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For 1,012 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 40% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 55% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.4 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Lowest review score: 20 Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 684 out of 1012
  2. Mixed: 250 out of 1012
  3. Negative: 78 out of 1012
1021 game reviews
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    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
    With our video game reviews we reserve a five-star rating for games that we think everyone should experience, that are so interesting or impressive in certain areas that they transcend any flaws, limitations or genre concerns. Uncharted 4 is certainly in that category. [Official Verdict - 5stars]
    • 85 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda
    Cadence of Hyrule is a potent combination of nostalgic looks, creative takes on emotionally charged Zelda music and unusual, rhythm-powered moment-to-moment play. Stylish and excellent fun, this tribute captures the excitement and sense of discovery that makes Zelda what it is: a real adventure.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Super Mario 3D World
    To some, Super Mario may appear tired: a mascot whom Nintendo trots out every few years to sell another console with repackaged but fundamentally stale ideas. Super Mario 3D World is a fierce rebuttal to the accusation. Mario and his makers once again assert their dominance of spatial navigation games, displaying a rude abundance of ideas to delight, surprise and celebrate innocence and playfulness.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Microsoft Flight Simulator
    Wherever you go, this game captures the wonder of flight, and the spiritual and emotional rush of seeing the world in a different way.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Quarrel Deluxe
    Quarrel is just a lovely, skilfully-crafted joy. Denki's genius is in making you feel that hours in the game's company have been educational rather than a time-killing indulgence. That is the loftiest aim of all word games. Few really achieve it.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Crow Country
    The mystery of Crow Country was far richer than I had anticipated: the story is very completely drawn, and isn’t without a little levity and playfulness in the face of the darkness. I found the final sequences really bold – committed to the strange and unsettling all the way through, it certainly sticks the landing. Crow Country is far more than a pastiche of the giants of the PS1 era – it is a real triumph in and of itself.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Two Point Museum
    Two Point Museum takes all the lessons from the previous games and builds on them to make a thoughtful and hugely entertaining contribution to the management sim genre.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
    It may lack the precision of, say Witcher 2's combat, but it makes for a style that can be picked up in seconds, customised to your own particular style of play and crowned with impressive arcade-style finishes... Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a triumph that makes the prospect of a future MMO based on the same world and engine all the more enticing.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Psychonauts 2
    I’ve rarely played anything that is so unashamedly itself. Each hour is different, each character distinct and memorable, each new psychic playground full of surprises. There are a few things here that belong back in 2005, such as an obsession with collectibles and a redundant tree of upgrades that only confuses the array of psychic powers. But this is a standout title that reminds us why 3D platformers were once gaming’s most popular genre.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Black Ops
    Treyarch's game is exhilarating and beautifully orchestrated, but it feels like a full-stop, it needs to be a full-stop, because toward the end of the campaign, bombardment fatigue begins to set in.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
    It is surprising, and not a little depressing, that all people want to talk about with this game is the running time.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Star Wars: Squadrons
    I’ve been waiting 23 years for a game to come along and take the crown for the best Star Wars flight sim from X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, and have had to endure guff like 2001’s Starfighter in the meantime. Well, it’s finally here. This is now the high watermark for interactive Star Wars experiences.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Black Myth: Wukong
    To look at Black Myth: Wukong purely through the lens of market sizes and tastes is a disservice that obscures the most critical fact of all: it’s a fantastic game.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Batman: Arkham City
    Stands head and shoulders over its previous efforts. Despite facing stiffer competition than its predecessor, Batman: Arkham City is easily the best Batman video game of all time.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Overboard!
    Overboard! allows us to imagine what would have happened had Agatha Christie seen Groundhog Day and written a whole new type of mystery novel as a result. Its mobile format also works in its favour – as a Switch or smartphone game, it feels like carrying a little detective paperback around with you, except here you are the lead character, author and reader. As an experiment in fast, story-based game development it is – unlike most of my own mariticidal plots and alibis – a quite scintillating success.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon 4
    This game is a beautiful experience. As driving games go, it’s the best I’ve ever played, not only because of its irresistible scenery, exhilarating driving and perfectly-recreated cars, but because spending time with it puts me in a lasting good mood. It is uncomplicated and thrilling escapism in a shared driving paradise.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Angry Birds Star Wars II
    Like its predecessor, it does an excellent job of staying faithful to the Star Wars universe, right down to the sound effects. Even the way the much-maligned Jar Jar Binks feels like a wry nod to fellow fans.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Rocket League
    What has made this game special is the extra layer of polish on an idea that was already refined, and the resistance to adding unnecessary extras: in this way, it feels like a Nintendo game. Rocket League is simply a joy to play, win or lose. And with friends? Wow. This is the most fun you’ll ever have behind the wheel of a rocket powered football playing car.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Nex Machina: Death Machine
    Played alone or in co-op, played in Arcade mode or one of the more specific mission challenges, Nex Machina is a thrilling masterpiece.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Dishonored
    This a game without the bloat of the modern blockbuster – no co-op mode to allow two friends to assassinate hand-in-hand; no lip-service multiplayer to distract the development team and divert their budget; no upgradable hub to grow or furnish; no open world to impress and weary. Rather you're given a series of handcrafted missions, each with its own optional twists and turns, each with a start, a middle and an end, the plot written by a designer, the script penned by a scriptwriter and the narrative transcribed by you.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Prison Architect
    Once you’re in, you will – unlike many of my own early inmates – find it very difficult to escape.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Hades
    This is the kind of video game fighting that puts your heart in your mouth, an exhilarating whirl of slashes and strikes and dodges. Each jewel in Zagreus’ armoury – brass-knuckles, greatshield and sword, railgun, spear – has its own rhythm: some favour quick flurries at close range, others charge up to unleash hell on rooms full of gorgons and cursed chariots. Conquered chambers sometimes bring a new blessing from one of Zagreus’ relatives up on Mount Olympus, boons that add a watery damage-dealing flourish to your dash or imbue your weapon with lightning, calls that summon gods to unleash magical arrows or make you invincible.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Monster Hunter Wilds
    You could pick Wilds up as a newcomer and have a tremendous time playing through the story. You could stop there and it would still be worth the price of admission. But I will be playing it for a LONG time yet.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Temple Run 2
    It crosses demographic and gaming boundaries as easily as Guy Dangerous hops over dangling footbridges. An excellent sequel.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Mass Effect 2
    That's what makes Mass Effect 2 great. Not the outstanding action, the compelling story, the huge depth of interaction, or any of the other ways in which the game demonstrates its outrageous surfeit of quality. It's because this is a game so coherent, you start to believe that you could actually live in it.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
    It's perfectly designed for DS and something the whole family can get sucked into.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Max Payne 3
    The key to the game is the pitch perfect control system. A customisable auto-targetting system lets players select between hard or soft auto systems, the latter subtly guiding your reticule rather than aggressively yanking it toward specific enemies. Both are smart, seamless and intuitive, allowing newcomers to acclimatise to the turbo-charged pace.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Last of Us
    The Last of Us is visually arresting, mechanically solid, maturely written and by turns heart-rending, tense, unnerving and brutal. Check your ammo. Grab your shiv. Just try your best to stay alive.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
    It's a rare game that can make you love the thing you're supposed to be killing, but then there really isn't anything else like Ico and Colossus.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    VIDEOVERSE
    This new visual novel from the creator of One Night Stand is an engrossing, emotional study of digital relationships that will hit a raw nerve with gamers.
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These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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    • 74 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    PowerWash Simulator
    PowerWash Simulator is currently in early access (you pay a reduced premium to play a game not yet finished), but even now this is an irresistible example of so-called “playbour”, and further evidence that a shit job often makes for a sublime game. [Early Access review]
    • 90 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons
    Animal Crossing is everything I have been craving: it is gentle, soothing, social and creative, and my group chats are already buzzing with hype about beetles and villager fashions. If there was ever a perfect time for a game such as this, that time is now.
    • 72 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Miitomo
    If you’re old enough, if you love Nintendo enough and if you have enough friends who fall into both categories, Miitomo is an inventive and fun, first mobile app for the company. Everyone else? The wait will continue for Nintendo to make some more ambitious mobile games based on its most-loved brands.
    • 80 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Tom Clancy's The Division
    Of more importance is how this world will evolve once enough players have completed all the current missions and find themselves in an end-game that is effectively a treasure hunt in an anarchic moral wasteland. Even at this early stage though, The Division is an experience that’s worth having if you’re at all interested in mainstream action games, or role-playing adventures, or co-operative online play. You will not be bored as you blast your way through.
    • 77 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Hitman - Intro Pack
    There has never been a better way to confront, or indulge, your inner assassin.
    • 80 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Dorfromantik
    Part town-planning exercise, part board game, this thoughtful debut gives plenty of scope for strategy and idealism. [Early Access Score = 80]
    • 77 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    No Man's Sky
    The ability to explore space with a party of up to three friends makes it feel much less lonely than before. And where it once was difficult to return to a previously visited planet, establishing bases allows you to make some small corner of the universe feel like home.
    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Museum of Mechanics: Lockpicking
    The museum itself is pretty rudimentary: a dark hall, with signposted identical locks pointing the way towards Nordhagen’s recreations of lock-picking mini-games. It looks and sounds basic, but the amount of effort, knowledge and understanding of the topic (and of game design and history more generally) that has gone into this mini museum is abundantly evident, from both the exhibits and the text that accompanies them. Like listening to someone talk about the PhD research they’re doing on a niche topic, it might sound boring at the outset, but by the end of an hour, you’ll come away with something you definitely didn’t know before.
    • 77 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Street Fighter V
    Like throwing a punch in the dark, buying Street Fighter V today is a speculative gamble.

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