COGconnected's Scores

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For 4,976 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:
  1. Positive: 3,079 out of 4976
  2. Mixed: 1,713 out of 4976
  3. Negative: 184 out of 4976
4982 game reviews
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    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hyperdrive Massacre
    Hyperdrive Massacre understands what it is, and plays to its strength of frenetic multiplayer action to perfection.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
    The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a fantastic value. It contains two Ace Attorney games, each with five stories. Considering the most recent great visual novel compilation, Famicom Detective Club, was a full-priced collection, containing two games less than half the length of the two found in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, this collection at 2/3 the cost is a steal for visual novel fans. If you’re a fan of the original Ace Attorney games, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is an excellent return to form.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stranded: Alien Dawn
    For fans of futuristic survival games, Stranded: Alien Dawn is just as fun on consoles as on PC. It’s deep, engrossing, and customizable. Although controller implementation is a mixed bag, overall the experience remains engaging and addictive.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lucky Tower Ultimate
    Ultimately, Lucky Tower Ultimate is a great example of focused game design. The developers at Studio Seufz clearly knew exactly what they wanted to achieve, and they hit their mark with surgical precision. It is a solid, well-crafted experience that celebrates the chaos of the roguelite genre without succumbing to its gloomiest tropes. While the finicky controls and steep difficulty may alienate those seeking a more streamlined experience, I found a treasure of wit, challenge, and a bit of slapstick brutality. It might not be for everyone, but if the premise of a “tough-as-nails comedy” appeals to you, you will likely find Lucky Tower Ultimate to be exactly what you’re looking for.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Trombone Champ
    Real-world trombone playing entails years or decades of study, intense practice, sacrifice, blood, perspiration and tears. With Trombone Champ you can bypass all that sweat equity and just ascend to the trombone throne. Trombone Champ is a humble game made by folks with a genuine love of music, hot dogs, baboons and, even more remarkably, the trombone. It’s fun, funny, a little weird and an actual, genuine game despite what sounds like a silly premise. It’s no surprise that everyone secretly wants to be a trombone player, and now anyone can rise to that only dreamed-of level of coolness. Grab yourself some hot dogs, hug a baboon and go play Trombone Champ.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Jackbox Party Pack 5
    Jackbox Party Pack 5 can be seen as a bit of a course correction after its disappointing predecessor. Though I doubt anything will ever outdo Quiplash in terms of pure fun and replayability, most of the games here are quality Jackbox creations. Some of them could use refining, and I can only see Zeeple Dome appealing to kids, but as a whole, this is a solid addition to the Jackbox repertoire and is sure to elicit plenty of laughs each time you boot it up.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 4: What Ails You
    In “What Ails You,” there are enough other positives to make this a strong installment. An epic brawl sequence, major plot reveals, and a promise of a satisfying series conclusion make Episode 4 an enjoyable experience, and the climactic Episode 5 looks like it will end things on a high note. Let’s hope so.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier Episode 5: From The Gallows
    Its characters don’t have the consistency of their predecessors, nor the emotional impact of its storytelling. But its low-points aren’t unforgivable, and after all of this, I still want to see what happens next. While the ending had me smiling just from the emotion it brought, it may have also had to do with its final words…“Clementine’s Story Will Return.”
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sonic Frontiers
    It seems like every major franchise is getting the open-world treatment. At first, you’d assume that Sonic is a terrible fit for this system. But it works surprisingly well. Every island is broken down into a nested series of combat and platforming challenges. No matter the scale, you’re still getting that essential Sonic the Hedgehog experience. Unfortunately, this also means you’re getting deeply frustrated at times. Exhausting story missions, impossible puzzles, and brutal acrobatics await. But most of the game is incredibly fun. This is what Sonic games are all about. A rollercoaster ride full of dizzying highs and crushing lows. As a game, Sonic Frontiers has some definite flaws to be wary of. But as a Sonic game, this is some truly top-shelf stuff.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
    Even with its mediocre plot and heavily emphasized fan service aspects, I really enjoyed Lightning Returns. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve followed the series since the beginning, or because I’m a sucker for the characters and their relationships between one another, but this game made me experience a range of emotions that I haven’t experienced from a game in a long time.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Downwell
    Downwell personifies the ‘gameplay is king’ mantra and it backs up its approach with a perfect suite of controls that are predictable and consistent.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    World to the West
    A delightfully charming game with some irritating design flaws that prevent it from achieving excellence. While the characters are fun and their abilities are creative, the puzzles they’re used for lack the level of challenge that’s become expected from modern indie games, and the fast-travel system often forces you to spend lots of time backtracking. That said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in this world, and the beautiful aesthetic and fantastic musical accompaniment will keep you entertained at even the most tedious moments.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Arboria
    Arboria’s Souls-inspired combat is solid and it does some original things with the roguelike genre. It’s a modest title to be sure, but punches well above its weight when it comes to pure entertainment value. It’s weird and irreverent, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and all its systems work pretty well together. Arboria is one of those games that doesn’t try to do everything, but it has a distinctive approach to familiar mechanics and while it gets a little repetitive, it’s still fun for a good long time.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cruis'n Blast
    If you’ve played previous Cruis’n games before, you know what you’re getting into. I had an absolute blast playing Cruis’n Blast and highly recommend it for any speed junkies that need a quick, fun fix on their Switch.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Assault Android Cactus
    A pretty decent game. You can easily get your money out of this, and it’s a great four player co-op experience.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Steep
    With huge and beautiful summits to explore, varied locations and events and the best snowboard and ski free riding any game has offered yet, Steep is a welcomed and satisfying extreme sports experience.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kick & Fennick
    Minor issues aside, Kick & Fennick is a delight.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
    Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World is a great game. The yarn style look is a fun change from most other platformers and while the game has a handful of challenging moments, generally the difficulty is nicely balanced. If you’ve never played the Wii U version, and you’ve enjoyed Yoshi’s previous adventures – or if you just generally enjoy side-scrolling platformers – than you really can’t go wrong with this game. However, if you’ve played the Wii U version, there really isn’t much new content here to warrant a new purchase, unless you absolutely need a portable version or more Poochy.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mega Man Legacy Collection
    The Mega Man Legacy Collection is a great retrospective for long time fans, and the perfect introduction to the series for curious new fans.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Good Robot
    If you enjoy twin-stick shooters, rogue-likes, or both, Good Robot is absolutely worth your time and money. It’s quirky and fun, with a dry sense of humour found in the news bulletins that had me laughing out loud whenever I stopped to shop. Do yourself a favour and at the very least, take a quick look at the trailer to see if this game is right for you.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Minimum
    There’s a timer that guarantees games will be less than 30 minutes, and could be much shorter. That’s a perfect amount of time for me. There’s very little Minimum does wrong.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Gravity Rush Remastered
    While it may not be the most convincing package to get players to return to Hekseville, Gravity Rush Remastered is by far the best way to enjoy Sony’s underappreciated action game. The combat, while still a weak link, feels much better using a controller, and the game’s art style has kept this Vita stunner looking impressive.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Forza Motorsport
    Some of the visuals, particularly the background visuals, were a bit underwhelming. The inability to disable crossplay makes me nervous to play online with such a prevelance of mods & hacks in other crossplay games. And the forced practice mode in Tours of Motorsport is frustrating and will likely limit the amount of tours I actually end up completing. It’s just too time consuming and, well, boring, to keep practicing the same track over and over. With that said, there is still plenty to enjoy here, and well-worth a try if you’re already subscribing to Xbox Game Pass.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    ScreamRide
    For the asking price, you get a solid amount of fun, varied gameplay, and solid audio to top it off. The only thing that can drag this game down is the camera controls at times, and some issues with aiming in Demolition mode, but these issues could well be tweaked later on.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Othercide
    Overall, Othercide is a solid remix of the tactical turn-based genre. The early game will feel repetitive, and I wish there was more dynamics to the maps to compensate for the lack of cover, explosions and sightlines the XCOM games use. There are also only a few mission types: escort, survive and hunt. But despite the limited mission set, the visuals, weird world, and ramp up nature do much to carry the game forward. If you’re looking for a fresh take and aren’t afraid of a punishing difficulty, then come along for the ride. Just be prepared to die. A lot.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Outlast Trials
    Although it can be played solo, surviving The Outlast Trials is better and more fun with friends, although they’ll need pretty strong stomachs and a taste for extreme imagery. The Outlast Trials has strong survival puzzle mechanics, a good bit of macabre humor, and a confidently over-the-top presentation. It’ll need some additional content over time for real longevity, but the foundation is strong.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pokemon Scarlet / Pokemon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero - Part 2: The Indigo Disk
    While I had a good time with The Teal Mask, The Indigo Disk was a marked improvement. You’ve got more Pokemon to catch, tougher battles to win, and more to do. On top of that, the story told in the two releases wraps up in a satisfying, well-crafted way. I still wish the clothing options were more robust, to be sure. And the game still doesn’t always run great. But it got me playing Pokemon Violet again, and I’m going to keep doing so. There’s more Legendaries to scoop up, after all. If you’re looking for more from the latest Pokemon game, the Area Zero DLC has some serious bang for your buck.
    • 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.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sairento VR
    Even with its flaws, Sairento VR‘s brand of cyberninja action makes it one of the most unique and refreshing shooters to date.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
    On its own merits, Skyward Sword HD still has a little rust on the blade. The level design leans on outdated, clumsy mechanics. Traversal between islands is boring at best, painful at worst. The motion controls, the outdated mechanics in question, are still an absolute third rail, not to be engaged with for any reason. On the other hand, this is an excellent remaster. The introduction of gamepad controls is a true life-saver. Your entire approach to the game, your stress levels, and your focus are altered on a fundamental level. 90 percent of Fi's handholding is optional now, which tightens up the gameplay loop by several degrees. With these hindrances removed, you can actually experience the game that so many fans still rave about to this day. While it's not perfect, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a massive improvement over the original release.
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