IGN

• PSP
• 5.4 / 10
• États-Unis

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command has a few strong features and can, occasionally, be fun, but we're extremely hesitant to recommend it because there are so many mechanical issues at hand. Granted, we eventually adapted to the problems and enjoyed ourselves in the later missions (once we got used to the wonky controls), but we shouldn't have to adapt to poor mechanics in order to enjoy the title. Warhammer fans: the ability to control classic Warhammer units may make this game more appealing to you, but anyone interested in the title should be extremely cautious before investing the time and money. The positive elements just barely outweigh the bad.

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Gamers who enjoyed past run-and-guns on the Virtual Console like Contra III, Gunstar Heroes and Super C will likely enjoy this overlooked shooter from the SNES, as it has many elements of design in common with those hits but still presents itself distinctively enough to stand on its own merits. It's not quite as accessible as those titles thanks to the adjustment needed to get the right feel for commanding a somewhat-unwieldy mobile suit as opposed to a shirtless jungle man, and its sometimes-overbearing dialogue can be an annoyance. But Cybernator's still a solid Wii Shop selection, and a good place to start if you're finding yourself here in January and playing catch up with the holiday season's overlooked releases.

• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Rolling Thunder 2 was originally a coin-op cabinet in the arcades, and this edition is the Virtual Console emulation of its SEGA Genesis port. It's a solid conversion, even adding a few new levels beyond what early '90s arcade-goers would have experienced when dropping in their quarters, but it's still a bit too rigid and frustrating to be immediately recommendable for Wii owners to download today. Fans of more strategic shooters should give it a look, but everyone else might want to wait around for Rolling Thunder 3 – as it was developed specifically for the Genesis, it could prove to have more lasting value when and if it arrives in the Wii Shop.

• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Boogie is not a bad game. The technique for dancing has promise and the entire game has a lot of style, with some cool characters. There's just so little in the game department that playing Boogie is completely unfulfilling. All the extras and minigame elements either do nothing to extend the game, or actually hurt some of the better parts. There should be a sequel to Boogie. A fleshed out, bigger version that incorporates some more complicated mechanics. It's got a good enough cast and design to warrant an encore, but this opening act is worth skipping.

• DS
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

If monster truck racing doesn't get you excited, neither will this game. There's not enough appeal here to have people selling off their copy of Mario Kart DS. The destruction and carnage in the game is pretty disappointing as well, and can't match up to games like Burnout or the live monster truck events. But these complaints aside, Torus Games has thrown together an energetic, feature-packed game with fun racing, multiplayer and plenty of unlockables.

• DS
• 6.7 / 10
• États-Unis

And it's only one of many nice touches, which add up on the whole to a much-improved virtual pet experience. Petz: Catz 2 make a lot of little improvements in a lot of different areas, each of them addressing issues that caused concern in the first Catz game on DS. And, additionally, it smartly adds in the Ribbonz system that unobtrusively offers structure and direction to the entire product. Taken together, all of the upgrades make Petz: Catz 2 a much more compelling product than the first Catz was, and while the design will need to continue to innovate to raise its level even higher and ultimately compete with designs like Nintendo's Nintendogs, this is a sequel that's made significant strides in the right direction.

• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Longtime fans of the shooter scene on the Wii's Virtual Console should already know about Blazing Lazers, which is one of the best vertically-scrolling shoot-'em-ups to come from the TurboGrafx. Since Zanac was developed by the same company, it should appeal to those same fans – with the footnote that this design is definitely more archaic and difficult as a result. The programming that went into Zanac's experience and that allowed for its on-the-fly adjustments to in-game difficulty is a novel feature, and worth a look for those curious to know how it actually plays out. But it's still a tough game even at its "easiest" setting, so only serious shooter fans should spend the 500 Wii Points on a download from the Shop.

• PS3
• 9.1 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

The FMV sequences and extras in this game should be particularly enjoyable for fans of these pro poker icons. But the table game itself is lacking in personality, and more cluttered than some of the better DS poker games available. Diehard World Series of Poker followers might find the game enhanced by avatars and AI opponents representing poker's best, but will be disappointed to realize how little of their personality actually translates to the virtual table.

• DS
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Hot Wheel: Beat That! Is a little bit of a good game, stretched out and protracted until it's no longer near as fun to play. At its best the game is a fun little handheld racer that offers some cool tracks, but those fun moments are sandwiched between long periods of stale design and repetitive racing. Considering the amount of other racing games on the DS, it shouldn't be hard to find ones that beat that.

• WII
• 2 / 10
• États-Unis

Dave Mirra BMX Challenge a terrible racing game, and it's an even worse trick game. You might as well save yourself some cash and just stab yourself in the eye.

• WII
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Sonic 3D Blast has its moments, when Sonic's looping, rolling and spinning around as you'd expect him to, moving quickly, being himself. But those moments are brief and fleeting – you always end up back where you started, controlling a plodding, slipping version of the Hedgehog through a world that calls itself 3D but is really anything but. A better, more vibrant edition of this adventure made it out for the SEGA Saturn years ago, and had a few more redeeming qualities to it – but this version is simply fair, and gamers looking for a classic Sonic game would be much better off spending their 800 Wii Points on one of the side-scrolling adventures instead.

• DS
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Bratz 4 Real does some work to recast the shallow, self-absorbed Bratz girls in a more redeeming light, using them and their friendship to tell a tale of unity and breaking down social barriers. But whereas that premise and the game's compelling customization options prove to be solid positive points for this package, Bratz 4 Real is still a game brought down by a variety of other oddities. The lack of sound through most of the adventure is weird, and the lack of visible interaction between the students you're "reuniting" is weirder. It's a game that's worth a look for established fans of the brand and those girls who enjoyed the Bratz 4 Real feature film that this adventure's based upon, but gamers who aren't already a part of that clique likely won't feel that this title provides enough significant inroads to encourage their entry.

• PS2
• WII
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Star Trek Conquest is an interesting game to say the least. The core game design is fun, but the amount of options, polish, and multiplayer (or entire lack thereof) brings the experience down more than a few notches. On PS2 the title is $15, and as a “beyond budget” title we could see Star Trek’s appeal. On Wii, you’re asked to pay double the price for a game that offers one real mode, a bonus combat sandbox, and nothing beyond that. If the designers had a chance to big with the Conquest series we could see some serious potential here, but as it stands there’s just too little to justify the price tag, and only hardcore Trekkies and hardcore strategy fans need apply.

• PS3
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Pain is fun enough. Slamming Jarvis into the Manhole sign and then attempting to ooch him into the police car's path so that he can grab on and get propelled into the propane tank can be a riot. The game looks good, controls well and has lots of trophies to keep you going. However, the game is underwhelming and feels incomplete. You're paying $10 for two characters and one map that has the same routine every time you reset it. Leaderboards don't let you see how your friends racked up their score, there's no online multiplayer and the in-game "Community" is just a link to the Pain website. There seems to be a movement to include these things as downloadable content, but I can't review the game based on what it might be one day -- and even if I could, I'd still worry about the price of these additions. As of now, Pain can be fun but has a number of shortcomings that make it feel like a demo and hold it back from being the PSN standout it could've been.

• PSP
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 8.2 / 10
• États-Unis