The Escapist's Scores

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For 784 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 49% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 47% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
Highest review score: 100 Alan Wake
Lowest review score: 10 Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 462 out of 784
  2. Mixed: 279 out of 784
  3. Negative: 43 out of 784
875 game reviews
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    • 97 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Grand Theft Auto V
    It is the difference between The Godfather Part 1 and Part 2, between Inglorious Basterds and Triumph of the Will, and between Just Cause 2 and JFK Reloaded. In the former examples, the audience can get behind the anti-heroes depicted for whatever reason and condone their admittedly awful actions, but in the latter group, the subject matter or the protagonist's morals are skewed too far from the norm to be comfortably witnessed. That's what it's like to play Grand Theft Auto V. The three men you take control of throughout the game aren't even anti-heroes. They're just scumbags.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
    A Link Between Worlds is a sentimental game that skates off its predecessor's successes, but is so good at doing so one hardly minds. A few neat new tricks and a beautiful visual style help make up for the game's more frustrating hurdles.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
    As a world-building exercise, The Witcher 2 succeeds masterfully but there are deep flaws in its game design.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Black Ops
    There are games that deserve to be relegated to the bargain bin, or played when there's simply nothing else on the shelf. This is one of them. It's not broken, it's just bad.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Mushihimesama
    A beautiful, charming, humbling, and difficult experience that's a good fit for shoot 'em up fans, but perhaps strange and unwelcoming to newcomers.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    DmC: Devil May Cry
    The combat in Devil May Cry gets to be repetitive when you play for too long in one sitting, but the missions are well designed for playing in short bursts and picking it back up later.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    SteamWorld Heist
    Steamworld Heist is an absorbing world wrapped around a decent game whose technical bits take away from a stellar personality.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
    What Ni no Kuni lacks in finesse it more than makes up for in quantity and packaging - there's tons to do and every single moment in the game is a visual delight. It can be extremely frustrating and makes some choices that don't quite work, but offers enough charm to ultimately win you over.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Shovel Knight
    A fun action platformer that remains incredibly frustrating by taking a few too many cues from Castlevania's jerkiest moments, Shovel Knight is satisfying and infuriating in equal measure. It's also a damn fine callback to the days of yore in a world where callbacks are a dime a dozen, and rarely this well done.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
    Tomb Raider is a terrific game, and the Definitive Edition is a gorgeous looking version of it. It's the same game it was in 2013, though, with no further improvements justifying its "definitive" status.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Enter the Gungeon
    Enter the Gungeon is an exhilarating experience, but the difficulty often comes from the game refusing to provide you the necessary tools, which offers its own unique challenges.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
    Absolutely bonkers, but untangling its many secrets is an addictive enterprise. There's tons of plot to discover, and the many storylines cross and reference each other in subtle ways that reward the diligent player.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sine Mora
    Sine Mora puts a cool twist on the shoot 'em up genre with its application of time and interesting storyline.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Transistor
    Sometimes frustrating in terms of both gameplay and narrative, Transistor manages to be a redolent title with a ton of imagination. While not quite as clever as its presentation suggests, it's a pretty little title that ends on a beautifully bittersweet note.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Gravity Rush
    Despite a few control hiccups, Gravity Rush succeeds on the strength of its excellent movement system and endearing protagonist.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed Odyssey
    As the game goes on, more and more quests are required to be completed to move on and frankly, I’ve found it exhausting. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a game obsessed with making the player eat their vegetables.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Shadow of the Tomb Raider
    Though it climbs to impressive heights, it fails to stick the landing.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    NCAA Football 12
    A modest revision from last year's game, NCAA Football 12 brings adequate football gameplay with robust multiplayer dynasty features, for a price.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Mortal Kombat 11
    Mortal Kombat 11 is a very good game that could have been great.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Spyro Reignited Trilogy
    For anyone exhausted by endless upgrade systems, infinite unlockables, new skins and every other contrivance meant to ensnare the contemporary player, Spyro’s uncynical good time is a worthy escape. This is one that shouldn’t be put away.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Dragon's Crown
    Dragon's Crown is gorgeous, and though at times its flavor may be of questionable taste, ultimately it does still manage to strike a lot of the right nostalgia chords.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
    A good little story with a bleak atmosphere that nonetheless provides some relaxing puzzle solving.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Nidhogg
    Nidhogg is a strange, unholy pastiche of lo-fi aesthetics and surprisingly deep, albeit minimal play; taking cues from decades of arcade-style 1v1 fighting games and modern indie darlings.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sunless Sea
    Sunless Sea is a dark game combining Lovecraft-themed exploration with Victorian Gothic visual novels in exciting (and chilling) ways. The end result isn't perfect, but its sense of terror and wonder makes it a worthy follow-up to Failbetter's Fallen London.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
    Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare upholds the status quo and aims no higher than that. Its sci-fi trappings are but shallow appeals to progress, and while the multiplayer is still able to provide some entertainment, the CoD formula feels anything but "advanced" these days.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
    The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy isn't worth rebuying if you already have the iOS versions or still have your DS copies in rotation. However, all three games are as great now as they were upon release, and it's hard to complain about getting more of a good thing.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode 2 - A House Divided
    An episode full of setup, A House Divided trades in its intensity for a bit more action, and a touch of intrigue.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Just Cause 2
    Open letter to the designers of Just Cause 2: Thank you for making me drive 2 kilometers each time I die. It really makes me appreciate your big open world.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice
    Spirit of Justice, the sixth game in the Ace Attorney series, is really starting to show some franchise fatigue. The puzzles and the technical systems behind it have improved, but the writing has begun to suffer.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
    The merits and flaws of Persona Q2 are exactly what you’d expect from the series. It’s delivering the same mechanics which are alternately tedious, punishing and strategically exciting and the chance to have a host of dysfunctional heroes tease, flirt and ultimately fight alongside each other. Like Endgame, Q2 is both a fitting finale but also a look forward. So long as people love watching larger than life figures pummeling each other on the big screen, there will be Marvel movies. So long as people love spending dozens of hours building parties and exploring dungeons, Atlus will keep making Nintendo handheld games. This era is over, but the genre lives on.
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