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For 782 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 62% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 35% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 80
Highest review score: 100 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Lowest review score: 13 Defenders of Ardania
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 588 out of 782
  2. Mixed: 171 out of 782
  3. Negative: 23 out of 782
807 game reviews
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    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Puppeteer
    Most of what this adventure does is refreshing and just plain charming — especially for its take-my-money-please $39.99 price. The title made me smile with its top-notch production value, radiant world, and phenomenal music.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
    Blackout is so fun that it could be a game unto itself, complete with set pieces that the players themselves create, either through bloopers in my case or amazing expert gameplay by others. It might take you 30 matches to become proficient at it.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Walking Dead: Episode 5 - No Time Left
    Thanks to Episode 5: No Time Left, I spent nearly three hours sitting at my computer with a knot in my stomach and a few unshed tears in my eyes. It's rare to play a game that moves you emotionally, makes you care about its characters, and causes you to gasp out loud as it shocks and disgusts you.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Iconoclasts
    Most impressively, Iconoclasts evokes nostalgia without feeling derivative. It hits a lot of character tropes, but it manages never to feel stale thanks to fantastic visuals, a memorable world, and solid gameplay.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
    Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions brings the series’ gorgeous, twin-stick action successfully to iOS. The graphics and music are as good as ever, the variety and options are staggering, and the controls work. It’s a game that absolutely must be on your iOS device.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
    Any gamer who’s a fan of puzzle games, brain teasers or adventure games will enjoy Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, especially if they’re not afraid to pull out a notebook and get writing while playing. It’s a fantastic story wrapped in a solid foundation of gameplay, and what few drawbacks there are don’t take away from the experience in any way that matters. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a game that’ll challenge and reward you equally, and it’s one of the best overall experiences I’ve had in 2024 so far.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DOOM Eternal
    I enjoyed the ending, but it was so long. I had to wipe the sweat off my forehead. But it felt so good to be done.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tekken 8
    Tekken 8 is a robust package that features some of the most satisfying digital fisticuffs I’ve ever seen.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Luftrausers
    If you strip away the Rauser parts and the catchy soundtrack, Luftrausers would still stand on its own because of its excellent gameplay. But those features add so much depth and excitement that they actually pushed me to become a better player.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
    This may be one of the most memorable handheld titles you’ll play this year. And what a special year it is.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Splatoon 2
    Splatoon 2 is just an easy game to like. It’s bright, cheery, and employs endless tricks in a constant quest to make you smile.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Talos Principle
    You’ve got to be in the mood for Talos. It’s demanding of your time and attention, especially if you’re the type that wants to finish most things you start. And you’ve got to have a love affair with words...But if that describes you … this game can be magical. The result is a little melancholy, a little melodramatic, but one of the better puzzle game presentations I’ve ever played.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Octogeddon
    As it progresses, you move from overconfident to worried to intensely focused, extremely frustrated, and, finally, triumphant.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
    A great selection of games make this a strong collection, and I also appreciate the accouterments that Digital Eclipse has thrown into the package. If you're a beat-'em-up or a TMNT fan, The Cowabunga Collection is going to offer a lot of fun for you and your friends.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Gravity Rush 2
    It’s a much bigger game than the original, giving you plenty of land to explore and tons of missions to beat. It feels so much different from your typical big-budget console game these days. It’s more of a comic book than an action movie, allowing players to delight in their own heroics. It’s one of the PlayStation 4’s most stunning and entertaining exclusives.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
    This game offers a potential for endless hours of fun...We all expected a knock-off, but this fighter has an identity that's completely unique.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Xenoblade Chronicles X
    It has more than enough to satisfy the hungriest RPG fans: fun exploration, in-depth combat, and a scope that will keep players engaged for a very long time.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DOOM
    I have little to complain about regarding the single-player campaign. It’s a fun shooter that brings back aspects of classic design (like health packs and sprawling levels) that I didn’t realize I missed so much...The multiplayer doesn’t make as much of an impact. It feels safe compared to the unapologetically old-school campaign. Still, it’s a fun bonus for one of the most exhilarating, chaotic shooting experiences I’ve had in a long time.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
    Devil Survivor 2 was already an enormous game, but Record Breaker nearly doubles up on that with a new epilogue...It’s not easy, and it’s certainly not short, but Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker is one of the best strategy role-playing experiences available for the 3DS.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    God of War: Ragnarok
    The story of God of War Ragnarök may not be as straightforward as it was in God of War, but that’s to its credit. It’s messy and complicated, but that makes the emotional payoff all the better. The gameplay remains largely unchanged, which unfortunately does lose it some points with me, but it does feel enjoyable when the player can settle into a rhythm. God of War Ragnarök is an exceptionally good game, and if you loved the last one, you’ll almost certainly love this one too.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Europa Universalis IV
    For those who know what they’re doing, the seasoned grand strategy player, they’re going to find more of what they love — and better ways to exploit what they love and determine their destiny.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Halo 4
    It's unfortunate that 343 didn't stretch past the standard Halo playbook instead of falling back to so many recognizable gameplay beats (and I do wonder if that was a conscious decision meant to counter the "Will it be Halo?" doubters), but the gameplay itself offsets those issues. The level design is a precision instrument. Above and beyond that, Halo 4 expertly folds an intimate story into an epic scope, taking risks with iconic characters and sticking the landing every time.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Crypt of the NecroDancer
    Crypt of the NecroDancer has reminded me how creative, original, and fun video games can be. I’ve switched it off at 2 a.m. more than once this week, forcing myself to break from a dangerously addictive “one more go” loop as I tried in vain to beat the damn thing.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
    Twilight Princess succeeds largely because of its fantastic dungeons, and the HD enhancements are enough to give fans an excuse to go riding through the plains of Hyrule once more.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
    Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is one of the biggest and best games available for any handheld game system, and it still stands as one of the best role-playing games in recent years, handheld or otherwise.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Street Fighter V
    People who got into the fighting game community with Street Fighter IV may not want to hear this, but from a base design, Street Fighter V is by far the superior game. Capcom has paved over and smoothed out a lot of the things I didn’t like about Street Fighter IV’s design. A lot of those issues created poor play habits, which makes it feels like Capcom is making small steps to mature the game, and in turn is trying to mature how the player base plays fighting games.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    LEGO City Undercover
    Children deserve massive, explorable worlds just as much as adults. It’s wonderful that TT Fusion took that concept and made a fully functioning and largely non-violent world without sacrificing action. You won’t miss firing guns or swinging lightsabers in Lego City — not when you’re scouring the landscape for super builds and smashing everything in sight.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Elder Scrolls Online
    Enough defining design elements of the Elder Scrolls single-player RPGs have been successfully grafted onto the traditional MMO template to make The Elder Scrolls Online feel like what an Elder Scrolls massively multiplayer online game ought to be.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition
    Disney Infinity 3.0 is an improvement over its predecessors in nearly every conceivable way. While it is still features a cartoony style that doesn’t quite push the limits of modern consoles, it is an enjoyable game (especially if you have children to share it with) with as much content as the Death Star has destructive power.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Plants vs Zombies 2: It's About Time
    It is a rare title that all generations or genders of players can enjoy. I heartily recommend it, as there are no rotten vegetables in this game.
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These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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    • 67 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Gotham Knights
    In case I hadn’t made it clear already, I really didn’t like Gotham Knights. It lacks the speed, flow and character of previous Batman games, and its action-oriented gameplay is hamstrung by the 30 FPS lock. It became such an exercise in boredom that I couldn’t bring myself to continue playing — and because I didn’t finish, I’m leaving a score off the end of this review.
    • 80 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!
    Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu is another good example of Nintendo doing what it both excels and fails at: pairing fun gameplay while introducing a new mechanic.
    • 79 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!
    I bet longtime Pokémon fans appreciate, if not embrace, this first Switch outing. It adapts much of what makes the series shine while adding effective motion controls and a bridge to Pokémon Go, the mobile game tens of millions of fans still play. Much of my enjoyment came from taking my kids along on this journey, benefiting from their love and knowledge of Pokémon to enhance what I found here.
    • 72 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    GreedFall
    Two of its major aspects, character progression and narrative choice-making, will take some more time to get a full read on, but I will say I’ve run into some great scenarios so far that have made me feel like the choices I’m making in both of those areas will have real consequences. If that’s the case, Greedfall could be an RPG sleeper-hit.
    • 56 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
    I give this single-player campaign 3.5 stars out of five, which is the worst score I’ve ever given a Call of Duty Game. I’ll amend the score after I’ve played more multiplayer combat. [Campaign Review]
    • 88 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Horizon Forbidden West
    Anyone who digs these kinds of dense, map-based open world experiences is going to feel happy with what Guerrilla Games is offering here.
    • 91 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Crusader Kings III
    If I were to score it now, I’d give it a 5/5. But I’m not quite ready to do that. I need to try out a few more realms — especially one that sets my ruler up for an uphill challenge among fierce rivals. At this point, I do feel confident in saying this is the best Crusader Kings release yet. And I hope it just gets better over time.
    • 85 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Wasteland 3
    It doesn’t have that freight train momentum you sometimes feel from other RPGs, where the story gains so much steam you feel like you need to blitz through it, missing out the sidequests and other tidbits that gives games character. Wasteland 3 isn’t asking me to hurry up; it wants me to stay awhile, crack open a beer, and take it on at my pace. And that might be its greatest strength so far. And nothing can shrink that.
    • 75 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Watch Dogs 2
    Watch Dogs 2 doesn’t do much new. Just like it’s predecessor, underneath all that fancy hacking you’ll find a similar experience to other city-based open world games, including Grand Theft Auto. But at least this time, the adventure is a fun one. The new, light-hearted tone and its likable cast of characters are a good fit for this series.
    • 81 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Age of Empires IV
    I think this game is accessible and easy to learn, but it’s also got a lot of depth for real-time strategy veterans. I hope it does well because I want to see more RTS games hit the market. But this one could keep fans busy for a long time, as far as I can tell right now.
    • 68 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Star Wars Battlefront II
    Star Wars: Battlefront II tries to straddle the hardcore and casual audiences. It succeeds some of the time, and it also fails some of the time. So far, the cut scenes in the single-player campaign are excellent, but I’m waiting to get into some really fun gameplay.
    • 75 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Mario Tennis Aces
    I love Mario Tennis Aces so far -- even though I have some issues with its single-player content.
    • 74 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Far Cry 6
    I guess the best accolade I can give this game so far is that it’s another Far Cry game, and it’s a good one at that. It’s nice to see the return of the player character’s actual character. The villain is monstrous yet complex. Things explode. But it’s probably going to feel like a drag for far longer than it should, both in gameplay and in the story.
    • 78 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
    If someone like me (who reveres the Pac-Man Championship Edition franchise) is struggling to figure out where the leaderboards are and which mode I should compete in, then I don’t think this game has a chance of winning over new players. The numerous modes and levels are a fun distraction — but that’s part of the problem: they’re a distraction from what Bandai Namco should’ve made a much more rewarding asynchronous competitive mode.
    • 86 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
    Thankfully, the story is entertaining. It features a large cast of likable characters, including the eccentric-but-brilliant Herlock Sholmes. You play as Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a Japanese student who travels to Britain to become a lawyer, and it is fun watching him go from a meek, uncertain character to a determined, competent lawyer. I just wish it would get on with it sometimes. Dialogue drives these games, I know, but sometimes characters seem to chat forever before I’m allowed to do anything meaningful myself.
    • 81 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Kena: Bridge of Spirits
    You can tell you're going to like Kena's visuals just by watching a trailer, but its combat also stands out. [Review in Progress]
    • 67 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Sea of Thieves
    I hope Rare has a lot more to this game as I get further into it in terms of quests, but for now, I’m happy to let the visuals and social factor carry me like a wind across the sea.
    • 64 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Forspoken
    I’ll come back here and rate the game once I’ve finished the last chapter. However, I’m not convinced that it’s going to become any more magical and entertaining than it is now. It’s a shame, because the game starts from a good place: A new fantasy IP with a take-no-prisoners female protagonist. And I can tell that a lot of the people who worked on the game were sincerely trying. But I can also tell that several others very much were not.
    • 69 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Wolfenstein: Youngblood
    This is a worthy entry in the Wolfenstein series. I hope that we get a lot more from these characters because they are so dang cool. And I hope the upgrade path continues to feel rewarding. We’ll see. [Impressions]
    • 74 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Starlink: Battle for Atlas
    It’s not a starfigter game in the line of X-Wing or Colony Wars that I’ve longed for on modern consoles, but it’s fun, and it has potential. I just wish its controls were a bit more user-friendly.
    • 88 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
    I’m definitely having more fun with this than any From Software game up to this point. And I’m going to try to keep letting it win me over. Hopefully, I’ll return to this review a full convert...For now, however, I’m confident that people who like Soulsborne games are going to find a lot to love.
    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Death From Above
    This game doesn’t take itself seriously enough at the end to capture the gravitas of something like Casablanca. But it’s reasonably good at being entertaining with all of the constraints it deals with like a small team and being timely. [Early Access Provisional Score = 60]
    • 83 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed Odyssey
    Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is dense, detailed, and varied. It is more dense, detailed, and varied than I considered possible for a video game before playing this. It is a stunning accomplishment, and the 500-to-1,000+ people who worked on it should feel proud. It has its problems. Combat is clunky, the menus are a slog, and leveling feels off. But those issues never made me want to stop playing. I want to keep playing right now.
    • 73 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    RAGE 2
    Artistically, it's uninspired. But mechanically, it's one of the best shooters I've played in years.
    • 83 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
    I’m now preparing to storm Drezen, a fortress-city full of demons. Along the way, I have plenty of quests to take care off to both defeat the Abyssal incursion and dive into the stories of my companions. This is what I want from an RPG, and Owlcat does an stellar job delivering this. The few bugs I encountered were either pathfinding errors (sometimes, one of my characters would just spin around as they tried to get to where they’re going) and one instance of freezing when I was casting a buff spell on my cavalier.

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