IGN

• WII
• 8.2 / 10
• États-Unis

We're right out of the WiiWare gate and I'm already taken aback by the quality of LostWinds. Here's a game that proves with smart play mechanics and a beautiful visual style that developers can do so much with 43 megabytes, let alone the disc space available for full Wii games. The game's got a fresh gameplay hook, mostly tight controls, surprisingly clean and polished graphics and perfectly peaceful melodies. Unfortunately, it all comes to an end too quickly for my liking. (I'm hopeful for sequels.) Still, if you've got the cash to spare and you're all right with a three- hour experience, LostWinds is a WiiWare showpiece and definitely worthy of your attention.

• PC
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

This is an even worse game than Empire Earth 3 for the simple fact that the design shows promise, but it's utterly undermined by the horrible execution. With a better interface, a stable engine, and better pacing, this could have been a decent RTS, particularly for multiplayer. To the developer's credit, it didn't waste its time on a turgid storyline (see also Sins of a Solar Empire), and it knew enough to borrow from better games. But for whatever reason, the execution completely falls apart. Even with the latest patch (v1.04), it's still an inexcusable mess. In its current state, Enlight should be ashamed for releasing it and Dreamcatcher should be ashamed for publishing it. You're better off taking almost any RTS at random from the last 10 years than you are playing Seven Kingdoms: Conquest. The only good to come from this soupy half-baked mess is that maybe it'll pique your curiosity to see how one of the original Seven Kingdoms holds up. Hmmm, I wonder if I still have those disks in a closet somewhere....

• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Even despite its issues, V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack is still a fun experience, and something we could see ourselves hitting up for a few hands whenever we boot up the system. The game’s a little too slow for our liking, and it’d be nice to skip out on some of the dealer animations to get things moving, but the core blackjack mechanic is there, and it’s all laid out well. There are 22 achievements which include things like amassing various levels of bankroll, hitting hands under certain conditions, and marathon playing the game for various levels of time, and the actual in-game production is pretty clean, allowing you to move the camera around to each player, bring up everyone’s hand with the pull of the B trigger, and mouse over individual hands to see a clear visual of your cards. If blackjack was a bit deeper as a game, there’d be more to see here, but it’s inherently simple, and doesn’t have any options above and beyond a quick game of 21. When all is said and done though, this simple offering still trumps other card games on the system, and is a decent option for anyone that fancies themselves a blackjack player. Just don’t expect a long list of options on top of the main deal, bet, show mechanic.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• WII
• PC
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

Fans of shooters, anime, or just general Japanese weirdness should definitely spend some time in Castle of Shikigami III. It's a fine-tuned shmup that, while not revolutionary, has all the makings of a fun, challenging game. Sure, I wish the characters were more balanced, there are prettier shooters out there, and the $30 price tag may be just a bit steep. But, as a fan of the genre, I can tell you I've been playing this game for months and I'm not sick of it, yet.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Pokemon Puzzle League was well received when it first arrived on the Nintendo 64 nearly eight years ago, and the strength and intact addictiveness of the core Panel de Pon design makes it still feel fresh and fun today. The Pokemon animated series references are dated, but still work well as a way to give more color and character to the gameplay – and some unique features like 3D Mode make this specific edition of Puzzle League particularly compelling. The only reason puzzle fans might not want to spend 1000 Wii Points on a download of this game right away is if they want to save those same digital dollars for a different puzzle purchase from the Wii Shop, as another of Nintendo’s classic designs in the genre, Dr. Mario Online Rx, is scheduled to arrive in just a few more days. But even still, it’d be worthwhile to double up and invest in both, as having this classic version of Panel de Pon sitting next to the newest, most updated version of Dr. Mario on your Wii Channel Array will be like a puzzle players’ paradise.

• X360
• 6.4 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 3.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Both the pros and cons of Iron Man on the PlayStation 2 led to me scoring the title as a "Meh" on the IGN scale--it wasn't awful or amazing for the platform. However, with the unlimited potential of the PC, standards are different here. Terrible visuals, straightforward/easy gameplay, and a plethora of other problems make Iron Man fail at being anything worth trying.

• WII
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Putting it all in perspective, WWII Aces is a real gem when put up against the rest of Destineer’s Wii trackrecord. It’s still a pretty crappy game, but there’s certainly a little more merit in this game compared to some of the other lower-budget third party Wii titles on the market. What’s been done in WWII Aces could be used as a foundation for a better arcade flight sim, but as a standalone experience this one’s a “pass.”

• PS3
• X360
• 3.8 / 10
• États-Unis

The problem with Iron Man is that at some point someone sat down and said "You know what would be fun? Drop players into situations where they have to do repetitive, meaningless tasks and then add respawning, overwhelming douchebags." That's a shame. Flying is fun, the upgrades are neat, and the game can look good. However, these pros are outweighed by the aforementioned frustration, crappy storyline and lame cutscenes. You never feel like Iron Man in this game, and if you're like me, you never feel like you're having fun.

• DS
• 6.2 / 10
• États-Unis

It's not like this game was a quickly developed shovelware of a movie-tie in handheld experience. A lot of time and effort went into the Nintendo DS game: the game looks good and sounds great with its extensive voice-over from Robert Downey Jr. and its rather intense orchestral-like background music. But the gameplay has a hard time being better than just "okay" thanks to the laundry list of basic elements that should have been included. It's fast, fun, and challenging, but you'll have to be a bit accepting to some of the awkward design decisions to get your enjoyment out of Iron Man.

• WII
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Compared to the far superior River City Ransom and Double Dragon, Renegade is certainly found lacking as an example of the NES beat-‘em-up genre. And the Virtual Console release schedule didn’t do the game any favors by having it come out last on the service, right after those two more notable titles have already made a play for gamers’ same stock of 500 Wii Points. But taken on its own merits, Renegade is still a fair experience and one that could be appreciated by fans of the brawler genre, especially since it’s the game that, historically, served as the foundation for the entire genre. Put your money toward River City or Double Dragon before this one, but if you’re feeling nostalgic and don’t mind some unrefined aspects of presentation and control, consider an additional investment of five bucks here to explore the roots of side-scrolling street fighting.

• PS3
• 8.6 / 10
• États-Unis

echochrome is one of those puzzle titles that doesn't come along very often, but immediately strikes a chord for its unique gameplay and incredible depth. While its optical illusions and its challenge to a player's perception of the world will potentially scare off some players, the flexibility of each level and the simplicity of its presentation is incredibly effective, and should appeal to anyone looking for a challenge. At $9.99, echochrome is a great value for PS3 owners, and shouldn't be passed up.

• PSP
• 6.9 / 10
• États-Unis

If you missed out on the Neo Geo and you want to experience some nostalgic goodness, this compilation works well. The PSP version has some loading problems and wonky multiplayer, but gaming on your own is just fine. Even though there's a price increase from twenty to thirty dollars when jumping from PS2 to PSP, you're still only paying $1.90 for each title on the disc, which isn't a bad deal.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

There are the beginnings of a fun game in Princess on Ice, but there isn't enough of it to make a good title. The game looks and sounds good, with classic pieces of music and some nice skating animations. The special move portions are the only challenging or particularly interesting parts of the actual gameplay though. The rest is a copycat tapping exercise. The story is very basic, the endings are disappointingly brief, and the characters are so one dimensional that there is no need to go through all of the stories. For a little girl that adores figure skating though the game does a fairly good job of representing the sport. But it's appeal will last about as long as watching one of the competitions on TV.

• PS2
• WII
• 5.4 / 10
• États-Unis

Baroque is unique in concept but lacking in fun. That idea that you have to die in order to put the pieces of your life together is interesting and could work, but you still have to give the player a sense of direction and accomplishment. At the very least, running around the world and engaging in combat should be fun -- here, it isn't. There are plenty of people out there who don't know what to do with their own lives. I doubt very many of us want that lack of motivation recreated in our games. Unless you consider yourself a hardcore roguelike adventurer, Baroque will prove more convoluted than refreshing.

• PS2
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Here's the short version of what I spent some 850 words trying to elaborate on: you can spend $20 on the game, or you can download the free demo and the experience will be almost entirely identical. I'm not trying to judge the game on being some kind of massive, sprawling epic, but I do feel like what's here doesn't really go far enough. So if you like these games, by all means, grab the demo, but steer clear of dropping the full price (meager though it may be) on this version.