Hardcore Gamer's Scores

  • Games
For 4,330 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 50% higher than the average critic
  • 9% same as the average critic
  • 41% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.4 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 Assassin's Creed III
Lowest review score: 20 The Quiet Man
Score distribution:
4333 game reviews
    • 52 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The sad thing is that Silent Hill: The Short Message has a lot of good story ideas, characters and world-building, but then proceeds to waste them on completely unoriginal, shallow gameplay. It paradoxically wanted to move ahead and tackle more mature themes and stories, yet has gameplay that feels blatantly regressive, settling for the most generic aspects of modern horror games. If this is the direction that the franchise wants to take, then it's headed straight for a cliff. Hopefully the likes of No Code will be able to salvage things with their side games later, but for now, you can easily skip over The Short Message.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    School Girl/Zombie Hunter had the potential to be a B-movie style good time that unfortunately is so bad that it’s bad. There are tiny bits of fun to be found among the numerous flaws, but the bad vastly outnumbers the good. Die hard fans of this type of thing could maybe give this a look if there’s a heavily discounted sale, but even then the bad gameplay will overshadow any camp value to be found. Onechanbara Z2 is actually a better alternative to this title, if that tells you anything, since it provides the same level of fan service but with better visuals, music and combat. School Girl/Zombie Hunter is basically Lollipop Chainsaw without the fun or any of latter’s redeeming qualities.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    There are moments when Tsugunohi succeeds as a horror game. The visuals and concepts for some of the chapters are incredibly disturbing. The understated, quiet moments of the game are the most effective. However, there was a push to make them more outwardly scary with continuous ghost sightings, monster jump scare tactics and these things ruin the mood. Atmosphere is everything in horror and it’s incredibly easy to lose its effectiveness. Tsugunohi is worth it for the curious horror fans out there, but others aren’t missing anything by passing on the experience.
    • 39 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    This game is a total waste of time and money, and the best I can really say for it is that it doesn’t waste much of either. In fact, in a day or two, you’ll probably have forgotten it entirely.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Perhaps Godzilla will get a decent game by his hundredth anniversary, but this isn’t it.
    • 33 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    With all of the wasted potential and the abuse of a cult-classic property found here, Overlord: Fellowship of Evil is not good.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    If you love the idea of speed runs and like the thrill of making every move count to beat the clock, then 10 Second Ninja might be for you. For everyone else, though, 10 Second Ninja is a repetitive and dull game, one whose philosophy on improvement is player-hostile for the entire ride.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    It's a nice try, but it still needs a bit of polish. [June 2007, p.61]
    • Hardcore Gamer
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    It has an interesting premise, but it’s let down by padded, disjointed plotting and awful character writing.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Albino Lullaby: Episode 1 is a most unnerving horror game, but not the all-around freakiest or best from a gameplay perspective. Despite some A+ design work, there is a real lack of compelling gameplay at the core.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Super Hexagon and still need your twitch fix, you might get some real enjoyment out of Velocibox‘s stiff challenge; anyone else can safely give this a pass.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Stick with the mobile version and feel sorry for all the poor kids on Christmas morning who’s parents were fooled into thinking this was the must-have PS4 launch title.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    BeatBlasters III encourages excitement and the party vibe with its aesthetic, but its design does nothing but slog around obnoxious escorts and defense missions that instantly overstay their welcome.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Despite its ambitious stride to tell a gripping tale of a father/husband striving desperately to look for his missing family, Husk‘s end delivery is anything but. With a host of mechanical and structural oddities breaking numerous points of immersion where it’s seldom gained — both before and after post-release updates — across environments that, though blended rather well into one another, could very well be found in ample other titles using horror as an attribute, Husk is a frustrating game to recommend. Marred by technical difficulties that come to question just how “finished” this game truly is/was, Husk is another example of a studio that have mistaken basic nostalgia for the wealth of enjoyment.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Unfortunately, after the initial seconds, Tennis in the Face completely fails at being enjoyable. It’s physics can be erratic, levels seem untested and the quirky humor gets old fast. The sound effects go a long way towards making this game remotely tolerable, and occasionally a wry grin can be had at a pile of donuts showering the screen.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    A love letter to both the show and beat-em-ups that falls short of reaching its goals. The franchise’s earliest games were largely better than this, and while this does scratch a nostalgia itch to some degree, it isn’t a satisfying gaming experience. Movesets are far too lean and there are too few enemies to keep the action interesting for very long. Dedicated fans of the show may want to check it out, but everyone else can safely skip it.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The only way I could possibly recommend this game to anyone is if you have a blossoming interest in both breasts and fighting games, and are trapped on some sort of desert island with a PS3 that only has Girl Fight on it. Everyone else is going to want to look elsewhere.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Rudimentary puzzle design overshadows every emotional undertone so greatly that boredom is more likely to ensue than introspection. Whether or not Pillar teaches us something about ourselves is irrelevant; the fact that we’re left wondering what could have been is the true tragedy.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    This is a port of a mobile game that came to fruition via crowdfunding; one with a Google Play page that is loaded with accolades. It is at this point where the final piece of evidence must be introduced: the overuse of tired memes.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator has ample promise and a lot of heart, but wasn’t given enough time to grow. Most of the dads are lovely to get to know and worth dating. Players want to spend more time with these guys, but only get three relatively brief dates to whet their appetite. Then there’s the fact that it doesn’t yet feel finished due to a fair share of typographical issues, mishmash of art styles and the amount of gameplay bugs still impacting the experience. Once patches go out these latter issues should be resolved, but nothing short of DLC or a sequel will bring players more time with the cast of dads who simply weren’t given enough time in the spotlight to really shine.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    To put it bluntly, Bombshell is a dud. What once began as something that had potential to become a so-stupid-it’s-awesome classic ended up being merely…well, it isn’t even really that stupid as a whole, just dull.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Z-run’s combination of zombies and endless runners was undoubtedly a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, the game design, fun factor and replay value were all poorly executed.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    A fleeting handful of positives to share, for Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is a predominantly dull and tonally-misguided addition to the World of Darkness property.
    • 36 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Alekhine’s Gun is a title where the ambition of design outmatches the execution with gusto.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    NEKO-NIN exHeart is not a game for every visual novel lover out there. It’s squarely targeted at the audience who knows they like catgirls and seek out stories about them regardless of quality. This isn’t an experience for someone looking for deep storyline, epic romance or even a lot of dialogue choices. The dull writing and technical issues don’t make a great impression either. The best aspects of artwork and voice acting help smooth out the rough edges, but only to a degree. Still, if you’re waiting on more Nekopara goodness to arrive then NEKO-NIN exHeart will probably tide you over for a couple hours.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead takes an interesting concept and fails to reach the mark, fizzling out into mediocrity before even getting started. The goal of remaining quiet is portrayed well with several successful mechanics (opening doors slowly, watching where you step), but becomes boring as the game fails to create engaging challenges while plummeting in quality. Fans of the franchise will get a kick out of this adaptation for the first few hours, but it's hard to imagine many players sticking around until the ending.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Team Indie is a competent platformer with a unique, cute concept. Unfortunately, when put into action, playing as many famous indie characters reveals how good those original games were rather than make you excited to play this one.
    • 32 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    If you’ve got the tolerance for terrible and the four hours or less that it takes to beat the game, maybe you’ll have fun groaning at how bad Zombeer is too.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    It’s hard to recommend FIVE: Guardians of David to anyone. Fans of action RPGs have literally dozens of better games to choose from. Even gamers who would like to play an RPG without being assaulted by bloodshed have some excellent choices, such as the Torchlight games.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Shelter 2 fails to deliver what its concept promises, but it remains an enjoyable adventure that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

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