Hardcore Gamer's Scores

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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:
  1. Positive: 2,431 out of 4330
  2. Mixed: 1,657 out of 4330
  3. Negative: 242 out of 4330
4333 game reviews
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    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Infernax
    Infernax is a fantastic throwback to 8-bit gaming, and while it may not be fully faithful to the era thanks to its color palette, number of sprites on screen, and unbroken English, it gets the rest right where it counts. The grim-dark story of Alcedor’s fight against the invading darkness is broken up with moments of humor, several of which pay direct tribute to Castlevania in ways that Alcedor will immediately regret. Not to mention entering the Konami cheat code on the title screen starting up a new save in straight-up Contra mode. The story also comes with several choices along the way, allowing you to have Alcedor try to walk the righteous path or turn evil, and sometimes the law of unintended consequences makes what seems like the right choice lead to the bad outcome. It’s a dark, violent, bloody world that feels great to smash your way through, and while it might take some repetition to clear the harder areas Infernax is always worth the payoff.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Gang Beasts
    At the end of the day, Gang Beasts is a straight-up treat. It’s perfect for those looking for a new game to play with friends (maybe while waiting for Smash Bros. to finally come to Switch). The technical difficulties encountered are outweighed by the enormous amounts of fun to be had. Gang Beasts has so much character and moments of hilarity that it can’t be recommended enough. Gang Beasts runs $19.99 and with the promise of free new game modes, maps and other features on the horizon, it’s worth the pair of Andrew Jacksons.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Peggle 2
    Those who loved the original Peggle will easily get their money’s wortht out of its sequel.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
    Although it could have been a quick cash-in, Heroes is a love letter to Dragon Quest fans that stands as its own charming adventure.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pier Solar and the Great Architects
    With some of the strongest storytelling in its genre, now or in the past, a deep combat system and a top-notch presentation, Pier Solar HD is at the head of its class, easily sitting alongside some of the most cherished classics of its kind. It does have some flaws, though, namely its seeming disinterest in ever providing any real guidance to players, leaving them confused and wandering for longer than necessary.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    SteamWorld Heist
    The combat can feel a little repetitive in long play sessions because it essentially is, but overall SteamWorld Heist is an excellent merger of role playing and turn-based combat.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Jurassic World Evolution 2
    The fact that Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a worthwhile game isn’t surprising. Frontier Developments has a fantastic track record with this kind of game, as proven in Planet Zoo or the first edition of this title. What works in this game’s favor is the expanded roster of dinosaurs, the new challenges and the fantastic animations and behaviors of the exhibits. Being a licensed game, the temptation towards being simple had to have been strong. Some would argue the first game swung to hard in the accessible direction. With this newest iteration, the game walks the line of easy to understand but deep enough to remain engaging. Despite frustrations, Frontier Developments, much like life, found a way.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
    From its insanely quirky characters to its underlying tragedy, D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die is oddity done right.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shooty Fruity
    Providing terrific arcade action, Shooty Fruity expertly blends together classic shooting galleries with much-appreciated bits of strategy, all thanks to its unique premise that has you trying to manage two different games at once. The difficulty level is always nice and fair, allowing for several different play styles and weapon combos to try, and the simple, cute enemies still put up a proper fight. Even at its most basic, it’s still a colorful blast of classic arcade fun that’s worth checking out. Odds are you won’t forget the time you blew up a sentient watermelon while successfully ringing up a purchase for a cactus anytime soon.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Yo-kai Watch
    Yo-Kai Watch may lack the epic plot and deep, challenging combat system of other RPGs, but its cheerful spirit and culturally infused world make it one of the most joyful experiences on 3DS.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mixtape
    Mixtape is an impressive take on what it feels to be a music-obsessed young person trying to come to terms with growing up and moving away from something they took for granted for years. The bittersweet feeling of having regrets and “big hits” stays as a lingering to a life that will never come back. It’s an emotionally powerful adventure in a way that's definitely worth giving a try.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dead or Alive 6
    Dead or Alive 6 doesn’t make any drastic deviations from the previous titles, but adds just enough new features to feel fresh and exciting. The changes that were implemented in the training mode help make what is traditionally one of the most boring game modes enjoyable and helps a lot with mastering the fighting mechanics.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dying Light: The Following
    The Following expands Dying Light in a meaningful new way, giving fans something fun to salivate over.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    My Friend Pedro
    My Friend Pedro is graceful horrific violence at its finest, never resting for a minute before moving on to something new, and while it never quite makes sense at least there’s a talking banana to put things in to perspective.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
    Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is everything Castlevania fans could possibly want and is a great 2D action platformer in its own right. Played by someone without no familiarity with Castlevania, this is a great game that does everything one would hope from the genre, but this really is a nostalgia goody bag for Castlevania fans and because of that it’s so far my personal favorite 2019 title. The developers did play it safe with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and drew heavily from previous Castlevanias instead of introducing some new ideas and concepts. The result is an excellent game and it would be great to see Bloodstained grow as a franchise, adding more innovations to help balance out the heavy-handed sprinkling of nostalgia.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster
    Final Fantasy V is one of the more overlooked titles in the franchise, but skipping this title would be a mistake. Its story may not reach some of the highs as other entries in the franchise, but it’s still compelling enough to keep players interested. While it might not have the best Final Fantasy story, however, it has one of the best job systems. There’s grinding involved to get some of the exceptional abilities, but the freedom to customize a party however the player wants offers many opportunities for creative party configurations and encourages multiple playthroughs. Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster updates a great classic JRPG in a way that respects the original 16-bit title, bringing enough changes to make it feel updated but keeping it familiar enough to appeal to long-time fans.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tooth and Tail
    Those looking for a hot new strategy game should look no further than Tooth and Tail. Providing endless amounts of fun with fair and fast-paced action, Tooth and Tail fights tooth and nail for its place in the RTS pantheon. It proves that innovating on an old school genre is sometimes the best thing needed. This doesn’t mean other games have to follow this design from here on out, but it shows that things can be done differently while being immensely enjoyable.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Astro's Playroom
    Astro’s Playroom is an irresistible delight. Going into it, I thought it was just going to be a short tech demo, and while that’s partially correct, it’s more than meets the eye. It’s overflowing with PlayStation nostalgia that ’90s and ’00s kids will get an absolute kick out of it.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rift: Starfall Prophecy
    If this game sounds interesting but you haven’t played RIFT or MMOs in general, check out the base game and see if you enjoy it enough to explore the expanded content. For those who already play and anxiously want more RIFT this expansion will not disappoint.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Floor Kids
    Floor Kids is, at its core, Tony Hawk-style action where the beat is the rail and the dance moves string together into one long trick. The art and animation are bursting with personality, and the character design is particularly excellent in that they’ve all got a solid sense of style without being over-designed. The combination of the music and art make what would otherwise be a fairly simple score-chasing rhythm game pop off the screen, lively and energetic with its own unique style.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Devil May Cry 5
    While the story feels rushed, and a couple missions could have been compressed into a singular one, Capcom has crafted a well-designed and finely-tuned structure that encourages exploration and experimentation.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
    Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is an exciting step forward for the series that continues to surprise with its increasingly deep combat, gratifying exploration and joyful presentation. Ubisoft has embraced freedom in all senses of the word for this sequel, whether its additional real-time elements during combat, the ability to switch out and upgrade heroes and Sparks at will for endless combinations, or the oodles of optional content that’s crammed into every planet. The predictable and occasionally long-winded story along with late game encounters that severely punish players for mistakes or missed opportunities may keep some players from seeing this journey to its conclusion. Even so, the game’s continued willingness to evolve its approach to new battles and to encourage and reward curiosity in between encounters combine to create a well-paced and engaging tactics game that Switch owners and fans of the genre shouldn’t hesitate to check out.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
    With a robust adventure mode that serves as a great introduction for new players and a welcome challenge for veterans, plus a varied roster of characters and tracks that feel just as vibrant and detailed as the remaster of the Crash trilogy, the title is more than capable of appealing to players of all skill levels. Not every aspect of the game shines brightly, as a lacking battle mode, overly-lengthy progression and a rough online launch put a damper on the bandicoot’s return to racing. Thankfully, the core gameplay is as strong now as it was nearly twenty years ago, opening the door for plenty of hours of arcade racing fun that serves as a welcome reminder of the past and a new path ahead for the future of the series.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lunark
    Lunark is a strong cinematic platformer, more than good enough to hang with the classics of its genre. The animation makes the pixel art feel more detailed than the low resolution would seem in still screens, and the clarity of movement enhances what could be stiff controls to feel more than responsive enough for any situation. The full-screen rotoscoped cutscenes sprinkled throughout the game look fantastic, providing the occasional epic (albeit brief) moment between one level and the next. The levels themselves are also well designed, with a great combination of platforming, puzzles, combat and rewarding secrets scattered throughout. The entire adventure can be completed in a nicely reasonable six hours or less, and each of the twelve levels wraps up before it can get repetitious. Albaryne’s history is more complicated than it would initially appear, and Leo’s journey through Lunark won’t leave the planet the same as when he began.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon
    For the uninitiated, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon is an enjoyable action RPG, and while it has a strong yuri element to it, the gameplay and other aspects of the story are strong enough that it should be played even by people outside of that niche interest group.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Batman: The Enemy Within - Episode 3: The Fractured Mask
    Fractured Mask offers some of the season’s best scenes in yet another strong episode in Telltale’s latest season. The consistency during the two hour tale leaves a little to be desired, but Batman: The Enemy Within continues to be among the best Telltale has to offer.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Big Bang Pro Wrestling
    Big Bang Pro Wrestling offers a fantastic portable wrestling game experience that feels right at home on the Switch. There aren’t many 8-bit-style wrestling games on the platform, with only Pro Wrestling available via the Switch Online service and no Tecmo World Wrestling as of this writing. The gameplay feel is like those two games, but with more depth and personality. Quality-wise, I’d put this above Pro Wrestling, but a notch below Tecmo World Wrestling as far as being an 8-bit-style wrestling game. If you have the other NGPC Selection games and want a pro wrestling game on the go with an SNK feel, this is a great one and works as a nice compliment to the Arcade Archives 3 Count Bout.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sludge Life
    Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot to be said about Sludge Life without giving away its more memorably bizarre bits, of which there are many. It’s a twisted, hellish, yet surprisingly charming playground that you’ll want to spend a good (if small) chunk of time in, soaking in the off-kilter surrounds, humor and visuals. For a game that basically revolves around a filthy hellhole, there’s still a lot of care that was put into making it a unique and fun hellhole and it shows.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser
    Trespasser goes a long way to prove that Bioware really does listen to what fans have to say without feeling like it’s pandering.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    SteamWorld Dig
    For under ten dollars, there’s a lot of fun to be had with SteamWorld Dig.
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