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For 4,977 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 Donkey Kong Bananza
Lowest review score: 10 Wander (2013)
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,079 out of 4977
  2. Mixed: 1,714 out of 4977
  3. Negative: 184 out of 4977
4982 game reviews
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    • 84 Metascore
    • 89 Critic Score
    Anno 117: Pax Romana
    Anno 117: Pax Romana takes the series into fertile new historical territory and is one of the best games in the Anno franchise, as well as being one of the most enjoyable city builder sims in recent memory. Polished, incredibly detailed, and beautiful to look at, Anno 117 hides imposing systems depth and complexity behind a relatively accessible interface. Like the Roman Empire itself, the game is a perfect platform for inevitable expansion. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of quality content for fans of the genre.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack
    The first game is showing its age, but most of its issues are dealt with by various quality of life tweaks. However, the first game has a lot of loading screens. They last just long enough to be annoying every time. All in all, Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack is the best way to enjoy these classic JRPGs–and their crafting systems. I recommend these games to anyone with a JRPG-shaped hole in their lives.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Where Winds Meet
    Where Winds Meet is over-ambitious, messy, opaque, and inconsistent. It has too many gears that don’t mesh, a lot that’s poorly explained, and it refuses to give the player a moment of unproductive time, even at the cost of coherence and comprehensibility. For all that, Where Winds Meet is a lot of fun. It often looks incredible and the world is certainly filled with content, whether for a single player or in a group. Even without touching the cash shop, Where Winds Meet provides a huge amount of free game play. Right now, Where Winds Meet is a little shy of greatness, but with some technical improvements and time it could get there.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Possessor(s)
    Possessor(s) is a beautiful Metroidvania with an open structure that encourages exploration and lets you progress at your own pace. While its platforming and combat are both solid, they lack the distinctive flair needed to match the game’s stunning art direction. The narrative is deep and layered, but its delivery sometimes undermines immersion. Despite being a strong and engaging adventure, it doesn’t always capture the magic its visuals promise.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Lumines Arise
    Lumines: Arise stands as an interactive work of art and one that truly needs to be experienced. The integration of visuals, gameplay and sound is phenomenal, creating a wonderfully addictive puzzler that stands shoulder to shoulder with Enhance’s previous effort, Tetris Effect. It’s a stunning reminder of how games can move us, not just through challenge, but through the harmony of sight, sound, and touch.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Wreckreation
    Wreckreation, a game with a vision beyond the developer’s abilities, serves as a prime example of a game released too early. This feels very much like a beta release. If fundamental aspects of the game don’t work properly, players cannot enjoy ambitious world-building features like Live Mix. To their credit, the developer is engaged in bug fixes and has published a roadmap of upcoming patches. However, these fixes may come too late to keep players engaged. For Burnout fans, wait for the next game, or until they fix the bugs in this one.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Neon Inferno
    Neon Inferno is a brilliant run-and-gun shooter that not only captures the essence of its influences but builds upon them to create a remarkable, retro-inspired adventure. Its deep mechanics lead to fierce shootouts where bullets fly from every direction, testing your reflexes as you dodge and retaliate. Paired with its stunning visuals, it’s an incredible experience that fans of the genre simply can’t miss.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    ARC Raiders
    ARC Raiders is simply one of the most polished and accessible third person extraction shooters in recent memory. It has something for everyone, from solo players to teams ready to wreak havoc in the world. With a confident and coherent mashup of systems and a simple, addictive loop, ARC Raiders helps wrap up a notable gaming year in fine fashion.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pacific Drive: Whispers in the Woods
    Pacific Drive had a unique hook and rightly deserved praise for its fresh take on the survival crafting genre. Whispers of the Woods offers an alternate starting adventure for new players and rich new content for veteran players returning to the game. It doesn’t radically reinvent the base game, but nails the perfect balance of fresh and familiar that makes DLC most effective.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 69 Critic Score
    Syberia - Remastered
    Syberia’s setting and narrative premise were interesting in 2002, and remain so in Syberia Remastered. Thanks to its improved visuals and several quality-of-life features, modern gamers should find it accessible. Unfortunately, the game’s pacing, unadulterated cutscenes, and overall approach to puzzles mean that some parts of Syberia Remastered feel stuck in the past. Fans of the original will enjoy revisiting this new version, but I’m not sure if new gamers will be quite as engaged.
    • 45 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition
    Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is a lot of fun, for about an hour or so. After that, you’re running the same six courses with different vehicles until you’ve memorized them. Along the way, you’ll almost certainly get sick of seeing these races run over and over. While the essential arcade experience has been successfully ported to consoles, you still lose something essential in doing so. If you can find this game at your local arcade, you’d be better off playing it there. These races are just more fun with the noise, the lights, and the specialized controls.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Sacred 2 Remaster
    Sacred 2 Remaster accomplishes a couple of things. It reminds us that the original was ambitious and forward-looking in many ways. Sacred 2’s wide-open world and deep progression systems hold up well. Sacred 2 Remaster is also a reminder that the original’s tech and combat left a lot to be desired. People loved the 2008 game in spite of those things. Enjoying Sacred 2 Remaster means having to overlook them once again.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
    This game is a perfect fusion of the Zelda games and the Musou genre that I can’t put down. But I also recognize that this is a one-trick pony. You’ve got excellent combat and no second thing. Maybe you want more out of a Zelda game than fighting with a light layer of story on top. That’s totally fine! But the vibes are immaculate and the gameplay is terribly compelling. If you want an intense action game that really highlights the Zelda of it all, then Age of Imprisonment is exactly what you’re looking for.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Football Manager 26
    Football Manager 26 excels in many areas but stumbles in others. Match presentation is the best it’s ever been, helping to strengthen your connection with players as a manager, while new tactical options, including refined player roles and formations in and out of possession, add greater depth on the pitch. The user interface, though improved for controller use, buries too many menus, and overall performance still needs work, leaving the experience feeling slightly unfinished. Despite these issues, FM 26 remains the best management sim available, and it’s easy to lose hours to its deep, endlessly rewarding gameplay loop.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
    The Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is a dream come true for Mortal Kombat fans. There are multiple versions of every Mortal Kombat game, up to, and including, Mortal Kombat 4. The package has exhaustive extras, including a long documentary about the history of the series. Almost every game has online play with rollback netcode. And Mortal Kombat Trilogy has its load times and bugs fixed, so players can have every character in one game. My only complaints are minor, and that some of the games are awful. But I’m so glad those awful games are included, for completion’s sake and for nostalgic reasons. If you have any love for Mortal Kombat, the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is a must-buy. It’s arguably the best retro game collection of all-time.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Crusader Kings III: All Under Heaven
    Having spent a lot of time exploring the new content, I would rank All Under Heaven very highly, up there with Roads to Power as one of the best additions to the game yet. As a grand strategy game, Crusader Kings has never felt grander.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
    If you’ve never played the first two Dragon Quest games before, this is the absolute best time to start. They’re crammed with modern upgrades, while the original vibe is still nicely preserved. And if you’ve played them a dozen times, even better. This is a significant departure from the original formula, at least for the first one. Dragon Quest II was a little more fully cooked, hence it needed fewer modern improvements. The upgraded difficulty is great and awful at the same time. I’m thrilled the games are harder now, but like, be prepared for that. The high-speed battles could be a lot faster, but you get used to it quickly. Either way, this collection of remakes should be an easy decision for any Dragon Quest fan.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Space Chef
    Space Chef combines cooking, crafting, and adventuring into one seamless quest, but none of its individual parts truly shine. Progress may be slow, but the variety of options grows steadily, letting you cook up all manner of strange dishes to serve to your customers. The planets are diverse, and there’s no shortage of small tasks to keep you busy. However, while there’s plenty to do, few of these activities feel particularly rewarding. Its simple mechanics make it approachable and best suited for short play sessions rather than long stretches. With so many cozy games offering stronger management and life-sim elements, Space Chef risks fading quietly into the background.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Double Dragon Revive
    Double Dragon Revive isn’t the rebirth fans were hoping for. Its combat impresses with a variety of defensive and environmental mechanics that add real depth to each fight, but other elements drag the experience down. Sudden difficulty spikes create frustration, and the light platforming sections feel underdeveloped. The presentation also needs an overhaul as its uninspired visuals and soundtrack fail to capture the energy and attitude that once defined the franchise. There’s a solid foundation here, but it’ll take more than nostalgia and new mechanics to truly bring Double Dragon back to life.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Jackbox Party Pack 11
    The Jackbox Party Pack 11 is another fantastic set. One of its strengths is that it has three games that are variations of classic Jackbox Games. But that could also be a deterrent for people who own some Jackbox Party Packs already. Suspectives and Legends of Trivia are both fantastic, unique additions to the Jackbox Games library though. As with past Jackbox Party Packs, The Jackbox Party Pack 11 is half the price of a triple-A game. It’s a lot of value. Whether or not it’s a must-buy for Jackbox veterans will largely depend on their love of trivia.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 89 Critic Score
    Jurassic World Evolution 3
    Thanks to its modular building systems, new juvenile dinosaurs, and engaging campaign, Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the best of the series. It feels like a more flexible and more refined version of a familiar game. If it had compatibility with prior content, it would be a 10/10, but Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a great foundation for expansion.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
    For fans of the first game, the wait for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been long and frustrating, and the new game likely arrives with unrealistic expectations. Far from being an unmitigated disaster, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is entertaining but flawed. Excellent writing, a solid narrative, and quality performances are definitely high points. Uninspired quests and underdeveloped RPG elements suck some of the fun and potential replayability from the experience. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is probably not the game fans hoped for, but its setting, lore, and noire-ish vibe make it worth consideration for fans of all things vampire.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    NASCAR 25
    NASCAR 25 is impressive in its scope. From Quick Race, Championship, Multiplayer, or Career, the combinations of tracks, cars, and experiences will keep oval racing fans busy for quite a while. While not perfect, NASCAR 25 is an impressive debut entry in the series.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 69 Critic Score
    Painkiller
    I’ll give Painkiller props for its imaginative weapons, sharp visuals, and visceral combat. It’s a hollow and transitory experience for solo players offline, and you can see what Painkiller has to offer in very short order. As a co-op game, it fares better. Still, I can’t imagine Painkiller becoming any shooter fan’s obsession. The nuts and bolts of what could be an impressive game are there, but in its present form, there’s simply too much repetition and too few surprises.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Dispatch
    Dispatch Episodes 1 and 2 make for the perfect launch of this superhero workplace comedy. The sharp, well-written dialogue delivers plenty of hilarious moments that’ll keep you laughing throughout. While gameplay is limited, what’s here is thoughtful and engaging, seamlessly blending story and interactivity. Though elements of the classic Telltale formula remain, Adhoc has refined them into a well-paced adventure that leaves me genuinely excited for what’s next. With new episodes dropping in pairs each week, the road ahead looks bright.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted
    Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a worthy remaster of a classic, beloved game. When it was first announced, I was genuinely excited at the prospect of replaying this game. I imagine if you don’t have the same nostalgic feeling for Plants vs. Zombies, you might not share the same enthusiasm, but for fans, it’ll be nice to be back in the backyard. The updated visuals are crisp, but don’t expect anything too mind-blowing. I would have liked to see a deeper PvP mode, and the lack of any online mode might be a turn-off for some folks. The Co-Op mode is great and worth the price of admission alone. If you’re a fan of Plants vs. Zombies or looking to see what all the fuss is about, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a great place to start.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit
    I loved Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit. I was worried the gameplay might be a bit simple at first, but the level choice and non-stop gags kept things fresh. Fans of NES games and the Angry Video Game Nerd YouTube series will have a much more rich experience than newcomers, but the game is so well made that modern players will be able to play it with ease. Any AVGN fans who might be hesitant about buying the game, rest assured that it’s a fantastic experience. I’m going to get myself one of the physical NES cartridges.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    The Lonesome Guild
    Setting aside its sometimes sluggish combat controls and a few frustrating mechanics, there’s a lot to enjoy about The Lonesome Guild. With beautiful art and a much-appreciated theme centering on connection and communication, The Lonesome Guild should appeal to fans of puzzle-heavy action RPGs looking for narrative depth.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The Outer Worlds 2
    There are few ways in which The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't improve on the first game. It's bigger, deeper, and more complex. The story and characters are more satisfying. Combat has been refined. It takes its time and demands players be patient and engage in all its systems and overlook some technical issues that pop up somewhat frequently. I can't imagine a world -- Outer or not -- in which fans of the original won't enjoy this new experience.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Once Upon a KATAMARI
    Once Upon a Katamari has an excellent concept, and excellent gameplay. The problem is that there are lots of Katamari games with the same excellent concept and gameplay. The new online modes and customization options are great ideas, but are very shallow in execution. There just isn’t enough evolution in any of the series’ core ideas. If you’re a player who wants more Katamari levels, then Once Upon a Katamari has that. But if you were excited to create your own Prince character and get lost in endless online battle modes, then I’m sorry to have to share that those aspects are afterthoughts, despite being advertised as key features. As a fan of the series, I can tell there wasn’t the same amount of care and effort in Once Upon a Katamari that went into the series’ classic titles.
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