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
    • 54 Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    This reboot is a very big fail. The good subject is wasted because of a careless and a technically poor execution. Just buy the original trilogy and live happy.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 88 Critic Score
    Nintendo Switch can finally boast a great JRPG within its remarkable roster. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a game that every fan of the genre should play. There are some minor flaws, such as the great chaos ensuing during some battles, but the combat system is deep and rewarding, and the story and the characters are great. Well done, Monolith Soft, well done.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Total War: ROME II – Empire Divided is a mixed bag. There are some new, intriguing mechanics, some ideas borrowed from previous installments, but at the same time the gameplay still suffers from the same problems of the original ROME II, and there are some notable absences such as the Hordes. At the end of the day, it's a missed opportunity.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite a lot of insane grinding, Sky Force Reloaded is a great porting from mobile to console. If you love shoot 'em ups, you should not miss this game for any reason.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Worms is a timeless classic that finds the perfect home on Switch. One of the best episodes in the series, to play on the go. What could go possibly wrong? Nothing! Another must have for the new Nintendo console. This version has some exclusive content, soon-to-be released on other platforms as well.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    "Terrifying" is the right word to tell something about Rugby 18. The game is very far from what actually happens on the pitch, and it's not fun at all.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Nothing less and nothing more than an excellent porting of a very good game, with "touch" support and all the stuffs of the original version.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    After all the ruckus and the controversies, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 finally reveals itself for what it is: a great Star Wars experience. The new Campaign is definitely well written and thrilling (with some memorable dogfights in the space), and the multiplayer improves everything we already loved in the first Battlefront. There are still some issues with a progression system that relies a little bit too much on randomness, but the game is definitely better off without microtransactions.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Nintendo Switch version of L.A. Noire finally does justice to a game that deserved a little bit more consideration when it first came out, six years ago. The porting is far from perfect (especially in TV mode), but the gameplay perfectly suits the idea of playing on the move.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    RiME is still a wonderful game, but the Switch version is a tremendous porting, that can seriously ruin an otherwise unforgettable experience. You can overlook the downgrade of the resolution, or even the lower graphic detail, but the palette is faded, the pop-in is terrible, the frame rate unstable, and all these combined can seriously discourage everyone.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Sonic Forces has an intriguing concept and shows some high production values, but at the end of the day this translates in some shallow and rambling ideas, and a main character that fails to create any empathy with the player. It's not a bad game per se, but an anonymous one.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    If you already devoted a conspicuous amount of time on the previous game in the series, you'll have to be patient, and wait for the real fun to begin, since all the new (and good) stuff is carefully handed out bit by bit. Therefore, we recommend Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon only if you skipped the previous two titles. Or if you have a bone to pick with Necrozma.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    If you already devoted a conspicuous amount of time on the previous game in the series, you'll have to be patient, and wait for the real fun to begin, since all the new (and good) stuff is carefully handed out bit by bit. Therefore, we recommend Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon only if you skipped the previous two titles. Or if you have a bone to pick with Necrozma.
    • 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.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is simply huge, with an engaging story, an incredibly rich roster of characters - including some obscure (mini)figures - and an enormous world to play with. That is, unless you've had enough of the usual Traveller's Tales formula, basically unaltered from all the previous LEGO games.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 79 Critic Score
    Despite some questionable design choices, The Mummy Demastered is a fun game, imbued with good exploration and action moments, in perfect metroidvania dress.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    One of the worst "real something" ever. There's nothing good in Real Farm, a game you wouldn't neither present to your worst enemy.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 79 Critic Score
    We swear on our double chainsaw that we'd have loved to give DOOM on Switch a higher score: the game is the one we already loved in every possible version ever released, brutal and crazy, but the technical compromises are significant, and cannot be put aside. If Switch is your only game console, this is a must buy; if you own another gaming platform, you'll find a better experience there.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 84 Critic Score
    Football Manager 2018 is a bigger, deeper and more complex episode of the saga. The best football universe simulation features a lot of new mechanics which give to the managers the chance to feel, manage and understand even better their teams. The evolution is amazing, but lacks of a real update to the UI, too old and chaotic, a little bit of polishing, with some dynamics which need to be fixed with the upcoming updates, and some issues in terms of hardware optimisation.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    .hack//G.U. Last Recode gives you good bang for your buck, with an original chapter as a bonus. The game has aged a little, technically and gameplay-wise, but the vision of CyberConnect 2 is still fascinating after all these years.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    The game offers nothing more than some good animal visuals. What remains is a management game without any challenge and spoiled by an awful UI.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The acclaimed Nioh marks its debut on PC without any particular accomplishment or novelties: the PC version, which includes the three previously released DLCs, can either be defined "pure" or "lazy", depending on your point of view. It is exactly the same game we already appreciated on PS4, including the lack of support for mouse and keyboard.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The new Need for Speed has some serious problems that need to be addressed: mainly, the over-use of loot boxes (and microtransactions) and a broken progression system that relies too much on randomness and grinding. The story is cringe-worthy, full of bi-dimensional characters and annoying catch-phrases. All that being said, the arcade driving model is accessible and extremely fun as always, and the open world is pretty big and full of activities that can keep the player engaged for a long while. Oh, and you're going to spend plenty of time in the garage pimping your ride.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wuppo is the kind of game you kinda want to remove from your memory, just to be able to play it again, and enjoy it like the first time. Despite its childish graphics and some gameplay flaws, Wuppo is a truly entertaining, light-hearted experience.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Frozen Wilds expands the Horizon Zero Dawn's gameplay driven philosophy to a brand new area, packed with tons of action and a new questline. The DLC offers a solid 10 hours more of the same experience, while Guerrilla Game's open world still shines after nine months in terms of breathtaking visuals and compelling gameplay.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 86 Critic Score
    It's been a few years since a Call of Duty has been this good. The single player campaign is strong, spectacular and gripping (but it could have dared a little bit more); the new War and Headquarters modes are a welcome additions to the series that will please newcomers as well as fans of the series, and the Zombie mode is funnier than ever.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    The PC version of Destiny 2 is everything the game already offers, only better: the loading times are less frustrating, and the graphics really benefit from the extra power of the most recent video cards (framerate, details...). Unfortunately, some of the deplorable connectivity errors already experienced on console found their way on PC as well.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon improves over the predecessor in every possible way, from the more refined gameplay to a more inspired story and art direction. There are some technical issues, and the game is not available in the Italian language. Other than that, a pretty good RPG-musou.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    Gran Turismo Sport is a pretty complicated affair: a mediocre single player experience, an exhilarating multiplayer title, the last work from Polyphony Digital is the greatest testament to a democratic vision of motorsport, where driving is really for everyone. A temple where players can share and contemplate truly stunning and beautiful images of cars, and drivers can look for the aesthetic perfection of driving. In the middle, a driving model with the same old limits of the previous chapters, and an overall anachronistic feeling.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    Despite the nerve to tell a little-known - but fascinating - story, and some good ideas in the managerial department, Numantia suffers from a general lack of polish, mostly from the low-budget production. The combat system is still pretty good, and a challenging one. If you love history and hexagons that mix strategy and RPG, Numantia could be worth a chance.

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