Completely disagree.

Basically for the same reason some kids start to reject anything they liked before as "kiddy" or "uncool" when they reach their 12th birthday.

Just switch the 12-year olds with 21-35-year old manchildren.

Hrm... many puzzle and platformer games fall into these three categories. I wonder what Mr. Hatfield thinks of these genres as a whole...

A lot of people say this same thing about Phantom Hourglass as well, due to the cartoon-esque graphics and touchscreen gameplay. It is one of the better games I have played in a while though, and I consider myself fairly "hardcore" (for whatever that is worth).

while the first game isn't as complex as SSX (or any other snowboarding game) it has Balance Board support and would be stupid to have to input 10 button presses to execute a trick. So, while it is simple and someone may want a button masher snowboarding game, I don't see how they can just call it kiddy and essentially refuse to review the game because it has simple yet fun gameplay.

oh, and to clarify, I agree that Mario is a kids game, but it is also an adults game, and it is really a E for Everyone game.

However, in this sense, IGN is using it as a derogatory word which means it isn't worth playing if you are a gamer.

SSX is not a button masher. While in point competitions it doesn't exactly matter what tricks you pull off, if you pull off the same tricks over and over you get huge point deductions . As such you need to switch up your tricks, and if you want to unlock new outfits (in SSX1 IIRC) you need to pull off extremely specific tricks found in the photo albums. Finding good lines and shortcuts in race and point modes is crucial to getting to placing first, as is having a firm grip on core game mechanics such as preloading for jumps. This game seems like much more of a "button masher" than the original SSX games.

Honestly, it sounded like he really didn't want to review it. You're right about him failing to review many parts, but I'd chalk that up to general IGN incompetentcy more than this being a game obviously aimed at kids.

metal slug features fun simple gameplay, and stylish cartoony visuals,
must be for kids then

Can it really be all the reivewer's fault every time this happens or could it be that many of these games just aren't stellar?
I find it somewhat funny to read these threads when I have the "Oh my the press and reviewers are biased against Sony" period fresh in mind and the conclusion then was that the software itself wasn't good enough and the ones complaining were deluded fanboys.
It got better though (the multiplats) and the reviews are generally a lot more favorable now, lending credit to the belief that it could actually have been the software after all.
Who's to say that's not the case here?
Wii owners condemn reviews every day because people who have been reviewing games for years suddenly don't have a clue and don't "get the console" and then complain the rest of the time about the lack of 3rd party support and quality effort from big developers.
See how this can get confusing to some?

Hm, I guess I'm a fan of kids games then.

Wait, I have heard far to often that simple gameplay and stylished visuals equals a kids game. Then Japanese rape simulators are for kids!