IGN

• DS
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

You¿ll want to love this game, you really will, but you won¿t be able to. It¿s evident that a lot of passion went into its creation, but the game completely ignores the rules that every successful platformer since Mario has adhered to. The collision detection in Death Jr. is atrocious, the move set and puzzling unnecessarily complicated and the controls consistently unresponsive. The visuals are engaging, but they¿re not enough to save this unplayable mess. Death Jr. has shaped up to be an adequate little series on the PSP, but on DS he¿s (here it comes) dead on arrival.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 7.2 / 10
• États-Unis

In the case of The Sims 2: Pets, it really feels like this is a solid game that won’t get its moment in even the most remote spotlight. Its predecessors came out on last-gen systems last fall, and while the game is solid Sims action, it’s going to be outshined by My Sims; a Wii-exclusive, stylistic approach to the original design. If you’re a fan of The Sims, give this one a rental, or pick it up if you’re Sims-obsessed. The IR works great, the decent look and feel of the game is still there, and there are still dozens upon dozens of hours of play in Sims, pet, and overall world customization. The actual “pets” portion of the game is really more of an add-on to the basic Sims structure, but couple that with the other elements of the franchise and you’ve got a game that’s deep, free-form, and about as “go at your own pace” as possible. Just know there’s a stronger, Wii-specific Sims product on the way in the next few months. Most players should just wait for that.

• X360
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

• PSP
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Contra III: The Alien Wars and Gunstar Heroes both took up early residence on the Virtual Console, all but rendering other genre challengers from the same era to be dead on arrival. The stronger recommendation remains for those two established titles, but if you're a lone run and gun fan looking for a game you missed out on years ago, Bloody Wolf may be worth some consideration. Just don't expect any bells, whistles, or unique gameplay ideas.

• X360
• 5.2 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 4.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Even without the bugs and hiccups we experienced, Monster Madness would still be teetering on the brink of a fun experience. The ideas behind the game are solid, but the poor implementation too often leads to tedium or frustration. The numerous gameplay issues aren't helped by the fact that this is a full-priced title and there are more than a few multiplayer Xbox Live Arcade games that offer more fun at a fraction of the cost. Try before buying, and don't say we didn't warn you.

• PSP
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Shrek the Third isn’t a bad game; it’s an unpolished one. For the millions upon millions of movie-goers this summer, Shrek will work great as a compliment to the experience, though we can’t endorse it any further than a weekend rental. The game captures the feel of the franchise, but seriously lacks any sort of depth or attention to detail, as the game is ridden with buggy areas, odd animation glitches, and an entirely linear design. Any way you slice it, Shrek cuts corners, and though it’s still fun to rip through levels, beating up on enemies with simple combos and gag-based finishing attacks, players who want to dive in will find the waters shallow. For PSP specifically, the game brings the same style and gameplay as the other consoles, looking slightly weaker than PS2, and suffering from a bit more compression in the audio. Still, the experience is a decent one, and the one multiplayer level – though a step down from the console versions – is an added bonus for gaggles of PSP-owning Shrek fans; you’ll need another disc to play though. Still, the experience is a decent one, and the level-to-level feel makes it a fine licensed game for portable play. If you’re in dire need of some Shrek action this summer, give this one a rent. All others should save their cash for a more committed and in depth gaming experience; Shrek is thin even for a licensed title.

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

So again, all of the above should sound just like Mario Golf -- which is exactly what NES Open Tournament Golf is. It's Mario Golf 8-bit, the direct NES ancestor to a game series that ultimately became much more popular on the Nintendo 64 and later. It's easy to recommend on its merits as the best ever golf game on the original NES, but then, looking forward deflates that enthusiasm. Even so, fans of the plucky plumber's modern tee time outings could have a lot of fun experiencing the grandfather of their favorite game's current design. But those who've never yet hit the links with Mr. Mario would be likely better off to skip the history lesson and jump straight into present day.

• DS
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

I must confess, I¿m not a seasoned Dragonball fan. I¿ve seen a few episodes from the various series¿ but always felt like I was jumping in 100 episodes too late to get a real sense of what was going on. And while Dragonball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu was obviously written for well-versed Dragonball fans, the action is so balanced, the dialogue so enjoyable and the presentation so impressive that this game should appeal to fans that have never even heard of the series. Card battle game aficionados might find the gameplay here a bit too simple, but those new to the genre, especially fans of the adventures of Gohan and Goku, might love what they find here.

• PSP
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Hot Brain is good at what it does. If you're in the mood for memorizing an image and picking it out of a lineup, finding misspelled words or untangling balls of string, there's nothing to hold you back from playing this title. That said, Hot Brain never reaches the bar set by similar games in this genre. With a few exceptions such as Back Seat Driver and Cruise Ship, there isn't much character to the actual games. The majority of exams are just straightforward questions on a white background, and the made-up temperatures do little to inspire me to come back and try to get hotter.

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Top Spin 2 is a decent tennis game once you get going but suffers from some control issues that make some of the more difficult shots nearly impossible to hit on any kind of consistent basis which makes them really awkward to use. Having a controller is also basically mandatory even though mouse and keyboard is technically supported.

• PSP
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 2.1 / 10
• États-Unis

The Shield is one of the most boring, generic games out there, even with a strong character like Vic Mackey. There's really nothing about the gameplay, visuals, sound, or story that can justify a purchase. Both gamers and fans of the show should avoid this one entirely, or else be doomed to a life of self-hatred for spending money on this bust.

• WII
• 3.8 / 10
• États-Unis

When it comes to dropping $40 on a game, there better be some lasting appeal to the design to really justify the cash spent. In the case of Legend of the Dragon, The Game Factory has put together a Wii product that – while not broken in any way – has little to no real entertainment value to it. Sure there’s multiplayer and a few different modes, but when it all hinges on a basic, one-dimensional fighting engine it really doesn’t matter. Each fighter feels nearly identical, uses the same three super attacks, and there’s no real depth to the experience to add on top of that. The few Wii motion mini-games (that’s really what they are) can be entertaining a few times, as you’ll drum the controllers against an opponent for a real-world test of strength, but it grows tiresome after only a few iterations, and you’re left with a shell of a fighter with very little to add to the experience. Wrap that mundane fighting experience in a visually unappealing package reminiscent of early GameCube endeavors, and you’re left with a game that’s neither visually or mentally stimulating. There’s simply no getting around it; Legend of the Dragon is a sub-par effort on Wii, and should be avoided at all costs.

• PSP
• 2.5 / 10
• États-Unis

The Game Factory has put together a PSP product that – while not broken in any way – has little to no real entertainment value to it. In fact, the game is just as faulty and sub-par on PSP as it was on PS2 and Wii, but sits at a higher price of $39.99. Really? The PSP version is more simply because of the general software prices on the system? What a joke. Ad Hoc multiplayer was included, but when it all hinges on a basic, one-dimensional fighting engine it really doesn’t matter. In fact, there’s even less of an incentive to play this one in vs. mode due to the combined $80 price to do so. Not only is the gameplay poor, but it’s damn expensive as well, and we wouldn’t put $10 towards two copies of the game, much less more than the cost of a PS3 title. As for the core fighting mechanic, each fighter feels nearly identical, uses the same three super attacks, and there’s no real depth to the experience to add on top of that. The super-attack mini-games (that’s really what they are) can be entertaining a few times, as you’ll mindlessly button-mash against an opponent or make on-the-fly combo attacks, but it grows tiresome after only a few iterations, and you’re left with a shell of a fighter with very little to add to the experience. Wrap that mundane fighting experience in a visually unappealing package reminiscent of early PS2 endeavors, and you’re left with a game that’s neither visually or mentally stimulating, and costs as much as any top-tier PSP title. There’s simply no getting around it; Legend of the Dragon is a sub-par effort, and should be avoided at all costs.