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
    • 69 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Rogue Stormers is a frantic shooter with a fun co-op mode and a lot of blasting. Despite all that, it doesn't take too many risks, with a dull bestiary and a veeeery slow sense of progression.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Idle Evolution is a nice, successful experiment: an incremental game with a lot of challenges and minigames, and an unusual way to give you a grounding in chemistry.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Future Unfolding is a game of love and hate. It could be an interesting concept to explore if you like experimental game design and unique experiences, but at its core, more than once the gameplay mechanics simply don't work.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    It's been a while since we lost our temper with a videogame. The peculiar control system and the physics that rule the movement of a snake are at the same time the good and the bad of Snake Pass. Despite its cheerful appearances and the good level design, the game is difficult, and not always in a good way.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Yooka-Laylee is an excellent homage to the best works of Rare on Nintendo 64 (with the notable exception of GoldenEye 007). It's challenging, fun, albeit a little heavy on the hardware requirements. If you still love the old-school platforming, you should definitely consider it.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's almost impossible, for a CCG, to find its place in such a saturated market, but Bethesda plays its cards right (pun intended), with some new and interesting game mechanics. Give it a try (it's free): you may find yourself intrigued.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    This remastered edition of PaRappa the Rapper is a nice and lovely trip down memory lane, especially if you lived the golden age of the first PlayStation. Unfortunately, that's all there is.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Yo-kai Watch 2 improves everything done in the past, but at the same time overlooks some elements that fans wanted to be fixed. There are some new game modes, online multiplayer, new Yo-kais and a bunch of different activities, but overall the game still remains too easy for seasoned players.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Yo-kai Watch 2 improves everything done in the past, but at the same time overlooks some elements that fans wanted to be fixed. There are some new game modes, online multiplayer, new Yo-kais and a bunch of different activities, but overall the game still remains too easy for seasoned players.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The new Battlefield 1 DLC is a good one, with a solid collection of new, beautiful maps, especially the Verdun battle. It doesn't alter the core of the game, and it's not cheap, but if you loved the original game, there's no reason why you should skip this DLC.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 91 Critic Score
    We need to go back to 1986 to find a game so deep, so challenging and beautiful: come to think of it, it’s a paradox. Everything works perfectly in Thimbleweed Park, like a pendulum clock in the hall of a mysterious mansion. One of the finest adventures you’ll play this year, and probably one of the best ever made.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 92 Critic Score
    The last chapter of one of our favourite series improved over the previous chapters in every, possible way. The storyline is unique and much more consistent, and the production values (art direction, soundtrack, dubbing, graphics) are simply top-notch. The fact that the dungeons aren't randomly generated anymore is just the cherry on top.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    A roguelike like many other out there, imbued with cuteness but boring and frustrating in most of its moments.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Herald: An Interactive Period Drama lives up to its name: it's an exciting adventure on the sea, with a lot of meaningful choices and a compelling story. Its only fault? The Italian language is not available, and that could be a problem.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    The second (and final) DLC of Dark Souls III proves to be a far more robust and articulated experience than the first one. The level design is tangled yet magnificent, the content is richer and never ordinary. The perfect conclusion to an unforgettable chapter of the Dark Souls series.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The new Deus Ex: Mankind Divided DLC offers a nice, challenging experience for the player, thanks to a rich and complex new mission, a hefty level design (whereas the prison setting fits perfectly) and a lot of choices that favour the stealth gameplay.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    We tried very hard to like FlatOut 4, but we simply couldn't. Despite some fun game modes and a decent multiplayer offering, the gameplay is overall confusing and bugs are everywhere. And the steep price doesn't help either.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Table Top Racing: World Tour is not a bad game per se, but it lacks the "spark" we felt playing classics of the genre like Re-Volt or MicroMachines. There's a lot of content to go through, tons of events and championships to win, but at the same time there's lot of repetitiveness, and the AI-controlled cars can be real jerks. The biggest flaw, however, is the lack of a split-screen multiplayer mode.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    Loot Rascals is a roguelike, as they say, easy to learn but hard to master (despite having only five levels). Trying to escape the "doomed" planet can be really fun, especially at the beginning. The multiplayer is curious but rather limited, the daily runs offer a moderate challenge, and at the end this is a game you'll probably enjoy once in a while.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Toukiden 2 improves the first episode in almost every way, and it's definitely the best representative of the monster-slashing genre on PlayStation 4. It's not too challenging, considering how lethal and precise the AI-controlled companions are, but the graphics are always smooth, and the gameplay is varied and deep enough to keep you entertained for a while.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The debut title from Parabole shows us that a good, well written story and a fascinating setting aren't enough to create a convincing narrative first person adventure. The derivative gameplay is often sloppy and confused, resulting in an experience far from engaging or satisfying. Technically more than modest, it's a game we could not recommend, not even to the fans of the genre.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    The first Mass Effect trilogy is probably not a masterpiece, but, like basically everybody else, we become very fond of it, and we loved the unique experience it offered. The main problem with Mass Effect Andromeda is that the main flaws of the first trilogy are still here, and that's not merely the animations and the graphic quirks. Despite an open world that is sometimes visually majestic, the game lacks the boldness you need in order to go where no man has gone before.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    The real problem with 1-2-Switch is the steep price: 50 bucks is a lot of money for a bunch of cute minigames (half of which are meh). There are some occasions when 1-2-Switch shows the great potential of the new Nintendo console, but it's not enough to justify the buy.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The main concept of Mario Sports Superstars is not a bad one: five intriguing sports (some of them already played in their stand-alone versions), for a title specifically designed for multiplayer. Unfortunately, there's not too much content to go on, and the multiplayer itself could have been handled much, much better.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shards of Darkness could have been an amazing stealth game, thanks to a witty and cynical main character, wonderful level design and a myriad of skills and perks. Unfortunately, the experience is partially ruined by a sub-par AI and some flaws in the control system.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 81 Critic Score
    With its strong artistic direction and the captivating story, Danganronpa 1·2 Reload is a must have for fans of visual novels and detective stories. The only problem - and the only reason why you shouldn't play it - is that it's a collection of games developed for portable consoles: if you own a PS Vita, you'll probably have already in your collection.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 82 Critic Score
    Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands can really be an exhilarating game, thanks to the huge possibilities given to the player and the beauty of the Bolivian scenery (and the great fun when played in coop with other three friends). Unfortunately, a bunch of not insignificant flaws turn it into a missed opportunity, something that could've been bigger and better.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 97 Critic Score
    The Wii U version of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the same amazing, unforgettable experience you can enjoy on the new Nintendo Switch: the game runs pretty smoothly even on the old console, and despite being less powerful, the graphics are almost the same. If you're not buying Switch and already own a Wii U, this really is a no-brainer.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 87 Critic Score
    Imperfect, sometimes raw, willingly complex, NieR Automata comes so close to becoming a true masterpiece, thanks to its strong personality and the unique vision of Yoko Taro. Technically inadequate, engaging in its deep and ever-changing gameplay, NieR tells a story of robots and androids, and in doing so it tells a lucid, melancholic story of humanity.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 97 Critic Score
    Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a sort of mythical experience, that kind of trip where you end up asking yourself if the God of videogames truly exists, and if it does, it may have the face of Shigeru Miyamoto. A huge open world that keeps enchanting the player every step of the way, well beyond the end of the game. Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda ever made, and one of the best videogames of all time.

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