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For 1,736 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 47% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 48% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 Tekken 8
Lowest review score: 10 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 996 out of 1736
  2. Mixed: 688 out of 1736
  3. Negative: 52 out of 1736
1763 game reviews
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    • 92 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Metaphor: ReFantazio
    Metaphor: ReFantazio is, in the simplest of terms, a Persona game in a fantasy setting. While it would have been exciting to see a few more risks taken to separate itself from that beloved franchise, I can’t deny how thoroughly enjoyable this game is. Studio Zero bundles its world-class narrative and combat design to create an immersive RPG experience that I wished would never end.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
    This is a fantastic addition to the Switch library, not just as a great game but as one that benefits from the system's core features. It adds the requisite new content and fixes the one large oversight of the original. Mario Kart 8 was already one of the best in the series. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is even better.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon 6
    Forza Horizon 6 isn’t trying to revolutionize the series. The game modes, customization, and even UI have a close resemblance to the franchise’s recent entries. Instead, Playground Games finds freshness in its Japanese setting, which paves the way for stunning new regions, dope cars, and an overall slickness to everything you do.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine
    An excellent addition to the Witcher 3 universe. The new enemies, redesigned UI, and exceptionally well-crafted new land to explore are all pluses in my book. The main questline introduced for the expansion is intriguing, and gives much more insight into the world that Geralt has spent his life adventuring through. In the final moments CDPR brings everything together to really help the player’s impact on the world feel more real, and it’s something that very few developers have ever managed to really accomplish.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Rayman Legends
    Above all, Rayman Legends embodies the spirit of what makes gaming so wonderful: it's enchanting, it's memorable, and most importantly, it's sheer fun.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    UFO 50
    UFO 50 is like stumbling across a time capsule and discovering a wealth of lost knowledge inside. And yet, it’s entirely a singular work of fiction. That by itself is deeply fascinating and makes this thing worth playing. Even if you pass over most of the games and only find a few that stick with you from a fun perspective, the depth on a conceptual level is absurd and gratifying to simply think about. We’re living at a time in which older games are vanishing from both physical reality and our sort of collective cultural well at an increasing rate, when remakes are seen as replacements for original work and curiosity to seek out history is dwindling unless there’s a purchasable remaster. UFO 50 is fun to play and take at face value, but it also highlights how age really isn’t a detriment to having a great time and engaging with games.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Microsoft Flight Simulator
    The game marks the official entry into the next generation of visual fidelity and scope. Even if you only have a passing interest in the subject matter, it is worth a look on Game Pass just to fly over your own neighborhood or to take a short vacation to Hawaii. With everyone looking to the upcoming consoles to provide the next-generation experience, don’t let this one slip off your radar.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Bayonetta 2
    Bayonetta 2 is manic, adrenaline-fueled combat at its best, showing tremendous depth beyond its shallow lead character.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stands tall among some of From Software’s most renowned titles. The challenge is clear and present, the story and mystery are equally intriguing, and the beautiful vistas and soundtrack work in perfect harmony. It might be entirely different to what came before it, but Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a near-perfect experience and a natural progression of the Soulsborne series.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon 3
    After playing every game in the Forza series, I can say without any hesitation that this is, by far, the best Forza game to date.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon 5
    The detour into Mexico is a sight for sore eyes after a three-year stay in the rather dreary United Kingdom of Horizon 4. Innovation is about the last thing you’ll find on the Forza Horizon 5 buffet, but there is no denying that this is the best software available for Microsoft’s Series X|S consoles and, for people who have strong PCs, the best reason yet to pony up for a 4K 120Hz HDR display.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shadow of the Colossus
    It can be both profoundly beautiful and anxiety-inducing at the same time. Just realize that while the looks are on par with modern releases, the controls and camera are still stuck in the past. But they are not so dated as to truly deter from the game’s overall quality. Just maybe make sure there’s someone around to give you a hug after it’s all over.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Crusader Kings III
    Crusader Kings 3 is not only a return to its franchise's grand range of gameplay, strategy, and storytelling, but also a massive and meaningful evolution with little to hold players back from exploration and discovery throughout an intricate web of rulers, dynasties, and statecraft.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Split Fiction
    I really like what Hazelight Studios has done with their handle on co-op gaming in Split Fiction. It doesn’t necessarily feel like a drastic evolution from It Takes Two the way that game was from A Way Out, but it refines what Hazelight does best and straps it to an interesting duo of characters with wide imaginations that create equally compelling worlds for us to explore.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
    The magic of Expedition 33 is that it never gets old. You’re always discovering something, meeting new characters, learning skills, finding secret areas, battling hidden bosses, or discovering remarkable places. Through it all, Expedition 33 tells an incredible story of defiance in the face of impossible odds, discovery, loss, love, death, and belief. It’s the kind of game that reminds you what games can be, the kind with characters you’ll remember long after the credits roll. Sometimes art comes into your life when you need it. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a story I needed in a world that feels like it’s falling apart. Things are not always what they seem, and there's always hope, no matter the odds. A better world is possible; you just need people willing to fight for it. When one falls, we continue.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Disco Elysium
    It’s not very often that a game of this calibre comes along. Disco Elysium is mad with psychedelic energy, unabashedly dramatic, and dangerously well-written. I wish, like the detective, I could forget all about Disco Elysium, if only to experience it again as if for the first time. It’s truly one of the greatest RPGs ever released.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
    Quite honestly, I didn't realize Nintendo still knew how to make a Zelda game at this level of sheer quality. Though A Link Between Worlds may not become an enduring classic through the decades like A Link to the Past, it stands as a worthwhile successor and a modern masterpiece in its own right.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Resident Evil 2
    Don't labor under the delusion that, if you played the original Resident Evil 2, that you should skip this one for some reason. There’s no excuse of “I’ve already played the original, so I don’t need to grab this one.” You couldn’t be more wrong if that’s your line of thinking. From top to bottom, this is already an early contender for Game of the Year 2019, and one of the greatest reasons ever to be a survival horror fan.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Donkey Kong Bananza
    With the arrival of Donkey Kong: Bananza, Nintendo’s legendary gorilla is finally back in the spotlight for a new 3D platformer. This sprawling journey is rich with challenging platforming sequences, a plethora of unique enemies, and features that will alter the DNA of this franchise moving forward. Top it all off with a story full of heart, and you’ve got an excellent addition to the Switch 2’s young library.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Spelunky 2
    Spelunky 2 is a treasure in every way, one you'll be glad you've discovered.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Satisfactory
    It’s surreal to see a game I played in my first year of work at Shacknews finally find its way to that Version 1.0. I couldn’t be happier for Coffee Stain after its lengthy journey, but it helps that this is a really dang good sim, and a true creative sandbox. I think the freeform nature of Satisfactory is both its greatest power and its most intimidating offering, simply because the sheer lack of guidance can leave players directionless and overwhelmed, especially as you wait and stew on it while resources bake in the early game. However, the sheer beauty of Satisfactory as you slowly expand a little base into a highly programmed and automated industrial machine is a neat and rewarding process, and if you have a friend or two to bring along, all the more fun.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Balatro
    I never would have expected that a roguelike could work so well in a card game before I played Balatro. It’s simple and guides you in so well, but escalates quickly and is happy to crush your run at any moment with the smallest strokes of misfortune. That’s what makes the variety of jokers and bonus cards so fun to explore. Every new option provides an opportunity to buck the house advantage. It leads to an appealing gameplay loop that kept me wanting to try all sorts of new angles and strategies. Balatro is something far out of the ordinary, and heaven forbid it ever makes its way to mobile because my casual time will powerless against it (please?).
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Animal Well
    If you want a solid and quirky adventure that will put your reflexes and puzzle-solving to the test, Animal Well is an absolutely fascinating journey.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons
    There’s no arguing that Animal Crossing isn’t for everyone. But, if you’ve been a fan of the series before, and you’re looking for something juicy to sink your teeth into, then New Horizons is everything you could ever want from the franchise and then some.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Overwatch (2016)
    A collection of firsts, but it carries itself with the confidence and proficiency of a veteran. It has plenty of room to grow and expand, but as our first step into this world, it's inviting, competitive, smartly designed, beautiful to look at, and fun to play. You can't ask for much more than that.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Marvel's Spider-Man 2
    I went into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 expecting it to be one of my favorite games this year and still walked away impressed by what the developer was able to pull off. Both story and gameplay have taken large steps forward, and I’m fully convinced that there is no studio that could make Spider-Man games better than Insomniac Games. It’s a massive win for the Insomniac, for PlayStation Studios, and for longtime fans of Spider-Man.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Resident Evil Requiem
    Resident Evil Requiem is a crown jewel in Capcom’s survival horror crown. Its characters develop realistically, its rhythm between action and horror should more than satisfy fans of both styles, and its story gripped me from beginning to end. This is Resident Evil at its finest, and I can’t wait to see where Capcom takes the series next.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DAVE THE DIVER
    Dave the Diver combines two excellent gameplay elements, but still feels like more than the sum of its parts. Deep sea diving and sushi restaurant management are equally enjoyable and complex, making for a supremely addicting gameplay loop. Not only is it the surprise hit of the summer, but it’s one we’ll be having a discussion about when it’s time to look back on 2023’s best games.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Monster Hunter: World
    Even though Monster Hunter: World does have events, it falls short of what it would take to keep me invested for the long haul, but that’s okay. As a first-time player of the series, Monster Hunter: World has given me unique experiences and memories that, for better or worse, other games will be measured against for years to come. That has to be a win.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
    Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is an ambitious, transformative revisit of a modern classic RPG, one that was a formative experience for a small, but hungry audience that caused a groundswell into one of today’s most absurdly epic storytelling experiments in video games. In a world full of remakes that feel like expensive wastes of time, 1st Chapter feels like it meets a moment in a helpful and genuinely impressive way. It’s mostly a massive presentational overhaul, but one that makes the “breathes new life” cliche feel like a genuine descriptive statement. The way combat is balanced is still annoying, and the weird real time, turn-based hybrid gimmick feels pointless and confused, but even so I found myself getting lost all over again in this game’s absurdly well-executed storytelling ambitions. If you’ve been hearing about Trails for years from the sickos and wanting a cleaner way to give it a shot, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. And if you’ve been a Trailshead for a long time, you’ve obviously already decided to play this, but it’s a worthwhile excuse to go back to the beginning.
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