Het Nieuwsblad's Scores

  • Games
Select another publication »
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 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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
view
per page
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    New Pokemon Snap
    And so I set out again. I see a Pidgeot grab a Magikarp from the air as it jumps out of the water. Unfortunately, I am just too late to get it right in the picture because I am a bit startled by my childish enthusiasm. Maybe it's because of the vacation spirit I missed. Or maybe because New Pokémon Snap is just really fun to play. I think mostly the latter.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    News Tower
    News Tower is an original addition to the management genre, full of atmosphere and surprisingly addictive. Dutch developer Sparrow Night has made a clever debut with this game. Be prepared for some red numbers in the beginning, because the entry threshold is quite high. Apparently, it's not as easy as we thought to create a high-quality, profitable newspaper. Respect for our bosses.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
    They know their classics at Square Enix, that much is clear. Final Fantasy Tactics shines like never before. But whether this polished gem will reach a new audience beyond diehard RPG fans is something we dare to doubt.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
    A lot has changed under the beautiful hood, and the threshold has been significantly lowered. The original was an epic that you could easily spend a hundred hours on, but where you spent a large part of that time grinding: defeating the same enemies over and over again to slowly become stronger. That has been greatly reduced. Now you can defeat weak monsters with a single push of a button. Sacrilege? Perhaps, but the result is a streamlined game that respects your time and has a much faster pace.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Last of Us Part I
    Naughty Dog is by no means a one trick pony. With ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Uncharted’, it is responsible for two of the best game series of recent years. It is also far from being the only developer to spread the same game at full price over three console generations. Consider, for example, Rockstar, which also wants to market ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ to as many gamers as it can in the same way. For a game of this exceptionally high level, that's not even a bad thing, although we'd rather see their focus shift to ‘GTA VI’ or, who knows, ‘The Last of Us: Part III’.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Super Mario Party Jamboree
    Super Mario party jamboree is a very fun game, which is a little more extensive and varied than its predecessors. But you have to be able to stand your losses and your friends' teasing. So play at your own risk.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hot Wheels Unleashed
    Hot Wheels Unleashed has everything it takes to become a cult hit: a fine driving experience, a story mode, a track builder and you can unlock and collect rare cars. More than that, it's the racing game we didn't know we needed this year.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Loop Hero
    Loop Hero is essentially a constant game of risk versus reward that quickly takes hold of you. And once you're in that loop, it's hard to get out again.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Riders Republic
    In terms of gameplay, Riders Republic is an arcade-style racing game. Not necessarily realistic, but very fun, fast and over the top. It's perfect for fans of Tony Hawk, SSX and even (for those slightly older readers) Cool boarders. It's not overly technical, but it's not dulled either. It's also clever how Ubisoft has managed to make every discipline on point. Whether you're doing tricks on a snowboard or flying through a ravine in a wingsuit, all the disciplines are incredibly fun.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    EA Sports FC 24
    Whether it's called FIFA or not, EA Sports FC 24 is the traditional, annual soccer game that every fan looks forward to. It's not a revolution, but exactly what you can expect if you've played the previous years. Although it does seem that the break with the World Soccer Federation has been virtuous. The graphical interface is less garish and there is more hierarchy and structure in the menus so you can find your way around more easily. The players' movements have also become just that little bit more natural, making play seem more fluid and realistic than ever. Although the attackers are still favored over the defenders, making it easier to score than to stop goal attempts.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Football Manager 2022
    Besides the player group that you can put together yourself at one of the 127 clubs and the tactical instructions that you give to your team, there are now also meetings, pep talks and press conferences that require your input. Unfortunately, this is done in such a crooked Dutch that it is disturbing. This is also about the only reason why this niche game does not receive an absolute top score.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Back 4 Blood
    Along the way, many mutated creatures cross your path. These include not only the classic slow undead, but whole hordes of super-fast and agile, bloodthirsty zombies - called ridden in the game - to gigantic monstrosities that can send you to oblivion with a single punch. Those nine different types of opponents provide enough variety in the challenges to keep the game engaging for hours.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Last of Us Part II Remastered
    No, we were not waiting for a remaster of ‘The Last of Us Part II’, now less than four years old. But this new version adds so much to the original that it is by far the best possible way to experience this epic game.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
    Whether you escape or fail, you end up back at the beginning each time. The trick is to do your round again and again through the bank that changes layouts each time. It sounds simple, but is surprisingly challenging and great fun to play.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Eternal Threads
    "The best new game you've never heard of." That's how ‘Eternal threads’ was pitched by our bright local PR rep. Normally we put our defenses up even more than usual upon hearing a similar statement. But after only a few minutes of playing, it was already clear: he was simply right.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Super Mario Bros. Wonder
    A Japanese game about an Italian plumber who eats mushrooms to get bigger. Mario games have always been trippy by design, but with "Super Mario Wonder," Nintendo puts the turbo on the psychedelics. Every time you pick up one of the new Wonder Flowers, the world is figuratively - sometimes literally - turned upside down. Time after time, it's a sweeping and engaging change to the laws of physics (of the game, admittedly) that make your inner child coo.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Final Fantasy XVI
    No, you don't have to have played the previous fifteen games to understand this story. And yes, FFXVI is an excellent entry point to get to know this long-running series of Japanese role-playing games. Purists denounce how "Final Fantasy" has become less and less "role-playing game" and more and more "action game," but they err. This is a winner.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Resident Evil Village
    Resident Evil: Village suffers from the same defect as many horror films: after a while we dare to open our eyes, the chips and coke are finished and we wait somewhat bored for the end of the film. So too in Village. As soon as the novelty wears off, the game deteriorates into a kind of slaughterfest that even reminded us a bit of Call of Duty. The tone of the game also changes. Moments of campy horror/humor are interspersed with scenes that are as much seriousness as blood. It seems a bit as if the creators didn't know which way they wanted to go and just took all sides at once. That's a shame for a game in a series that is already a quarter of a century old. These moments are not bad, but the contrast with Village's best bits is huge. Because when everything clicks together, it just crackles.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Age of Empires IV
    The controls are so smooth and intuitive that you can join the battle effortlessly. The multiplayer mode provides endless opportunities to play and keep playing, and the solo campaign is accompanied by well-made and interesting videos. If our teachers had made history lessons as engaging as Age of Empires IV, we’re sure we would have paid better attention.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Mass Effect Legendary Edition
    The good news first: the games received a graphical update, making them look visually up to date. Oddly enough, this improvement also has a downside: the unique atmosphere that characterized the first part of the series is gone. The dark menace is completely gone, and gloomy surroundings suddenly look like sunny vacation resorts - if you think away the skewered inhabitants. So are we disappointed with this Remastered Edition? Not at all. The battles remain fantastic: is a sniper hiding behind a wall? Let one of your (computer-controlled) allies throw him into the air and then practice the better clay-pigeon shooting. All this action is embedded in an epic story that can compete with the better Star Trek movie, where the painful choices are made by you.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Black Desert Online: Land of the Morning Light Edition
    Land of the Morning Light is a gorgeous and engaging love song to ancient Korea. However, it suffers from the same problems as genre rivals. You don’t just catch up with almost nine years of previous history, and the amount of data to process is almost intimidating.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    F1 23
    The new American backers of motorsport's king class know damn well what they're doing. After the documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix brought a touch of drama to the paddock, winning heaps of new souls for the sport, F1 23 does it again nicely. With Braking point 2, the story mode in the new game, even gamers who previously had little with F1 have something to lick their thumbs and fingers at.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Far Cry 6
    How do you stop a cruel South American dictator who cares nothing for his people and only craves to become even richer and more powerful? With some good will, inventiveness and perseverance, if Far Cry 6 is to be believed. And with the help of a crazy rooster. ¡Viva la revolución!
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    FIFA 22
    The most important question of all is: how does FIFA 22 play? Well, for the most part just like FIFA 21 and 20. And that's a good thing, because its controls and gameplay were fine. Revolutionary changes you should not expect. The next-gen versions have received a graphical update and load super fast, but razor-sharp and lifelike movements during a full soccer match will not be available until next year at the earliest.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cuphead: Physical Edition
    This Limited edition is a physical edition with a lot of goodies, but it mainly bundles the excellent base game in which you play with Cuphead and little brother Mugman, and the expansion The delicious last course. In addition to a new play environment and new challenges, this one brings with Ms. Chalice - it stays after a cup, mug and now a chalice in the theme of china - also a new playable character. Together they are good for at least 15 hours of proverbial self-mutilation of the funniest kind.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
    In this brand-new adventure, you step into the shoes of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael or Michelangelo, sensei Splinter or reporter April O'Neil and must save the world from the main villain Shredder. You do this entirely in the style of the beat 'em ups of yesteryear. It is a brawling game with wonderfully pixelated retro graphics and a pumping soundtrack, in which just about all the locations, characters and enemies of the past pass by in rapid succession.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bayonetta 3
    Bayonetta 3 excels in over-the-top madness. In the best possible way. But the story with wacky characters across parallel universes, is just the canvas for the real highlight of Bayonetta 3: the action. The titular witch's lightning-fast attacks are complemented her own magical powers, but you can now also temporarily take control of several enormous creatures, the "Demon Slaves”.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Monster Hunter Rise
    Monster Hunter Rise is the latest Switch crown jewel. It is a great rendition of the longstanding JRPG-series even though the Switch’s screen is smaller, has a lower resolution and scarce computing power. As complex and hard to master as ever, it will take more than a few YouTube-tutorials to really get going. But once past that point of no return players gets sucked in the franchise’s signature gameplay-loop that is deliciously addictive.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Persona 5 Strikers
    Describing Persona 5 as brilliant is not even an exaggeration. The 2016 Japanese game won just about everything there was to win, and is considered one of the best role-playing games ever made. ‘Strikers’ is not simply an expansion that offers more of the same, but a standalone game that adds a new and distinct battle system where the focus is more on action than tactics.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Black Myth: Wukong
    In just three days, 10 million copies were sold, making it one of the fastest-selling games ever. A game about Chinese mythology may not be so accessible in Western countries, but Black myth: Wukong is simply a rock-solid action game. So flashy and simply beautiful that you'll happily forgive its minor shortcomings.
Page:
 This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
    • 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]
    • 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]

Top Trailers

See all »
See all trailers »