IGN

• DS
• 8.1 / 10
• États-Unis

It's pretty clear that Vicarious Visions needed to do something truly unique for the Spider-Man franchise on the DS -- it's a little hard to expect a user base to blindly snag yet another Spider-Man game after three have already been released in just two years time. It was a risk to make an all-stylus action game in a design that's usually been a more traditional-controlling experience, but the team pretty much nailed it. The combat system's collision could be tighter and just a little more "fluid," but it's a hell of a lot of fun kicking bad guys' butts with quick flicks of the wrist. Stylus combat works. If anything, this touch screen focus could spawn a new wave of brawler design, and I can't wait to see how this control system evolves in future DS games.

• X360
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 5.7 / 10
• États-Unis

I've never understood the pricing for some of the arcade games on Xbox Live. Some might consider $5 a good deal for two old (and very similar) games. I can't help but play the enhanced versions and think that these worthless add-ons drove up development costs and therefore the price. If there's a diehard Centipede fan out there, perhaps $5 is a small price to pay for the love of an old game. But if you do choose to download this twofer pack, do yourself a favor and stay far away from the enhanced modes.

• PSP
• 6.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Not a bad game by any means, The Fast and the Furious does a number of things mostly right, but only a few things very well. The driving physics are tuned too much for drifting, making the street racing sections play a little awkwardly, while the drift races are too easy because you aren't penalized for driving like an idiot. However, the cars carry a great sense of weight and presence on the street and the customization options are excellent. The load times are terrible, however. Try this one out if you love customizing your ride and sliding it around turns, but don't expect perfection or a whole lot of competition.

• WII
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

After playing a ton with the other versions of Bionicle, we were jazzed that the game was heading to Wii. It’s a huge step in the right direction for “children titles”, following in the footsteps of LEGO Star Wars. When it hit Wii though, the control was blown almost entirely. In a game that ran like a sped up, kid-friendly version of Resident Evil 4 on all other systems, Bionicle chugs on Wii, using the IR only for turning, which requires players to constantly be shoving the cursor on the edges of the screen to simulate the feeling of a second analog stick. To make matters worse, the character shoots directly forward, rather than actually following the IR’s position, so no advantages of Wii were used in the slightest. It just doesn’t work, and it’s a huge shame. Traveler’s Tales did an amazing job on the other versions of the game, delivering entertaining gameplay, strong visuals, and impressive audio, but Wii suffers in the biggest area possible, and it’s a definite letdown. For anyone still wanting to check this otherwise-impressive game out, feel free to give it a rental or pick up the PS2/360 or GameCube (still playable on Wii, remember) version of the game, as they are far, far better titles. For Wii, it was simply one lazy design choice that managed to drop this game from “great” status down to a barely bearable game. The IR control is simply no substitute for a second analog stick – at least not in the way it was implemented here.

• WII
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Shockman came to the US out of context. It was originally a game called Kaizou Choujin Schbibinman 2 in Japan, the sequel to a much more original and interesting 1989 Turbo title. The first Schbibinman had the same two-player co-op that this follow-up features, but also had better action. The characters had swords instead of blasters. The stages were laid out on a map screen, letting you choose your own order of progression from level to level. The presentation was much more humorous, and didn't take itself so seriously. Shockman lost all of that. This is an example of a game that lost its way, because it tried to copy the success of another company's franchise instead of continuing to build on its own, established, unique qualities. What resulted is a bust, a game that is just plain boring and not worth your 600 Points at all. Shockman serves one purpose – to make us wonder when the real Blue Bomber will arrive here on the Virtual Console. Save your money and wait for that day. You're not missing anything here.

• WII
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

500 Wii points is an excellent price of admission for this NES classic. The game blazed the trail for its hugely successful successors, and exemplified challenging and rewarding gameplay. It gets a little tricky from here on out, though. Super Castlevania IV, for only 300 Wii points more, seems like a smarter purchase, as it improves on almost every facet of the NES original, including mechanical and graphical upgrades. If you've already (smartly) downloaded Super Castlevania IV, are looking for an even greater challenge, and want to see where the series gets its roots, then give this one a download. For newcomers, however, frustrations may be more efficiently inhibited by downloading the SNES version first.

• WII
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Anime is more popular than ever before, and manga can be found now in even the most mainstream of American bookstores. The culture of the United States, then, might be more ready now for the world of Goemon. Konami's watered down localization of this title as The Legend of the Mystical Ninja damaged its potential appeal in its first release, now 16 years ago. And, today, that's still the main negative to associate with the game. But that's just one negative, and there is a wealth of great, counterbalancing positive elements contained here that outweigh any faults. Two-player co-operative play, great graphics and sound, tons of depth and even lots of little mini-games to be found and played throughout all combine to make this one game you don't want to overlook again. Goemon's a great character, and his series deserves much more credit and respect than it's received over the years. Strong support for this title on the Virtual Console could mean more from the blue-haired pipe-fighter in the future, even a chance at seeing some of his unreleased Japan-only sequels come to our shores for the first time. So get on the Wii Shop, put down 800 Points and support this underappreciated adventure – help a ninja do his best. Ganbare, Goemon.

• WII
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

Rapala Tournament Fishing is definitely a letdown for launch, as it had potential to be a sleeper hit for gamers looking for a casual alternative to countless hours of Zelda. With only a few fish per lake (sometimes only one) the game has almost no depth, and the need to constantly push the Rapala product becomes annoying after only a few minutes. The game’s transition to Wii was especially rough in the gameplay department though, featuring a reeling function that only works at one solid speed, a noticeable half second lag between any action and the on-screen result, and generally unresponsive Wii motion control. The audio/visual presentation it entirely average, the gameplay is as shallow and cookie-cutter as can be, and there’s literally nothing here to satisfy serious fishing fans for longer than an hour tops. Sure we get excited when a fish nabs our lure from out of nowhere, but that excitement quickly dwindles when we come back to the realization that Rapala is too basic for its own good and fails to immerse us at all in the sport of fishing. If you’re a hardcore fishing fan, go play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, as it’s still the best fishing game* on the system, and comes with 50-70 more hours of a character-based “side quest” for you to enjoy when dropping lures becomes stale. *Note: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess isn’t actually a fishing game, though it does have superior control over Rapala Tournament Fishing in every department.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 10 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 7.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Devil Summoner doesn’t get off to a strong start. Visually it’s rather unappealing and the lack of strong plot to begin with could easily turn some people away. However, do so and you'd be missing out on one of the PS2’s more interesting RPGs. The demons are certainly the stars of the show, making random battles seem almost interesting and adding a lot of depth to the gameplay with their elemental attacks and the ability to fuse them together. When the story does get going it’s genuinely interesting with a lot of twists and turns, all of which is helped along by the historical Japanese setting.

• X360
• 7.4 / 10
• États-Unis

• PSP
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Fans of the series likely need no convincing, as they've doubtless already downloaded this delightful title. Similar to Super Paper Mario (without the 3D), but stressing more of the upgrading element, Wonder Boy in Monster World is a solid addition to the VC library. The stellar soundtrack, beautiful graphics, engaging story, and rewarding gameplay will keep gamers glued to this lengthy quest for quite some time. A marvelous matrimony between action and RPG, spending 800 Wii points on this game will be a decision you shan't regret.

• WII
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Wise old Lode Runner has been making puzzle/ action fans play "just one more" for almost two and a half decades now, and though Battle Lode Runner isn't the most exciting title in the series, it does have the occasional burst of fun. Just don't expect much more.