TheSixthAxis' Scores

  • Games
For 4,008 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:
4135 game reviews
    • 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.

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