The Loadout's Scores

  • Games
For 99 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 47% higher than the average critic
  • 7% same as the average critic
  • 46% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 2.3 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 77
Highest review score: 100 The Last of Us Part I
Lowest review score: 40 Redfall
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 99
  2. Negative: 2 out of 99
104 game reviews
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ubisoft delivers a truly excellent experience with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, wonderfully blending this series’ past and present to provide players with a compact, engaging story driven by captivating characters and secrets worth seeking. It’s everything you could want from an Assassin’s Creed game and a welcome sign of things to come after a divisive few years.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    FIFA 23 is easily one of the best football games EA has released in a long time, but meaningful new mechanics and fantastic new features are still overshadowed by a mode that’s a pay-to-win system in everything but name.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dying Light 2’s makeup is considerably different from the first game, delivering an impressive and meaty character RPG you can sink time into, even if it does come at the cost of the game’s night-time horrors.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    From the state of your team’s memorabilia room to how aggressive your drivers should defend in the final lap of a grand prix, F1 Manager 2023 is unique in giving you complete control of a Formula One team on and off the track. It’s a feature-rich, deep management sim with stunning race-day visuals that only improves on the incredible experience offered by its predecessor.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Crew Motorfest is an enjoyable racer that shows more developers can tackle the open-world arcade racer genre. While it doesn't do anything new or surprising there is very little to fault with the varied gameplay experience and the luscious island of O'ahu Ivory Tower has built here.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    EA Sports FC 24 retains everything that’s kept people coming back to EA’s soccer series for the past 30 years, from its slick arcade gameplay to the popular wallet-wrecking Ultimate Team mode – both made better this time around by PlayStyles and Evolutions respectively. While EA doesn’t hit the back of the net with every tweak and introduction, it’s clear the studio is trying to make good on its new-found freedom.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Modern Warfare 2 is an enjoyable first-person shooter, and if some of its issues get addressed, it could be the best Call of Duty title we’ve had for a number of years. However, with the highly-anticipated, free-to-play Warzone 2 launching so soon after, it’s hard to see a world where MW2 gets the attention it needs.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    An unfocused jaunt around Tokyo’s unnecessarily open world will provide for a solid way to while away the hours, but don’t expect the nail-biting survival-horror experience that Tango Gameworks is known for as you pound the pavement ticking off boxes.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Despite some impressive DualSense implementation, the blemishes embedded into The Medium's gameplay and narrative still show on PS5. While The Medium is an intriguing horror game, it certainly isn't a great one.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    One Piece Odyssey’s attention to detail and respect for its source material informs an original story that is, at times, obfuscated by drab side content, and an innovative combat system that, sadly, rarely gets pushed to its limits.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Rainbow Six Extraction is a refreshing addition to the co-op shooter genre that ditches endless horde slaying for refined, tactical, and stealthy gameplay. With enough support and new content, Extraction could set a new benchmark for co-op games.
    • 73 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Vanguard’s multiplayer offers only fleeting moments of fun right now, but its core issues can all be solved in time. Sledgehammer’s philosophy when it comes to maps and attachments means that, right now, you rarely get the optimum experience, but with dedicated spaces for competitive players it might well become the competitive Call of Duty game we’ve been waiting for. [Multiplayer Review Score = 70]
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    GRID Legends is a big step in the right direction for Codemasters, offering enjoyable and easy to access online racing. However, it is let down by a few technical hiccups on the Xbox Series S, and fails to shout loud enough in a genre that’s about to become even more crowded.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Gross, gory, and gorgeous in equal measure, Dead Island 2 may not be one of 2023’s most exciting or innovative games, but it’s still a hell of a lot of fun and well worth the wait.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Far Cry 6 makes some meaningful narrative improvements, helped by a fantastic performance by Esposito. However, repetitive and familiar gameplay, combined with a restrictive progression system, means changes are needed in the future if Ubisoft wants the series to continue.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Evil Dead The Game is an action-packed treat for fans of the franchise’s camp brand of horror and players looking for an asymmetrical multiplayer game that’s easy to pick up and tough to master. Drawing on gameplay features from a variety of genres, this game is a unique offering in a space that desperately needs innovation.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hot Wheels Unleashed is one of the best arcade racers to release on modern consoles in years. Tight controls and action-packed races make for a fun and satisfying racer that offers intense racing and a lot of ways to play.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Minecraft Legends is ambitious and unique, and offers up a new experience for Minecraft lovers. While its PvP mode could give it some longevity, as an actual single-player strategy game, it unfortunately misses the mark.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Lords of the Fallen gets off to a great start with creative ideas, a truly disturbing atmosphere, and exhilarating combat. Unfortunately, several missteps ensure that the only things that are falling here are your expectations.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Scorn is a haunting journey through an alien world that asks a lot from players, both through its striking imagery and some smartly designed, unique puzzles.
    • 70 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Outside of its interesting aesthetic, everything else about Atomic Heart feels very generic. While I may still find some redeeming features, as things stand, it's one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Immortals of Aveum fails to succeed at telling a captivating, well-written narrative that immerses you in its magic-filled world. Despite strong shooting and grand world design, it doesn’t make much of an impression during its 15-hour campaign and it feels like the scope is too big with the quality suffering for it.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Trek to Yomi sets out to be classic Kurosawa in videogame form, but it ends up being hampered by clunky gameplay and a convoluted story.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Lightfall expansion delivers a fantastic destination in Neomuna, a fun new subclass in Strand, and it makes some great changes under the hood of Destiny 2. However, the heart of any Destiny expansion is its campaign, and Lightfall's is well wide of the mark.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    While not perfect, The Callisto Protocol is one of the best in its class, with jaw-dropping jump scares that’ll keep you up well into the night. With satisfying combat, incredible audio design, and jaw-dropping visuals, Striking Distance Studios has made a short but superb horror game that leaves you wanting more.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Roller Champions is a fun and engaging team-based multiplayer game that might become your new casual multiplayer addiction. However, a lack of progression and limited customisation options without paying money holds it back from being great at launch.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    High on Life won’t be for everyone. However, those who love Justin Roiland’s comedic style will find a game that offers humour and a silly narrative with arcade-like gameplay, sometimes to its detriment.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    With amazing visuals and presentation, brilliant gameplay, and a wide variety of modes, NBA 2K24 is one of the best sports games of the year and a standout in the NBA 2K series as a whole. However, innovations to its monetization have just made its microtransaction problem even more profound.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Exoprimal’s blending of the futuristic and the prehistoric is an excellent concept, and it’s served well with satisfying combat and a diverse array of Exosuits. However, it’s let down by some slow pacing and repetitive game modes, and any new live service game needs to be doing more out of the gate to convince players to stick around.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Gotham Knights is a messy, directionless open-world RPG that doesn’t know what it wants to be. Its lack of identity means that, just like its heroes, it fails to step out of the shadows and truly shine.

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