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For 739 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 53% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 42% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 76
Highest review score: 100 Eastward
Lowest review score: 20 Taxi Chaos
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 479 out of 739
  2. Mixed: 227 out of 739
  3. Negative: 33 out of 739
743 game reviews
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    • 72 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Capes
    Capes makes a great first impression as an original superhero tactics title that feels fresh, tight, and responsive. The turn-based battle system controls well and is easy to pick up, while also being so confident in its smooth player induction that things quickly start getting spicy. The roster of cape-less heroes all look, sound, and play satisfyingly distinct from one another and make choosing your four heroes for a given mission a daunting task. Players who like their turn-based XCOM-like titles to be lean, mean, and brain-meltingly precise will be sucked in for the first six-to-nine hours. After that, the tactical puzzles give way to what are essentially trial-and-error horde-survival missions that betray this title’s ambitions of doing anything interesting with the systems or story.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    CONSCRIPT
    Conscript will drag you into the mud, but the exhausting fight out is worth it.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dungeons of Hinterberg
    With an incredibly colourful and infectious art style, fun combat, clever puzzles, and a relatable narrative about burnout and escapism, Dungeons of Hinterberg is one 2024's most captivating experiences.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus
    Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised at the quality of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. It does, after all, feature members of the same team that impressed with their Metroid fan game AM2R, before Nintendo politely (I guess) asked them not to. Arguably one of Nintendo’s smartest moves yet given the results we have now, a bright and beautiful adventure that puts signature Metroidvania pathfinding and action to better use as a clever little blossom within an equally clever world. It’s a pure delight from start to finish, one that deserves all the attention amongst a sea of highly regarded titles already defining 2024, that captures the spirit of old-school action titles and stands out with unique visual palette. It is, in a word, breathtaking.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
    While it might seem like I actively dislike Flintlock, that’s not the case– the truth is far worse. The reality is that I just don’t have particularly strong opinions on the game, purely because it hasn’t left much of an impression on me, negative or otherwise. The setting and mythos that A44 created has potential, and I can see the makings of something worthwhile in a handful of the systems, but this attempt hasn’t landed. There’s nothing here that’s outwardly terrible or broken, it’s just lacking life in many vital facets. Even if I were to excuse the shoehorned Soulslike systems thrown into the mix, there’s still no compelling reason to play The Siege of Dawn.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Anger Foot
    I spoke in my preview about Anger Foot having that special something that makes games like Hotline Miami so addictive and multiple hours and many, many doors later, I stand by my early claim. The simple, tight gameplay moves at a frankly ridiculous pace, and the constant barrage of new elements keeps you experimenting to move just that little bit faster. The bosses are a bit hit-and-miss, and the insanity could’ve been reigned in a tad here and there, but that hardly gets in the way of this blisteringly good time. And hey, even if it did, it’s nothing that a bit of sole food won’t fix.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dystopika
    Removing all stressful systems and leaving you with nothing but relaxing vibes and your own creativity, I can’t think of a better way to describe Dystopika than being a playable lo-fi playlist. Given a set of simple tools to create and shape my own visually impressive cyberpunk megacity, I melted into a somewhat meditative state, getting lost in the neon lights and enveloping fog. The directionless approach certainly won’t be for everyone, but it absolutely spoke to me. To come back on the regular, I will need more content, but a roadmap from the developer promises more to come, so it looks like my career in futuristic architecture and city planning is just beginning.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    MADiSON VR
    The move to virtual reality strengthens what makes MADiSON an effective scare machine, while shining a light on its poor design choices and slightly wonky VR implementation.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Destiny 2: The Final Shape
    Bungie has been promising the world to us with Destiny 2: The Final Shape and has proven that competent and cohesive story writing is something that is no longer on the cards for Destiny 2. While the story is quite disappointing, there are at least steps in the right direction in a game design sense to make the game feel better to play.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
    Luigi, the loveable scaredy-cat that he is, returns for another outing that holds up well in its transition from 3DS to Switch. Despite being a straight port without any new features, it remains a gorgeous and inventive world worth exploring for old and new fans alike.
    • 94 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
    Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has more meat on the bones than many full releases, and if you miss the beauty and punishment of the base game then the Shadow Realm beckons.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Still Wakes the Deep
    With a cracking setting and emotional narrative that’s expertly brought to life by fantastic voice acting and writing, Still Wakes the Deep is a solid horror title that falls short of greatness due to its generic gameplay and limited scare factor.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
    There’s simply nothing else on the market right now like this series – a tonally unhinged pop-cosmopolitan-apocrypha-anime-apocalyptic JRPG that plays like Pokemon on steroids. Just like the best SMT games, its plot is rich as syrup and just as opaque. Read too close into the nonsensical jumble of mythological creatures and themes and you’re sure to be nauseated. However, supposing you can appreciate the excess of everything and have played a few turned-based RPGs before, Vengeance is simply the most approachable and engrossing core Shin Megami Tensei game currently on the market and the best way to check out this weirdo series.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    OTXO
    While it’s commendable that OTXO attempts to freshen up the top-down shooter genre by mixing in roguelike qualities and a time-bending mechanic, the result, unfortunately, feels at odds with itself.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    RKGK / Rakugaki
    RKGK / Rakugaki offers a visually stunning world with great music but struggles with slow pacing, flat interactions, and frustrating gameplay mechanics. The game has potential, but it needs more polish and variety to truly shine.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
    Where most Mario games will leave a smiling impression between bouts of frustration, this Paper Mario entry wants you to be laughing out loud as well. I’m just worried that the humour might not carry everyone to the finish line in light of repetition, laborious backtracking and uninteresting combat. But there’s no denying that this remake is polished to the smoothest presentable sheen, leaving a first impression I still love, even though it burned me out long before the credits.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    INDIKA
    An unapologetically cinematic descent into the darkest parts of the human mind, Indika is a unique and crunchy little experiment that comes alive in its ideas and tone if not always its gameplay.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Pools
    It is a masterclass in vibes, the kind of immersive experience games with a small country’s worth of budgets can only ever try to clumsily emulate. That is of course if you’re open to what POOLS is trying to do, no doubt some will find its lack of explicit systems or goals frustrating or outright boring. Fortunately, I’m a sicko and this kind of slow-burn, ambient horror is exactly what I want from interactive experiences. As I began to piece together my understanding of events in the game through stray imagery and implications, jumping at shadows and straining my ears for an attack that never came, I realised I had drowned somewhere along the way in POOLS.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Paper Trail
    Paper Trail is a perfect example of a simple but engaging mechanic done well. Its difficulty is spicy enough to make you feel like a moderate origami genius, but not so difficult that you want to throw your crudely crafted swan into the fiery pits of hell. Folding reality itself may perhaps have lent itself to a bit more metastory meat, but a chill colourful aesthetic and a nice feeling of momentum should be more than enough to sate the average puzzle fan.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
    Which is the overarching tale of Senua’s Saga– for almost everything it does well, there is a better counterpart in its predecessor, the remaining new additions never fully realised. It is painstakingly crafted yet thoroughly unengaging, its ruminations on the human condition are not unwelcome but presented with unearned profundity and housed in gameplay that is apathetic to the player at best. Senua’s Sacrifice was a crunchy experience but, in its limitations, and focus, it blossomed into a striking, contained reflection of emotions through systems. Conversely, Senua’s Saga is undeniably gorgeous and well intentioned, but exhaustively preoccupied with its own reflection.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 95 Critic Score
    Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
    David Lynch would be proud of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. It’s wild, clever and compelling in the best of ways, absurd in its visual style and challenging in its puzzles. Do not let this one pass you by.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 85 Critic Score
    Little Kitty, Big City
    There is a special category in my heart for a game that offers a precise and calculated afternoon of good clean fun, and Little Kitty, Big City is an ideal fit for such a thing. The kind of game that you whip out to engage with loved ones who may not be all that close to gaming, to show them that the space is not just gloomy headlines and violence-blaming – it can be full of wonder and innocent charm. If you are a cat lover, you will love this game. Even if you are not, I challenge you to play this game and resist the urge to crack a smile.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Ready or Not
    As a successor to the S.W.A.T. games and tickling a strategic itch that Rainbow Six hasn’t scratched in years, Ready or Not nails the tension and tactical satisfaction that this genre prides itself on. Its single-player Commander mode is one of the better ‘training’ modes for a hardcore multiplayer game in years, though the wobbly AI can lead to many frustrating failures. With friends or a like-minded community, there’s probably no other tactical co-op game this engaging or evocative right now. It’s just a damn shame that the game’s matchmaking does nothing to nurture this experience.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    SAND LAND
    Sand Land manages the tough task of translating an enjoyable story without overdoing the open-world mechanics in the process. It’s rough in places but is a respectful adaptation of Toriyama’s work and a pleasant experience throughout.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stellar Blade
    Stellar Blade is collage filtered through kaleidoscope, its myriad influences bleeding together in a neon swirl that produces vibrant new colours and dull familiar ones at an uneven pace. When it chooses to use its building blocks to reach new heights it’s a dizzying achievement in combat presentation and approachability, with EVE’s toolset fun and varied enough to carry the weight of the game’s lesser components. It leaves you wanting to see what else this studio could accomplish, even if they’ve gotten this far on borrowed wings.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Harold Halibut
    While Harold Halibut doesn’t quite hit the heights it sets out to reach, you have to admire Slow Bros.’ unwavering commitment to its vision it spent 14 years bringing to life. Unfortunately, Harold Halibut’s stop-motion visuals do the majority of the heavy lifting, with the game’s repetitive and shallow gameplay reducing the overall experience to a tedious trudge through underwater space.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants
    TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is a fun diversion for any fan like me that missed it the first time around. I didn’t mind it, despite its obvious flaws, but this console port should have done more. I’ll happily acknowledge that the original team behind the Wrath of the Mutants arcade cabinet did a solid job at the time to rekindle much of what made the originals so fun. It’s just, given the modern world we live in where Shredder’s Revenge exists, the timing on this port is unfortunate.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    MLB The Show 24
    As baseball games go, MLB: The Show 24 is the only team on the field to choose from but handles its license wonderfully well. No doubt long time players will have their gripes with some of the minor changes here or there, that’s a given when yearly titles constantly attempt to evolve, but if you’re like me and want to experience a baseball game for the first time, this is a no-brainer choice. It’s also reflective of what sports titles should be aiming for; a game that isn’t throwing the microtransactions at you in every menu and that treats the history of the sport with respect while sharing it to a larger audience. There’s still space to evolve further, and there will always be another yearly cycle, but the San Diego Studio team are putting in the work and that should be applauded.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
    As Tales of Kenzera reaches its natural conclusions and the woes of its crunchier challenges fall away, it’s hard to not be happy in the afterglow. Here’s a game that, while mechanically rather safe, takes huge personal and cultural swings, infusing the genre and industry writ large with almost singular emotional reflections and broader, deeply necessary, creative visions. If this is your genre, you’ll have a blast with its tight platforming and expressive combat, but even if it’s not, bite down and give it a go. We deserve more games like Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Broken Roads
    Broken Roads is a gorgeous Aussie world undone by incurious writing, ambitious but poorly implemented ideas, and unstable performance issues.
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