The Games Machine's Scores

  • Games
For 2,656 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:
2658 game reviews
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The King is Watching integrates city building, strategy, and resource management into a seamless and incredibly satisfying gameplay loop. A few tweaks would be nice, but it's still an original experience that exudes passion from every elegant pixel. It's like when the boss is away at work and you take it outrageously easy, with one difference: here you're the boss; you're the King.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Yakuza Kiwami isn’t that big and deep like the prequel, and it’s not a must-buy if you've played the original title on PS2, but it’s a good game, available for a very fair price. The combat system has been revamped, and the huge amount of secondary missions and minigames are bound to keep everyone entertained for quite a while.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    PGA Tour 2K25 arrives after a long break, which 2K and HB Studios have used to improve the aesthetics and enhance the game offering. The game options have been expanded in both single and multiplayer and the existing ones have been refined, and three major tournaments have arrived as well as some new courses, while the roster could certainly have been more consistent. There are still some navigation problems in the menus due to some small bugs and the new control system, alongside the existing ones, requires a lot of patience and training.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sports Interactive aims to bring Football Manager 2023 to all home consoles and brings a little change to the new chapter. Despite everything, FM23 is an excellent, precise and satisfying game, with the European licenses finally returning.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Blood & Truth is the macho simulator par excellence. The tracking is reliable and accurate, while the abundance of crazy scenes guarantees an explosive and varied adventure, at least while it lasts. It has a serious need for extra content, but its heart is in the right place, in the midst of a thousand explosions and a shower of bullets and broken glass.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Thanks to a magical level design and a gameplay that comes out strengthened by the tweaks and the Doom skill, SEGA and Sonic, with the precious contribution of Shadow, remind us that the timeless adventures of the blue hedgehog are special.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    MLB The Show 24 could almost be called 23 ½. The new features are more quantitative than qualitative, with a gameplay that follows the path of the last edition without the slightest deviation. What changes are mainly the contents, among which the excellent second season dedicated to the Negro League and the section starring Derek Jeter stand out. Little to report on Road To The Show, Franchise and Diamond Dynasty, which remain at fair/good levels without the addition of extra details that have a considerable impact on the gaming experience. No particular flaw in the graphics/sounds, which however would require some global cleaning and modernization, with particular attention to the player models.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Despite being designed as a cross-over, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is an enjoyable J-RPG with a steady identity, that could have benefited from a more passionate writing and a less stereotyped cast of characters.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wanderstop is a game about escaping the characters people project on us, finding a way out to our freedom. Freedom to be who we are, to let down expectations we never wanted. Sometimes life it's only about slowing down and making some tea.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Pokémon Sword and Shield represent an exciting new beginning for the saga. Some ideas aren't perfectly developed, but overall the work from Gamefreak is convincing.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    More of a collection than a Deluxe Edition, New Super Mario Bros. U for Switch offers the opportunity to play an excellent 2D platformer in the best possible way today.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    South Park: The Fractured But Whole is an amazing game also on Nintendo Switch, despite the long loading times, and some problems in the docked mode (a bit of aliasing and fonts a little bit too small for comfort). A wonderful experience for all the South Park fans, but only if you don't have the chance to play it elsewhere.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Assetto Corsa Competizione dons a next-gen suit and becomes the best console version of itself. There are some minor flaws here and there, but those who want pure simulation can finally try their hand at a monster of authenticity, now more beautiful than ever.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is "simply" a well-packaged soulslike, extremely derived from the previous work of Team Ninja, very unbalanced in terms of mechanics, but still fun and satisfying. An operation almost tending to experiment with some new mechanics that are not always perfectly blended with the rest of the game grammar, speaking more to the regular users of Souls, rather than to newbies. Fun and with a difficulty that rewards only towards the end but, all in all, it's a properly packaged game.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 81 Critic Score
    Easy to learn, difficult to master: OkunoKA is a good platform game with a nice art direction.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Mega Man X Legacy Collection is a collection with great historical and playful values. It's not an exclusively thoroughbred collection, but the overall quality remains excellent.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    LEGO Dimensions is the best toy-to-life game out there, filled with the typical humor of TT Games. Beware: to enjoy the full experience you must be prepared to spend a quite amount of money to buy the various expansion packs.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    Gathering Storm succeeds in the difficult task of refreshing Civ VI experience while keeping its spirit intact. The environmentalist theme is pretty spot on and the renewed diplomatic options will make it the ideal expansion for those who don't measure their success in terms of the length of their artillery.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Incredibly varied and immense, between various and eventual modes, Gundam Breaker 4 presents a well-implemented gameplay within it and a high and studied customization of the Mobile Suit. It's excellent how you can connect and implement different weapons to create the mecha par excellence. The story is not the real strength of the work and does not intend to be, preferring to focus everything and even more so on the game design. A choice that I really appreciated.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Don't be fooled by its raw presentation, and don't let yourself be discouraged by a poorly made dubbing: Expeditions Rome is a video game that treats us with a first-rate role-playing experience. In a nutshell, if you love tactical RPGs you can't miss Logic Artists’ latest creation.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Despite an inconsistent combat system, Darkwood is a very original and insane top-down survival horror, with some rogue-lite elements to complete the offer.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Pokémon Sword and Shield represent an exciting new beginning for the saga. Some ideas aren't perfectly developed, but overall the work from Gamefreak is convincing.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Inspired by a piece of history that most people never heard of, Last Train Home is a competent mix of management and RTS gameplay, although the stealth mecanics leave something to be desired. Those eagerly waiting for Frostpunk 2 should consider adding it to their Christmas wishlist.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Even with a reduced resolution and half the frame rates, it's hard not to consider this port on the Nintendo Switch as a small miracle. Once again, Panic Button has proven to be able to do the impossible: recreating the experience of a triple A shooter in portable format.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Great roguelike card game, this Wildfrost. Of course it is not as cute and cuddly as it may seem at first glance, the art style is deceiving while the gameplay, with its inexorable countdown and perfectible balance, does not forgive the slightest mistake. It takes patience to give it a chance to fuel and a little stubbornness to get the best out of it, but it's definitely worth it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    A sequel that improves the gameplay mechanics of the first Moving Out by heading in new directions, and that expands the amount and complexity of the challenges. In some cases, some immediacy is lost, but the fun is guaranteed, thanks also to the possibility of four-player play in both local and online modes.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is an excellent addition to the dungeon crawler RPG series from Atlus: players will find a lot of exploration, a huge variety of classes and races, and an intriguing - yet quite challenging - gameplay.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    In this chapter of Ace Combat, the gameplay is stripped down to a bare minimum and the air-to-ground combat is plain boring. The jaw-dropping graphics and production values will probably be enough to attract the fans of the franchise, but if arcade air fighting is not your niche, you'd better steer away.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for some players might be the right game at the wrong time. Rich in content but arriving in Europe after the great revamp of Monster Hunter World, the game brutally comes back to its origins, offering in return a truly exemplary longevity.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    RiME doesn't do anything new, but it does it in a truly unique, heartfelt way. Tequila Works created a wonderful adventure, with a strong Mediterranean feeling, some nice puzzles and a really moving finale.

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