IGN

• PS2
• PS3
• WII
• X360
• 4.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Anybody who picked up Guitar Hero 5 shortly after release had the chance to snag Guitar Hero Van Halen for free through a promotion. They got what they paid for. For everybody else that might be looking to Guitar Hero Van Halen in stores, stay away. No effort was put into making it good. It’s a step backwards for the franchise and a totally unnecessary release.

• X360
• PC
• 4.2 / 10
• États-Unis

The game's spectacular premise is ultimately unfulfilled. What might have been a truly eye-opening, perspective-shattering trip through the battlefields of a tortured psyche is merely a rehash of everything we've been through in the Painkiller series. The levels are uninteresting, the action is monotonous, and the overall style is cliched. Toss in a few mechanical problems for good measure and you've got a game that's more nightmare than dream.

• PS3
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

It's not your traditional RTS, but Mushroom Wars provides a surprising amount of depth thanks to easy-to-grasp controls and a large number of tactical options. With stages that you can leap into and play within a matter of minutes, Mushroom Wars is a great way to spend some free time without feeling that you're trapped playing without any progress. While I wish that you had more control over your soldiers once you sent them, and I would have rather faced turrets that weren't blatantly unbalanced in favor of the enemy side, Mushroom Wars is a pleasant take on the genre.

• PS2
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The PS2 version of Arctic Edge is a full $10 less than the PSP one, but the difference in savings is most definitely not worth the loss of some of the bonus features that were so impressive when the game made the jump to portables and certainly can't make up for the loss of online, which is as important to the franchise as all those different surfaces and vehicles. If you don't have a PSP and need to get your MotorStorm fix, this'll scratch the itch, but it won't completely fill the void by any means.

• DS
• 3.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Spore Hero on the Wii wasn’t a prime Spore outing but it had class – its fighting engine might’ve been not so good but at least its adventure portion was enough to hold my interest. Spore Hero Arena, however, doesn’t have many redeeming features at all. Yes, it attempts a 3D creature creator, but it’s meaningless when you consider the game where it’s been placed. Poor adventuring and even worse fighting can’t save this game. If you want a decent Spore experience on the DS, stick with the original Spore Creatures released last year.

• DS
• 5.9 / 10
• États-Unis

As a total package, Super Hero Squad on DS isn’t a great game by any stretch of the imagination. The load issues and amateurish presentation will try your patience, the game has a quirky 2D art style that pokes its head in during loads and “story” sequences, and the overall single player experience is as generic and repetitious as possible. At the same time, there’s something in this game that proves Halfbrick has some serious talent. The combat system is pretty impressive (though it’s obviously a first-run effort with little polish or tweaking done), and while the environment art could use an overhaul the game’s core brawling mechanic has potential. The star of the show is battle mode, which is basically a Marvel-themed Smash Bros. rip-off, and even though it’s limited to two players and three modes, it’s actually pretty dang fun in its basic form. You’ve got use items, character-specific supers, and the animation and use of character voices shine when in straight-up combat scenarios. THQ needs to toss some more cash at the developer, drop the single player mode, and let them run wild with a full-on licensed Smash Bros. clone. Nintendo isn’t bringing the game to DS, so we might as well have a fun Marvel clone in its place, and Halfbrick is showing that it’s got the potential to pull it off. Super Hero Squad may not be a great game all-around, but it shows a lot of promise.

• PSP
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Many games are trying to be more accessible these days, but Panzer General: Allied Assault isn't having it. It's a nerdy, hardcore strategy game, and thank goodness for it. Combining mechanics from Final Fantasy Tactics and Magic: The Gathering, strategy fans will find a lot to like here. It's not going to win any beauty pageants and customizing your deck should be easier, but there are dozens of hours of solid tactical gameplay to be fought through here.

• PSP
• WII
• DS
• PS2
• X360
• PS3
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Everything about Cars: Race-O-Rama seems designed simply to let the game get by with a bare minimum of effort and charm. It is the very definition of an average game, and does nothing to pay homage to the original movie, merely taking up six times the shelf space it should and damning any of the current platforms to yet another throwaway licensed game that simply wasn't needed.

• PC
• 8.1 / 10
• États-Unis

Fallen Earth is not trying to emulate any other franchise. It capitalizes on the holocaust nightmare scenario that permeates popular culture, but the game itself is like nothing else on the market. The steep initial learning curve will filter out all but a certain type of player. Those who give the game a chance and can handle being completely in control of their character's destiny will find a deeply nuanced and rewarding play experience that is unique among its competitors. Challenging players to advance without telling them exactly how to do it is taboo in any game, but perhaps even more acutely taboo in an MMO. Many players may find the game confusing at first, and for others the combat will not be lively or vigorous enough, but as with any MMO these aspects can be improved over time. What will certainly not change is the inherent difficulty infused into the game by holding players responsible for their actions. This game isn't for everyone, and that may be the most compelling reason to try it for yourself.

• DS
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PSP
• 9.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is outstanding. The story is great, the game itself is a blast, running drugs is a welcome addition, the new cop takedowns are cool, and there’s so much to do. Yes, the little loads can irk you, I wish the cutscenes featured voice work, some mini-games are flat, and saving takes too long, but it’s all forgivable when the game is this much fun.

• WII
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Super Hero Squad has some great promise, but never really lives up to its own potential. It’s obvious developer Blue Tongue knows what it’s doing, as the scripted videos are humorous and pretty well done (minus an obvious small budget for the animation), the spirit of the show is there, and the core brawling mechanic works just fine. There are some serious downsides though, centered around a wonky camera (especially during two player co-op), some poor AI, and a general lack of hand-holding for younger players. The team again puts some solid emphasis on tech (nerd alert!), switching in soft-shaded shadows for circular shadows on the fly, specularity on the floors, and some decent model work all around, but when it comes to gameplay the final product just didn’t lock everything down as well as it could have. Super Hero Squad seems to have everything going for it but the gameplay, and in the end that’s the content that’ll make or break the experience for younger gamers. Those devoted to the show or that collect the toys will have a decent time pushing through the game’s multiple modes. Younger players will need some hand-holding though. It’s a decent brawler, but it lacks that final coat of polish.

• DS
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

This is the third time in as many years that SmackDown vs. Raw on DS has gone through drastic gameplay changes, and it’s also the third time that those changes have paid off. Going back to the basics, Tose has developed a new fighting mechanic that’s closer to the No Mercy system than ever before, and while there are still some obvious holes in move sets (no dives out of the ring, no apron work, no top rope attacks to players on the outside, and no grab attacks off Irish whip throws) the game is starting to come together as a more traditional wrestling experience. From here, it’s all about fixing oddities, speeding the game’s combat up (some moves feel sluggish), and piling on more unique moves both in the ring in general and in terms of Superstar-specific move sets. There are some great improvements being made though, and while some wrestling fans may still need to wait another year before they all take shape, SmackDown on DS has never been better. After establishing this new format as a base, I’m excited to see what Tose brings to the table next year.

• PSP
• 7.2 / 10
• États-Unis

This PSP rendition is everything that made the PS3 version of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 great with a few notable exceptions. There’s no way to share the stories you create, there’s no infrastructure multiplayer, the graphics are blah in spots, and the gameplay just isn’t at the same level. The first two gripes are forgivable due to technical limitations, but the graphics should look better and gameplay should feel better. Sure, there’s a bunch of nice additions when it comes to moves from the side and new grapples, but overall the jaggy graphics and robotic movements pull you out of the experience. Still, if you’re looking for portable Sports Entertainment, there is a lot to enjoy here. Creating your own stories is fun, you’ve got every match type the other games do, the TV-style presentation is great, and Create-A-Superstar is back, but none of it can shake the lackluster feel of the graphics and gameplay.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

It’s weird, right? Here’s a game that’s literally an exact port of the PS2 title – even to the point where they didn’t remove the “new” logos on some of the matches even though technically everything here should be marked “new” since this version of the game has never been on the Wii before – and it’s hands down the best SVR game on the console. You get all the matches people know and love from the PS2 versions gone by, all the new stuff for this year, and the amazing addition of Story Designer. Sure, the graphics could be better and the fact that you can’t share your created stories online or square off against opponents over the Internet is disappointing, but this is still better than last year’s game. Just make sure this isn’t such a straight port next year, THQ. Give the kids some online functionality.

• DS
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games still has a bit of a “farmed out” feel to it. The game lacks the soul of a first party Nintendo offering, and the re-used assets and key art found in dozens of other games, posters, or box art gives the appearance that this game was somehow built off old standby content and not hand-crafted by the companies that brought you these fine mascots in the first place. It’s fun to see Mario team up with Sonic, even if the story in Adventure Tours mode doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and the evens – while still hit or miss – offer far more compelling gameplay mechanics and a whole lot more depth. Both the DS and Wii versions of this franchise are going to sell like hot cakes every time a new Olympic season rolls around, but at least players will have a reason to keep coming back to the DS game long after the waggle-fest on Wii wears thin.