time power slides, but when the game’s overall speed is on pace with a 50cc Mario Kart race (or DK Bongo Blast), there’s something wrong with the design. The level design is decent, the trick system is nothing more than hitting jump at the right time, and the gear upgrading is barely there in concept form, let alone a fleshed out design. It’s time to rethink the racing design, and go back to the franchise’s roots. C’mon SEGA, all we want to do is run fast…

• WII
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Did I have fun playing Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law? Yes, a lot of fun, but I can't recommend it as strongly as I did in my PlayStation reviews of the title. Over there, I told fans of the show to pick it up because even though the game isn't terribly long and it isn't too challenging, it is really funny and an engaging play. That's still true on the Wii, but the bump in price means that this game is now more expensive than a Harvey Birdman DVD. Sure, you'll probably kill more time with this game than a two-disc DVD set, but what makes this game entertaining is the humor, and there are sure to be more laughs on the DVD.

• PSP
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Here's the short version of what I spent some 850 words trying to elaborate on: you can spend $20 on the game, or you can download the free demo and the experience will be almost entirely identical. I'm not trying to judge the game on being some kind of massive, sprawling epic, but I do feel like what's here doesn't really go far enough. So if you like these games, by all means, grab the demo, but steer clear of dropping the full price (meager though it may be) on this version.

• PS2
• 4.9 / 10
• États-Unis

With every coming basketball season comes new hoops games, each of which typically concentrates on one new feature to draw players in, that one undeniably cool aspect that other games simply can’t offer. In March Madness 08 on Playstation 2 EA Sports chose to go in a different direction and added almost nothing to their package from last year. It’s almost laughable how little has changed. It’s clear that EA Sports is throwing in the towel on this beleaguered PS2 franchise in favor of the greener pastures on current-gen systems.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

There's a reason why I chose StarTropics to be the topic of my first ever IGN article a year and a half ago, and a reason why I'm excited that it's now arrived on the Virtual Console – and that's because it's just a great, fun, unique Nintendo game. First-party games developed by Nintendo's own creative teams aren't often overlooked, but StarTropics was. For whatever reason, this title that takes inspiration from the classic original Legend of Zelda design and evolves it into something new and compelling was never noticed by fans as much as it deserved to be. But for just five bucks, you can't make the mistake of passing it by now. Trust me that it's worth your 500 Wii Points and give it a download – because if you play it and enjoy it, your purchase will help motivate the Big N to make StarTropics' lone sequel, Zoda's Revenge, also available in the Wii Shop someday soon. (Not to mention other long-lost cult classics from Nintendo's own first-party catalog, like EarthBound.) Oh, and as a final note, Nintendo seems to have found a creative solution to the "physical letter problem" brought up in that Retro Remix feature from 18 months ago – the letter has been recreated inside the game's Virtual Console Operations Guide. You can even "dunk" it in water by clicking on a graphic at the bottom of the page with the Wii Remote. Nice touch, Big N.

• DS
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Elements of Destruction is a concept that opens itself up for a lot of fun possibilities. The developers implemented a lot of them, but made the game linear and somewhat limited. The story mode offers up a lot of strategy that can get really challenging, and is pretty fun, but we really just wish we could pull back and mindlessly destroy the crap out of everything without worrying about Government interference or time limits. But hey, it's rare that players get the chance to remorselessly slaughter millions of lives and not have parents freak out about it, so that's pretty awesome.

• MD
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

I love my childhood as much as the next guy, but Last Battle is one of those games that shatters the rose-colored glasses. Because I was so excited about getting a Genesis and beating up enemy sprite larger than my pinky, I was sold on Last Battle from the get-go. But playing it now just leaves me with a wry smile -- and the acceptance that that the phrase "classic" sometimes refers only to a time period. If you want the punishment, fish it off of eBay and see if you can actually push through the whole thing. Good luck, pal.

• WII
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Even though Indianapolis 500 legends is a lower budget design, the collaboration between Destineer and the people responsible for putting on the yearly races is still pretty impressive, and it’s obvious that there was some passion put into the game (which, of course, Indy 500 fans will enjoy more than the average gamer). Classic footage from each era is included in the game, as are snippets of the announcers that broadcasted the races. The team was also given access to the actual models of cars from the Indianapolis 500 museum, so all the audio in the game is recorded off the real thing; something that is surprisingly detailed considering the game’s other constraints. If more time would have been put into adding more content for racing fans, cleaning up the interface, and tuning up the graphics for Wii (the final product looks like an average PS2 game in the end), this could have been an impressive gem of a product, and could still end up a solid stepping stone for a higher-budget sequel in the future. When all is said and done, however, the game comes up short, and is only going to appeal to fans of the sport that can turn a blind eye to its faults, and instead enjoy what can at times be a fun nod to a racing era long forgotten.

• PS3
• X360
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Not only has NFL Tour dropped the ball, it's completely taken the air out of the old NFL Street series entirely. The tricks, attitude and character that made its predecessors enjoyable is lost in favor of unbalanced play, missing incentives to progress through a bland tour, and a horrible presentation. If you're looking for an arcade football title, this definitely isn't it. Track down an old copy of NFL Street instead.

• X360
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 7.4 / 10
• États-Unis

Aquaria has been available since mid-December (you can download the demo and buy the full game through www.bit-blot.com), so our apologies that this review is coming to you so late. The upshot, however, is that this is probably the perfect time to play it. If you’ve powered through Christmas’s PC heavy hitters and are looking for something a little different, then Aquaria may just fit the bill.