High-Def Digest's Scores

  • Games
For 200 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 43% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 52% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.5 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 INSIDE
Lowest review score: 20 Ace Banana
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 200
  2. Negative: 14 out of 200
200 game reviews
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The 'Lego' games have always been a known quantity, but perhaps familiarity is beginning to breed contempt. 'Lego Marvel’s Avengers' wasn’t able to hold my attention as well as its forebears, even though it’s not a markedly different experience. Perhaps it’s time for the series to get a shot in the arm.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Video games are unequivocally a form of art. But like all art, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. With 'The Witness' I feel like I’m in an art gallery watching a gaggle of admirers who are looking at a piece together, commenting on its style and how it makes them feel. I’m the guy standing off to the side, not with them but looking at the same painting. I can admit that it’s pretty, but it doesn’t really evoke a significant response, and so I shrug and move on to the next.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Dungeon Souls isn't boring, but it's tough to justify spending time with it over many of the recent dungeon crawler greats. It is a typical roguelike - fun to play for a while, and easily forgotten afterwards.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    An absolutely terrific love letter to 'JoJo' that’s marred by being an extremely mediocre game. For fans of the franchise, there's enough love and care poured into this that it at least warrants a look, but for everyone else, the basic gameplay just isn't enough to make this a worthwhile package.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    After last episode's streamer spectacle, I was hoping 'Minecraft: Story Mode' could shake off the cobwebs and head for the finish line with grace and aplomb. Instead, we have a tiny little episode with almost zero interactivity and a predictable plot. It's better than 'A Portal to Mystery', but that's a rather dubious honor.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The first game published by USC features a fantastic concept that is executed well, but one that really feels like it could've used some more time to be fleshed out. Chambara is a fun local multiplayer diversion, but the lack of online play and variety really stifles the overall experience. Hopefully a sequel will be able to take the game to the next level, but as of now I'm left with a rad proof of concept that is best played in short bursts.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Story Mode has been Telltale’s most consistently unpredictable series in recent memory in terms of its quality. The stronger episodes, full of great jokes, interesting locales, and the occasional heartwarming moment, have been undermined by duds like 'Assembly Required' and now this streamer tribute. It’s best to wash our hands of it and hope for greater adventures the next time the New Order of the Stone meets.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A fascinating journey that ends a few stops too soon. Its ending ultimately raises more questions than answers, and I was left largely unfulfilled. This disappointment bleeds into the gameplay as well, as each facet of gameplay from the citizen management to the gunplay could've been fleshed out more. Despite these shortcomings, it's still an enjoyable five hour ride — just one that ends before it hits its stride.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In short bursts, 'No Man's Sky' is amazing, but going deeper, I found only a void. There's a great framework, and an arresting visual style to go with an ease of mobility, but in a short amount of time, I despaired of finding any more interactivity or progression in the all-too-similar horizons and star systems.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Two ho-hum games that are aging quickly despite their youth, and a new retro title that adds very little to the equation.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    While 'Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization' is definitely a step up from its predecessors, it's still too rough around the edges to really appeal to anyone other than fans of the anime. It fails to take advantage of the unique premise, and an unpolished localization makes the game overly confusing in spots. Hopefully 'Sword Art Online' will get a great game adaptation, but that still hasn't happened yet.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Sure, I was constantly fighting both the controls and the camera while also battling Aragami, but it wasn't enough to ruin the experience. 'God Eater' is begging for an iteration developed for consoles from the ground-up, so hopefully that will happen soon. Until then, fans will have to settle for a serviceable port that sadly isn't optimized for the PlayStation 4.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Burning Blood is pure fan service through and through, and there’s nothing wrong with that. People who don’t watch/read the source material are going to remain thoroughly confused, but there’s still some enjoyment to be had in its wacky fighting and over-the-top style. If you’re not a manga fan and are looking for a fighter with tight mechanics, accurate hitboxes and a deep bench of combos, best keep looking.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A good way to experience the basics of the terrific 'Extreme VS' games, but it absolutely falters compared to the rest of the series due to the lack of any sort of online play and a far smaller roster than it deserves. There's a long, content-rich campaign mode that ends up being far more fun than I'd ever expected. I sincerely hope later entries have a similar mode, but then also have online multiplayer.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Where 'Lone Survivor' succeeded, Claire, has trouble. It relies too much on being lost, both in terms of interaction and narrative drive. Even if it had a more interesting protagonist, the game's inconsistent ability to remain scary holds it back.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I can see why some people like Hyper Light Drifter. Its combination of nostalgia, pretty pixels, and cruel gameplay are an intoxicating drug to some. I'm not one of those people, unfortunately. As I played I felt like the annoying moviegoing companion, always asking for an explanation of events onscreen from fellow viewers also watching for the first time, equally mystified.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    'Goliath' comes up short on almost all fronts, unfortunately.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    'Little King's Story' on PC is a shoddy port of a game that has not aged particularly well. The mouse and keyboard controls are a real pain, and the game is simple enough that they didn't have to be.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Fans of 'Target Earth' will find a lot to like in 'Assault Suit Leynos.' It's just as rewarding as the Genesis original, and the game has never looked better. Those without a sense of nostalgia won't find as much here to appreciate though, as even on easy difficulty its extremely difficult.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I went looking for Michael Crichton in The Assembly, but I got stuck on the lowlights. As with many ambitious projects, there is some good stock here. As VR advances, another take The Assembly could realize the promise. What's here, however, just isn't thrilling.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The writing team is doing a decent job with the direction and script of 'Batman: The Telltale Series', but the severely strained engine rears its ugly head at every opportunity. Telltale's formula and tech both are very familiar by now and have their flaws, which we've been able to overlook for the sake of an otherwise enjoyable story. The lag has nearly reached a critical mass, however.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Warhammer 40K is a great franchise on paper but has struggled in video gaming, and 'Eternal Crusade' is on the lower end of the spectrum. It has the trappings of a freemium pvp game but asks for $50 just to get in the door. From the shoddy controls to the inscrutable mysteries of equipment, this is one shooter we cannot recommend, even for the most dire of 'Warhammer' fans.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It doesn’t offer enough freshness or gameplay to justify a separate purchase.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I'll admit I was looking forward to Super Dungeon Bros before playing. I love the genre, and a caricatured metal mash-up could have been interesting, but the game disappoints on all fronts. I like how much emphasis React put on co-op but it needed more under the hood - more choices for character building, more control, more abilities, just more.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    While Sadame isn't a bad game at all, it feels like a particularly hollow one. The game has promise, but it all gets squandered on combat that's too simple and dull for its own good. For $15, the quantity of content is impressive, but despite the good ideas present, Sadame doesn't have nearly enough variety or challenge to ultimately make it feel worthwhile.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I'm glad Karaski tries as hard as it does, but it's a shame it's let down by the overall structure as well as a bevy of technical issues. It's ultimately a swing and a miss, but if Unbound Creations attempts the formula again, there's a solid framework that could be worked into something very interesting. If you're a fan of games like 'The Ship', there might be something here for you, but right now, it might be best left avoided.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Battlezone feels like a serious missed opportunity. As the successor to what many consider the original virtual reality game, I expected Rebellion's revision to be an accessible arcade battler — the sort of game that would make a great introduction to home-ready VR. Instead, this new version takes its influence from more modern inspirations, including roguelike elements and procedurally generated maps. That's not a bad thing on its own, but the implementation of these elements is incredibly frustrating.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I had a tough time taking The Bunker seriously. It was an admirable attempt at live-action psychological horror, but the John segments meander on and stumble around like the main character. It's not entirely predictable, but nor is it treading new ground.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Perhaps season passes have jaded me after all these years, but this is exactly the kind of filler DLC that pads out most season passes. It doesn’t change much, doesn’t add much, doesn’t take any risks. There is a familiar fun in the arcade sensibilities of the Directives, but the novelty doesn’t last very long. 'The Underground' is worth trying out if you’ve committed to a pass, but certainly not worth buying on its own.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It differs little from its predecessors in this genre, and as sheer time-wasters go it pales in comparison to so many other casual and, I dare to say it, social media games. The folks over at Madhead are clearly lovers of the HOPA but this a niche field to say the least, and Adam Wolfe has little mainstream appeal.

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