The Games Machine's Scores

  • Games
For 2,655 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 71% higher than the average critic
  • 7% same as the average critic
  • 22% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 79
Highest review score: 99 Baldur's Gate 3
Lowest review score: 30 Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival
Score distribution:
2657 game reviews
    • 84 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Beside a new card set, Knights of the Frozen Throne brings some new, interesting stuff to Blizzard's CCG, pushing the challenge to a new level. Beware of only one thing: building a competitive deck could be very expensive.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Eight years after its first appearance on PS3 and Xbox 360, the wild and exuberant Bayonetta lands on Nintendo Switch, and it hasn't lost a bit of its sexy charm. This new release can be appreciated wherever you want, with a solid and granitic 60 fps, and a better visual experience on the go.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Rayman Legends, exactly like its predecessor, is one of the best platform ever made. On Nintendo Switch, especially on the portable console, it's even better. The only reason to avoid it is if you already played it elsewhere.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Gears of War 4 is exactly what a fan of the series was waiting for. The campaign does not introduce anything new, but it works and it's graphically astonishing, while the online modes are totally fun. Go and buy GOW4 without any hesitation.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Super Phantom Cat is a pretty good old-school platformer, with an inspired level design and a robust gameplay. Cute looking and with a great chiptune soundtrack, the game manages to challenge the player without making things too difficult or frustrating.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    A lot of bug fixes and a new multiplayer setup have leaded MKX on PC to its best level. Better late than never, but we suspect the community has moved elsewhere, by this time.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The Switch version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a truly wonderful game, yet another potential killer application for the new Nintendo console. Despite occasionally showing the fact that it was originally released in 2011, the game is still one of the best fantasy experiences out there.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Gorgoa is an elegant piece of art, but also a unique journey through a wonderful surreal world. Jason Roberts puts the player in his own lifetime puzzle, and finding a way out requires to look everything from a brand new fascinating perspective. Maybe the journey is too short, but it’s definitely worth a ride.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an interesting new entry into the criminal universe created by SEGA, and undoubtedly represents the most courageous and anarchic chapter so far. It's not entirely convincing, but what works bodes well for the future of the series.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy gets back to the classic single-player formula, steering away from the hybrid attempt of Marvel’s Avengers and piecing together gameplay elements from Tomb Raider, Mass Effect and even Knights of the Old Republic to make a quite unique choral adventure. The player is asked to act like the team leader, taking decision and managing the resulting contrasts between the other members. The strength of differences is the big theme of the game, and Guardians of the galaxy is great in telling it both through narration and gameplay.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rise of the Tomb Kings adds a good amount of new content to the original Total War: WARHAMMER II, including the fact that the new faction is playable in both the campaigns of the original game. Anyway, this DLC will probably be most appreciated by the fan of the expansion of the board game.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter of recent years, even on the Switch.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Infernax is the heir to Castlevania (the NES one) that I didn't know I craved, but it was almost impossible to break away from once I started playing! Equipped with an interesting storyline, highly enjoyable pixel art graphics and an electrifying soundtrack, Infernax gets completed over and over again to the rhythm of “Another game and that's it”, accompanying the player with an intelligent progression of pace and difficulty. Not really cheap for an indie game, but it's worth the price.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Wear the headset and start shooting. And dodging. And creating absurd weapons. MOTHERGUNSHIP: FORGE is a pretty straight-forward roguelite shooter that delivers on its premise. It won’t do much more than that, but that’s fine, believe me.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    There's little you can do about it: the first two Dragon Quest games fail to offer the variety and inventiveness of the third installment, rightly considered one of the fathers of modern Japanese role-playing games. The remake makes a commendable effort to enrich the original formula, but it can't work miracles: although expanded, the storylines remain simple, and the combat system (especially in the first installment) is often overshadowed by grind sessions and rather exhausting random encounters. However, the additions are numerous and well-thought out, and will make veterans happy. The HD-2D style remains in splendid form, accompanied by a historical soundtrack that fully conveys the atmosphere of the era. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake thus proves to be a solid restoration, suspended between fidelity to the past and a desire for renewal. Limited by its source material, but precisely for this reason, fascinating: a perfect window into an era, finally re-proposed in its most accessible and carefully preserved version.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    11 bit studios changed radically its formula from This War of Mine, and engaged in a compelling, well-written steampunk odyssey set in a frozen wasteland. The connection between gameplay and dynamic storytelling is impressive, and the result is a great experience.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Keep Driving answers the question "what if Out Run took a degree in philosophy?" Halfway between a proper video game and an experience, it's impossible not wanting to keep driving.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Football Manager 2020 is another Sports Interactive title packaged to the smallest detail, almost perfect and optimized in all aspects. However, its structure is starting to need updating.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fasten your seat belts, because you're about to go for an authentic Jeff-Minter-trance-lysergic-VR ride. Polybius offers pretty simple yet robust gameplay basics, and a good punishment-reward balance that requires a little bit of strategy. Protip: take a breath, once in a while, or you may send your brain in overdrive.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Streets of Rage 4 is a comeback in style for a legendary saga. It offers a smooth combat system and hours of fun for those who still appreciate good old brawlers.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 is an excellent role-playing game of classic style, absolutely unmissable for the veterans of the saga. Everyone else may find themselves overwhelmed by excessive references, compromising the experience.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stellar Blade is a good, playable title that will delight those who love spectacular combat – and who can blame you? – and that will hardly make you regret the time you spend on it (a lot, if you are a completionist). That said, however, it struggles to have real flashes of style due to gameplay that is less refined than expected and a story that develops in a rather bland and predictable way, suffering in comparison with its points of reference.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    The Lost Legacy follows in the footsteps of Uncharted 4, and it couldn't be otherwise, and Chloe and Nadine make for a nice buddy couple. It's a pretty short experience, with some replay value and an unprecedented - at least for the series - open level to explore. A solid "more of the same", for better or worse.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    Griftlands is an atypical deckbuilding roguelite with an addictive gameplay formula and a top notch narrative. I can see myself playing this game for a very long time while trying to master everyone of its aspects.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    If you look past an imperfect combat system, you'll find that the first game created by Heart Machine (a one-man software house) has sophisticated gameplay, and a level design that encourages the player to explore every nook and cranny, slowly revealing what a real gem it actually is.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Ragebound is a love letter to 2D action platformers, blending arcade heritage with modern solutions and jaw-dropping production design. Short but dense, the game manages to amaze with inspired design, fiery direction, and two protagonists who are perfectly integrated into the gameplay. The challenge isn't brutal at first, but those willing to push themselves further will find plenty to keep them occupied. A satisfying return to a legendary saga, and a damned promising taster while we wait for the "real" Ninja Gaiden.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a sensational belt scroller, created with both passion and respect for the classics. The folks over at Tribute Games must really have loved their work, and it shows every second you spend playing. If you love this genre of games and are nostalgic for the old days when the Turtles dominated the arcade ecosystem, Shredder's Revenge is your game of the summer. Or maybe of a lifetime.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a role-playing game focused on storytelling and combat, cutting out usually fundamental elements like exploration: an atypical but successful recipe, drawing strength from a cast of young heroes that are impossible not to love.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Risk of Rain 1 was already a very good roguelike, and this is an improved and expanded version of it, so what’s not to love? Wish Hopoo added the ability to save during a run, though.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Trails Through Daybreak is a rather classic role-playing game and will delight Nihon Falcom fans, if only to inaugurate yet another narrative strand in a now endless dynasty. The combat system isn't quite as polished as the one seen in Trails of Cold Steel, however, and the plot likes to keep the pace a bit too slow, but as a start there's nothing to complain too much about, thanks also to the charisma of a protagonist like Van and an intriguing game world as only Falcom is capable of creating.

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