Giant Bomb's Scores

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For 1,045 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 28% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 69% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Dragon Age: Origins
Lowest review score: 20 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 594 out of 1045
  2. Mixed: 307 out of 1045
  3. Negative: 144 out of 1045
1080 game reviews
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    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Burnout Paradise Remastered
    Every aspect of the base game feels designed to work well with every other aspect. The cars are fast and most of them drift at the tap of your brake, and there are sweeping curves ready to accept those drifts. The shortcuts lead you some wild places, jumping and smashing your way ahead of the pack. By comparison, most driving games feel like a compromise between trying to design a real city for you to race real cars in while also trying to make an exciting video game. Burnout Paradise evokes reality but never at the expense of gameplay. That's something that other racing games could still stand to steal from this one.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Far Cry 4
    Most of what's great about Far Cry 4 is emergent in a way that doesn't need to be attached to a story or locale, so in most of the ways that matter, Far Cry 4 is more of Far Cry 3. But the little additions and co-op play do make meaningful differences, and on its own terms, Far Cry 4 is a great time.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
    I honestly think there are few developers today with both the technical and creative chops to establish such a specific tone as Monolith does so successfully with F.E.A.R. 2. Even though the ghost-story stuff ends up being about as threatening as a trip through The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, and the tactical gameplay is softened up by an abundance of player-boosting pick-ups, F.E.A.R. 2 still puts on one hell of a show.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rock Band Blitz
    The clunky social integration and overabundance of games systems strata ultimately don't negate the old-school rhythm game fun in Rock Band Blitz, and if you're already invested in the Rock Band platform, it almost seems foolish not to spend the $15 to extend the life of your library.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Far Cry 4
    It also runs great on PC, where the higher potential resolution and better image quality really stands out. That's the version to play, if you have a PC that's capable of running it properly.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Far Cry 4
    It's a well-rendered world with a good draw distance and foliage that is as fun to hide in as it is to burn. It runs well on both PS4 and Xbox One.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bird & Beans
    A great little time-waster that's nice to have in your pocket, always at the ready. Two dollars for the package of two varieties is a heck of a deal.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Just Cause 3
    A one-note experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it delivers on that one thing exceptionally well. Just Cause 3 has occasional physics problems and a lack of variety, but it’s fantastic if you just want to drop into a world and immediately start blowing it up.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Just Cause 3
    If you’re aware of the game’s limitations and you’re still eager to blow an open world straight to hell, few games do it better than Just Cause 3.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition
    Getting into online matches quickly and easily is probably Super Street Fighter IV's strongest component. It even seems to be faster and more reliable than its console counterparts, with none of the "unable to join session" errors that plague Capcom's other fighting games, but once a rush of domestic players get their hands on the system, it's anyone's guess about how that will change.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rise of the Tomb Raider
    Nothing about Rise of the Tomb Raider is wildly original, but everything about it is executed with a high degree of quality and craft. The game nicely merges multiple styles of gameplay, tells a better story than the 2013 reboot, and leaves off with Lara Croft at the center of an expanding narrative universe that feels like it could become home to many more exciting adventures. The last game was a decent start, but for my money, this is where the new Tomb Raider really begins.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Donkey Kong Country Returns
    If you're yearning for solid, demanding 2D platforming and can look past some slightly misplaced motion controls, you could do far worse than Donkey Kong Country Returns.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Skate 2
    While the career mode of Skate 2 lacks focus, the open-ended nature of it works out pretty well, and the additional online components really add a lot to the overall experience, as well. Some players may find the difficulty or the open progression a bit overwhelming at times, but the advances in the trick system and the new ways to play make Skate 2 a great sequel that further capitalizes on the concepts introduced in the original.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fallout 3
    Across the three platforms, the PC version of Fallout 3 is the best, provided you have hardware that can handle it. The PC version has better lighting, a bit more graphical detail, and just looks better, overall. It's a Games For Windows Live game, too, so if you're dead set on playing the game with an Xbox 360 controller, you can do that on the PC, as well. Additionally, it has achievements, just like the 360 version, though they're kept separately--this means you could technically double up, play the game to completion on both the 360 and the PC, and have double the points as a result.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Persona 4 Arena
    It's a weird mixing of genres that might leave diehard fans on either side of the genre line wondering if they'd even be capable of fully enjoying the game. But it ends up working out reasonably well.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Persona 4 Arena
    If you honestly care about the universe and its characters, you'll probably take what you can get in whatever format you can get your hands on, but at times this story feels like it'd be better suited for a short manga series than a video game.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Empire: Total War
    In the end, Empire's only blemish is its unresponsive units and pathing. For a game whose greatest thrills result from the specific gambles you make with your troop movements, it's a shame you're sometimes punished when that movement seems out of your control. Even with its flaws, though, the newest Total War is so breathtaking and immersive that it's hard not to recommend to avid strategy fans.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shovel Knight
    Shovel Knight is an exceptionally well-made action platformer, one worthy of being celebrated far beyond the nostalgic foundation it's built upon. Shovel Knight won't be the last old school game made in the modern age, but it's unlikely many others will be as much fun.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pikmin 3
    Yes, it's most certainly "just" more of the Pikmin we came to know during the GameCube era, but after nine years on the shelf, coming back to a Pikmin game this solidly designed quickly reminded me why I had such affection for this series in the first place.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    To the Moon
    It's equally silly and serious, a frivolous adventure that becomes infinitely more meaningful as you trek deeper and deeper into it. And yet, I can't quite call To the Moon a great "game," exactly, because for as much as To the Moon is something you play, its attempts at interactivity are often relegated to the sidelines in favor of pure narrative.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fable II
    Fable II comes packed to the gills with content to keep you busy. While there are definitely some issues with the user interface and the occasional NPC freakout, they are easy to stagger past whilst getting drunk on the world.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Skate 3
    If you're strictly a solo player, you'll probably find Skate 3 to be a sterile, temporary environment that doesn't feel as inviting as the previous game may have. But if you've even dabbled in the online world of Skate 2, you'll surely enjoy what Skate 3 has to offer.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Final Fight: Double Impact
    Maybe the best addition is the Vault, which ties into the in-game achievements/trophies but extends well beyond them with extra challenges like "beat this game using less than 18 continues" or "finish every level with Guy."
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
    If you played the first game to death and are absolutely ready for more, Vegas 2 is right up your alley, but all those similarities mean that you’ll probably burn out on this one a bit faster.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Katamari Forever
    Katamari Forever also has online leaderboards and a local two-player option, but the game's at its best when you're just sort of rolling around, semi-aimlessly, grabbing anything and everything in your path.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
    Adam Jensen's return is largely successful, even if the conspiracy surrounding him could've been a little more engaging.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Darksiders II
    An exciting and lengthy adventure with interesting characters and a host of items and features that make its mix of combat and puzzle-solving very attractive. It's better if you also played the original game, but even if you didn't, Darksiders II is definitely worth looking at.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
    I'm left with the feeling that a sequel to Human Revolution could've told a more engaging story, but at the same time I had a really great time crouch-walking through Prague. It might not be an especially surprising sequel, but it all comes together quite nicely, with solid side missions and a mix of action and stealth that lets you mess around and find your own way of doing things.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Darksiders II
    A smart, original evolution of the previous game's concepts with plenty of new things to see and do, from its new protagonist to its faster combat and engaging loot system.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mafia III
    Ultimately, technical gaffes and issues of design repetition weren't enough to stop me from appreciating Mafia III. The writers and voice actors turn in the strongest work, crafting and performing a story that manages to rise above the conventional open-world structure it's working within.
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