Het Nieuwsblad's Scores

  • Games
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. Negative: 31 out of 250
252 game reviews
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Tetris effect: Connected reaches its true potential in the extensive multiplayer modes. You can join games hosted all over the world, each with its own theme and according graphical and sound effects. Whether you want to unwind with a relaxing puzzle, or are looking for an intense and nerve-racking challenge, the choices are nearly infinite.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    What really makes this game innovative is undoubtedly the graphical aspect. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart had to show what the PS5 is capable of and it succeeds wonderfully. The planets, the characters, the use of color, it all looks breathtaking. As if you've landed in an interactive animated film. If we have to mention one drawback, it's that the creators perhaps want to show a little too much of what's possible, which makes the game a bit chaotic at times.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    It's big, bigger, biggest for Xenoblade chronicles 3. It's all the more galling that the game manages to captivate from start to finish. An unadulterated epic adventure.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    If we do have one point of criticism, it is that there is no option to play the game in pairs. Games with such a co-op option are scarce these days, but it could have completed the experience completely. Still, as far as we are concerned, this space adventure deserves all the stars. All in all, Astro Bot is a very fun, accessible game. In fact, we dare say more: in this game, Astro rivals Mario as a platform king. Sorry, Nintendo.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    'Satisfactory' is a strange beast. The idea behind it is simple: you are dropped on an alien planet and must then build a factory from scratch. What's the fun in that? We didn't really understand that either, because it's surprisingly similar to work. The game is also not perfect: it has disturbing graphical glitches, the alien fauna and flora get boring quickly, and we also noticed that after a while our PC was toiling as hard as our factory. Still, we have to admit that these minus points cannot spoil the fun: Satisfactory turns out to be a wonderful game that we will be enjoying for a very long time.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Hollow Knight: Silksong is, just like its predecessor, relentless. It's not a gentle adventure for beginners. Although this can make it frustrating at times, the game is exactly what fans had hoped for. Exhausting, yes, but also incredibly atmospheric. The game exudes mystery. The creators took their time making this sequel and worked out every detail meticulously. And my god, their world is beautifully designed. Hollow Knight: Silksong is a big challenge for a small price. It was well worth the long wait. But let me say it one more time: this game is not for everyone.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Console gamers had to wait quite a few months, but one of the most lauded games of 2020 is finally available for Playstation and Xbox. And 'Hades' has everything it needs to excel on the new platforms as well.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Is Deathloop perfect? For that, the story is a bit too slow to start, at times you are led by the hand just a little too much, and there were still too many bugs in our review copy. But that can be solved with patches and updates, and the pace does not detract from this intelligent and well-crafted murder puzzle. Let's hope it's the first of its kind.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Solving puzzles together. Learning new skills. A little bit of fighting. We were big fans of the first two "Trine" games. Until the creators missed the mark with the third game. But with "Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy," the mistakes of the past have been forgiven.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The graphics, lighting and weather effects are some of the best we've seen in a racing game, but of course it's all about the cars. Although this is an arcade racer that does not focus on realism but rather on short and fast action, the cars behave truthfully and react differently whether you are driving on a track, on the street or off road. The controls have been kept simple, making the game accessible to just about anyone. Altogether, this makes Forza Horizon 5 the most fun racing game of the moment.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    You don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy the unexpected masterpiece that is Tohu. It delivers a simple story with an equally simple gameplay: just point and click to solve the challenging puzzles at your own pace, while admiring the breathtaking scenery.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The story is entertaining, and it features characters from the Marvel universe that haven't yet surfaced in the movies, such as Fin Fang Foom, Lady Hellbender and the Nova Corps. Add in the requisite humor and self-deprecation and an eclectic killer soundtrack, and you get one of the most enjoyable games of the year.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    A series so influential it becomes its own genre. That alone is FromSoft’s crowning achievement. For Elden Ring, the most recent iteration of that series, all superlatives fall short. This game is a timeless masterpiece that will go down in history as a milestone, not only for the genre and developer From Software, but for gaming as a whole.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Warner Bros. announced this game with much fanfare a long time ago, but Hogwarts Legacy lives up to all expectations. You can lose yourself for hours in the world where years later Harry Potter will also have his adventures. If we could take two weeks off just for this game, we would do it in a heartbeat. Hogwarts Legacy has us spellbound and we never want to go back to the Muggle world.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Every once in a while a game comes along that is so special that you can't help but admire it. And when it turns out to be a solo project, the appreciation only increases. In an hour this artful game is finished, but for something that is completely free, that is no shame at all.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Another box ticked on the list. After recent remakes of Resident evil 2 and 3, it was time for Capcom to give the fourth installment in their acclaimed game series a makeover. The bar was set high, as 2005's Resident Evil 4 is considered by many to be the best survival horror game ever. Contrary to what the crosses on the list suggested, they did not deliver a tire job but a new masterpiece.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Diablo IV stays mostly true to its roots. Think isometric perspective, bleak environments and wave after wave of hordes of demons. But at the same time, the game has received a much-needed update in the form of stunning graphics, fluent gameplay and an impressive opening scene that immediately takes the you to your macabre playing field for the next twenty to fifty hours - or more.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    A psychedelic trip of about ten hours. Perfectly legal and without any mind-altering or narcotic drugs involved. Welcome to the delightfully bizarre world of ‘Ultros’, whose smooth and surprisingly layered gameplay, atmospheric soundtrack and eccentric graphics make it an instant cult classic.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    New gameplay elements are constantly being introduced in It Takes Two, each requiring you to develop your own skills. And although the story of impending divorce sounds quite sad - and for many undoubtedly recognizable - the 3D platform game uses a lot of humor. You end up in a very original and imaginative world, which continues to surprise even after hours.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The result is a surprisingly layered and extremely addictive game, with pixelated retro graphics. Cleverly designed too, as all the bleeps and effects constantly provide little shots of dopamine, much like a jackpot, slot machine or coin toss from the luna park. The addition of jokers and bonus cards made available seemingly at random make each game different, and replayability almost endless.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    'Street Fighter,' 'Mortal Kombat' or just 'Tekken' after all: the battle for the title of best fighting game is as old as the genre itself, but with 'Tekken 8' it has been settled: 'The King of Iron Fist Tournament' knocks out the competition. Stop what you are doing and go play this game.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    How do you handle the reworking of one of the greatest classical works in history? With great patience, skill and respect. With video games, it's no different than with other art forms. 'Final Fantasy VII' was not just restored, but completely remade. 'Rebirth' is not a sacrilege, but the finest tribute this classic could ever receive.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Humankind may not have invented hot water, but it is sufficiently different from Civilization. And that results in a rock-solid game, not least because of its scale. In the game, you lead your people through the different eras of our civilization. At six different times you are presented with ten cultures that you can take over from then on. In addition, the characteristics of your previous choices are preserved, resulting in a unique melting pot of influences from a million (!) possible combinations. Each game is different, and you will spend many hours exploring only a fraction of the possibilities. That replayability alone makes Humankind more than worth its money.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    If you ask us, we would place Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in the same category as generational games such as Final Fantasy VII (1997) and Chrono Trigger (1995). It is in good company, as both games are classics and belong to the cream of the crop of role-playing games. Memorable games that still resonate with an entire generation of players years, even decades later. Fans of the genre, enjoy this. Because a debut game with these qualities, showered with superlatives, is a rare occurrence.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    We love almost everything about ‘Final Fantasy VII remake Intergrade’, except for the name. Aside from expansion ‘Intermission’, the difference between ‘FFVII Remake’ on PS4 and ‘Intergrade’ on PS5 is small, but the graphical upgrade and utilization of the new console’s fast computing power is still big enough to make it the best possible version of this modern day classic.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The developer didn’t turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of its predecessor, Returnal. Saros has kept the best parts—the controls are wonderfully responsive, your character runs and jumps at a brisk pace, and the atmosphere is delightfully dark—and made adjustments where necessary. Still, you’ll inevitably die while playing; that’s just part of the genre. But with every session, you get better and stronger, and you’re better equipped for your next run. The dopamine rush this creates makes the game—at least for us—incredibly addictive. Saros plays it safe and, while challenging, is perhaps less daring and revolutionary than Returnal, but that makes the game more accessible to a wider audience.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Skeptics who open up and allow themselves to be immersed will thus experience over time what a masterpiece Baldur's Gate 3 has become. The graphics are stunning, the dialogues just make sense and the decisions you make effectively have lasting consequences - no matter how painful they may be at times. It is these subtleties that bring the world of Baldur's Gate 3 to life. This is not just Belgian excellence, but simply world class.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Exploring the brand new Iki island is good for about ten hours of extra game time, taking beautiful and serene pictures with the built-in photo mode easily adds several hours more. Those who already own Ghost of Tsushima can upgrade to the director's cut for a low price. For those who want to take the step now, the director's cut is simply the best version you can get.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Thanks to Donkey Kong Bananza the Switch 2 has landed its first five-star game. Adding new layers on top of the 3D platformer genre (only to tear them down again) this games proves to be a better selling point for the Switch 2 than launch title Mario Kart World.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The space epic, in which you could imagine yourself in Star Wars, Firefly or Dune, is one of the most hyped games of the year but it also lives up to the sky-high expectations. The scale, the freedom and the possibilities in the game are almost unprecedented. It's hard enough to excel at any of these components, let alone do it all well and combine it into one rock-solid game, the best Xbox game in years.
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

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    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    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 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]

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