IGN

• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Flower, Sun, and Rain has been regarded as a pretty bland overall offering from importers and Japanese press, so I knew what I was getting myself into when I snatched this game from the review pile. Even still, all the previous Suda play, old school gaming, and niche tastes that now define me as a reviewer are no match for this odd, sluggish, and borderline masochistic experience. Flower, Sun, and Rain is a success for even making it to the US, but those that dive in should be more than forewarned by critics across all regions at this point; this game is strange, slow, and really tough on its players. Most niche titles out there that become fan favorites have a hard shell, but once you crack it there’s plenty of rewarding gameplay to be found. With Flower, Sun, and Rain, it’s basically Suda’s name (which means a lot more in 2009 than it did in 2001) against a title that’s just too strange, sluggish, and unintuitive to ever be truly fun along the way. I’d rather share a beer with Suda than anyone else in this industry, but I’ll back away slowly from Flower, Sun, and Rain. This one just isn’t that good.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

There's been a bit of a running trend through the past few Virtual Console reviews -- versions. How some of the versions selected to represent certain titles on the VC platform have been poorly chosen, like the inferior Genesis edition of ClayFighter and the graphically woeful Commodore 64 edition of Boulder Dash. I've had to wade through those poor selections and come out the other end, trying to determine whether or not the games were still worthwhile even though arguably superior editions could have been selected in their stead. (ClayFighter was a no. Boulder Dash, yes.) With Space Harrier, though, there's no question. This is, at last, the definitive edition of an arcade classic -- there are no compromises, and no complaints about poor porting practices or any of that. And, what's more, this particular release contains an amount of extra effort that has, so far, been nearly unmatched by other VC titles in the past. Nintendo revisited Sin & Punishment to update its English and make it more accessible, but that's really the only past example that comes close -- no other game has added compatibility with motion control. There, Space Harrier stands alone. This version of Space Harrier, then, earns a firm recommendation from me. If you downloaded last year's Master System edition, or the Genesis Space Harrier II, I apologize if you felt a little cheated -- there are longtime SEGA fans out there who grew up with those specific versions, so for nostalgic reasons it's still good that they're available in the Wii Shop. And if it frustrated you to have to wait over three months for the Virtual Console Arcade to get moving after its surprise launch last March, I'm right there with you too. But whatever opinion you had going in, I hope you sense the hope as we close -- if quality Arcade releases like this are what's ahead, then the wait and extra Wii Points spent along the way were well worth it.

• WII
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

Let’s not be delusional here. Rolling Stone: Drum King started and finished as a total cash-in product, and isn’t going to hold a candle to the bigger music game efforts out there. Unfortunately, it’s not only way under the bar, but borderline unplayable for anyone looking for a competent music effort on the Wii. The cover band sounds extremely amateur, the in-game band is essentially on autopilot the entire time, and the controls adopt the Wii Music drum mode, combining buttons with waggle on either two Wii-motes or a Wii-mote and nunchuk – the latter of the two being even stranger due to the Wii-mote being held in your left hand and not right. The interface looks nice, the graphics aren’t bad, but this one was doomed the moment it was designed. It just isn’t fun in the least.

• IOS
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

All in all Climax Studios has done a nice job of crafting a fun world to explore and plenty of enemies to decimate. The real issue is engine stability, and polish. While it’s amazingly fun to run around beating on helpless animals, commanding legions of minions with a simple aim of the Wii-mote pointer, and laughing at the well-crafted story and dialogue therein, there are just some obvious issues that can’t be ignored, and will ultimately impede your fun. Minion AI is moronic at times, ranging from delightful and aggressive to bordering on unusable. The camera is always a struggle as well, and with no way to move it outside of C-center and a pretty slow IR-based movement it can make battles and puzzles a hassle. More than anything though (save for the AI issues) the frame rate kills this one at times, freezing for a frame or two when summoning new Minions or in huge battles, and slowing down the actual in-game frame count to around 10-15 per second when things get really rough. When pitting this up against Climax’s other Wii project, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the two games aren’t even in the same league. Overlord brings some entertaining elements and some true potential for the system, but the final result is just too buggy and unreliable to be ranked among Wii’s third party greats.

• PC
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

With the addition of Galactic Adventures the space stage feels much more complete; it was already the largest section of the game, but now it has more variety and stuff to do. At the same time, Galactic Adventures doesn't really boost Spore's other stages, and that's where there's definitely room for improvement. The Civilization stage still feels relatively cut-and-dry, and the Tribal stage resembles a rudimentary real-time strategy game. Still, Galactic Adventures does what it sets out to do in allowing for the creation and sharing of imaginative adventures. In that regards, it's a welcome addition to Spore.

• X360
• 7.1 / 10
• États-Unis

• MD
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

ClayFighter was a timely idea back in the middle of the fighting game craze of the early-to-mid '90s, and its unique visual style and use of clay modeling techniques to render its cast of characters was bold enough to make it something of a cult hit in that age. But, removed from that time period, this fighter falters. Its graphics are no longer anything special, and its combat is stiff, stale and boring. What's worse, this is the worst possible version of this game -- the inferior Genesis port. The SNES version would have been a better selection, and the SNES Tournament Edition would have been an even better selection than that. Maybe Interplay will get it right the next time around -- because there are more ClayFighters where this one came from.

• PS2
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 should be the last Tiger game to make its way onto the PS2. The almost total lack of effort to change anything since the '09 edition is disappointing to say the least. It's still a functional game of golf, despite the busted XP system and boring list of modes, but that doesn't mean that you should invest your money in this year's game if you have any of the Tiger games from years past.

• WII
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

It's nice to be able to say that the best thing about Virtua Tennis 2009 on Wii is the standard gameplay thanks to Wii MotionPlus. If you don’t have the fancy new technology strapped onto your remote you'll want to lower this score by about a point. MotionPlus affords you a natural and generally realistic way to play VT 2009. Even though there is a steep learning curve and moments of inaccuracies do pop up, it's well worth the investment. If you’re looking for the definitive version of Virtua Tennis 2009, look no further. The Wii affords players the best tennis action around, despite lacking game design and aesthetics.

• PSP
• 8.1 / 10
• États-Unis

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 has its fair share of issues, but those issues are nothing compared to the shoddy attempt that was last year’s game. Here you’ll find new and fun mini-games, mechanics that actually work and make sense and the once-lost feature of two-player online multiplayer. If you picked up last year’s game and swore off the series for good, you may want to give this one a look. It just might restore your faith in the series on PSP.

• X360
• 6.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Those of us that crave these types of games can probably look past the jokes that are trying too hard and the inconsistent framerate to just soak up some classic pointing and clicking. Telltale is one of very few developers making these games anymore and they do it very well. It's too bad these adventures couldn't have been optimized for play with an Xbox 360 controller, much like Wallace & Gromit was. An analog stick is not an ideal point and click tool. The slow pace of these games isn't for everyone, but if you're a fan you'll probably get your fix with Sam & Max Save the World. Each episode will last you a few hours, so with around 20-25 hours of gameplay here for $20 this is a pretty good deal for those of us who have the patience.

• PC
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

It might seem slight, if not slightly ridiculous, but there's something utterly joyous about Let's Tap – from its deliriously captivating aesthetic (frankly worth the asking price alone) and stripped down arcade fundamentals to its immediately accessible, and surprisingly robust, control scheme. All of which add up to make one of the most downright entertaining and refreshing party experiences available on the Wii. No, it's not a game that's going to keep you enthralled for hours at a time but it's been expertly honed for occasional impromptu multiplayer giggles – and given the sub-20-quid price point in most retail outlets, you can hardly ask for more.

• X360
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Rocket Riot is simple arcade fun candy coated with brilliant pixel art. The destructible environments allow for some highly enjoyable chaos in both single- and multiplayer modes. Dual-stick shooters have risen in popularity in recent years, and this one has enough personality and charm to set it apart from the pack.

• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Ninja Council 4 is – you guessed it – quite a lot like Ninja Council 3 was two years ago, and therein lies the problem. While the first game was a decent preliminary effort on DS, the sequel ups the presentation while leaving the same clunky gameplay in tact, which ultimately lends itself to a “more of the same” experience that just isn’t as good as it could have been. We already know of two stronger Naruto games on the way (Ninja Destiny 2 for DS, and Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 for Wii), so while this anime offering isn’t too hot there’s plenty of strong Shippuden action headed to both handheld and console later this year. The dated, mechanical gameplay and déjà vu feeling just doesn’t offer enough evolution from Ninja Council 3.

• WII
• 5.7 / 10
• États-Unis