DarkStation's Scores

  • Games
For 3,653 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 48% higher than the average critic
  • 7% same as the average critic
  • 45% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 72
Highest review score: 100 The Pedestrian
Lowest review score: 10 Another Dawn
Score distribution:
3656 game reviews
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is not for every Pokéfan. Younger children who want to experience an easier more forgiving roguelike dungeon crawler with their favorite characters will get the most out of this charming title. Catching ‘em all and training teams of rescue parties are entertaining, even though this game includes just the first half of the National Pokedex. Older gamers and those who played the original may not be as impressed by the monotonous dungeon crawling and simple difficulty. Although the Switch game looks and sounds great, it does not update the original games enough. I would sooner recommend one of the more recent offerings in the series or hold out hope that we get a brand new title featuring the Galar Pokémon one day.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Octodad: Dadliest Catch doesn’t always play to its strengths – mechanically or conceptually – but it’s still an enjoyable and unusual game whose charms ultimately won me over.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    For an adventure game, Ether One does some pretty interesting things that allow it to break free from the genre’s mold.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Morphite definitely has its place on the PS4. While its shortage of depth discourages extended play sessions, the game fulfills its desired role as an escape - not just from the real world, but the explosiveness of other games. The things you're able to do are a collective excuse to soak in the experience, and that's precisely why I wanted there to be more of them. Regardless, it does enough to ease whatever tension you might be feeling and replace it with a serene brand of happiness, making it a solid stress-relief title.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Mario Party 8 is a great title to bring out if you want to have a good sit down, laughing experience with a game. Mario Party 8 is not perfect and leaves plenty of room for improvement in the future, but for those who didn't invest in a Gamecube and now have joined the large install base of the Nintendo Wii, Mario Party 8 is a good opportunity to check out what you have been missing.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The leveling system, different classes, and questing are all really fun elements that make Fantasy Life a role-playing game worth checking out. But be ready for an uninteresting, wordy, and overbearing story that gets in the way of the fun that the title does offer.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Tera will be remembered for two things: art and its implementation of a combat experience unique to the genre. But the use of familiar MMO tropes feels somewhat uninspired. From the beginning, taking down monsters and levelling up is easy and only after the player leaves the Island of Dawn do monsters pose more of a challenge, but the biggest enemy you'll have to contend with is boredom. While Tera has a strong focus on community and PvP and the combat certainly is an innovation that I'd like to see implemented in more MMOs, I've had a difficult time breaking through the monotony of the non-community experience.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Decent attempt, but doesn't quite deliver the goods.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    As fun as it was, playing through Rogue Wizards left me with an ever-expanding wish list: I wished the characters (who are unvoiced and under-written) were more distinctive and that combat and environments were more varied. I wished player characters would visually change throughout the game and the darn tiles would stop dropping in. But, I also know that the small team at Spellbind Studios also got a lot right, and that Rogue Wizards is still full of depth, charm and promise.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    After playing Project Spark for an extended period of time, I must say I was disappointed. A game built around creation makes it frustratingly difficult to do so.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Despite its problems, Cognition succeeds at immersing you in its emotionally charged, supernatural mystery. If you are fond of mysteries and adventures, you won’t regret the time that you spend with the first episode of this promising series. While it shares lots of flaws with its brethren of the genre, this point-and-click adventure game has enough going for it with its story and cognition mechanics to make it worth playing.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bullet Witch is a like B-grade movie; it's far from perfect due to its modest production values but that's why you love it anyway. Who can I recommend the game as out of place and time than this to? At least not to tech-heads who find even 4K resolution insufficient. But anyone like me who enjoys curious games of the past, appreciates the Japanese penchant for drama, just loves pretty and moody female protagonists and is fed up with most of modern gaming fads can find plenty to like about Bullet Witch.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I think I would have liked the game better if the characters were on foot or the bikes were less touchy. In the end, I give Street Rats some credit for its creativity because I haven’t seen a mashup of gameplay like this before. It’s fun and has a great sense of style that works with the world it’s trying to show off.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    There’s fun to be had and things to like in Unruly Heroes, though there are moments I felt the gameplay and mechanics had an annoying habit of getting in the way.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Stars in Shadow is a fun 4X title that makes for a great game for newcomers of the genre to dip their toes into. Likewise, rabid 4X lovers will find a familiar experience here that offers some new, interesting design choices along with a set of systems that are well-polished and well made. The fact that Stars in Shadow was made by a small team is all the more impressive when you look at how smooth it runs and the great deal of polish that went into this title. While it won’t set the standard for new and interesting 4X gameplay, Stars in Shadow offers a great 4X experience that is well balanced and a great deal of fun.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I would love to say that I recommend everyone to pick up this game, but if you already own NCAA March Madness 2007 the need for an upgrade probably isn't necessary for this game.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    There are some big-budget adventure games with tutorial chapters that are longer than the entirety of Mask of Mists. I can imagine that for some, a five-hour RPG is appealing but for others, it will seem like not quite enough value for even a budget game. The critical issue is not length but quality and by and large, Mask of Mists delivers a fun experience for fans of puzzle adventure games. It’s a lighthearted, fast-paced, stripped-down romp with some interesting puzzles, not much story and combat that won’t be much of a challenge. That all sounds a little like faint praise, but there is nothing wrong with a game having modest ambitions and succeeding at meeting them. Too many games overreach and fail.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    As an educational tool it’s pretty solid and a great way to get kids to learn and practice their math homework, but as a game it’s just… not amazing.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    This homage to the old series includes Street Fighter III, which is more than enough to win over 2D fighting game fans. The rest of the collection, however, pales in comparison.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It's business as usual as this expansion retains the essence of the original, with the addition of new weapons and redesigned levels, expect for the disappointing online play.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The fighting is solid but I still think the ground game needs some tweaks in order to make it up to par with the stand up game.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The repetitiveness of the obstacles, the cheap deaths, the annoyance of later platforming sequences set in low gravity, frequent trial and error, and the time it takes to pass through elongated hallways that connect puzzle rooms and platform set pieces all contribute to making the whole thing a bit too tedious and empty for my liking. Now that I think about it, if Planet Alpha were an animated short, I think I’d like it a lot more because the visual storytelling is far more interesting than anything else.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    There's nothing next-gen about this Xbox 360 port, as apart from the improved visuals, everything else remains the same. And paying double the price of the normal version is not our idea of fun.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Perhaps if it had taken a page from Gone Home and had been developed as a horror-themed exploration game sans enemies, then Outlast would have been more effective. Take away the tedious patrol route study and stealth conventions and Outlast could be the cause for many, many sleepless nights.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    In the end, Shining Resonance Refrain is a solid addition to any JRPG fan's lineup, but honestly, I'd recommend it to hardcore JRPG fans looking for something new. For as many things as Shining Resonance gets right, it stumbles with as well which leads to a very generic RPG in the end (retreading areas and reusing enemies over and over really make this title seem like it was made on a budget). If you can live with all of that and can't wait another minute to dig into another adventure, you're definitely in luck with this localization!
    • 55 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A sincere and genuine attempt to tell a story about the impact of depression, Anamorphine as a delivery vehicle for addressing mental illness is constantly undermined by its engine troubles.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I’m happy that Naps Team is still around. I played their first game, a beat ‘em up Shadow Fighter on Commodore Amiga 23 years ago. It was a bit homespun but really thrilling and competent fighter. There’s some similar likable roughness to Iron Wings. The game needs some more ironing to its wings to get rid of the bugs and seriously tone down the ridiculous time limits to really take off. Then again, there is no air combat game quite like it around at the moment. For all its bents and bullet holes in the game design, there’s an indelible picturesqueness in the game's visceral action. Iron Wings is like a pulp novel. You know it’s a bit silly but it will entertain you nonetheless.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The problem with all puzzle games is that they are almost always a single-play through experience, so that initial run has to be the memorable one. Moons of Madness has some jump scares and other surprises, but its biggest draw might be that it takes Lovecraftian elements into a wholly new environment and replaces combat with exploration, puzzles and a slow-growing sense of confusion and dread. Fans of all those different elements and genres might find Moons of Madness just the right companion for Halloween night video gaming.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Gang Beasts is one of those games I wanted to try because it captured the attention of a small, but vocal portion of the Internet. Like Battlegrounds, this ended up being a game I’d rather watch other people play. The controls don’t feel particularly intuitive and are pretty punishing for new players. You’re going to take more than a fair share of lumps before the game “clicks.” On the other hand, I think you'll get the most out of the game by playing it with friends in the same room, especially since online matches can easily be one- or two-sided. Despite being a published video game, Gang Beasts has the feel of an early access title. For it to be something accessible to a larger audience, I think it needs more time to bake.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Serious Sam: The Random Encounter is a fun, albeit short game that delivers where Serious Sam games try too, with shallow but dumb fun. The humor is great, graphics are nice and the game is fun while it lasts. TRE doesn't do a whole lot, but what it does is fun and I would say that that fun is well worthy of a purchase especially if you're already a fan of Sam.

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