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For 250 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 31% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 65% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.9 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 72
Highest review score: 100 Donkey Kong Bananza
Lowest review score: 20 Pokemon Violet
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 138 out of 250
  2. Mixed: 81 out of 250
  3. Negative: 31 out of 250
252 game reviews
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    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Slay the Spire 2
    Slay the Spire II isn’t exactly a revolution: the framework of the original remains intact, but there are so many new cards and the new characters are so unique that we’re already completely hooked and frantically searching for ways to “break” the game by finding crazy card combos. The new feature we were most looking forward to was multiplayer: from now on, you can team up with other players to take down monsters. That requires a lot of coordination, especially when playing with three or four people, but wow: it adds a whole new dimension. In case it wasn’t clear: we would have rather played Slay the Spire II than written this piece. Though that’s not entirely true: we think this game is so good that we believe everyone should try it, and we’re happy to recommend it. Your wallet will barely feel it: you can get started for just 25 euros. [Early Access Score = 100]
    • 74 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Atomfall
    Life isn’t easy, especially when you end up in a radioactive zone and a secretive government cuts you off from civilization. That happened to us twice this year: first in the magnificent Stalker, now in Atomfall. You see, with Atomfall we didn’t use any superlatives, and that’s no oversight. Atomfall reminds us of our attempts at cooking: all the ingredients are there, but the result doesn’t taste as good as we hoped. The game doesn’t escape the label ‘mediocre’: at this moment, it mainly feels like it’s only about 80 percent finished. A shame, because we do like the concept.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
    We have been playing Flight Simulator for about thirty years and watched the game undergo a tremendous evolution. The pixels of yesteryear became more and more realistic, and we spent many hours in the virtual cockpit. But now... sigh. Let's start with the beginning: after the huge download, it took us a good hour to get past the loading screen. The times after that were slightly faster, but in the meantime you can quietly do the dishes. That you need a powerful PC, we understand: the more realistic, the more computing power. But in addition, you need a fast Internet connection, because the game world is downloaded live. Our connection is on the moderate side, and so is our gaming enjoyment. So until an update comes along that fixes this, we are in a no-fly zone.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Rise of the Ronin
    Rise of the Ronin is an open world action game set in nineteenth century Japan with both Souls-like elements and exploration à la Assassin’s Creed with a tiny dash of roleplaying the mix. It tries multiple things, but excels in none.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
    A huge missed opportunity. That's what is left after playing "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. What could have been an epic superhero game turned into an extremely mediocre shooter of thirteen in a dozen.
    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Palworld
    There is nothing wrong with being inspired, and many movies and games are variations on existing themes. But ‘Palworld’ adds nothing original and there is more than a hint of plagiarism about it. This chaotic bastard child in which creatures can not only be deployed as soldiers or slaves but also horribly tortured caused nothing but annoyance for yours truly. But look, tens of millions of players appear to like it after all, so there is indeed a market and an audience for it. Fascinating, but that still doesn't make it a good, original game. [Early Access Score = 20]
    • 56 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
    Shooting, sprinting, and tactically maneuvering across the playing field to cunningly (or flashily) kill other players: it is and always will be addictive. And as ever, the game also tickles your reptilian brain with sounds and messages - Killstreak! Payback! Savior! + 120 XP!!! This works so effectively that a slot machine in Vegas could learn a thing or two from a console game. But when after two addictive hours the fog of war has cleared around your head, you have to conclude: actually, I've played this thirteen times in a dozen. It looks better than it did in 2010, but in essence it is unchanged, just like that fast food burger that has also tasted exactly the same for years.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Pokemon Scarlet
    A square wheel spins more smoothly and fluidly than this game. If three Pokémon or characters come into view at once, the whole game creaks and falters. Edge-off unplayable. And that's a shame. Because the addition of an open world is "on paper" a puffy idea to refresh the franchise. No more linear walking that takes you past gyms and ever stronger and different Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all. You can go wherever you want. With some tactics, you can take on some very tough challenges with Pokémon that aren't nearly strong enough. Fun! Except this game just wasn't ready. It's shameless that Nintendo and Game Freak are still throwing it on the market. Nevertheless: 10 million games sold in just three days.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Pokemon Violet
    A square wheel spins more smoothly and fluidly than this game. If three Pokémon or characters come into view at once, the whole game creaks and falters. Edge-off unplayable. And that's a shame. Because the addition of an open world is "on paper" a puffy idea to refresh the franchise. No more linear walking that takes you past gyms and ever stronger and different Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all. You can go wherever you want. With some tactics, you can take on some very tough challenges with Pokémon that aren't nearly strong enough. Fun! Except this game just wasn't ready. It's shameless that Nintendo and Game Freak are still throwing it on the market. Nevertheless: 10 million games sold in just three days.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    A Little To The Left
    There are two types of people in life, to put it very simplistically: those who get calm from order and cleanliness, and those who enjoy chaos. Do you fall into the first category? Then "A little to the left" is for you. If not, you'd better ignore this game.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Redfall
    The result is a game with no identity of its own. Redfall simultaneously wants to be a looter shooter like Borderlands, in an open world like Fallout's, with action like Dying light and a lengthy multiplayer experience like Destiny. But it fails on all counts. The game environments are bleakly empty, the gameplay is wooden. Like the vampires from the world of Redfall, the game has no soul.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Forspoken
    Forspoken is somewhat reminiscent of the fusion cuisine that caused a furor in the average bistro in the early 1990s...The result is a potpourri of uncomfortably poorly written dialogue, a giant open world of cardboard and struggling to find 'meh' action and combat.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Gotham Knights
    Gameplay-wise, Gotham Knights contains good ideas, but in practice it’s mostly repetitive. The puzzles are trivial, and the Batcycle feels as nimble as a belt sander over a slab of wood. Even the fights only require the press of a single button. In short: Batman, may you rest in peace. You deserve better than this.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Steelrising
    Ever played Dark Souls? Then you actually already know Steelrising. Unfortunately, the game is more clone than homage to From Software's games. The setting - France at the time of the revolution, but with robots - is original, but this game does not contribute much to the genre.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Mario Strikers: Battle League
    Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. In our memories, 'Super Mario strikers' on our Gamecube was the best of the best, unmatched and wonderful. Fair is not fair, as it sets the bar extremely high for 'Mario strikers battle league'. But there's more: this game feels like it's not quite finished.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Babylon's Fall
    Our expectations for Babylon's fall were sky high. A collaboration between legendary publisher Square Enix and developer PlatinumGames, a few years ago responsible for the masterful 'NieR: automata', that could only produce fireworks, right? Unfortunately, fireworks that end with a whimper.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Nintendo Switch Sports
    Switch Sports is not in an enviable position. It’s predecessor – Wii Sports – was without a doubt an iconic gamechanger that had a big stake in the Wii’s success. Sixteen years after its release the basics are unchanged. It remains pleasant to waddle and wave wildly in the direction of a television screen while ‘playing tennis’ with your partner, grandparents or kids alike, but it seems that magical Wii-spark is no longer there. It’s been sixteen years, remember? Unfortunately, the magic is gone.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Chocobo GP
    Where Chocobo GP really goes off the rails is in the way it demands money from the player. The game already costs full price, but also works with a season pass and microtransactions for all sorts of extras that should have been in the base game in the first place. Illustrating this is how Chocobo GP puts Cloud and Squall deep behind the pay wall. It's like you can only race Mario and Bowser in Mario Kart after opening your wallet.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    GhostWire: Tokyo
    Ghostwire: Tokyo is full of wasted potential. This insanely detailed, beautiful and atmospheric vision of the Japanese capital is lost to monotonous combat and gameplay.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The Gunk
    Some might see it as an indictment of our current polluting society, others just as a very short and simple platform game with a wafer-thin story and few challenging puzzles that - unlike the titular gunk - doesn't stick around for long.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Escape from Naraka
    At times the game reminds you of classic first person shooters like Heretic and Quake, but without the shooting. Escape from Naraka in fact does it without weapons. Original and refreshing, but frustrating to jump from platform to platform in this perspective, when monsters can kill you with a single blow. The atmosphere in the game is good, but when you reach the end after barely two hours of play and are only relieved that the game is already over, something is thoroughly wrong.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
    No reviewer on earth enjoys scathing a Zelda-game. More often than not they are grand cru-games players are willing to wait years for. Ever since BOTW we’ve been given crumbs while waiting for the much awaited sequel through remasters and remakes. ‘Link’s Awakening’ scratched that itch. Skyward Sword HD does not. Spoler alert: in the year 2021 motion controls are still horrible.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Necromunda: Hired Gun
    Rarely have we been left so disappointed after gaming as after playing 'Necromunda: hired gun'. And that's a shame, because on paper the game has everything to be a hit.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Days Gone
    Bigger is better. It might suit a bag of chips - Lay's salt and pepper, please - but not a computer game. Or at least not for Days Gone for PC, which combines the same large open world of the PS4 game with an overwhelming number of missions. Do we think Days Gone is a bad game? No, absolutely not. But to go back to the comparison with potato chips - one of our areas of expertise next to computer games - the bag is big, the content is weak.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    DOOM 3: VR Edition
    First the good news: Doom 3 VR edition differs little from the original, and the sinister atmosphere in the dark space base looks sublime even through a virtual reality headset. The bad news? Doom 3 VR edition differs little from the original. The graphics are hopelessly outdated 17 years after its original release, the cutscenes are suddenly no longer in 3D, and a loading screen appears every so often, causing everything to stall and taking you completely out of the game experience.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Oddworld: Soulstorm
    In Oddworld: Soulstorm, a reimagining of the 1998 PS1-classic Abe's Exodus, you play as Abe, a friendly do-gooder who reluctantly becomes some sort of messiah after freeing an enslaved people from their industrial overlords. The story could be read as a criticism of neoliberalism, religious fanaticism and is heavy on themes such as environmentalism and capitalism gone wild. Very relevant. Alas the gameplay doesn’t follow suit.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 20 Critic Score
    Balan Wonderworld
    Playing Balan Wonderworld is like looking forward to a virtuous hot shower after a long and hard day of work, only to find that there is only cold water: a big and unfortunate disappointment.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Maquette
    Maquette is a clever game with some original game mechanics. Playing around with the scale of objects is challenging but fun, however the game also suffers from some technical issues and can even cause motion sickness. But even if that doesn’t bother you, you will reach the end soon – too soon, even for an indie game.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Glyph
    Glyph is set in the desert, which is a little sour for the ball-shaped main character who is allergic to sand. And just to be clear, it's not a "Is that a pimple on my face?" allergy, but one of the "If I hit sand the whole thing explodes" type. So jump, dive and fly, anything to stay out of the sand and accomplish your mission safely. Nice to spend a quarter or maybe even an hour, not enough to convert us to platforming.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Blue Fire
    3D platform games are too often intended for kids. Where Mario and co. are a proverbial splash pool, Blue Fire immediately throws the player into an Olympic-sized swimming pool, filled with piranhas and other mischief. The concept of the game is great, unfortunately it is poorly executed.
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