Joystiq's Scores

  • Games
For 768 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 46% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 51% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.8 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4 - In Sheep's Clothing
Lowest review score: 20 Conduit 2
Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 68 out of 768
768 game reviews
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Parody's a thorny thing, tricky to execute and often limited in appeal. It's to Ubisoft Montreal's credit that Blood Dragon broadens the appeal of its source, thanks to a hilarious, accessible dollop of nostalgia, coated in the mechanics that made Far Cry 3 great. This easily could've been a great idea greenlit into something terrible. We do love it when a plan comes together.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ubisoft Reflections has pruned the dead weight from Driver's branches, and the result is a pure, focused experience, unencumbered by redundant mechanics and "me too" design choices.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    An enjoyable nostalgia trip for Etrian Odyssey veterans. Etrian Odyssey Untold's tedium-reducing improvements elevate it above the original game, and for first-timers, it's the best entry point in the series.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Outlast perfects this self-inflicted madness in every area of its design, and it's absolutely petrifying. I love it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Having played so many of the Firaxis' games and having spent so much time learning their intricate mechanics, I'm pleased to report the simple elegance of Sid Meier's Ace Patrol doesn't diminish the satisfaction and underlying depth the studio is known for.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A curious thing happens when From Dust stops getting in the way and tells you to just have fun...You have fun...From Dust is finally able to dazzle, however briefly, by stripping away practically everything that makes it a "game" and leaving only its base mechanics behind.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fans will love it for everything it is, while detractors will ignore it for all that it isn't. This is a game, and series, that isn't out to win over gamers by changing its stripes -- though its fans probably wouldn't have it any other way.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's gorgeous, even if it's built in an aging engine (the same engine that powered 2008's Dark Sector, in fact). And it's a first-person shooter with a story that's worth a damn, something we don't see very often in general (and especially not with shooters, specifically).
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ascension is a car riding in the spectacle slipstream of its predecessors, never quite able to surpass them.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 feel like the "true" versions of Black and White, much as Crystal, Emerald, and Platinum felt like the real versions of their respective generations.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Without much positive innovation to give it momentum, it's becoming increasingly difficult to resist the temptation to bail out.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Puppeteer is an excellent example of the 2D platform genre, but it wouldn't be nearly as memorable or enjoyable if it weren't for the way it so fully commits to its puppet show aesthetic.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It was a great game in 2006, it's remained a great game since, and now this sequel is roughly more of the same. But after seven years and with a $60 asking price, I'm also left asking, "Is this all there is?" It's the Eastern Front, after all. It seems like there should be more to it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    While it's puzzling to watch so much effort go into streamlining Fable 2's already superb design without fixing its obvious technical shortcomings, try not to let that distract you from what remains an exceptional game. It may not be revolutionary, but it is royally fun.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Fans of the comic should feel a deep resonance with Episode 4, as it channels aspects of the early story directly, in the way the group explores the house, a la the Wiltshire Estates, and the inclusion of the self-obsessed, Governor-like figure briefly mentioned in the middle of the game.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Its elements are very well-executed, though some of the more elaborate encounters can really make the Wii chug. I suspect that experienced role-playing fans will find it a bit on the easy side, but The Last Story nevertheless has plenty of merit, and is certainly one of the better Wii games ever made.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stepping onto the greens at Augusta National for the first time was nerve-wracking, but I did it. I walked away a winner in stylish bravado, the green cloth of victory a sign to all that I came and conquered.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Yes, the campaign is unexciting compared to the delights outside of it, but there's great promise too. It feels like developer TT Fusion is, quite appropriately, building towards something more with Undercover, something that really shows Lego games can stand on their own two leg blocks. It just isn't there yet.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The sense of flight and weightlessness is as intoxicating as the build-what-you-want nature of the game's war machines. And besides, dying is just an excuse to try out a new combo of parts, and I'm mighty curious to see how an armored, cannon-firing airplane with an underwater engine would handle.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning presents a world that is immaculately crafted and beautiful, yet still simple and accessible. Every corner reveals a person in need, a treasure to collect, a secret to uncover, a battle to wage. I don't know how much more time I'll spend in Amalur (dozens of hours? hundreds?), but I plan on savoring every minute.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kirby: Triple Deluxe doesn't succeed on all fronts, but the majority of its campaign is a joy to play, and the "Kirby Fighters" mini-game is solid enough to flesh out the package. Triple Deluxe doesn't reach the heights of Kirby Super Star, but it's still one of the finest Kirby adventures to date.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    This is a deep experience backed by intricate mechanics and a concerted polish that makes gameplay immediately intuitive and rewarding. Age of Wonders 3 will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning, constantly muttering that you'll crawl into bed after just one more turn.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The care and attention that went into this year's installment is obvious, and it's overall a fantastic product boasting several improvements over its previous incarnations. Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is the benchmark in the franchise and easily recommended to new and veteran Magic: The Gathering players alike.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    While previous Infamous games were often frustrating during their later campaign missions, Second Son maintains a steady growth in difficulty throughout, allowing players to rise to the challenge by progressing through its skill tree at their own pace.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Even with its rough spots, Encore of the Night is a great game and a genuine surprise. You don't have to be a Castlevania junkie to enjoy it, but you'll definitely appreciate it even more if you come from the vamp-stamping camp.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Admittedly, the platforming mechanics occasionally feel too simple for their own good, but the narrative and gameplay weave together so seamlessly that the game becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Its little blocks have heart, and that gave me a reason to see things through to the end.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Even without the creation and sharing tools here, Intelligent Systems' little series continues to tickle the brain just right. Mallo may trick you into thinking a relaxing, smooth time awaits therein, but even when the game gets rough, Pushmo World is well worth visiting.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    One of the best comedic diversions in Forza 5 is a trip through the Top Gear test track, this time set to a tongue-in-cheek London simulation mode. Some say that some variant of the Stig is also represented somewhere in the game ... though it's probably too nice to be his Drivatar.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    There are some bugs and the story is disappointing, but it says a lot about the experience that I was able to quickly shake those things off and keep replaying levels or building contracts again and again.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The greatest problem in Wolfenstein: The New Order, then, is a jarring inconsistency of tone and cohesion... It's almost as if there's a tug of war going between the big dumb shooter and the attempt to be subversive, with the result being a game that's not really slick enough to be an action classic, and not dramatic enough to draw you in.

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