TheSixthAxis' Scores

  • Games
For 4,006 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 45% higher than the average critic
  • 7% same as the average critic
  • 48% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.5 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Ratchet & Clank
Lowest review score: 10 The Lord of the Rings - Gollum
Score distribution:
4133 game reviews
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Bright Memory: Infinite is a matured version of the original Bright Memory, stripping away some of that game's excesses for a more put-together experience. That said, the story is still complete insanity (that's barely acknowledged by the characters), and it’s clear that this solo production cannot match its boundless ambition.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    For all its flaws and lacklustre looks, you can tell that Phosphor were really onto something in the way it experimented with superpowers here. Given more time and resources – and without being weighed down by the Heroes license – the studio could have created a truly special comic book adventure.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Unless you are a big RPG fan who is desperate for a fix, then this title is certainly not good enough to warranty your attention. The fighting is tedious, the story is not well told and the menus are clunky and awkward.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Having found Tribute Games' previous release, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, to be one of the best scrolling beat ‘em ups I’d ever played, I had high expectations for Marvel Cosmic Invasion. How could Shredder’s Revenge with Marvel characters go wrong? Sadly, Marvel Cosmic Version is entirely OK but fails to be anything more than that.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Tembo the Badass Elephant could have been so much more than what is offered. SEGA seemed to be searching for a successor to Sonic with Tembo but at the same time wanted to get a piece of the market for particularly hard games, forgetting to make it fair at the same time.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    WWE 2K22 isn’t a good fighting game, despite the multiplayer being a bit of knock-around fun. The woolly controls, messy inputs, and numerous glitches lead to an underwhelming video game experience, while the lacklustre Showcase and MyRise game modes don't manage to replicate the bombast of professional wrestling, WWE 2K22 isn’t a particularly good wrestling game either. It’s a decent laugh in multiplayer, but with the notably hefty price tag I would expect a lot more than that.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Castaway Paradise is a disappointment. It simply doesn’t capture interest like Animal Crossing does, whether it’s due to the broken economy, the endless repetition of quests, or perpetual fruit gathering.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I'm pretty disappointed with Greedfall: The Dying World. Despite going through Steam Early Access, the end product is buggy and messy, and the combat uninspiring. This combined with slow pacing that gives three false endings to the opening before you get into the open world makes it get old quickly. Perhaps wait for a sale, or a lot of patches to fix things up a bit.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Tomorrow Children is a weird, unwieldy game that had me sighing at just how obtuse it is while still somehow simultaneously entranced. The social action concept is a strong one though moment-to-moment gameplay will quickly become too much of a grind for most players. Hopefully it can find a new audience but, at the very least, it will help rehouse those fans who adored the original release and mourned its server shutdown.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventures isn’t a terrible game, but it is so old fashioned and average that it is difficult to recommend. If you have kids of the right age range and find it on sale, then it's fun enough. The lack of a movie to tie into leads to a particularly weak story that feels like it's tacking on a license instead of a genuine entry in the Ice Age series. Scrat may find his nut, but I was left unsatisfied by a functional but mediocre tie in.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Exile’s End is not a bad game by any means, but it never really reaches the heady heights of its influences. In what is so obviously a labour of love, this is a shame, but such is the risk with such blatant nostalgia. Often, going back is not a good idea.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    There's a great deal to like about Fimbul, from its luxuriant vector inspired visuals to the solid combat and an interesting interpretation of Norse Mythology. Whilst the delivery of the plot in a comic book format disappoints, it is the failure of the frame rate that provides Fimbul's fatal and final blow. Without this issue being remedied, despite the many reasons I like the game, Fimbul is difficult to recommend.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy my time with All Walls Must Fall. The fantastic setting, thumping soundtrack and original take on seduction mini-games are not matched by its gameplay mechanics. Everything felt too chaotic and the environments too lacking in variety to maintain my interest.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Hellbound has potential, and will surely find an audience for both its nostalgia and its challenge. While the story is almost completely unnecessary, it's a real shock that the whole narrative focus appears to not be concluded in the game, though. Just as the story gets going, and the first big boss is defeated, the endgame credits roll, leaving Hellbound feeling unfinished. That feeling is compounded by the fact that the main reason for returning comes from the score-based survival mode which is still available as a free download on Steam. Hellbound is not big, nor is it clever, and in all the wrong ways.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Despite the interesting ideas, Bladestorm still manages to be shallow and, whilst it may grab your attention for a few hours, you won’t want to carry on playing for much longer – the repetitiveness of it all will make sure of that.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Shattered - Tale of the Forgotten King is a game set in a beautiful, stylised world that is sadly too opaque and flawed to recommend.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Extinction is a game that has large ambitions, but fails to be as exciting as it could have been. The Revanii look imposing, but are less threatening than the smaller enemies that accompany them, and with a mixture of lacklustre storytelling, repetitive action and some technical issues, Extinction end up a remarkably average title.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Fueled Up may be an Overcooked! clone but it nonetheless has some intriguing ideas that set it apart from other games in the genre. Unfortunately, the issues with pacing, poor tutorials, haphazard controls, and difficulty spikes make for an uneven experience that will not suit many players. If you’ve done Ghost Town Game’s finest to death then Fueled up might be worth a look, otherwise, forget fuelling spaceships and go fry some burgers instead.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance fails to live up to both the potential of its placement in the D&D canon and the legacy of the Dark Alliance name. As a mediocre-to-good game, depending on whether you’re alone or with friends, the whole experience is sluggish and dull in execution, and sails close to the average tabletop D&D session where you play for four hours and somehow only walk down a single corridor, but without the enjoyment that comes with that experience.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Empire of Sin is a promising strategy game but one that feels woefully incomplete. I can't recommend it, but I can recommend following it's hopeful transition into something genuinely wonderful.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Effie is a decent traditional third person platformer, but could have been so much more. Perhaps we’ve been spoiled in recent years, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Effie could have been elevated if it had tied the interesting backstory to the game mechanics or development in some way. As it stands, the narrative is totally removed from the game itself and this makes it feel old-fashioned in the wrong sort of way. Not a disaster but a missed opportunity.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Moero Chronicle Hyper lives up to it's name. It is a hyper-actualized fantasy of sex and sex objects and sex acts and anything sex related. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of raunchiness, the game fails to deliver anything that's truly charming or engaging. Beyond some goofy monster designs, it's a terribly average game all around, hampered even further by a translation that desperately needed more time in the oven.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Happy Ray Games succeeded in what they were aiming for with Ikenfell, I just wish they aimed a bit higher. The story doesn’t pick up for a long portion at the beginning of the game, and the battle system is interesting but nothing groundbreaking. There is still some enjoyment to be had with Ikenfell, but it feels like it’s missing some magic.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Metal Max Xeno is just so thoroughly average when it comes to JRPGs. The basic world, familiar storyline, and characters serve an okay experience which embraces the grind a bit too much for a world that is generally void of much interest. The game feels like a throwback to older JRPGs which is great if that is what you’re into, but there has been so much advancement in the genre that overall Metal Max Xeno feels a bit out of place.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Tyler: Model 005 is a real mixed bag. It doesn’t get close to the heights of its spiritual predecessors, but instead goes its own way to produce a surprisingly effective and heartwarming story that surpasses the limitations of its flawed mechanics to leave a lasting impression. Tyler: Model 005 must go down as a fleeting curio rather than a game I can wholly recommend. Maybe in this case an animated movie would have been a more suitable choice for delivering the story being told.
    • 43 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Devil’s Third’s singleplayer campaign is dumb, misogynistic, shoddy and borderline broken at times, but its multiplayer may well be its saving grace. While it remains lo-fi and decidedly rough around the edges, there’s some fun to be had and an experience that could see it gain something of a cult following on Wii U.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Much like Chibi Robo! Zip Lash was a bit of a flop in converting a primarily 3D franchise into 2D, Hey! Pikmin makes errors of its own. While the antics of the Pikmin seen in the levels are adorable and the game is visually pleasing, I just couldn’t get over the way the Pikmin behaved when I was playing. It’s otherwise a rather bland and forgettable adventure that Pikmin fans can quite easily skip.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    As a free-to-play experiment, it’s fairly successful. When you download Spartacus Legends you get the full package, not just a few morsels of gameplay, with the rest locked behind a pay-wall. In some ways this is one the game’s biggest strengths but it still fails to dispel a number of its other issues.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Encodya has some lovely elements – the soundtrack, a few interesting plays on dystopian fiction and the heart at the core of its story – but uninteresting puzzles, lack of environmental variety, and unremarkable storytelling mean I can’t recommend it over its contemporaries.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    There’s nothing wrong with modernising older games. However, therein lies the problem for Miracle Cure: it’s just a modernisation.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Gun Gun Pixies has a very specific audience, and many of those people are sure to have a good time with this game. Cute characters and a wealthy abundance of fanservice are here in spades. Unfortunately, I often found myself struggling with the repetitive gameplay and clunky controls too much to appreciate any of the good aspects of the game.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Vane is a strange game. Its art direction and visual design frame a grandiose, otherworldly affair, but its puzzle design and narrative squash those expectations, ultimately providing a frustrating experience with fragments of its original vision.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Super Dodgeball Beats' manga-influenced visuals are sure to draw you in, but sadly aren't backed up by its middle-of-the-road rhythm action.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Utawarerumono: Zan is only for the most dedicated of fans to the series. Newcomers will be lost by the incredibly brisk and abbreviated story, and even though the combat is fun and the characters unique, there are just so many other Warriors-style games out there that provide fun gameplay and addictive action without slacking on the story. Hardcore Utawarerumono might get more pleasure out of this game than fresh faces would, but are sure to be just as disappointed by how thoroughly the story has been butchered.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    For most of the time Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles fails to impress. Whilst it's certainly not the worst game out there, it struggles to rise above average, and I wonder if it would sell at all if not for the Resident Evil name behind it. If you're a fan of the franchise there's a good chance you'll get a kick out of this, but for everyone else I struggle to recommend it.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Everything about Mafia II is average. From the tepid driving controls and the standard cover mechanism to the staid narrative which could still have been enjoyable, had they put a little more thought into it. This game is not terrible but it is some way from being good.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Despite the huge flaws, there’s still something that kept drawing me back to play a bit more, to destroy a few buildings or beat one more Kaiju. It’s not smart or clever, nor remotely modern, and it’s mostly repetitive and dull. But it’s Godzilla – a giant nuclear accident that is as likely to destroy you as protect you.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune would be easy to appreciate as a unpolished but obviously heartfelt metroidvania experience, if it weren't for the poorly executed and far too frequent cutscenes.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    There’s some good ideas in how PlayLink can be used to let a group of players (and non-gamers in particular) join together and shape a filmic story, but the actual interface feels clumsy, and the story and scripting leaves plenty to be desired. It’s safe to say that Hidden Agenda is an obvious disappointment.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Memories of Mars was my first ever survival game and, based on this, probably my last. The exemplary building mechanic doesn't balance out the numbingly repetitive gathering grind, nor the mundane combat. Whilst there is some fun to be had here, you'll have to invest far too much time to find it. Much better to let this particular memory fade away.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Detective Pikachu Returns falls flat, feeling like a hollow experience with under-baked and sparse bolts of brilliance. Wide and mostly empty areas, a difficulty level smaller than a Cutiefly, slightly more gameplay than your standard visual novel, short run time and limited usage of its one truly unique and fun mechanic. Forgive the cliche, but most of Detective Pikachu Returns’ moves just weren’t very effective.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    As a piece of gaming history the Darius Collections are spot on, recreating classic arcade and console games on modern hardware, but they are massively overpriced considering the content. Some games in the Arcade collection are either minor tweaks or ports of a previous versions, so you would have to be a die hard Darius fan to even consider purchasing both collections. The Console collection is by far the better choice due to the single screen design, but aficionados will then miss the classic arcade versions.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    RUSH VR is not the realistic skydiving sim some may have expected but there’s still a novelty to it that some virtual reality gamers will appreciate. It’s definitely cheaper than booking the real thing, though given how repetitive races can get after your first few, you’re likely to get more bang for your buck elsewhere considering the bumper crop of PSVR bangers we’ve had this year.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    As a piece of gaming history the Darius Collections are spot on, recreating classic arcade and console games on modern hardware, but they are massively overpriced considering the content. Some games in the Arcade collection are either minor tweaks or ports of a previous versions, so you would have to be a die hard Darius fan to even consider purchasing both collections. The Console collection is by far the better choice due to the single screen design, but aficionados will then miss the classic arcade versions.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    If EA can patch the framerate issues and tweak the handling, Undercover could be a great game.
    • 38 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Blood of Mehran is a bit of a throwback, taking its inspiration from games a couple of generations back. The foundation has been put in place, but Blood of Mehran is a distinctively average eight hour experience with combat not reaching the levels it could, voice acting that could be better, and various performance issues that need addressing.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    If you can overlook the somewhat unyielding game design and slump in visual quality, there's a satisfying strategy game to be found with hours of potential replay value. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that the Vita has an oustanding launch roster, most of which outweigh Army Corps of Hell in almost every aspect.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    If played with friends, it will serve up several hours of grin-inducing fun but beyond that very little else.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Outer Worlds is an excellent game, but the Spacer's Choice Edition remaster doesn't live up to it. Sure, it can look nicer with more prevalent reflections and changes to the lighting, but it can also be really rather dark, and performance on PS5 is far from perfect. You're better off sticking with the original release via backward compatibility.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Mineko’s Night Market goes down as one of my biggest disappointments of the year. The early promise is entirely squandered through inane conversations, repetitive minigames and a feeling more akin to a mobile game loop than a cosy game. The art style and plethora of cats are cute, but I’m afraid this is one to avoid.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    There's a ton of potential in Xenon Racer, but while it looks and sounds the part, its difficulty level and overly weighty handling keep it firmly stuck in the slow lane.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Somewhere, deep in the heart of Subaeria, there is an exciting and action packed puzzle game. Unfortunately, just like the dystopian underwater world the game presents, it is so deeply submerged that you’d never see it from the surface. Rather than the deep blue ocean though, it is a roguelite structure that hides what works about Subaeria, rendering its achievements impotent with toxic pacing and progression issues. It’s a shame, as Subaeria showed promise.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    In the end Bedlam has an interesting premise at its core and dialogue that will amuse for a while, but it gets same-y very quickly in each environment. Perhaps if the game started more quickly and had you hopping genres a little earlier in the game, it wouldn’t outstay its welcome quite so quickly. As it is, it can only really be recommended if the genre-hopping idea has you weak at the knees.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Darq initially intrigued me with its Tim Burton inspired dream world and brain bending puzzles. Sadly, things moved sharply in decline after those positive first impressions. Tedious stealth sections often killed the pace, as did all the trudging back and forth to collect items, and the dizzying nausea-inducing puzzle section? That's just mean. Darq is less the compelling brilliance of Nightmare Before Christmas and more the baffling misfire that was Alice in Wonderland.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Overall, a competent platformer that plays it safe, but one that is also painfully drawn out.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    We're disappointed, because Quake Wars could have been a great FPS, but it's one marred with visual issues, some badly realised mechanics and crucial missing menu options that would have gone some way to fixing the issues people clearly seem to be having online.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Of Orcs and Men has so much potential and when you get into the game you'll experience flashes of brilliance, but those flashes are gone as quickly as they come, leaving behind a game that came out before it was ready.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Dusk Diver is a game that promises a lot with it’s gorgeous visuals, but the combat ultimately falls short. Its basic combo system and missable story are not enough to even come close to some of this year’s stellar action titles.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Although I genuinely applaud its attempts to try something new, Farmagia doesn't quite stick the landing for me. In fact, beyond the initial novelty of the mechanics, both the farming and the combat components end up feeling intensely repetitive with little to keep interest outside of further monotony. Once you add to these points uninspired visual design choices and predictable story elements, the game becomes very difficult to recommend to anyone but die-hard farming sim fans. Even then, it isn’t bringing any fresh produce to the table.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Override 2: Super Mech League really should have been a fun and accessible party brawler. It certainly had the basics covered with accessible controls and a vibrant roster of characters on offer. Unfortunately an ineffective 3rd person camera, non-existent online matchmaking, weak league mode and a stifling lack of variety to its gameplay marks Override 2 a long way short of being the Mechtacular fighter we all wanted it to be. More 'Meh'tacular then.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I was never engrossed, enticed, or even entangled in The Technomancer’s web of dystopian dreams. It’s competently made – there’s been far worse games reviewed on TSA recently – but what felt mildly interesting in trailers turned out to be perhaps the most boring science fiction adventure I’ve ever played.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Valkyria Revolution’s biggest crime is that it is utterly dull. The tonal changes to the narrative, and to the combat system, are completely pointless, and not only do a disservice to the Valkyria name, they render it meaningless. Such are the differences between the two titles I don’t understand why they bothered to sully the series’ fantastic reputation with this release.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Despite the addition of NPCs and a load of new content, Fallout 76: Wastelanders is still just a painfully average Fallout game. That's not to say that things aren't better for the update, because the game at least feels like it's moving in the right direction, but it's building on top of the still rickety foundations of the original release. Ironically, things might be simpler if they simply nuked the game and started again, but you've got to respect the hussle.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    To brand the game as a failure would be unjust, however. Although far from being essential, it’s easy to see why The Sun and Moon cleaned up at Ludum Dare 29. It’s just a shame that the end result lacks the substance and feature set needed to embrace a larger, more diverse audience.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It seems overly simplistic to conclude by saying that Dark Arcana: The Carnival is a hidden object game that will appeal to fans of the genre. There is nothing here to really draw in new players and I remain perplexed at its conversion to consoles. Given the regular releases of Artifex Mundi titles, there must be an audience for them and this title will presumably be well received by these players. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no hidden depth here and its predictable nature left me underwhelmed.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    TENS! is an engaging puzzle title with a simplistic, colourful aesthetic and some zany powers to keep things fresh. Unfortunately, it’s little more than an entertaining distraction, however, lacking the depth and variance to keep you coming back for long.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Regardless of what this review says, NBA 2K24 will sell millions of copies, and generate millions of dollars through VC. That is because basketball fans who want to play a basketball game have nowhere else to go. The on court action is really good, but without competition to keep them honest, 2K's monetisation has got out of hand and made modes like MyCareer near unplayable without extra investment from players.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Given how much I was hyped for the game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is a bitter disappointment, meeting only some of the expectations I had and feeling like it was heavily rushed through development to meet a deadline.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Carmageddon’s revival gets off to a sloppy start, though it gradually gets better with perseverance. Drawbacks such as the fickle handling and the so-so presentation become easier to overlook, but those first few hours can be a major slog.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Bad North has a lot of potential, but it wastes most of that by doubling down on simplicity over depth. In many rogue-lite games starting a new run is an exciting prospect, as you know your newly acquired player skill will carry you through, but the slower pace here makes it feel a lot more like having to do the hoovering again because someone ate a pastry with no regard for your nice clean carpet.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Its SNES-like art style is greatly appealing, but the core gameplay loop is far too shallow to really recommend it as an alternative to other recent 3DS offerings.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I really wanted to like Bookbound Brigade, but its flaws are too great to overlook. There are moments when it all comes together and you get a real sense of achievement from navigating a tricky section of traps or figuring out a nice environmental puzzles, but these are too often overshadowed by boring combat and the chore that is getting around the world. Unlike the books and stories that Bookbound Brigade is inspired by, good writing is not enough to salvage this story.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Whilst these remakes bring the second Tomb Raider trilogy to modern systems, but they simply can't match up to the original trilogy – Chronicles and Angel of Darkness in particular were let downs when they released originally. I can't see this remaster gaining these games any new fans, especially since they control like some kind of device that exists to torture game developers that specialise in traversal mechanics.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I still love the series and am keen to see it continue, but Legacy of Kain: Defiance just hasn’t aged well and represents the very nadir of PS2-era action adventure games. The repetitive combat and uninspired level design grow tedious and the new additions are not particularly exciting. The use of AI upscaled textures helps explain the underwhelming nature of the graphical updates and is emblematic of a remaster that feels cheap. Considering the original game is still available on Steam and PlayStation, I’d suggest picking that up instead. Like so many modern vampires, this game’s resurrection is more of a curse than a blessing.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I think it’s important to preserve old games for future audiences, or make them available for audiences that never knew they existed. Video games, like any other art form, have a long history behind them, and a longer history ahead of them. Releases like Zwei: The Arges Adventure serve as time-capsules to help keep old pieces of history from disappearing. It’s a game very much from its time. While I appreciate the effort put into making the writing stand proudly in a modern day, gameplay flaws and dated design choices make it a chore to truly get a satisfying experience out of the game.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    I was hoping for something unique in the pantheon of Koei Tecmo’s long-lived franchise, but it’s a step backwards. Fans of the Touken Ranbu franchise may get a kick out of seeing their beloved swords in 3D, but for the rest of the world you have to hope that it isn’t indicative of where Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is heading.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Blazing Chrome is so close to achieving what it's sets out to be – a fun retro 2D arcade shooter. There's sadly just too many issues to be overcome by the player to find the fun. If the development team are willing to put additional time into Blazing Chrome with patches and updates, then this could be well worth a punt. As it stands, Blazing Chrome is both too limited and too frustrating to recommend.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    It’s somewhat difficult to recommend Mother Russia Bleeds, as the dystopian setting and drug-filled plot are at odds with the conventions of the side-scrolling beat-em-up genre. While the sprite work is overall quite ugly, the level of detail is astounding in depicting this game’s disturbing imagery. With limited replay value, couch only coop, and not much diversity among the playable roster, these issues outweigh the promise of Le Cartel Studio’s debut game.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Given the quality of other zombie games such as Saints and Sinners and Arizona Sunshine it’s really difficult to recommend Onslaught to anyone other than hardcore The Walking Dead fans. The best parts of The Walking Dead almost always revolve around the human interactions, but the game is a grind, the story is utterly disposable and it no longer feels relevant to a TV show that is now a couple seasons ahead.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Overthrown is an ambitious genre melting-pot of a game that offers a monster-mash of potential, but its cluttered systems and lack of guidance ultimately hold it back from fully realising its promise.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Ultimately Color Guardians is a bright, cutesy, challenging runner with some good ideas that falls through when it comes to keeping it interesting. Restarting from checkpoints over and over only getting a little bit closer to the end each time quickly grows repetitive, draining any drive there might have been to continue playing.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    MotoGP 15 is still an accomplished racer, but it offers little to draw fans in, compared to last year’s entry.
    • 58 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Unfortunately, obtaining that blessing requires a two-mile crawl on your knees through the jagged glass and thorny ivy that is the busted, broken, and simply not fun gameplay of Chamber of Time. Battles are aggravating and exploration is mind-numbing. For as brilliant as the narrative and artistic achievements of Chamber of Time are, it’s weighed down by unpolished game design choices that simply make it no fun to actually play at all.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Seaven Studios has some good ideas up its sleeves and Ethan Meteor Hunter shows moments of brilliance. However, it is let down by clunky movements and puzzles that don’t always offer a challenging but fair game.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Overall, The UnderGarden is not a terrible game. It just failed to bring anything to the table that kept me amused for more than a few minutes at a time.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    This beautiful wrapper isn’t enough to cover up Poncho’s fundamental flaws. It’s a lovely experiment and although it works well in some parts, an overall sense of cohesion is missing. Being able to move along the z-axis is a clever feature yet Poncho uses this as a crutch, failing to flesh out other essential areas of the game. In short, there’s certainly something special here yet, sadly, only a minority will succeed in finding it.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    An intriguing take on the long-running JRPG series, but it just doesn't do a good job of crafting a management experience that feels rewarding or engaging. Even once you're used to the overwhelming menus and systems, it never feels like you're a part of the town you're building from behind the walls menus, charts and numbers. It was a treat to see previous Atelier characters interact and talk to each other, but that bit of fanservice doesn't make up for the lacking gameplay.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    For content starved fans of the classic point and click adventure, it's hard not to get excited about a new entry in the genre, particularly one whose visuals inspire a feel good nostalgic hit for all things LucasArts. Dig a little deeper though and you'll find this is an underwhelming imitator of the legends of yesteryear. Too many obscure puzzles and too many unfunny jokes prevent Darkestville Castle from being the Secret of Monkey Island successor it so obsessively wants to be.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    My experience of Mordheim: City of the Damned is one where knowledge of the source material is both a blessing and a curse. This isn’t a bad game, and despite its flaws there is still fun to be found in the Empire’s official worst city to live in.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Short and succinct, there’s nothing about Theseus I strongly disliked. That said, beyond the occasional picturesque moment, there isn’t a lot here worth shouting about either. It succeeds in bringing a brutal slice of mythology to life, but lacks the depth or impact of similar action adventure games, putting too much emphasis on style and presentation.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is an exceedingly bland experience. This remake trades heavily on the 90s nostalgia factor, but fails to consider that, with the original only released outside of Japan in 2012, few will have played Monster World 4 in order to have any feelings of nostalgia about it. Sadly, all those playing the game for the first time will find little to get excited about.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    There isn't a website on the planet that knows the particular politics behind some of the changes to what appeared to be an exceptionally promising shooter, but it's turned out to be a real stinker: Haze is as average as beans on toast, and the biggest disappointment is that it didn't have to be.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Not necessarily a bad game. It just doesn't do anything to make itself memorable or stand out from a crowd.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Fans of the anime will likely get enjoyment out of the new stories and beautiful character models. Anyone else is better off starting with the original television series or simply avoiding Punch Line altogether.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Drag x Drive makes good use of the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls for a simple game of wheelchair basketball, but it lacks the charm and personality you'd expect from a Nintendo game.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Port Royale 4 starts off strong, but its solid trading and management gameplay just become repetitive over time, eventually turning into a waiting game as numbers slowly get bigger. Managing cities and trade routes also never really overcome the somewhat awkward controls on console, and combat never becomes interesting. Still, if you absolutely love trading and seeing your empire grow is all the reward you need, Port Royale 4 might be for you.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    For this type of game, I feel like the combat and puzzle solving should be the strongest aspect on offer, but they ended up being the worst part of the experience. Outside of the lousy checkpoint system, there really isn’t anything too terrible about Rack N Ruin, it just doesn’t have enough going for it for me to unequivocally recommend it.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Atlas Fallen is at its best when you're fighting huge enemies with your carefully constructed (by trial and error) build, but when you're repeatedly fighting the same enemies, when the story falls flat, and the environments blend into one, it starts to get dull and frustrating quickly.
    • 50 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Midnight Sanctuary is certainly not what I expected. I will always applaud any game – or graphic novel – which teaches the audience something new. Educating the player about the history of Japanese Christianity, even if just in passing, is commendable. However, as an experience, The Midnight Sanctuary is a little too slow and disjointed to be truly gripping.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    The Last Case of John Morley is a detective game without any detecting. This walk-through of what could be a fantastic mystery story is let down by wooden voiceover performances, dated character visuals and mind-numbing mechanics.

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