IGN

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Jewel Quest II is a great sequel to the very successful original puzzler. It adds some new mechanics and really improves the production values, something that I think will go a long way toward keeping eyeballs on the game. There dozens upon dozens of puzzles, so this isn't one you'll finish up in a weekend. I mentioned in a few places that the game is much harder because I think it's extremely important for prospective downloaders to know and it also helps explain why I scored it lower than the original. The first JQ was hardly a breeze, but expect to replay puzzles more than once in order to clear them and move on through the game. This does add a lot of replay value to the game, but I confess on occasion, it wasn't the kind of replay I necessarily enjoy. "Come on, stupid gems!" I would occasionally exclaim while playing, but with some added colorful language. If you suffer from the same kind of verbal slips, you may want to play Jewel Quest II in private, too.

• WII
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

• GBA
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Spyro the Dragon has a fairly long history in the video game world, getting passed around to a few different companies. He's seen his ups and down on nearly every major console since the Playstation. The GBA had been good to our purple hero though, and for years fans could count on some really solid Spyro action on the handheld. The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning fails to capture the appeal that the past games had. The graphics are pretty bland, and the gameplay, while at first glance promising, turns out to be insultingly easy. For long time fans of the series, this game is going to be a let down. And newcomers that are picking up a Spyro game for the first time are going to get burned.

• PS2
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 5.9 / 10
• États-Unis

While the 360 version of March Madness 07 does a lot of things right for the college game, the current gen version of the game falls short. The largest strike against the game is the minimal improvements to last year's formula while not fixing persistent issues, such as fatigue, animation clipthroughs, and questionable AI. While it's obvious that more attention is being focused on the next-gen versions of the game, if there does happen to be a March Madness for 08, let's hope that some of these generic issues are solved.

• DS
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

The Totally Spies license is one that could be adapted into a fun and focused video game experience. It's got the potential to be interpreted into an action design, or a fresh take on the stealth genre. But it definitely doesn't work as a tossed-together mash-up of mini-games. This game is a mess, in pretty much every aspect. Its presentation is lacking. It has graphical issues. Its sound is annoying and the mini-games themselves just aren't much fun. Totally Spies! 2: Undercover is a compromised agent. The government has disavowed all knowledge of the game's existence, and you should too.

• WII
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

It was great for free, as a packed-in Genesis cartridge back in 1989. It’s not so great, or even good, for 800 Points, as a digitally downloadable Virtual Console title on the Wii today. Altered Beast should only be considered for download by Sega gamers of yesteryear, nostalgic to re-experience this arcade port in all its voice-distorting glory. Other players simply looking for fresh and inventive games from the Genesis back catalog would be better served spending their Wii Points on pretty much any other Sega title on offer. Pack-ins may be making a comeback, but Altered Beast is one old bundled bonus that you wouldn’t have missed much if it had been left out of the box.

• PSP
• 6.4 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 7.9 / 10
• États-Unis

March Madness 07 is a nice step in the right direction for EA basketball games, but there is still a long way to go before this title is a must-have hoops game. The new intensity control feature adds another level of gameplay to the franchise, and you can really feel momentum swinging in your favor. While Madness struggles from some framerate and animation issues, the crowd, models and arenas all look great. In the booth, Nessler and Dicky V. sound awesome, baby, but there are a lot of repeats and poorly-timed comments. But with the excellent crowd, this doesn't hurt the college atmosphere one bit. And the atmosphere is great this season. On the floor, the playcalling stands out as a must-have feature in future college games as you continually try to beat the defense and it, in turn, tries to beat you. The additions of School Pride help give Dynasty mode even more weight. Unfortunately, there are no classic teams, slim online options and the game is two months late. Madness 07 is a great first entry on the 360, but there is plenty of room for improvement. In the end, Madness is a fun, good basketball game worth a look.

• WII
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Super Castlevania IV's first release came during the launch window for the SNES, making it to market just in time for Christmas back in 1991. It was only appropriate, then, for its Virtual Console debut to come during the game's 15th anniversary, as it debuted for download as a surprise on Christmas Day, 2006. Though it was re-issued for the SNES a few years after '91, this is the first time since the 16-bit era that Super Castlevania IV has been made available in America. If you're a fan of the whip-cracking series or even just well designed action platformers, SCIV is certainly worth your Points.

• DS
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

If Nintendo opened the door, Traveller's Tales and Amaze Entertainment are the first to step through it. Traveller's had a surprise hit in 2005 with the console release of LEGO Star Wars, and quickly capitalized on that success with a follow-up sequel this year. At the same time, the company was entrusted with another LEGO brand, Bionicle. Unlike what happened with the awful LEGO Star Wars II, here on the DS Bionicle impresses. This is a satisfying shooter experience that fans of the genre shouldn't ignore. Score another hit for those little plastic building blocks, and let's hope to see more LEGO branded video games in the future.

• X360
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• GBA
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Princess Natasha: Student~Secret Agent~Princess is a faithful representation of its online inspiration. But the play's the thing, and this title plays poorly. It's hard to maneuver Natasha, monotonous to continuously destroy the same enemies over and over again, and difficult to deal with the hit detection to get that destruction done. You're better off saving your money, and instead pointing your browser to AOL's Princess Natasha site and checking out the free Flash games and cartoons to be found there. Free is always best. That's obvious to everyone.

• DS
• 4.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• X360
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• DS
• 5.8 / 10
• États-Unis

We can't all be Mario. Since 1992, though, nearly every other gaming mascot has tried. Sonic, Mega Man. Crash Bandicoot and Bomberman. Pac-Man and Sonic. (Yes, Sonic again.) None of the knock-offs have come close to knocking Mario off, standing at first place atop the winner's pedestal. This effort from Cartoon Network is another admirable homage, but fails to do anything new. It frustrates with its difficult track designs and use of shortcuts, and the array of available racers seems drawn from the talent pool of 2001. Mario ruined racing games for everybody else, and until everybody else decides to do something truly innovative and original, the mustachioed man will stay standing atop that first place spot.

• PS3
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

If you've played the PSP version of Gripshift, you probably won't shake the feeling that while fun, you've played this game before, especially since it's just a ported over game. The more than 125 levels is a marked increase over the handheld, as is the sharper textures and the boosted soundtrack, but many of these courses feel like only minor variations on the same puzzle theme. Plus, not including the track editor eliminates a large reason to replay the game once you've completed most of the goals or have become bored with the repetitive play.