IGN

• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Cratermaze just never finds that one key hook that makes it feel like a unique experience. And because it doesn't, it also doesn't leave you with much of an impression after you've finished -- it feels like you've just finished playing another Bomberman or Lode Runner from yesteryear, which it essentially is. If those are games you've found fun in the past, then you may want to consider Cratermaze, but most gamers will be perfectly fine letting it pass by.

• DS
• 7.4 / 10
• États-Unis

Last year’s Madden was plagued by a few game-breaking issues, while surrounded with a buggy – yet still enjoyable – experience. This year the presentation, options, and general effort is there for Madden 08, but the game suffers from some rough programming which can bog down the otherwise enjoyable experience. If it isn’t a pass bouncing off a receiver’s head it’s some random blocker that decides to not move this play, or a player-controlled blitzer that finds it necessary to run in place for a few seconds when he's supposed to be sprinting. If you can get over those issues though, there's still some great gameplay to be had. There are some decent animations, a few snippets of VO and low-quality MP3s of licensed music, as well as an extremely robust multiplayer mode. In the future we'd of course love to see drawn plays with the stylus, as well as a more in-depth friends system online (as it stands you simply select "random" or "friend play" and are connected automatically to any eligible player), but this is by far the most playable version of Madden we've seen on DS thus far.

• X360
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 5.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Mega Man Star Force is a game that appeals to the extremes. Battle Network loyalists will find what they love here, and gamers ignorant to the style and feel of Battle Network games could also find an RPG worth playing. But everyone else in between is going to be bored with the title. There's not enough of an RPG foundation to keep RPG purists' attention, there's not enough action to appeal to the mainstream gamer, and the linear feel of the game will leave most gamers feeling trapped (though there are sidequests here and there). The lack of innovation and change creates a vacuum which will trap most gamers in its wake. And with such a weak storyline which we’ve attempted not to spoil, there’s little reason to play in the first place, nonetheless keep playing. Unless you're confident this type of game is your cup of tea, your money is almost certainly better spent elsewhere. We were expecting innovation this time around, because this is a game we wanted to like. Unfortunately, we were left disappointed.

• WII
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Escape from Bug Island is a fitting name because it accurately describes the player's point of view. You will want to escape this island, but not simply to get away from the bugs. Rather, you'll want to escape the entire dated, clumsily pieced together affair, which plays and looks like a last generation survival horror game developed by an inexperienced studio. Obsessed horror fans who eat up would-be scary games may be able to delve deeper into Bug Island than most, but even the most die-hard fan will likely grow tired of the package as the foggy environments continue and nonsensical fetch quests wear on.

• WII
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Boogie has style, but it unfortunately doesn't have substance. Too bad because this game had the potential to reinvent rhythm titles, but that potential has fallen well short of the mark. The presentation is spectacular for the most part and the core gameplay mechanics are functional. Younger players and casuals who don't know any better may even find something to like about how immediately "accessible" Boogie is, but we're not going to confuse a title that practically plays itself with accessibility. For all of its extra bells and whistles – and there are many – Boogie fails to deliver the necessary tangibility and sense of accomplishment that go hand-in-hand with playing videogames of any kind. When you're never quite sure if you've mastered the controls or if you just got lucky, well, that speaks volumes. We hope EA will take another stab at the franchise and rework the control scheme into something more enjoyable because the potential for a remarkable rhythm game is still there – it just hasn't been realized with this first endeavor.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Despite all its additions and Wii-specific content, Madden 08 is still a tough one to rate overall. The game makes great use of motion with better-implemented and easier to pull off moves than 07, it has more modes, far more multiplayer both locally and now online, and is generally superior in nearly every regard. On the flipside, Wii’s second Madden still suffers from a ton of last-generation bugs, with everything from moronic AI and cheap pass defense to disappearing pass icons and odd camera glitches that cloak the entire playfield in blur effects. Madden 08 isn’t nearly as polished as it should be, but it offers a ton of great gameplay despite its flaws, and that’s where you’ll need to balance just how much you need a new Madden, or how forgiving you are in the gameplay department. The running game is still dominant over defense and passing strategies, the Wii-mote and nunchuk make on-ground players simply deadly with the amount of moves available, and the newly-added Player Weapons, Big Hit 2.0, context-sensitive Power Moves, and Superstar mode are huge leaps for the series, while simple programming errors bring the experience down from where it could potentially be on Wii. Granted there’s a ton in Madden 08, but it can still be a grab-bag of both good and bad. It comes down to this; Madden 08 offers more, but sacrifices polish along the way. Overall it’s a better package than 07, as it has more to do, far more depth, vastly superior multiplayer both online and locally, and a new way to play in family mode. For core football fans, however, you’ll find a stronger game of pure football in Madden 08 for 360, as it’s one of the best Maddens in years. The Wii version is still a great game, it just suffers from a few key “last generation” downsides, and that’s something that simply can’t be tolerated. It’s still worth your cash, still a damn solid game of football, but there’s definite room for growth in 09.

• NGC
• 7.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Madden NFL 08 is one of those titles that you feel had good intentions, but just didn't fully fulfill all of them the way it needed to. While the concept behind making the game more accessible to casual gamers is a laudable one, the actual implementation of the casual elements over the standard gameplay elements is somewhat lacking. The weapon system, which is obviously carried over from the newer consoles, doesn't deliver the kind of experience that you'd hope it would, and the adjustments to the older gameplay doesn't do enough to radically improve the title. The lack of importing NCAA legends and online play hurts a bit also. While Madden 08 is still an enjoyable title, it isn't nearly as impressive as last year's game.

• PSP
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Extremely deep gameplay. Balanced tactical strategy and fast paced action with rich game mechanics. An intriguing twist on a well known tale. These three statements only scratch the surface of Jeanne d'Arc, which manages to deliver on all of these fronts. Packed with challenging strategic play and tactical action, Level-5's latest title is a phenomenal game that will keep you engaged for hours. If you've been eagerly awaiting a game to end the Strategy RPG drought on the PSP, look no further: your title has arrived.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

There will be plenty of gamers, even longtime, dedicated Nintendo fans, who decide to pass on downloading Metroid. And that's not because it isn't worth 500 Wii Points – that's a deal for this adventure. It's because this first Metroid has just been so prolific in other releases in recent years. You could unlock and play it on the Metroid Prime GameCube disc. You could unlock and play it on the Metroid: Zero Mission Game Boy Advance cartridge. You could even buy it as a standalone cart for GBA, by itself, when it came out as part of the Classic NES Series for that system a few years ago. But if you don't already own it, if you haven't ever experienced the first ever Metroid, do so here. You'll see how the series established its foundation – in exploration, in isolation, and in never holding your hand.

• XBOX
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Madden NFL 08 is one of those titles that you feel had good intentions, but just didn't fully fulfill all of them the way it needed to. While the concept behind making the game more accessible to casual gamers is a laudable one, the actual implementation of the casual elements over the standard gameplay elements is somewhat lacking. The weapon system, which is obviously carried over from the newer consoles, doesn't deliver the kind of experience that you'd hope it would, and the adjustments to the older gameplay doesn't do enough to radically improve the title. While Madden 08 is still an enjoyable title, it isn't nearly as impressive as last year's game.

• PS3
• 7.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Although this is certainly not a perfect shooter, the two expansions have made Blast Factor into a much more robust and enjoyable package. Fans of the original should absolutely pick this up, especially for just $4.99. For those of you who haven’t played Blast Factor before, it’ll end up costing you almost $20.00 to get the full game and the two expansions, which may be a little pricey for such a simple title. However, the new content and multiplayer modes raise Blast Factor up into a much more respectable realm, so if you feel like getting your hands on a good shooter, and you don’t want to wait for the upcoming PSN title Everyday Shooter to come along, go and grab Blast Factor; you’ll probably enjoy it.

• PC
• 4.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Legendo has managed to take something as interesting as World War II's air battle over the Pacific and turn it into something as repetitive as bouncing a tennis ball against a wall. It offers a lot of missions, sure, but they're all basically the same three repeated ad nauseum or mashed together into one mission to make it seem new. To try an liven things up you could check out the online modes, but there doesn't seem to be anyone else playing. What a stale slice of bread.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Puzzle action and maze game fans will be intrigued by Adventures of Lolo. This particular style of hero-based, maze-clearing game is one that's really been lost over the years – the closest comparison you'll find on the VC would be Solomon's Key, or Milon's Secret Castle, but Lolo is far superior to both of those games. This title went on to great success on the NES, two decades ago, and ultimately had two 8-bit sequels, both of which will likely also come to the Console in the future. And all three get our recommendation right up front. Here in this new age of Nintendo, where the company is focused more on mass appeal, expanded audience games like Brain Age and Big Brain Academy, a thoughtful, funny, engaging maze adventure is a perfect fit. It would be a great time, now, for Lolo's Adventures to continue, perhaps on the Nintendo DS, so let the Big N know by investing 500 Wii Points here.

• PS3
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

• PSP
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Heroes of Mana may not be the true Mana game you've been waiting for, but its obvious at this point that series creator Koichi Ishii has different plans for his franchise, and they include a grand, year-by-year evolution of the product. The creator teamed with developer Brownie Brown to create something truly unique on DS, and in a lot of ways this trail-blazing RTS is a huge success for the platform. The game still has a few issues, including some moronic A.I. at times and a lack of online play - something we wouldn't have dared ship the title without - but it also has a ton to offer players who haven't had the chance to dive into the genre yet on DS. The presentation is great, the fully-animated sequences are simply beautiful, the music is captivating (not as much as something like Final Fantasy, but still pretty impressive), and for the most part the gameplay is intuitive and downright fun. For anyone willing to put up with a few annoyances Heroes of Mana delivers a great pocket RTS experience plain and simple, and with a deep story, diverse cast of characters, and a pretty remarkable amount of depth it's a no-brainer for strategy fanatics. It isn't the franchise you remember from over a decade ago, but Heroes of Mana proves one very important element of Koichi Ishii's philosophy: The gameplay may change, but the soul remains.

• WII
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

When you get the core of a game just right, everything else flows naturally. Wave Race 64's technical achievement in water effects was so spot-on that the racing gameplay taking place upon those waves had to be spectacular – and it was. This game was a blast to play back in the earliest days of the N64's life cycle, and it's still just as fun today on the Wii. You'd be well served to invest 1000 Wii Points to download Wave Race 64 – and let's hope sales of this title end up being high enough to catch Nintendo's notice. With the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wiimote and the innovations sure to be introduced by the recently revealed Wii Balance Board, a new-generation update of the franchise would be exciting to see.