AusGamers' Scores

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For 846 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 57% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 40% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 78
Highest review score: 100 Overwatch (2016)
Lowest review score: 18 AMY
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 567 out of 846
  2. Mixed: 247 out of 846
  3. Negative: 32 out of 846
848 game reviews
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per page
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
    In the end, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is still worth celebrating. For one it’s different from the usual "fight fight fight" setup of past DBZ games, with a focus on telling classic stories from the series. The ability to explore the world is especially wonderful for fans, and King Kai’s fantastic jokes make you yearn for a new Netflix stand-up special. Still, as a fan, I was left wishing there was more depth and activities to make the world feel more alive. Overall, it's a decent role-playing experience faithful to Dragon Ball Z that’s action-packed and entertaining. A game tailor made for DBZ fans. Nothing too groundbreaking, except for the attacks breaking the ground.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Darksiders Genesis
    Darksiders Genesis is a fantastic new direction for the series, and while I love the third-person 3D entries, I’d be fine with the Genesis blueprint running the show moving forwards. This is one of my favourite games I’ve played this year. Put it on your Festivus wishlist, if you haven’t picked it up yet.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Shenmue III
    Shenmue III is still surprisingly charming, and an earnestly emotional journey for fans of the series. Ryo’s lack of interest in the opposite sex and his unwavering need to go to bed early and practise his martial arts training diligently each day, make him pure in a way we rarely see. It doesn’t leave much room for excitement, but it ensures that Shenmue III is every bit the sequel it set out to be.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 35 Critic Score
    Everreach: Project Eden
    Floaty imprecise controls, a lack of depth, random spikes in difficulty due to bad design, random frustration, a mini-game for the sake of a mini-game, and a protagonist with the all the charisma of a shiny blue block.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Red Dead Redemption 2
    It’s been nine years since the MOTU race has had to read, listen to or watch the couch warriors carry on about this “amazing Western gaming experience”, but now, finally, it’s here and you can strap yourself into your desk chair and uncover the world of New Hanover and beyond. Just… take your time. It’s honestly still worth it, even over 1000 hours in single-player on.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Asterix & Obelix XXL 3: The Crystal Menhir
    This Holiday season you honestly couldn’t get a better family-fun game to play, and there’s a lot to sink into here. There’s no flash-in-the-pan design around this; it’s full of longevity, replayability and life -- everything you want in a game for everyone. Highly recommended.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 69 Critic Score
    Bee Simulator
    It has its pitfalls, and definitely serves up it’s fair share of frustration, but the point of the game is admirable, and with refinement in the control and camera departments, a beequel would be a very welcome addition to this hive.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Need for Speed Heat
    There is fun to be had here, but in light of what else is out in the racing/driving wild these days, leaves Heat eating proverbial dust. There’s no question Ghost is a technically proficient developer (outside of car physics), but too much emphasis on a ‘story’ over more robust driving and driver-agency makes the game feel half complete on one side, and half over done on the other.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Superliminal
    Even if it ultimately means we might only look at certain aspects of its design or specific puzzles versus the story and setting to remember and recall as time goes on, Superliminal is still an experience worth seeking out.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Moons of Madness
    Technical issues aside, Moons of Madness is an experience that we felt compelled to stick with until the end credits rolled – on the strength of the mood alone. Something it has in spades. And it nails the pacing, striking the right balance between moments of quiet, tension, and revelation.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
    The product offered here is good, but not quite as brilliant as it could have been.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King
    Without any remastering or touching up done on the visuals, not including the best looking and best sounding versions of these games is baffling.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD
    Perhaps if SEGA chose to remaster and re-release the first two GameCube titles, which defined and perfected the core Super Monkey Ball formula - before it’s slow dive into obscurity thanks to Banana Blitz and other titles - we’d be hailing this as a minor masterpiece. Instead what we’ve got here is a HD misfire of a motion-control misfire from over a decade ago.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Death Stranding
    I cannot in good conscience recommend this game to all but the most rabid fans of Hideo Kojima's work. And even then, I feel like this game may cause some of them to balk and question their devotion. It pains me to say it, but Konami may have been a necessary evil for him, a check and balance against his crazier, more self-indulgent impulses.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Luigi's Mansion 3
    Luigi’s Mansion 3 is marred only by its ease-of-play and its controls (or lack of variant control options), but is still more-than-playable. It is easily the most progressively designed game Nintendo has made from a tech perspective, while its visual design, comedic writing and overall charm scream “classic Nintendo”. Multiplayer and co-op add value, but the true goo here is in the game’s ever-enjoyable single-player campaign that will keep you checking, checking and checking again under that bed, for that hidden ghost, or that hidden treasure.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was excellent, and although Call of Duty: Modern Warfare doesn’t quite reach those same heights, it’s still a very enjoyable game. Its biggest downfall is the broken state of Special Ops in its current iteration, and the move back to kill streaks in multiplayer is a strange change of direction. The return of a campaign is welcomed for players like me who look forward to playing them every year. It’s brilliantly executed and is by far the one of the best in a very long time. Overall Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is another terrific multiplayer experience with a fresh take on the campaign that is greatly satisfying.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    MediEvil
    There's always an argument to be made for keeping an old game's “quirks” intact to preserve nostalgia, but there's still a line where useless things ought to killed off for good. That said, I have to acknowledge that only the die-hard fans of the hard-dyin' Dan Fortesque will enjoy this. The timeless Tim Burton-esque charm and the fine Lazarus job done on the visuals can only go so far. In the end, these old bones just creak too much.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The Outer Worlds
    The Outer Worlds, as per this very review, will be compared to Fallout by many who play it. And really, it’s the sort of comparison that will probably benefit Obsidian’s latest RPG in the long run. Because in the end, Halcyon and its many denizens, corporations, and quirks feel like an original creation worthy of this style of RPG. And much like with the original Fallout, a place well worth visiting again in a larger and more expansive experience. Like, say, in The Outer Worlds 2.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bus Simulator
    Beyond the silliness of it all, repetition, precision and ogling at so many sets of twins while they pine about cats somehow makes Bus Simulator a joyous ride; a fareing good time. At least, something worth the ticket price.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered
    So much of Terminal Reality's love shines through, even though this isn't a mind-blowing remastered effort. Don't eye this in the store and zip into your Ghostbusters overalls expecting a super sexy visual transformation – like bookish Dana Barrett to the siren-like Gatekeeper. You instead should power on your pack with the knowledge that this game is just oozing authenticity like an open New York City sewer does “bad mood slime”.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
    If there’s one gripe to be had, which could be said of the original Yooka-Laylee from 2017 is that some of the stages feel overly large to traverse – which can adversely affect the pacing. That said, that’s only a minor gripe as Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair succeeds in delivering a fun, challenging, and rewarding old-school romp. By incorporating some of the classic 2D design of previous generations this once N64 throwback has matured and grown into its own slice of platforming gold.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Borderlands 3
    The core feel of classic Borderlands action is enough to carry you through at least one play-through of Borderlands 3. One more round of a specific style of over-the-top shooter we loved playing years ago. But in 2019, it’s hard to feel as excited as we once were with the more-of-the-same approach taken here. Especially when it fails to capture the charm of the original two outings or innovate beyond the guns you wield.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    The Surge 2
    In the end though it’s the improved combat, minus a few camera issues and frustratingly difficult boss encounters, the progression and build possibilities, and the wonderful level design that go a long way to make up for the lack of narrative drive. Or interest in what happens to the world. In this regard The Surge 2 is an improvement, but an experience that still feels like it’s a few more brutal dismemberment finishers away from finding the right plan to research and build its full potential.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
    Link’s Awakening remade and rebuilt for the Nintendo Switch is downright delightful. A memorable return to the stunning Koholint Island, and for newcomers to experience a journey they’ll savour for years to come. The Switch just got its second must-play Zelda.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Daemon X Machina
    Daemon X Machina goes that extra robo-mile, with one of the best player creation tools we’ve seen in a long while.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    GreedFall
    Greedfall is pure role-playing. With some of the best quest design and storytelling this side of The Witcher.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Rad
    RAD is truly rad and its unashamed love affair and exploitation of the 80s is as infectious as the mutations you gain to power your way through the game’s procedurally-generated post-apocalyptic wastelands.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 79 Critic Score
    Gears 5
    I played the first Gears of War, and right now, Gears 5 has barely changed the flavour of the original. And while the original might have been a revelation, Gears 5 presents as a detriment.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    Children of Morta
    Perhaps the area where Children of Morta stands out the most is with the intricate art and the storybook narrative; the high-resolution landscapes and environment look fantastic at multiple distance levels. As do the creatures, characters, bosses, and other animated contraptions. Although this review has used the word dungeon countless times, each new location has a distinct feel all its own. In the end the focus on story, and the bond between family members, shines through – giving Children of Morta a sense of intimate to match the grand.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
    One look at the score and you might feel that the The Dark Pictures Anthology has a long road ahead to prove itself, but as is the case with the anthology format - it’s one spectacular or memorable story away from becoming a cult or out-right classic. The format, setting, technology, craft, and interactivity on display in Man of Medan bodes well for the future. What we’ve got here, although replayable, doesn’t quite invoke the sense or feeling or general incentive for you to go back to re-watch or re-play. A so-so debut for a promising series.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Age of Wonders: Planetfall
    The game itself, if you follow the heavily developer-directed path laid before you, has roughly 20-25 hours in it, and there’s more content yet to come, so balances and new content could sharpen the experience, but out of the gate it’s simply a schizophrenic collection of two key genres that, in principle, should gel, but here they kind of get in each other’s way.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 94 Critic Score
    Control
    Control has flaws, but even these give it character. And don’t detract from the overall enjoyment. A brilliant slice of interactive sci-fi and action in a world where we're not only likely to remember for years to come. But, ponder its meaning too.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    World of Warships: Legends
    World of Warships: Legends is impressive, thanks to it excelling where it matters – brilliant performance, excellent controls, and streamlining that doesn’t noticeably cut into what made the game so much fun to begin with. Out on the water, in command of a large sea beast – reveling in a style of warfare we don’t often get to see. A simple premise that moves beyond the shallows, and into deep waters.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
    In the end Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is enjoyable, but it’s also a bit of a let down when it comes to the actual combat. Truth be told I was expecting more of an XCOM-style experience with unit management and perhaps even some base management. The simplicity of individual encounters means that Mechanicus can be frustrating, where simple mistakes can cost you the entire mission. Again, these painful lessons in failure help you learn what works and doesn't. Like, say, bottlenecking your units when the enemy has a powerful AoE weapon.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Wolfenstein: Youngblood
    In the end Wolfenstein: Youngblood isn’t so much a misstep as it is a side-step, inessential but rewarding once you look past the confusion and simply take up arms and do that thing that this series does so well - kill and take-out entire squads of Nazi super soldiers in style. Now with an invitation that reads, plus one.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Red Dead Online
    Whether you're a wild mustang wanderer in free roam or a hardcore PvPer, RDO delivers pretty amazing fun. I'd be remiss, however, if I didn't mention that it's still a “mostly what you make of it” online experience. New content comes in dribs and drabs. And when you look over yonder at GTA V (where players are getting casinos and all sorts of cool things) it's clear that RDO needs better and more frequent support. Hopefully Rockstar can be spurred into that action, because what's already here is well worth saddling up for.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 81 Critic Score
    Fire Emblem: Three Houses
    It is strange to talk about pacing and bloat and a slow-moving plot when the turn-based battles are built on a foundation of ‘taking your time to make the right move’. But in adding so much and painting on such a large canvas, it’s hard not to eventually feel a little lost or stuck in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Like a student sitting at the back of classroom, watching the clock, wondering just why this hour-long lecture is beginning to feel like an eternity.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    They Are Billions
    In the end there’s a reason They Are Billions has received a groundswell of support and appreciation over the past year, and that comes down to it excelling as a defensive RTS experience you’ll come back to time and again. That mission to build up a little town and hold a position on the back of incoming waves of attackers, where unpredictability plays a role and you’re somewhat in charge of the pacing. Because when the horde arrives – they’ll be running.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Samurai Shodown
    What we have here in Samurai Shodown is an updated version of a game that takes itself seriously where it needs to, but has fun with what it has in front of it. Well worth your fisticuffs.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 64 Critic Score
    198X
    The simplicity of 198X is endearing, and how it presents a compilation of sorts of an era is something that leaves a positive if not lasting impression. The story, although simple in its presentation does leave room for growth. We’re keen to check out the second part of the tale, and if the team Hi-Bit Studios can connect both the narrative and the individual games in a more meaningful way - then it has every chance to live up to its premise.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr
    In the end Elsweyr unfortunately errs on the side of more of the same. Even with dragons, a fun new class in the Necromancer, and some great writing found in the side quests and the strange cat-people that make up the land. The main story is mostly a let-down, until it finally kicks into gear as you storm a castle. As a whole there’s not much surprise to be found, and in terms of what makes up a new place to explore in The Elder Scrolls Online it’s mostly cat and paste.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
    In the end, the joy to be found in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night builds into a crescendo as the end of the adventure draw near. A slow burn that turns into the warmest of genre embraces. Its dedication to and the evolution of the formula that people fell in love with across several Castlevania games is commendable. Does this mean that the game’s appeal to those not all that enamoured by the classical Metroidvania is somewhat diminished as a result? Probably. But, then again you could say that this is a prime example of a spiritual successor done right.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Sinking City
    If you like lateral thinking, great [branching] storytelling and excellent voice-acting, and can look past a drab, repetitive sheen that is less gameplay heavy and more set-dressing, you’ll still find a gem in this H.P. Lovecraft love letter to the sea, left in an old bottle to wash up on your shore.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Judgment
    Judgment has the aura of an epic crime drama – one that feels even more interesting due to its Japanese setting. The location of Kamurocho, although mostly static is a joy to explore, and Takayuki Yagami is a wonderful protagonist that is easy to get behind. Lengthy and full of twists and turns, even though Judgment offers up the most basic of detective sequences there’s still plenty to love about the world depicted. Twisted Trio included.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    My Friend Pedro
    Even though My Friend Pedro falters when it strays the furthest from the action-movie ideal of its premise most of the time you’re still a stone-cold killer with a suite of guns and a knack for shooting at bad dudes whilst upside down spinning in mid-air.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Void Bastards
    Whether you’re being stealthy or outright flamboyant in your pursuits of slag and biomass and plaz, Void Bastards offers up a fresh and engaging take on the first-person rogue light sub-genre in a package that is has the gameplay to match its vibrant art style.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Warhammer: Chaosbane
    A great foundation that is mechanically sound and will delight in the early hours. Stick around too long, however, and Chaosbane reveals a dearth of classes, enemies and environments. Also a weak endgame.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest
    Overall production values are great with all dialogue having accompanying voice acting and when talking to NPCs you’re often presented with several dialogue choices - many of which expand the world’s lore and current events. With several quality of life and mechanic upgrades from SpellForce 3, Soul Harvest is an enjoyable experience that scratches both the RPG and RTS itch. A blend that still feels unique to this series, and one that continues to impress all these years later.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Blood & Truth
    When Sony released the PSVR with the PlayStation Worlds teaser experience, every gamer worth their salt gravitated to the London Heist mini-game. Blood & Truth takes that short yet fantastic proof of concept and fleshes it right out into a showcase that's well worth a buy for any PSVR adopter. While I don't think this dethrones Resident Evil VII as the king of PSVR experiences, Blood & Truth is very much like one of my loved ones when I have the headset on – within striking distance.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Total War: Three Kingdoms
    In the end, Total War: Three Kingdoms is essential for fans of Chinese history, the romantic depiction of the era, and all-round history buffs. The steep learning curve is well worth the time investment as the enhanced and expanded diplomacy and management side moves the series forward in meaningful ways.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Observation
    In the end, Observation resonates primarily because of how it uses its interactivity and presentation. Playing a role and being there as a part of it all even elevates even some of the weaker narrative moments. From the visual effects to the detailed space station to the ambient music and even the animation of Emma herself, Observation is a triumph in both design and calculated execution.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    RAGE 2
    Rage 2 is a good time if you can look past its issues. On one side of the neon-pink fence, the game’s story is frustratingly generic amidst a world of potential. On the other side, the action, gunplay, and variety of things to do is great. Chaining special abilities together to take down mutants inhabiting the wasteland is immensely satisfying, especially when it involves hurling them into spinning blades on ‘Live TV’. In the end Rage 2 is fun for what it is, and certainly hits the right high-octane note when the action gets going. It’s just a shame it can’t carry that momentum through to the other cogs in the machine.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    A Plague Tale: Innocence
    If you don’t mind being “kicked in the dick”, narratively, while having your hand held through gameplay, and utterly enjoy mood, even if it is sonically amplified gloom and dread, A Plague Tale: Innocence does deliver.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Mortal Kombat 11
    In the end playing through the story and standard 1-v-1 competitive stuff will be more than enough for some. But for completionists or Mortal Kombat super-fans then perhaps the stingy nature of ‘unlocking everything’ will take its toll.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Close To The Sun
    As a blend of intrigue, mystery, sci-fi, and horror – Close to the Sun may not be the turn of the century BioShock that pre-release media might have suggested, but there’s plenty of electricity and power to be found in the story it tells.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    World War Z
    Contributing significantly to the disappointment are the sound effects - with the guns and explosives sounding particularly underwhelming.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Days Gone
    Days Gone is contextually broken, its gunplay is deplorable, its ‘open-world’ premise is a joke and its narrative consistently overrides that open-world ‘design’ goal. It’s pretty, in parts, but it’s broken across the board because it’s disparate in what it wants to be, and that’s because it fails to be Days Gone. Instead it just mimics, brokenly, games already gone.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 56 Critic Score
    Dangerous Driving
    Dangerous Driving ends up being a Monotonous Bore. An arcade racer that doesn’t do anything particularly new or different. And really, when the crashes look like simple physics experiments from the late-90s that can trigger from the slightest of scrapes – it was destined to fall short of hitting its lofty Burnout spiritual successor goal.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    My Time At Portia
    My Time in Portia has its moments though and getting through the early milestones hint at the larger picture and more player freedom. As it stands it’s is a ‘life sim’ that could do with a little more of the former.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 81 Critic Score
    Anno 1800
    From the animation to the visual effects, this is the best-looking Anno game to date. Something of a no-brainer when it comes to advances in technology. But with the expanded focus on trade, production, naval combat, and colonisation it’s also one of the most engaging entries to date – again, once understood. A city builder well worth visiting.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - The Final Season
    Without delving into spoilers, the final episode of Telltale’s The Walking Dead is definitely an emotional roller-coaster with dramatic twists and turns – some of which land, whilst others feel rushed to get things to some form of conclusion. Above all though, it’s understanding of the series long history and Clementine’s journey make these final moments pack one hell of a bite.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 89 Critic Score
    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
    If, like me, you’ve always just shied from games that punish for the sake of punishing, but thoroughly enjoy a story with mystery, excellent dialogue and unique fantastical components, Sekiro will punish, but it will also deliver in damascus folds. Folds upon folds. Prepare to die though, and much more than twice.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    Tom Clancy's The Division 2
    The refined combat, improved AI, and other elements overshadow any detriments and lingering bugs. The Division 2 is not only a refined follow-up, it’s the arguably the best ‘looter shooter’ this generation has seen.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Hypnospace Outlaw
    Hypnospace Outlaw successfully captures the spirit of late ‘90s internet by creating its own robust and varied and equally strange version of it. One part late ‘90s internet simulator, one part engaging detective story, Hypnospace Outlaw’s hit counter is strong. Zane rocks.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Devil May Cry 5
    The problem isn’t that it’s too linear, it’s just that the balance is off. The combat variety across the three main characters bleeds into the storytelling and the relationships depicted across the lengthy story and wonderfully insane cinematics. With skill progression and hidden challenge stages to discover there’s reason to go back and tackle higher difficulties or certain missions from a different perspective. But there are diminishing returns when trade-in surprising story-beats and character moments for lacklustre level design and not enough variety in the locations you do battle.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    DiRT Rally 2.0
    Make no mistake Dirt Rally 2.0 is a hardcore rally simulator, and as such, may not appeal to all racing fans. Most racing games I usually drive without any assists (well, not the original Project Cars), but for some of the cars (looking at you Porsche) throughout their Rally events, I found it necessary to dial the stability and traction control to max in order to simply finish, never mind placing first. Thankfully the Rallycross events, while fairly long due to the extensive qualifying rounds, offer an almost separate game to those of us who prefer to fling their rally-spec cars around a tight track, lap after lap after lap.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Trials Rising
    Trials Rising is infinitely better than Trials Fusion and feels like the proper sequel to Evolution. You’re going to get exactly what you expect from Rising, if you’re a Trials fan: crazy course design, a sense of RedLynx just trolling you, some reward, mostly despair but now with added loot boxes for you to open and basically be disappointed with, or not even remotely caring of, their contents. What matters here is that Trials Rising is a game with longevity and challenge.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Anthem
    For all the interesting lore and intrigue of the world, most of it is hidden behind layers of library entries that players shouldn’t have to read through.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Crackdown 3
    No matter the many moments of fun to be had with the impressive size and scope of the environments to explore and explode within – there’s a disjointed feel to much of Crackdown 3. A feel that ultimately means it fails to reach the charming heights of the original.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Far Cry New Dawn
    This blueprint is still fun, don’t get me wrong, but if anything New Dawn represents more of a sunset on an old design sheet. Might be time to drop a figurative nuclear bomb on Far Cry as we know it right now, in an effort to rebuild, from the ground up; something new and contemporary for the brave new world ahead of us. Fuel, after all, will be a thing of the past soon enough.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Metro Exodus
    Metro Exodus is without a doubt a fantastic single-player story-driven shooter. An experience that lives up to its ambition and promise, offering challenge and surprise in equal measure.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Wargroove
    Players who don’t mind the long game, and have a soft spot for the turn-based tactics games of old will find a lot of value here, even beyond its charm. There’s also multiplayer and a map editor with all the tools required to upload and share those creations, which is a massive added bonus to the basic product, and at less than 5GB to download, but with how much you get out of it, it’s hard not to recommend it. Just be ready for an intensive investment in time through its swift learning curve. This fledgling developer-publisher is on the right path to making a nostalgia-based name for itself if it stays this course.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
    There aren’t any fundamental problems per se with Ace Combat 7, and for fans of the series it most certainly is worth looking into. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but then again there isn’t a great need for wheels when you’re dancing between clouds.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Genesis Alpha One
    Genesis Alpha One, once it grabs you, is a hard one to put down. Dripping in atmosphere, exploring and building your own space-ship and then visiting strange new planets has all the wonder you could hope for. The added tension of wondering if your crew has been infected by some sort of alien parasite – and then watching as your ship slowly becomes a scene from sci-fi horror film, is exhilarating.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Resident Evil 2
    This is a solid game built off an old experience that brings videogame horror to the visual contemporary. It can be frustrating and grinding at times, but this is how games were designed and played back in the day. We just may have come too far for a presentation of this calibre to be tied to game-design so long lost. Plenty of value if you’re a survival-horror/horror fan, or just a Resident Evil fan, but for mine -- a brand new experience would have been more welcome.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 89 Critic Score
    Ashen
    There’s challenge here in both combat and your patience with the game’s economy system (and in its slow movement), but mastering both and even jumping in with a buddy means you’re in for a gorgeous treat. Our eyes are firmly locked on what A44 does next, especially if they stick to this wonderful new IP and build on it as a franchise-in-waiting. Well worth your time and Dollerydoos in our humble, Aussie opinion.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
    In the end New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library, a fun and entertaining platformer with charm and every now and then – that classic Nintendo feel. But due to the success of the platform, it also finds itself competing with many stellar indie platformers in a way that Super Mario Odyssey never did.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes
    Hidden within Travis Strikes Again there are a few fun, unexpected, and outlandish moments. Some of the dialogue in the text adventure story sequences can be amusing, as are reading the fake classic game reviews you can collect. But even these are limited to only a handful of moments when you’re not in direct control of either Travis or Badman, and even they quickly begin to exhibit the same dual-traits of boring and over-played. In a game where you use toilets to save, fight with a lightsaber-like weapon, assassinate strange and odd characters in a world chock-full of pop culture references and absurdism – that’s strike three and four.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The Eternal Castle Remastered
    In the end The Eternal Castle is a fascinating experience and one that you won’t soon forget. If like us, taking one look at a screenshot makes you immediately wanted to play it – be sure to check it out.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 98 Critic Score
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
    Quite easily the best Smash game of all time. It’s got it all, and the Switch only helps compliment what makes Smash Bros. so damn fun. It’s the perfect console for the fighter, and is one of the best value for money propositions I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking on. It’s been an arduous wait, but it’s been well worth it — Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is absolutely brilliant.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    GRIS
    Even though there’s not much going on mechanically that we haven’t seen before, one look or glance at GRIS and you'll feel the opposite – it is something you haven’t seen before. Like a beautiful and minimal watercolour painting or an evocative piece of album art come to life - GRIS is short, sweet, and often inspiring.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DUSK
    Full of memorable moments, fast-paced action, moody set pieces and surprising narrative twists and turns - Dusk may look like a long-lost gem from 1998, when it’s actually one of 2018’s best.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Just Cause 4
    The series just needs a massive boost, and adding a new physics playtool in different types of weather just isn’t it. What you play a Just Cause game for will determine whether or not you grab this and how much you’ll actually invest in it from a time and gameplay perspective, but as a product that is more than just the fun, silly physics experiments part of itself, it’s difficult to glow at it beyond the “sickly” fun I mentioned in the intro. At the end of the day, what we need from Just Cause is, well, just cause; purpose to play beyond tethering baddies to boosters, each other and exploding barrels. As fun as that is.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
    An RPG story-driven game unlike anything else out there. One that features one of the best interactive bits of fiction this side of The Witcher III – with a flawed, interesting and awe-inspiring protagonist in the form of Meve. No doubt, we can’t wait to check out the next Witcher Tale.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    Subnautica
    It isn’t without performance hiccups, especially the deeper you go. But the breadth of content here and the open-world nature both in terms of playspace and just pure choice in how you go about it is something rarely seen in games.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
    In the end, if the balance of exploration, character progression, combat, and story felt more cohesive or in harmony then Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden could have easily been great. This is not to say that it simply needs an ‘easy mode’. No, the hardcore challenge tips the scale too far away from the sense of adventure and story and the RPG-like opening moments. Those first impressions. Whether or not this stance is too critical of the deep and well-executed combat, well, who the duck knows? If the idea of a hardcore XCOM-like experience in a post-apocalyptic mutant world sounds enticing, then, hey, this is essential.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fallout 76
    Fallout 76 is fun to play; the simple loop of scavenging and exploration and crafting and progression works well when you’re in a group. Alone, it gets pretty old pretty fast - especially when dealing with bugs and glitches and performance woes. Ultimately it’s disappointing that the size and scope of the multiplayer doesn’t match the impressive West Virginia you get to explore.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    11-11: Memories Retold
    11-11: Memories Retold, however, is still a game worth more than a look-in, and at roughly five-to-six hours, you’ll gain a deep and respectful look at one of the world’s most jarring global conflicts, from the perspectives of the individual.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Darksiders III
    Combat that leans a little too heavily in the direction of counters isn’t the only issue here, but it’s the most prominent and one that bleeds into all the other shortcomings.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Call of Cthulhu
    For all intents and purposes, Call of Cthulhu should have been amazing. Every element is there and it’s clear the studio had lofty ambitions, in as much as it’s clear they were working to an incredibly tight budget. Give this studio a bigger budget and a project they believe in, and I’m confident they’ll break myriad ceilings but Call of Cthulhu isn’t the breakthrough I thought it should have been. And it’s not helped that it has emerged in the year of polish by way of a number of other Triple-As, lead ceremoniously by Red Dead Redemption 2.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Battlefield V
    If you’re a Battlefield fan who didn’t like the times when DICE has played it safe in the past, Battlefield V is for you. I’m one of those people, and I cannot wait to jump into epic play sessions of what could quickly become my favourite Battlefield game, more so now that the community won’t be divided with future content.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Diablo III: Eternal Collection
    In the end, with Diablo III being a game that millions have played over the years one might think it strange to refer to this port as essential or exceptional. But, in playing Diablo in handheld mode one quickly realises that the core experience, the flow, the skill and item-based action-RPG combat, is some of the best the genre has ever seen. Also, it’s a style perfectly suited to the on-the-go nature of the Switch. So, being able to take Diablo III with you wherever you go for a quick rift or bounty or two or three – is well-worth it.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Red Dead Redemption 2
    This place Rockstar has crafted; the dewy plains, the flowery meadows, the snowy mountains, the swampy Bayou, the dense Saint Denis -- all of it. I just wanted to exist as one with it and feel alive within it. And that’s what I did, and continue to do. Horseshit-riddled streets and all. Rockstar, my dusty old hat is off to you. You’ve made this old videogame cowboy a very happy camper.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Project Warlock
    In the end though, perhaps what sets apart Project Warlock from the very recent old-school shooter renaissance we’ve been seeing is that outside of inspiration and certain elements it doesn’t look any one thing from the ‘90s. Which in the end makes it special, and something well worth checking out.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Warriors Orochi 4
    In the end though after, say, 15 or stages or varying length, the action does begin to feel a little repetitive with design that feels decidedly old-school thanks to the complete absence of environmental interaction and movement that is as floaty as watching synchronised figure skating with hundreds of skaters instead of two. But yeah, Warriors Orochi 4 is still a lot of fun to play. A blast even.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Space Hulk: Tactics
    In the end Space Hulk: Tactics also has the appeal of its premise and works better as an experience played with others whilst also designing missions and various layouts. Much like the origins of Space Hulk it feels true to the tabletop roots of the series - but also lacking in its limited scope.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is a pleasant surprise. While it’s lacking in any major offering for those wanting a campaign to play through, everything else is refined and iterated on in meaningful ways. Blackout is a blast, traditional multiplayer is as good as it’s been in years, and Zombies is insanity in all the right ways. Minor concerns aside, this is the best Call of Duty package I’ve played in a long, long time, and think the trade off of a campaign for Blackout — something I was more than surprised by — has been well worth it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 - Roads
    Life is Strange 2 features a story that packs real emotional weight, and one that surprisingly deals with real-world issues in a way that feels like a milestone achievement in interactive storytelling. But, by that same token it is indeed more of an interactive piece of cinema than traditional game. Here’s hoping that the next few episodes provide real tangible ways to interact with the world, from puzzles, to traversal, to even some form of action.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 35 Critic Score
    Construction Simulator 2: Console Edition
    Construction Simulator 2 is so unrelentingly strict in its stringent adherence to following set tasks, there is absolutely no chance for imagination or creative outlet. Put simply, failure to follow the precise steps laid out for any particular task results in a breakdown that negates the contract or job, resulting in lost time, revenue, and any potential for enjoyment.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    FIFA 19
    This year’s FIFA sees a variety of notable changes to the formula, and makes for one of the better iterations of the series in quite some time. While most changes aren’t necessarily game changing, the introduction of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League licences are most certainly going to change the landscape of the series for some time to come. And while The Journey is fairly disappointing and FUT continues to dominate micro-transaction discussions, FIFA 19 is still an excellent package for football fans, and is well worth giving a crack.
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