IGN

• X360
• PC
• 3.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Darkest of Days indeed. This first-person shooter from 8monkey Labs fails on nearly all fronts. A promising narrative setup is roasted over a bonfire of mangled mechanics, poor presentation, and sloppily implemented missions and objectives. The dynamics of the large scale firefights the game offers are wrecked by erratic and unbelievable enemy behavior, and with the Xbox 360 version there’s the added pitfall of terrible technical performance. With more development time and a more clever use of the time-traveling concept, this could have been an interesting shooter. As it is, it’s an arduous trip on which nobody should embark.

• SNES
• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Super Return of the Jedi never earned much of my attention in the SNES age. I'd been hyped to play Super Empire Strikes Back most of all, since it was based on my favorite of the three films -- but its incredibly brutal level of difficulty quickly squashed my desire to spend any more time or money on the trilogy as a whole. Well, that was my mistake. I should have given the series another chance back then, because I would have discovered the considerable improvements made in Super Return 15 years ago, instead of 24 hours ago. With its toned-down difficulty, depth and variety of playable characters, more polished presentation and inclusion of Leia in the gold bikini, Super Return of the Jedi is, in my view, the best of the three Super Star Wars games. Though it's based on my least favorite of the original three films, I have to give it the nod here in game form -- if I were only going to recommend one to download, I'd pick it. I actually recommend all three, since each one is fun even amid the frustration -- but if you're looking to spend just eight bucks, instead of 24, Return of the Jedi is the way to go.

• PSP
• 4.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Do: Buy Dirt 2 for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Don't: Buy Dirt 2 for the PSP.

• PSP
• 8.2 / 10
• États-Unis

I just recently reviewed Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny last week. Also a portable fighting game, Broken Destiny had much better visuals and more polish than Codes, but the gameplay in Codes just clicks with me more. Perhaps that's just my fondness for 2D fighters talking, but the mechanics in Codes feel tight -- even if it can be a bit too easy to execute certain special moves. Although Fate/Unlimited Codes is a bit bland looking (besides the character models) and doesn't have many gameplay types besides Arcade, Versus and Missions, I definitely think it's worth downloading. Despite its problems, it's a really fun fighting game and works well on Sony's handheld.

• WII
• 10 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

In the end, it comes down to your ability to stomach a storyline that never seems to go anywhere interesting vs. an incredibly compelling item crafting mechanic. Even when I was hating the game's characters, I was hopelessly addicted to synthing new stuff, building up my Grow Book and thumping on enemies for ingredients. The game can't completely overcome the dry, slightly insipid story bits, but it does come rather close, and if you were a fan of the first one, there's definitely enough here to bring you back. JRPG fans would do well to test the waters with Raze's storyline first, and those that can't stand these games are best served just avoiding it altogether.

• PSP
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 4.8 / 10
• États-Unis

I can’t recommend the Xbox 360 version of this product to anyone. The occasionally glitchiness of the PC version was much more pronounced on the console, particularly when it came to enemies getting stuck in the environment. The aiming mechanic is cumbersome and confusing when dealing with more than one target, which happens frequently, the menu system and interface are a chore to sift through, and character movement and control is more imprecise. An inconsistent framerate, low level of detail compared to other Xbox 360 releases in this genre, and jerky animations combined with the already unoriginal art style makes this an unpleasant experience for anyone. Even worse, at one point a door disappeared from the environment so I couldn’t actually exit and had to reload a previous save (which didn’t solve the issue), and in multiple instances save files I overwrote multiple times didn’t load correctly. That’s pretty poor, and part of the experience you should be aware of if the Xbox 360 version is your only option.

• PSP
• 5.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Warriors Orochi 2 is tolerable on the PSP and all the leveling can be somewhat fun, but ultimately this is a repetitive, visually unappealing experience that reiterates what we've seen in all of the game's predecessors -- and there have been many predecessors. In the game's defense, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Japanese voice track included as an option, which is a very welcome addition, considering the franchise's notoriously awful dubs. Despite Warriors Orochi 2's massive roster and Ad-Hoc multiplayer (which runs fairly well, though it does suffer from slowdown), I just can't give this a recommendation. You've undoubtedly played this game before (and I'm not just talking about the console version) and I find it frustrating that so little effort is put into making something genuinely new in this franchise. I just want to kill Orochi and move on!

• X360
• 5.3 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 8.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Defense Grid is a great value on Xbox Live Arcade. It's a fantastic tower defense game, costs half what it does on PC, and throws in bonus levels for us. Strategy games aren't everyone's cup of tea, but if you count yourself a devotee of the genre you won't want to miss this one. Even if you aren't a tower defense fan, Defense Grid may convert you.

• PS3
• X360
• 8.9 / 10
• États-Unis

There have been a lot of Guitar Hero games over the past few years. And there will be more yet before this year comes to a close. It's easy to get lost in the flood. But if you're going to grab one, Guitar Hero 5 is a good choice. The accessibility, streamlined presentation, solid note charts, and welcome gameplay improvements make this the best Guitar Hero game in recent memory.

• WII
• 6.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Telltale has another solid outing in this episode, and it's cool to see the story start to come together. Plus, the next episode looks to have a completely cool and unexpected setting, so we're looking forward to seeing where this all goes. It's just too bad Telltale can't get these games running well on the Wii.

• WII
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Rock Band 2 for Wii fixes every problem the original game had on the system and even adds pleasant new features. Aside from a little less detail in the visuals, this is identical to what Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players have been playing since September. It's a more user-friendly experience, simultaneously more challenging for the hardcore and more accessible for casuals. The 80+ tracks on disc are a fantastic offering spanning an enormous variety of genres and eras (if you get the standalone game, that's about 60 cents a song). The music store should be up just after launch and you'll be able to stream DLC from your SD card. Online play in World Tour works flawlessly and Battle of the Bands is an inventive way to engage players in the Rock Band community. Wii owners don't have to have Rock Band-envy any more -- this is the real deal, and is a must buy for anyone down with music games.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

The core of Phantasy Star is a pretty standard 8-bit RPG, and it's understandable that many players wouldn't want to spend five bucks on an experience that will have them grinding levels, buying health potions and running into random battles after every few steps on the overworld map -- longtime fans of the genre will have done all that many, many times before. But Phantasy Star is nonetheless fully worth its asking price of 500 Wii Points for the fact that, without this game, many players wouldn't be fans of the genre. It was such a definitive release and so pivotal for an entire generation in the late '80s that it can't be denied its classic status, and must be recommended to experience again here on Wii. Or, if you're an RPG gamer who missed Phantasy Star the first time around, it might be even more interesting for you to dive in now. Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy on the NES could well have been your first step into console role-playing if you were an NES owner 20 years ago, which is very likely -- there were many more NES players than Master System ones back then. You could gain some new insight and context into your own childhood memories to see what was happening over on the other guys' platforms while you were clubbing Slimes or casting LIT2 on the Kraken. So consider giving Phantasy Star a look on Virtual Console. If you try it and like it, its three sequels -- Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom and Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium -- are all also available already. And if you feel like you need a bit more convincing before surfing over to the Wii Shop, hop into IGN Retro's Fond Memories: Phantasy Star. Our man Travis Fahs recounted his own childhood experiences with the game there just last summer, and he's one of the many for whom that very first sentence up at the top of the article absolutely holds true.

• WII
• 6.1 / 10
• États-Unis

I'm a Mr. Driller fan, but this version is a little hard to recommend because of its shallow depth. It only takes a few minutes to complete each stage, and with a mere seven on offer there's around a half hour of gameplay here. You could spend time improving your scores and times, but without online leaderboards no one will know what an amazing Driller you are (it is becoming less and less acceptable for games not to include this basic feature). There is also no multiplayer mode – disappointing, since other Mr. Driller games include it. If you've never played this arcade action game it might be worth a download to see why it's been popular for a decade. But the previously anointed probably don't need another version with fewer features.

• PS3
• X360
• 6.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is a gimmick game. Its most unique feature is its ability to display fancy pants 3D visuals, and the experience is indeed impressive. But take that away and you're left with a generic beat 'em up. And 99 percent of us will have to take it away, because we don't have a specific type of television that will display in 3D, nor do we have the expensive 3D goggles. Punching and kicking endless hordes of enemies is a very retro game design. Retro isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course, but I expect a bit more out of a $15 game.

• PS3
• X360
• 7.3 / 10
• États-Unis

With almost a decade between installments, it's impossible to argue that id is trying to milk the Wolfenstein license. Yet this also means that a lot of evolution has gone on in the genre. It's admirable that Raven Software recognized this with Wolfenstein, but you can't help but wish that they developed the kernel of the ideas in this game into something more. As it is, this new Wolfenstein comes off as an engaging, though otherwise forgettable, shooter.