COGconnected's Scores

  • Games
For 4,978 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 62% higher than the average critic
  • 6% same as the average critic
  • 32% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 Final Fantasy XVI
Lowest review score: 10 Wander (2013)
Score distribution:
4983 game reviews
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A good remaster should preserve the original game while shining it up for modern audiences. In this case, I could've used a few more mechanical upgrades. The graphics have been majorly upgraded, which rules. And I appreciate having two different control schemes to switch between. But certain moves and skills still feel floaty and/or magnetic. Worse yet, there are core design elements that can't be smoothed over with a remaster. To be clear, this is the superlative way to play the first Dead Rising. But honestly, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is still the weakest entry in the series, at least for me.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Although the game is on the short side, it undeniably offers a fun experience for a small group of family and friends. The main strength of Unspottable lies in how inviting it is for everyone to play, and how easy it is to learn and pick up on a lazy day. As it is strictly local multiplayer, the downside to this is the difficulty of playing with anyone outside of your household. This is a tricky thing to comment on during this time of isolation because the impact of not having online play is stronger than before. However, it offers a great solution for a quick game night with the family, which could be something that is much needed today too.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I’m often horrible at these types of games, finding that the skill jump from easy to medium to be too much of a challenge but I found Natsuki Chronicles fares as a good starting point for beginners. In saying that, this game isn’t easy either and will require a ton of play-throughs of the same level, especially the later ones and on higher difficulties, to best determine which weapon types work the best and also your strategy. But even so, fans of the bullet hell genre should most definitely add this game to their library.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Whilst Golem Gates isn’t without its flaws, it does enough right that I enjoyed the what the campaign gave me. The repetitiveness of some missions didn’t make them less fun to play, but after I’d completed a few in a row I was ready to play something else. It takes a few old formulas and flips them of their heads, but it could use a few more twists.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Each stage has been updated substantially to properly fit modern TVs and has a nice, smooth, cartoon-like look.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The game feels skeletal, like raw wood piled in the shape of a building. It’s missing something essential in its new home on the Nintendo Switch. The stages, missions, and challenges all feel interchangeable. Even the bosses feel like palette-swaps from time to time. In spite of all this, the game is still compelling fun. You’ll find yourself trying just one more run, one more stage, over and over again. If you’re seeking out a little scif-fi arcade action, definitely check out Space Pioneer.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    As it stands, fairly little has been added this year, but the developers did fix a number of previous issues. Long-time fans of the series will probably still pick up the game for roster updates, but casual players may be hesitant to pick up 2017 as I don’t believe the changes are great enough to warrant another purchase.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    While each element of this game had it’s ups and downs, I was still able to get sucked right into the battles on every stage. Even when battles dragged towards the one-hour mark, the rhythm of construction and conquest was compelling. The catchy music and the destructible environments meant that each fight was fun, even when it was frustrating. Though there were some flaws and stumbling points, I can still easily recommend 8-Bit Hordes to anyone looking for a simpler stroll through RTS territory.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you’re just here to play Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny on a platform you actually own, by all means, go for it. The game is a delight that series fans shouldn’t miss. But if you own a PlayStation, buy Disgaea 6: Complete on that and not PC. Your eyes and fingers will thank you for it.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    While it’s nowhere near the level of quality of Trials Fusion, it still provided some genuinely fun moments.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    While the game comes down to luck a little more than I would have liked which was frustrating, this dungeon crawler with a twist has a lot of redeeming qualities going for it.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you can swallow (heh, bird puns) the basic idea, there are a lot of weird and wonderful stories to be uncovered in Hatoful Boyfriend. Just don’t expect to do much actual playing.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The troubles I had were as unobtrusive and gentle as my enjoyment. You’re so laid back, that something like floaty controls or vanishing walls is barely an inconvenience. Conversely, the soft pastel skin of this game is difficult to get a grip on. Players looking for a more involved life sim will come up short, but if comfy gaming is your aim, you’ve struck gold. Calico is a brief, blissful vacation in a world of gentle magic and cute companions. If you’re looking to just relax for a little while, Calico will be exactly your speed.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The crux of Ride 4 clearly hangs in the gameplay. Veterans of the franchise and of motorsports will be engrossed with the latest entry in the series. Edging closer and closer to its real-life counterpart, the game is truly the finest rendition of the sport. Featuring a fleshed out career mode, which has choice at the forefront, will please fans who will be eager to do multiple playthroughs. However, the game neglects newcomers to the series and could have included a deep tutorial that would have allowed them to engage and further understand the layers within the mechanics. It is clear to see that Ride 4 has been designed to retain fans rather than gain new ones which is a major speedbump on its way to the finish line.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I did enjoy my time with Farming Simulator 20, but I’m concerned about the level of content to keep me invested down the line. There’s not nearly as much equipment as you would find in the more fleshed out versions of Farming Simulator, but I think if you can get past the shortcomings of the hardware that Farming Simulator 20 was built to run on, you’ll enjoy your time with it too. If you, of course, don’t care at all about being able to take your farms with you on the go, then I would opt for Farming Simulator 19 on a beefier system, but everyone else – cock-a-doodle-do!
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Legends of Kingdom Rush is a lot of fun, but its port to PC is a bit underwhelming. Lack of controller support for such a mechanically simple game is pretty lazy. There’s no new content, either, so players coming from the mobile version will have seen everything already. With such enjoyable gameplay and sense of style, Legends of Kingdom Rush deserves a more thorough makeover for PC and consoles, not just a basic port.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    If you’ve been looking for a way to play these games on modern consoles, then Lunar Remastered Collection is a godsend. The visuals are mostly preserved, the item management is better, and the voice acting is brand new. New players might be thrown by the simple plot and the retro combat, but the high-speed autobattles offer a convenient off-ramp. While they aren’t my favorite retro RPGs by any means, this collection is a great way to get ahold of them. If nothing else, the 90s anime vibes are downright immaculate.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It might not be the A-level title fans hoped for but my only real complaint here is that I found the combat to get a little tedious. Everything else is pretty good.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    So while the new wrinkles of Alignment present some fun twists on gameplay, and being able to become the Emperor yourself is another cool twist, it’s not going to be enough to bring you over if Total War isn’t your jam already. It’s more of the same with some changes throughout to keep it pretty fresh. If you enjoyed the main game and have an itch to come back, I recommend picking up Eight Princes if you were aiming to do another playthrough. If you are waiting for something different and novel to come along and really shake up Three Kingdoms, then I would say hold on to your dynasty hat for the time being.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Despite its criminally short playtime, Rocksteady’s venture into making you the Bat in Batman: Arkham VR is one of the must-have experiences for your PlayStation VR setup.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    At the end of the day if you are a fan of the Ninja Gaiden franchise and were let down with Ninja Gaiden 3 on Xbox 360 or PS3, give Team Ninja another chance, especially if you are looking for a fairly enjoyable action oriented launch title for your new Wii U.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2 refines the gameplay while delivering a story conclusion that may divide players. The story gives satisfying resolutions to many of the complex, multilayered narrative threads, but some of the more ambitious supernatural elements fail to deliver a full payoff. The addition of new gameplay mechanics, particularly the puzzles that shift between past and present, adds welcome depth to the experience. Ultimately, the story comes together in a way that feels emotionally fitting, but it leaves several key questions unanswered. As it stands, the game feels incomplete, and it needs another Tape or a full sequel to truly bring the narrative to a close.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    When it comes down to it, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is an outdated game that deserved the praise it received on first release, but it falls quite a bit short of the standards we’ve set for games in the modern day. For those of you who have already fallen in love with the game at some point during the past fifteen years, you will not be disappointed by the port. It updates the graphics without sacrificing style and maintains most of the rest of the game in its original form. For those of you who haven’t played it but have heard good things, I wouldn’t recommend against playing it. What I would recommend is playing a few older games before playing this one.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Slime-san does its job admirably. It strives to be annoyingly difficult and it succeeds with a platformer that is trying, it captures the style it aims for and offers many hours of playtime.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    After a rocky start, Deliver Us the Moon ended up being an adventure game success, and Deliver Us Mars will not disappoint fans of the first game. It tells an interesting and sometimes surprising story and delivers an awe-inspiring Red Planet. Some unrefined mechanics and gamified puzzles carry over from its predecessor, but overall Deliver Us Mars is a genuine step forward for the franchise.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Overall, Bounty Star provides players with an arcade-like experience involving customizable mechs, which is surprisingly not an oversaturated niche yet. The solid combat and customization options highlight an overall polished product that is accompanied by an overall insightful narrative and smooth gameplay on console. For any mech fans, Bounty Star is worth checking out and is also currently a part of Xbox Game Pass at the time of this review.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Warriors All-Stars won’t bring the Musou games to a new stage of prominence, but carving up swarms of enemies with a catalog of famous Koei Tecmo fighters has its fun moments. Controlling multiple fighters at once is particularly neat, as I can really cause some havoc when it’s not just one character on-screen. Unfortunately the story to earn this all-star cast isn’t enthralling enough, so any interest in plowing through it will have to come from the combat experiences alone.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Orcs Must Die! 3 isn’t much of a step (let alone, a leap) forward from the last installment, but after eight years maybe it’s just enough to remind people that hey, this fun fantasy franchise is still alive and kicking. It has modest ambitions but it’s certainly not a disappointing installment, and Orc Must Die! 3’s blend of action, tower defense and puzzle-solving remains unique and entertaining.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cars 3 is a great example of good family fun, however, Avalanche Software and Warner Bros. make a few missteps that ultimately take away from what makes the movies so awesome. If the aim of the game was to make it feel just like the movie, it falls short, however, if the intention was to take a Mario Kart style title and turn it into a Disney Pixar production, Cars 3 nails it.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sure, the combat is simple, the progress is slow, and the difficulty is high. But if a measured, elegant, austere RPG is what you’re looking for, look no further. Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is a great escape for anyone invested in the genre’s illustrious past.

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