The Games Machine's Scores

  • Games
For 2,650 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:
2652 game reviews
    • 79 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Nobody Saves the World is a hack n' slash that starts from a quite casual approach, due to the lack of both inventory and skill points distribution, but shows its real depth after a few hours of play, when we are called to experiment with thousands of different builds to to better tear all enemies to pieces. The repetitiveness that generally plagues this kind of games is kept under control thanks to fun quests and a plot that takes us on a tour around a crazy world. Absolutely recommended both for hack n' slash lovers and for those who want to approach to this genre of games without taking them too seriously.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Summertime Madness is like a young artist, basking in his talent and quickly getting tired of his own brilliant insights, letting them fade away, while trying to set the tone with hermetic and indecipherable claims. Although there is a certain amount of brilliance under the surface, it is clouded beneath a layer of confusion. But of course not everyone gets to create The Witness at their first try, so if you are in withdrawal from puzzle games, Summertime Madness should be a partial relief.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer are back with their single-player adventures, polished and enhanced to suit the power of PS5. They're still fresh, enjoyable and now feature shorter loading times, three graphic modes and a little bit of DualSense magic.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    A new Serious Sam game! And guess what? You get exactly what you’d expect! Siberian Mayhem is a mindless fragfest that does not overstay its welcome. Just a shame that graphics also seems to be coming from 10 years ago.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Windjammers 2 is the triumph of Dotemu's playability and dedication: the arcade spirit of the past lives again in a sequel that is philologically irreproachable and has a great personality. A very good result, that could be further improved with a greater emphasis on the single player aspect.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    No one would be surprised if GTFO was found to have been developed by the Devil himself. Punishing, frustrating and brutal, I can't recommend GTFO to everyone but if you like tough co-op shooters and you have three friends as crazy as you are then you'll fall madly in love with it.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Not only is Rainbow Six Extraction a great cooperative shooter, it also differentiates itself from most of the competition by promoting a more tactical, reasoned approach: the Archean threat is not to be underestimated, as things are always a poor decision away from turning sour for your team. It’s a real shame that you have to unlock almost everything though, difficulty levels included.
    • 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.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Labyrinth Legend is a very simple ARPG in which you explore a bunch of automatically-generated dungeons, collect equipment, and battle in real time against thousands of enemies. Nothing more, nothing less.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Just when you think you've seen it all and know it all, out of nowhere comes a Catalan studio that puts together a combination of genres so finely crafted that it leaves you speechless. Treasures of the Aegean might look like a metroidvania at first glance, but exploration is not tied to upgrades. All that you need is the ability to run as fast as you can and make your brain work just as quickly, because the sea is about the claim the island of Santorini once again.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 97 Critic Score
    With the exception of some moments in which textures and flickering betray that this is a last-gen game, the PC version of God of War runs with excellent fluidity. Whether you are a lover of the original series or a new god of war, it does not matter: give this game a chance and you will not regret it.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 94 Critic Score
    Monster Hunter Rise was an excellent chapter of the series on Switch, but the PC version plays in a completely different category. If you liked Monster Hunter World, you'll love Rise. Yes, even if the thought of starting all over again terrifies you.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Grab some Left 4 Dead, a splash of the much-loved arcade VR flavor, and mix it up with a hefty dose of frozen zombie apocalypse. The result will be After the Fall: not a perfect game – variety could use some work, especially – but the best action co-op ever developed in virtual reality, thanks to the experience and talent of one of the most skilled studios when it comes to injecting adrenaline and fun in VR.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    The top-down tactical shooter Thunder Tier One offers a realistic and engaging singleplayer campaign, unfortunately ruined by AI partners who are too prone to ignore orders and cause havoc. The multiplayer is fun and shootouts are hectic, but there’s also a distinct lack of modes and the progression system isn’t too exciting. We don’t doubt Krafton will keep the game patched and updated though.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 74 Critic Score
    The Gunk is game full of charm, thanks especially to its wonderful art direction and the colorful alien world it created. Unfortunately, despite its short duration The Gunk does not manage to carry this sense of wonder all the way to the end, due to repetitiveness of environments and a gameplay that ends up being far too simplistic. It’s still a valid title, especially for younger players; it just needed a little more to truly shine.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 45 Critic Score
    Gear.Club Unlimited 2 Ultimate Edition has a good Career mode, with plenty of races and events and a little bit of story, but it is far from enough to rescue its incredibly sub-par gameplay, to the point that it is incapable of conveying any emotion. And the game doesn’t fare much better graphically, with poor textures and unstable frame rates. A pity, given the resume of the developer.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Clockwork Aquario is a miracle of preservation, but that doesn't make it a game for everyone. Arcade fans will welcome it, but others will find it difficult to continue playing after finishing it the first time, and the scoring system isn't particularly creative. In any case, the low price should keep even the merely curious happy.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel: Dawn of Battle Royale modernizes the formula by changing some of the core mechanics of the card game, and the result is a quicker, faster-paced gameplay that is fun to play. Unfortunately, under the technical aspect the game is not as exciting, with frequent and inexplicable frame drops and a drab open world.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade shines as brightly on PC as it did on PlayStation, with a port that's every bit as pretty as the PS5 edition while also being not too demanding, and that includes some nice additions such as 120fps support. Recommended for both newcomers and fans of the original.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Sometimes a good idea is all you need, and Shatter Ground got a great one. The gamble of combining turn-based strategy with a card game and with the stylish fighting of Superhot ended up working quite well. I personally found Fights in Tight Spaces’ roguelite mechanics a little frustrating, but it is a matter of taste and in any case the game offers five different difficulty settings. One last praise goes to the artistic & technical aspects of the game, minimalist yet functional and pleasantly rich in details.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    Milestone has the reins of motorcycle racing in hand, which it manages with enviable confidence, raising the level of the motocross sub-genre like never before but at the same time not being particularly interested in pushing the franchise in a new direction.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    A magical and fun Animal Crossing-like experience for those who love the Disney Universe, with a quite large amount of activities that does not achieve the same level of depth of Nintendo's masterpiece.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    White Shadows does nothing to hide his sources of inspiration: Limbo and Inside. A dark and obscure location is the right place to set a dystopian, anthropomorphic future story which can be read as a hermetic social metaphor. Though fascinating, White Shadows does too little to explain to the players where they are or what exactly it is that they’re doing, and its very simple mechanics don’t help. At the same time though, you often feel like you just can’t leave, like when watching a Lynch movie.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 81 Critic Score
    When you want to get rid quickly of level bosses just so you can get back to running down ramps and trampolines, there is something amiss with the balance of the game. And this is exactly the issue with Solar Ash: common enemies aren’t a big threat and boss battles break the flow, and not a in a great way. Exploring the game's bizarre worlds, on the other hand, is extremely fun, and requires above average amounts of skill and timing. If you are looking for a fast-paced 3D action platformer that also offers a good story, Solar Ash is a solid choice.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is mainly aimed at the fans of the franchise. Don’t expect a remaster, though: the only difference with the originals is the new monster generating system, now based on an in-game database.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Aiko’s Choice is a solid addition to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, which expands the game’s story by introducing a new villain straight from Aiko’s past. The three main levels will keep you entertained for a few hours, but if you’re expecting new mechanics or daring gameplay you might be in for a disappointment.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    There are not that many space combat games out there, so Chorus could be a good pick if you like an action packed and ready-to-go game that doesn’t require you to study astrophysics like Elite o Star Citizen. The drawback is that, mechanics wise, Chorus is fairly repetitive, and not that mechanically deep. It could still be a good choice if you’re aching to shoot space lasers, but in a couple of hours you might realize you’re becoming more of a space tourist than an ace pilot.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 61 Critic Score
    Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All is a pleasure to watch, not as much to play. The main problem of the title developed by Mr. Nutz Studio is a too simple gameplay, repeated without any changes level after level. Excellent graphics, whose main limitation is the constant reuse of the same assets.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Halo Infinite succeeds in bringing the series back to its roots without forgetting to make several changes useful to renovate its formula. The single player campaign is exciting and diverse thanks to its compact and never dispersive open world structure, while its multiplayer takes everything that’s good about Halo to deliver an engaging, modern and fun experience. Unfortunately, it’s not free of issues which, however, only concern the outline of the experience, such as the playlists structure and the progression system. Luckily, those issues were already recognized by the developers and are in the process of being addressed.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Cruis'n Blast is a fun game in the short term, but lacks the depth of many other arcade racers and doesn’t offer a particularly exciting multiplayer, with just a few local 4-players modes.

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