IGN

• PS2
• 5.3 / 10
• États-Unis

TNA iMPACT! had a lot of potential, but it didn't follow through on it. Sure, the control scheme is solid as well as a throwback to the wrestling games of old (so it's sure to appeal to a lot of people) and the Ultimate X Match is fun and provides for some good looking spots, but those facets aren't enough to overcome the pile of wrong this title has assembled. There's no CAW; the moves are limited and repetitive; there's no online; clipping issues abound; the game is not pretty; the framerate dips; and above all, iMPACT! doesn't feel like real wrestling. The opponents never stay down long enough; they don't sell limb damage; there's an announce table and announcer voices (that are barely used) but no announcer bodies; there are no championship belts to wear or defend even though they're mentioned in the story; chairs are just sitting around the outside of the ring; there is no rope break, and every match is no count out/no DQ. It's clear that the PlayStation 2 version of TNA iMPACT! was an afterthought.

• PS2
• PC
• 1.9 / 10
• États-Unis

There are a few other trivial elements in Falling Stars like dressing Luna or training Komi (you just distribute points to his attack, speed or defense), but they're not worth talking about -- just like this game isn't worth your time or money. I'm tempted to recommend that you throw this game into a fire, but I'm strongly against the burning of creative works. But calling Falling Stars a "creative work" is a bit of a stretch.

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Very few games have ever been created that are as overtly explicit as those in the Cho Aniki series, and while this first installment in the franchise is the tamest of them all it’s easy to see the direction that developer Masaya intended evolving already. Cho Aniki is the weirdest and most nonsensical Import to come to the American Virtual Console so far -- and it likely won’t ever lose that distinction, unless its own sequels show up someday. The even more ridiculous Ai Cho Aniki and Cho Aniki: Bakuretsu Ranto Hen could be potential future candidates for the service, so if you want to see more nearly naked men come to the VC, put down 900 Wii Points for this one.

• WII
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Final Soldier is an Import category release for the Virtual Console, as it's never previously been made available in the United States. But, that novelty aside, it's just not quite as appealing as most of the other games in its series that have been on sale in the Wii Shop for a while. It certainly tops the NES Star Soldier, but beyond that I'd more firmly recommend Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade or Blazing Lazers before suggesting that you spend 700 Wii Points on this one. If you've already played and enjoyed all the rest, though, then by all means use seven bucks to grab this not-so-final middle installment in the franchise.

• DS
• 6.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Ferrari Challenge's greatest offense is being boring. We get a glimpse of a really interesting racer in the tutorial, but then all that fun stuff is taken away and we're left with a totally mediocre game. Without any bells or whistles, all you can do is race invincible Ferraris around dull environments. Interface problems keep it from being exciting for even diehard Ferrari fans. Drivers should check out last month's Grid for an example of portable racing done well.

• DS
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

Mystery Case Files might be lacking in personality (sorry, bad puns don't equal personality), but it is an engaging diversion. If all it offered was a seek-and-find game it would have gotten old fast, but the many variations and additional mini-games keep the player engaged as it moves along briskly. There are several entries in the series available online, so hopefully we'll get a few more here on the DS.

• PS3
• X360
• 6.4 / 10
• États-Unis

TNA iMPACT! had a lot of potential, but it didn't follow through on most of it. Beyond the limited/repetitive moves, lackluster CAW, and scaled back online, my main problem is that iMPACT! doesn't feel like real wrestling. The opponents never stay down long enough, they don't sell limb damage, there's an announce table and announcer voices (which are super-repetitive), but no announcer bodies, there are no championship belts to wear or defend even though they're mentioned in the story, chairs are just sitting around the outside of the ring, there is no rope break, and every match is no count out/no DQ. Don't get me wrong, the control scheme is solid as well as a throwback to the wrestling games of old (so it's sure to appeal to a lot of people) and the Ultimate X Match is fun and provides for some good looking spots, but overall TNA iMPACT! ends up being a shallow game. It's not going to take you long to see everything this title has to offer and start dreaming about the sequel.

• PS3
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

No matter which angle you decide to look at Vampire Rain: Altered Species from, the game is bad. The graphics scream PS2. Sounds such as the death groan and boss grunts are laughable. The story is boring. The acting is hammed up in the worst way. The HUD is hideous. The levels are linear. The majority of weapons are useless. The AI is retarded. The enemies are too powerful while the bosses are too weak. Although it's true that I wasn't falling through the floor like my 360 counterpart was last year, and PS3 owners do get extras such as an additional mode on their second play through, there's no reason to touch this game.

• PS3
• X360
• 2.5 / 10
• États-Unis

If development studio Fun Labs was going for an arcade fishing experience, it missed the point. There are no exotic fish species and the action that comes with hooking a fish is mundane. If the objective was to make a simulation, they forgot to add any features to make it feel real. This game feels like it has no identity and that the only plan the developers had was to make the graphics shiny and hope that people don't notice that they left out the rest of the game.

• X360
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 8.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Lock's Quest is by far one of the most original, inspired, and entertaining experiences we've had on DS this year. Everything from the unique build mode to the impressive audio/visual offering, the immersion found in cinematic intros and story-developing cut scenes throughout, and even the random tongue-in-cheek dialogue lines thrown in to remind players that this is a game, made by gamers, are very welcome. We're not going to go overboard and claim that Lock's Quest is some conquer-all, greatest game on DS (it isn't, though for a second DS title, 5th Cell has proved its place among the pocket greats already), but instead will only break it down by saying its classically inspired fun, and we loved every minute of it without exception. We could think of 100 things we'd love to see added to a future version (four player multiplayer, online play, and co-op modes at the very least), but this original IP has delivered an extremely impressive package in its first offering, and is hopefully only going to get better with future versions that we can only assume (and hope) are on the way. Any game that can be thrown in with the likes of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, Final Fantasy IV, Heroes of Mana, Rocket Slime, and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and still feel unique and fresh among some of the top DS strategy/RPG games deserves its time in the spotlight, and Lock's Quest is exactly that. Buy it, and love it.

• PS3
• X360
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

NHL 09 isn’t just a great hockey game, it’s one of the best sports games to be released in the last decade. It takes the right analog stick controls first pioneered in last year’s game and pushes them forward ever so slightly while pouring on features that everyone from newbies to diehards will appreciate. The only question remaining is how they’ll follow this sports game of the year contender once next season rolls around.

• PC
• 7.3 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Shred Nebula can be a near-mindless experience at times but it is completely functional, and while it fails to be very exciting it often presents the same moments of enjoyment found in a quick game of Asteroids.

• WII
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

King of the Monsters is a perfectly acceptable game to find included in a compilation package of multiple Neo Geo classics, but standing on its own as an individual experience it just doesn't rate highly enough to warrant a 900 Wii Point investment. If you missed its debut in the Wii Shop over the summer, you didn't miss much. Let this one stay lost in the shuffle and save your digital dollars for some of the better, newer releases hitting the Virtual Console this fall.

• WII
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Classic gaming completionists out there are no doubt pleased that one more of the original NES launch titles has now arrived in the Wii Shop, but it's hard to imagine that too many more of you are all that excited about this release. It was a fine diversion when it showed up as a freebie to play in Animal Crossing, and it certainly even entertained the few gamers who got on board with the whole e-Reader thing when it showed up again in card form a few years ago. But at 500 Wii Points as a Virtual Console title, and with so many other, better games already available at that same rate, it's safe for you to spin right on past Clu Clu Land. You could even choose to buy Pac-Man instead.

• DS
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Spore Creatures isn’t intended as a replacement for the core PC Spore experience -- it’s meant to compliment that design with a unique experience that lifts many of the core elements. And for the most part it succeeds in that task: this is a fun, involved, albeit more linear DS experience with a few quirks that get in the way, but even with those quirks it’s great to experience a game on the more limited handheld with a similar sense of creativity that PC gamers will have in Spore.

• X360
• 6.3 / 10
• États-Unis

Do you like playing gin? Does no one else you know own a dollar deck of cards? Then perhaps Gin Rummy is for you. More could have been done with creating a cool look and adding some incentives for playing. Still, Gin Rummy can get addictive. There's just not a whole heck of a lot here.