PLAY! Zine's Scores

  • Games
For 1,365 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 55% higher than the average critic
  • 8% same as the average critic
  • 37% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.6 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 Cyberpunk 2077
Lowest review score: 10 Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV
Score distribution:
1365 game reviews
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ghostrunner 2 adds some new ideas and improves on the old ones, making this already high paced, high adrenaline, one-hit-kill action packed FPS even more challenging and fun. The new bike sections are great and bring something new to the game, but the open world is lackluster and empty. I hope that Ghostrunner 3, if it ever sees the light of day, will be able to improve on the open world aspect but keep the overall feel of the game.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A historical event whose consequences are felt even today is encapsulated in this Telltale-esque adventure that might not be the lengthiest nor the most polished adventure of all time, but it does intrigue and raise important questions many of us weren't fully aware of.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Scarlet Nexus is a fun action RPG-lite that has a complex story and a bunch of unnecessary gaming mechanics that somehow work. If you like games like Astral Chain, you will not go wrong with Scarlet Nexus, especially as it’s being set up as a potential future franchise. The combination of telekinesis and action elements are nothing new, but SN does it beautifully by combining it with other different skills and magics. If you like Anime and brainpunk themes, Scarlet Nexus is for you.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is an incredible western RPG that draws big inspiration from Bethesda games of old. While the latest similar games like Starfield and Avowed failed to capture the essence of these kinds of games, Tainted Grail does so perfectly. It does not hold the players’ hand and encourages them to explore every inch of the map, and there will always be something to find. And with an incredibly competitive AA price point, I wholeheartedly recommend this game to every RPG player.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's not about the destination, but about the journey, as an ol' sayin' goes that FAR Lone Sails captures perfectly. With so little, this game delivered so much on different levels and provides unique experience, feel and vibe. Embark on this epic, yet short, voyage in peculiar locomotive vehicle that will be your mobile shelter and "home".
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    If you are in the mood for some brain puzzles, Unforeseen Incidents can be a good choice for you this month. It builds great atmosphere through the story, characters, and voice acting. Animations are lacking and quality of graphics can wary, but that is something acceptable in this genre. If you are a fan of P&C adventure games, you should not miss this one.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Even when it first came out, it was regarded as one of the greatest "Tales of" games. Its story, its characters and its world, made up for its lackluster and rushed publishing. But here and now, after 10 years, we get the full experience as it was meant to be, and event with few lingering flaws, it is still a great one. A true recommendation for any JRPG fan and anyone who wants to enjoy a great story and its fun cast.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    A re-master done right, with significant graphical upgrades, running in butter-smooth 60 frames per second. If you missed the original Vita release, be sure to pick this up.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    I wish this game lived up to the slogan „A new paper-crafted Mario adventure unfolds on Nintendo Switch!“. The storytelling really does not unfold enough making this insufficiently interesting game. Beautiful to the eye but empty.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Activision wisely used his second chance at providing Call of Duty Battle Royale game. Besides great gunplay, players are offered with some pretty interesting innovations in the genre, such as mini objectives and fighting for a chance to get back in the Gulag.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Upgrading a formula can sometimes break it, and Shadow of War comes quite close to being such a product. Yet despite all of the upgrades that pour like rain that you're trying to dodge; at its core, this is still an amazingly entertaining game. Just be prepared for some grinding, if you are not into microtransactions...
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Judgement presents to the player gritty, noir-esque, and at the same time wholesome and funny story in modern Japan, all while remaining original to itself and successfully departing itself from its predecessor series – Yakuza.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Autonauts is a perfect game for gamers that want to step into the world of programming with simple mechanics and cute graphics.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    LocoRoco 2 Remastered brings the well deserved high resolution uplift to a timeless classic. With an unchanged essence, LocoRoco 2 is still that charming and silly platformer we fell in love with ages ago. If you’ve never played it before, yet refuse do to so now... what's wrong with you, are you loco? Bad pun - but a great game.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It might not become the next eSports craze, but Fractured Space does manage to provide a zen experience that is so often absent from the multiplayer games.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The DX port does a lot of quality of life improvements and brings the whole Dust trilogy to a new light with increased resolution and more colourful graphics. If you have not before played the Atelier series this is a perfect game to start and show what it's all about.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Respawn has shown us, and EA, that single player games are well enough alive and kicking and has set a bright future for the Star Wars franchise of videogames if they keep this up.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite repetitive environments, long loading times, and a clunky narrative, Ninja Gaiden 4 is a worthy homage to the late Tomonobu Itagaki. It offers perhaps the most refined combat mechanics the series has ever seen. And it’s undeniably the bloodiest entry — a true ninja gore-fest.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wreckfest remains one of the best demolition racing games of the newer generation, made with love, grit and grind. It has a bit of a bland map design and a few tweaks here and there could make the career mode much more interesting, but at the same the time it is one of the most fun racing experiences, especially in multiplayer and with an excellent PS5 upgrade.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Stasis delivers one of the best P&C atmospheres we have seen in years, with great 2D visuals and carefully designed locations packed with detail. A must for every fan of SF horror games.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    To simply put it, For the King offers one of the most enjoyable experiences in playing mixtures of roguelike RPG and turn-based strategy. This formula works great for those who like to play alone, and it much more better when playing co-op with other players/friends.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Late Shift brings an almost forgotten concept back to life with a nice story, but basically no gameplay and no replay value, although it has more than one ending and a couple of dozen ways to get there.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Taking the best of Left 4 Dead and Chivalry: Medieval Combat and improving upon it, Warhammer End Times - Vermintide is a very good game that offers hours of great co-op multiplayer survival experience.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Reverie is an amazing culmination of so many stories and characters over multiple games. However, if you’re new to the franchise, it’s a slow, annoying, and lore dumping experience that can get really tedious, and ultimately, not fun at all.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Pathologic 3 is a bold and cerebral reimagining of an already legendary series, trading raw tension for deeper immersion and narrative complexity. Its time-travel mechanics and richly written protagonist create a uniquely introspective experience, even as technical issues and inconsistent systems occasionally break the flow. Flawed but fascinating, it remains one of the most intellectually ambitious games of its kind.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Yoshi travels to a world carefully crafted from anything it could find in your granny's supply box. Even though this game does not utilize its world as much as it could, it is still a relaxing and well-designed platform adventure, inviting anyone looking for a calming escape. Charming and fun.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you are a horror fan who has never played a Yomawari game, Lost in the Dark will offer you a unique horror experience. But if you are an old fan, this feels like a recycling of the first two titles. Either way, it is an excellent game if you are into an unusual mix of creepy and cute.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a masterfully crafted game and easily the best entry in the franchise. It delivers a somewhat convoluted yet beautifully presented story, paired with deep and exhilarating combat that will keep you engaged for hours. The gameplay truly makes you feel like a combat demigod in Ancient China.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Prey is an action exploration game that sends a love letter to games such as System Shock 2 and Bioshock. It takes the best from them and combines it with some of its own fresh ideas and innovative gameplay, to create an amazing journey. Set on the Talos I space station that has been compromised by an alien race, you assume the role of Morgan, a scientist who will have to explore, survive and discover the world of Prey.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Designed by passionate horror fans, Until Dawn is a love letter to the era of slasher movies, a game fully aware of its ridiculousness that asks players to join it for one heck of a ride. Whether you play it by yourself or with a friend or two, this is an adventure worth partaking in.

Top Trailers