Forbes' Scores

  • Games
For 351 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 68% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 27% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 6.7 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 82
Highest review score: 100 That Dragon, Cancer
Lowest review score: 20 Doug Flutie's Maximum Football 2019
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 7 out of 351
363 game reviews
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Overall, Macross Shooting Insight is a step back in quality compared to prior Macross games, of which a fair few weren’t great to begin with. While there are some moments of decent shmup action tucked away here, there are far better Macross shmups out there. Not to mention that the first Macross game to come Westward is this lackluster and that’s just sad.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Overall, Unicorn Overlord is one of the best tactical role-playing games I’ve played in a good while. The tactical complexity is also carefully introduced in a fairly gentle and intuitive way. With its wonderful visuals cementing this as a definitive game in the genre and one everyone should check out.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall, this is a good PC port of the first Dragon Quest Builders but has some weird design changes taken from the second game that take away from what originally made this game so special. If you have no other option than to pick up the PC version, you will definitely enjoy yourself, but it’s sadly not as good as the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Despite some clear bright spots, Suicide Squad does not justify its own existence and feels like a colossal waste of time, money and energy when any other normal, standalone superhero game from Rocksteady probably would have blown away Arkham sales records. Everyone wants live service games to print money, but when the genre makes your game unattractive at baseline, and no one sticks around, yeah, maybe you should have made that other game instead.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall though The Legend of Steel Empire is a solid release and visually updates a classic steampunk shmup that pretty much everyone loves. Even if you never played the original, this is still a lot of fun and perfectly suited to something like the Switch.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Overall, Custom Mech Wars is a mediocre mecha game that gets the customization somewhat right but fails on dealing with how the combat should work. While the Earth Defense Force games have their low budget infused charm, they are at least fun to play. Custom Mech Wars sadly lacks this redeeming feature and is just an arduous chore.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall, this is a great collection of both important and genuinely great Irem shmups. The inclusion of Image Fight II is also great, as that was previously only available on the WiiU. However, both the original Image Fight and X-Multiply make this collection worth picking up for anyone that is a serious fan of shmups.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Overall, Grendizer is a solid game with a clear love and passion for its classic super robot source material. It’s also very much meant for fans of Grendizer, otherwise much of its appeal and charm will be lost. It also clearly needed more time for polish and general graphical optimization. That said, it still plays decently with these shortcomings and is worth a look for those that want to pilot an old school super robot.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    I’m puzzled by all of the negative reviews from critics, though I think many outlets do not have hardcore Call Of Duty players reviewing this game. I’m just as confused, if not more so, by gamers who have finally gotten what they’ve been asking for for years and are still throwing a huge fit over it. I think the Call Of Duty community only likes one thing more than playing Call Of Duty, and that’s complaining about it...As far as I’m concerned, this game ticks all the boxes. I’m having a blast, and isn’t that the point of Call Of Duty to begin with?
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Overall, while there are faults with the game’s multiplayer, this is still a good Sonic the Hedgehog game. If you stick with the singleplayer on your own, you will definitely have fun with it. However, I do hope the next 2D Sonic game is one that uses pixel art in the same manner as Sonic Mania.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Overall though, Super Mario Wonder is an excellent 2D platformer. With excellent level design, polished visuals and mad Wonder Flower setpieces. It’s not my favorite Super Mario game in recent years, but it’s definitely worth checking out.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    For fans of the first game, or Spider-Man, or action games in general, Spider-Man 2 is an easy recommendation. There are about five dozen teasers and easter eggs by the end so I’m sure we’re in for more, whether that’s another Miles-sized game or another sequel down the road. But for now, yes, this is all the Spider-action you need for a good long while.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Phantom Liberty is a thoroughly excellent swan song for the tumultuous saga of Cyberpunk 2077. And after playing, you will be glad that CDPR has already greenlit a sequel, despite the fact that the initial release could have sunk the entire company. It’s a redemption story on the level of No Man’s Sky or Final Fantasy XIV, and deserves to be experienced for yourself, no matter what you may have thought of Cyberpunk three years back.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Overall, Taito Milestones 2 follows nicely on from the first release. It includes even more excellent games and does a nice job of encapsulating Taito’s long and influential gaming history into one neat little package.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    I really do love this game. Yes, Bethesda doesn’t match some of its peers in many places, but in part that’s because it’s trying to do everything, all at once. But if you wanted a giant Bethesda RPG set in space with better combat and a whole lot of time to level and build things and explore and find secrets, yeah, this is it. They did it. Enjoy.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall, Armored Core VI is a proper mecha action game. It’s not the best game in the series, but it is solidly done. The new target assist setup works fine and is also able to be turned off if need be. The story and localization are great, and very much inline with the Japanese dialogue for the first time in the series’ history. It’s also definitely a return to form for the Armored Core series, but the never-ending boss fights do take away from the decent mission structure and pacing, especially later in the game. However, for someone like me that’s been playing Armored Core games for over 25 years, it’s nice that this series is back and finally being given a proper chance to shine.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you ever wondered what made the Ray series of shmups so special, then this collection should hopefully help you with that, along with an abundance of homing lasers.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    My impressions are overwhelmingly positive based on what I’ve experienced so far, from the map to the gameplay to the new systems to even the story, which I was not expecting. Blizzard really seems like they’ve nailed this, and I’m going to say the only way this will be poorly received at launch is if technical issues kill people’s ability to play. But once it gets rolling? Yes, I think you’re going to like Diablo 4.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Overall, Tears of the Kingdom is a genuine improvement and evolution over Breath of the Wild. While I still think the Link’s Awakening remake has been the best Zelda game on the Switch thus far, Tears of the Kingdom comes very close to that. The story is also a lot more poignant than many of the other games in the series and consequently Tears of the Kingdom feels a lot more considered. So get ready to go back to Hyrule, because it’s all very new again and entirely massive with it.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is an excellent collection and remake of a pair of highly regarded Game Boy Advance strategy games. This game may look cute and simple in terms of its artstyle, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth in terms of its technical and exacting strategy-based gameplay.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I’m not a hardcore racing or motocross fan, which is something that should be taken into consideration by anyone reading this review. I’m a lifelong sports gamer who loves a balance between simulation and fun. MES6 isn’t a perfect title, but it feels like Milestone has taken significant steps toward delivering a well-rounded experience for hardcore and more casual fans. If the features in place are expounded upon next year, it could climb a spot in my rotation.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is a very nice remaster of a solid Wii game that had a great deal of affection from longtime players of the series back in the day. This remaster also runs very well on the Switch and is definitely worth picking up if you are a Kirby fan. However, if you are new to Kirby and want to experience the best of its 2D offerings, then I would have to recommend Planet Robobot instead.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Overall, Octopath Traveler II is an excellent sequel to the endearing and much loved first game. It doesn’t offer up anything all that new in the gameplay department, but all the new characters and their stories are nicely engaging, as is the excellent combat.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Overall, Metroid Prime Remastered is an astonishingly accurate remake of a definitive gaming classic. Not only in terms of its excellent visuals but also how it plays nearly identically to the original. Even for a game that’s now over two decades old, Metroid Prime still feels as fresh and as functionally relevant as ever. If only more modern first-person games had level design as good as this.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Hi-Fi Rush is going to stay with me. I absolutely adore this game, far, far more than I would I would have imagined, given everything said above. It is, quite literally, infectious, as you will not only find yourself involuntarily bopping along with the beat as you play, but even after you’ve shut the game off... It’s joyful, addicting and something I may play twice just for the hell of it. An absolute win.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Overall, Sonic Frontiers takes the lovable blue hedgehog into new open world territory, while staying true to how Sonic should feel in a functional sense. There’s also a lot to unpack here, so don’t take on too much at once and just go with the high-speed flow.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    God of War Ragnarok is a beautiful, moving game, no longer purely centered on a father getting to know his son, but also about vengeance, forgiveness and attempting to change both prophecy, and the people we used to be, both of which prove to be equally difficult. It’s almost impossible for me to imagine those who loved the last God of War will not also appreciate this one just as much, minus a lagging stretch here or there, and the fact that it can’t be as transformative as the initial leap from the Greek games.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Overall, Bayonetta 3 delivers a frantically intense approach to “stylish combat”, with a complex and multi-layered combat system that has remained remarkably robust across each game in the series. While the presentation is hugely over the top, Bayonetta 3’s real worth is in how it plays and as such comes thoroughly recommended to anyone that can keep up.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    There is less to dislike with FIFA 23 than there was with last year’s game, but I also wasn’t blown away with the advancements in several features such as career/franchise mode or the visuals. While it’s technically a better game than FIFA 22, it may not seem like it to those who don’t spend most of their time in FUT or VOLTA. Color me satisfied, but not overwhelmed.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    At launch, Overwatch 2 is a launchpad for something much, much grander. It’s rough around the edges, but the controlled chaos of the actual gameplay is right up my alley. Given the live service nature of the game, it’s something I’ll likely re-review every so often. Still, Overwatch 2 is in pretty great shape overall.

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