Ars Technica's Scores

  • Games
For 0 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 0% higher than the average critic
  • 0% same as the average critic
  • 0% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 0
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of
  2. Mixed: 0 out of
  3. Negative: 0 out of
407 game reviews
    • 67 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    If the game's eight-hour runtime (which doesn't count returning to levels to find secrets) had been sliced in half, I'd be more likely to recommend any random passer-by flip through pages of text, confusedly laugh, and then enjoy a few sensational, memorable battles. Instead, I urge casual action fans to steel themselves for lousy pacing, disappointing co-op, and surprisingly fun text. If Suda51's singular sense of humor is your cup of tea (or, in this game's case, your bowl of ramen), you will likely forgive these lapses—and particularly appreciate some of TSA's crazier reveals.
    • 93 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Smash Ultimate earns its name not by piling on the content, but by understanding what an adjective like "ultimate" means in the context of a fighting game. Gamers want an essential, badass combat experience no matter which characters square off. Even this early, it's settled: Smash Ultimate nails this expectation. Thus, it is the best fighting-game package to ever land on a Nintendo console.
    • 82 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    An expertly crafted, improvisational playspace for stealth mayhem. Buy it.
    • 79 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    I call it a portable, comfort-food quest suited perfectly for my get-in, have-fun, get-out tastes (along with, honestly, my affinity for a range of colorful, oddball monsters). Anybody who's tired of the games' ancient Kanto region may struggle to feel the same jolt I did, and that's fair.
    • 80 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    I call it a portable, comfort-food quest suited perfectly for my get-in, have-fun, get-out tastes (along with, honestly, my affinity for a range of colorful, oddball monsters). Anybody who's tired of the games' ancient Kanto region may struggle to feel the same jolt I did, and that's fair.
    • 89 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    I know how silly this might sound, typing it outside the soothing VR cocoon that is Tetris Effect, but I stand by it. I have never felt so connected to a greater human truth, a cheesy feeling like the one in that quoted song, than in the act of clearing line, after line, after line within this beautiful video game. [Ars Technica Approved]
    • 97 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Red Dead Redemption II is a technical marvel, attempting to encapsulate one man’s story in the West. It succeeds in crafting an enrapturing world but not without some uncomfortable compromises. Buy it.
    • 83 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    A competent, carefully crafted but ultimately safe iteration in a long, storied franchise that, frankly, has much better entries. Yet it's also one of the most distinct Call of Duty games, an obvious bid at turning the series into a one-stop-shop multiplayer extravaganza—the only game Call of Duty fans will ever need. Until next year, at least.
    • 74 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Starlink is a great outing for folks of all ages. The toys are costly but well-made and great fun both in and out of game. Buy it.
    • 86 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey offers a lot to do but very little to say. That’s a shame, since many of history’s greatest tales have leveraged an immense scale to weave equally impactful tales. That’s not quite the case here.
    • 82 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    While Mega Man 11 doesn't completely eradicate the tried-and-true Mega Man formula, it isn't afraid to make changes big and small to the way a mainline franchise game looks, feels, and plays. Not all of these changes are for the better, but enough of them are worthwhile that the break from form seems worth the effort.
    • 85 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    You don’t need to play the previous games to enjoy this side story of turn-based tactics in a fantastical WWII. You will need a lot of patience for character archetypes and massive difficulty spikes.
    • 84 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Destiny is fun again. Really fun. The end game is back, and there's a ton of stuff to do, with good reasons to do it. We can confidently say that Destiny 2 is now in a great spot, and it’s probably the best the franchise has ever been. If you can stomach dumping more money into the series and are in the mood for some grinding, it's a no-brainer purchase.
    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    I’m not a huge fan of the tabletop version of Scythe, yet I found the app consistently enjoyable, even when I was still learning the game and getting my clock cleaned regularly by the easy opponents.
    • 82 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Shadow stands as near the best version of what it sets out to be. Luddington's finale is a grand one, and well worth it for fans of the series. Even if it can't quite manage to keep all its balls in the air.
    • 86 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Probably the best Dragon Quest, but if innovation and surprise are what you want, you'll need to look somewhere else.
    • 87 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Spider-Man is happy to confirm your superhero-gaming bias. If this adventure isn't ultimately your cup of tea, it won't be for a lack of effort, polish, and content on Insomniac's part. [Ars Technica Approved]
    • 85 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Even a remake of perhaps the weakest Yakuza game in the series is hands-down a fantastic trip worth taking. Only skip it if you haven’t finished Yakuza 0 and Kiwami yet.
    • 77 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    As it stands, Donut County makes for a light, airy snack of a game—it's a tight circle of satisfying, empty calories. But like a real donut, finishing one often just means you want another.
    • 75 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    If you're willing to exert energy forgiving Sega's ancient design decisions while wading through Suzuki's ridiculously dense approach to dialogue, task completion, and side hobbies, then this compilation is for you. Otherwise, if you're looking for Shenmue's spirit applied to more modern gaming ideas, finely position your tank-controlled body in the direction of Sega's newer Yakuza series (now available on Windows PC). [Impressions]
    • 84 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Worth buying, even if you have last year's game. It's really good. [Ars Technica Approved]
    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Gnog is an extremely relaxing game about fiddling with surreal puzzle boxes. Its short length is well worth the price of admission.
    • 81 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Online or off, Overcooked 2 is still some of the most accessible and over-the-top cooperative fun you can have gaming with a group of friends. The structured chaos is perfectly designed to generate the kind of laughing and screaming that makes for memorable moments.
    • 78 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    After all these years, the game maintains a sense of humor that lands somewhere between Flaming Lips psychedelia and Ren & Stimpy gross-out humor. As such the 3DS then leaves not with a bang or a whimper... but a really loud fart.
    • 64 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    The Crew 2 is going to need a lot of time and work to feel like a worthwhile purchase. I’m not sure Ubisoft, a company I’ve come to associate with that very post-launch polishing process, will manage it. I’m even less sure I should have to wonder. This is a barebones product without much of a foundation to flesh out in the first place. It’s not something I’d even consider giving the benefit of the doubt for $60. If anything, it’s enough to make me question giving the publisher the benefit of the doubt ever again.
    • 91 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Ultimately, SMP feels more like a goodie bag for anybody who's worn out Sonic Mania than a red-carpet, welcome-wagon package for anybody new to the series' 2D revival. If you still haven't played the game, ask yourself whether a physical copy is worth a few more bucks to you. And if you've already spent $20 on this fantastic game and like the idea of it getting a "master quest," don't hesitate to throw $5 more on the pile.
    • 83 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    The series' best stuff returns at a fair price. Buy if single-player puzzle games are your jam.
    • 75 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Then there are the boss battles, which give a strict time limit to hit court-filling opponents with enough balls to reduce their energy to nill. These bosses are tedious and frustrating in equal measure, often requiring perfectly timed returns against eminently predictable and repetitive shots...But if you have other people to play against (or a willingness to find such people over the Internet) Mario Tennis Aces is an easy-to-pick-up but hard-to-master game of psychological trickery and reflexes.
    • 69 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    While the game does eventually die to repetitive cuts, it’s a slow death. The game’s charm, visuals, and novelty hold up for a quite solid few hours of fun, and the premise isn’t completely wasted. But it’s also not utilized to its fullest potential. Maybe an expansion or two can bring this one back from extinction down the line.
    • 70 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    A bundle of great ideas and characters, shackled by some abysmal mechanics.

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