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For 2,228 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 52% higher than the average critic
  • 9% same as the average critic
  • 39% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.3 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
Lowest review score: 6 The Language Of Love
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,073 out of 2228
  2. Mixed: 885 out of 2228
  3. Negative: 270 out of 2228
2232 game reviews
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    • 68 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
    All in all, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a middling effort that is helped along by the titular protagonist’s whimsical humour, the sparklingly colourful Wishworlds and the jolly soundtrack. Unfortunately, The Cosmic Shake spirals down from its promising state as an original SpongeBob adventure because it feels like any old-school platformer from twenty years ago. Sure, the kiddies will find The Cosmic Shake to be a simple and satisfying slice of SpongeBob silliness to savour, but without an impactful zest to it, there’s not enough to make it stand out from previous outings. There’s a woeful dearth of depth here that ensures The Cosmic Shake flounders adrift in the high seas of averageness, instead of soaring into the skies of sensation. It’s an adventure that will do in a pinch, but SpongeBob fans know this could have been so much more.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Suicide of Rachel Foster
    Excellent atmosphere and horror tricks and an initially intriguing tale can’t make up for the lacklustre pay off and slow, tedious plodding back and forth around the hotel. Fans of titles such as Gone Home will likely get the most enjoyment out of it, but it also falls far short of that high bar unfortunately.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Arkanoid: Eternal Battle
    Arkanoid Eternal Battle is fun for a while but can get frustrating very quickly. With no option to save your progress, this hampers my score. I wish there was an option for an offline/easy mode, a bit like Tetris 99 has, but otherwise it’s a solid title if you loved the original. I would, however, recommend waiting for a sale.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Daymare: 1998
    Daymare: 1998 will push your nostalgia button for horror shooters of days gone and is an enjoyable experience provided you keep your expectations in check. The developers almost certainly could have gone the easy route and built a by-the-books zombie FPS (it was built using Unreal 4) but decided instead to create something uniquely theirs. These choices come together well. I for one appreciated their vision.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 76 Critic Score
    TOHU
    Tohu draws from its inspiration well, using excellent visuals, animation, and audio to really craft an enjoyable tale. It’s some of the actual puzzles that let the side down a little though as they can be just a bit too obscure for my liking, bringing back the days of seemingly random items used in bizarre ways. With a little help, I still managed to enjoy my time with Tohu though, and if you’re more point and click inclined then I’d highly recommend checking this title out.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Hyper Jam
    Despite some occasionally poor bot behavior, there’s a lot to like about Hyper Jam. This is every bit as addictive as it is exciting, with accessibility and short-burst functionality serving as forefront aspects. The game’s fluid and fast-paced action sits well alongside the game’s unique perk stacking system, with each and every passing round becoming more tense and frenetic as a result. If you’re looking for a new arena brawler, this is one to consider.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 93 Critic Score
    The Complex
    The Complex is, quite simply, fantastic. Some dodgy CGI and a few plot holes aside, the story being told here is gripping, the characters well acted and brought to life and there’s a ton of variety on offer through the many choices we make along the way. A brilliant example of an interactive movie, and one that you’d be well off to play.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Gravitar: Recharged
    Retro gamers or those of a certain vintage will find something to enjoy here, but if you’re outside of that demographic this is a title that’ll likely not last a long time on the hard drive.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Parkitect: Deluxe Edition
    Parkitect is a great little game that didn’t quite let me relive the glory days of the 90’s Theme Park game but it came closer than most. There’s tons of content to get stuck into for any wannabe theme park architect.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Doughlings: Invasion
    Doughlings: Invasion shows what a talented developer can achieve with the right mindset and tools. Not only does this game bring back a much loved classic, but like Doughlings: Arcade, it revitalizes the dated concept through the use of implementing fresh mechanics, heaps of variation, and a solid all-round pace. Sure, the audio is still very hit and miss, but in the midst of how fun the game is, this is easy to forgive.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 79 Critic Score
    Gravel
    While it won’t unseat Forza as king of racing games on the Xbox One, there is a lot of good fun to be had here. Gravel is both visually and audibly satisfying, and comes with a decent pool of content. It’s a shame that the game lacks a dynamic commentary system, but outside of this, only a few technical issues linger, pulling it just shy of greatness.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    The Last Case of John Morley
    As a short, narrative adventure, The Last Case of John Morley is enjoyable thanks to a great sense of atmosphere, good story and well paced reveals that keep us second guessing right until the very end.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Somerville
    Though it may not be quite as thought-provoking as the games that inspired it, Somerville is a promising effort from a new studio, capably evoking its themes and happenings through its visual storytelling, in a way that makes you ponder and feel for the characters and their situations. Unfortunately, Somerville can’t remove itself from the shadow of Playdead’s works, so it is inevitably stuck in the position of inferiority, because it doesn’t do much we haven’t seen before. Having said that, it is a worthwhile adventure that may start slow, but picks up momentum the more you play and is backed up by decent puzzles and some pulse-quickening and heart-thumping drama. All told Somerville is a pleasant slice of thought-provoking adventuring.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
    For a 2-hour story extension and 6 unlockable characters, 3 of which are only available at some point in the future, £39.99 seems a steep price to pay. So, unless you’re desperate to play the fun but way too short expansion story and try the new characters out, in the meantime the free Animalities will be fun to play with until the inevitable sale down the road.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Riverbond
    Despite the absence of needed features, despite its lack of replay value, and despite the fact that it’s not all that difficult, there’s still quite a bit of fun to be had in Riverbond. Not only is the game accessible, charming, and unique, but it sports a fair bit of diversity as far as its gameplay is concerned, and manages to spread it well across its handful of varied, gorgeously designed worlds. It’s just a shame it falls short of the mark elsewhere.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts
    Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts has a few fresh ideas, but it takes several steps sideways steps as it looks to make a claim in the sniper game sub-genre. An experience that is often good, but never great.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt
    All in all Townsmen – A Kingdom Rebuilt is a solid playing and nice looking medieval building sim which is fun to play, without feeling too overburdened with menus and otherwise awkward setups. It can get a little taxing at points, but this little hiccups rarely put a downer on things for too long.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Echoes of the End
    The tech art and art direction deserve commendation as Echoes of the End is frequently breathtaking. The gameplay design is similarly breathtaking but in the way that it sucks all the oxygen out of the room.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Solo: Islands of the Heart
    Solo had the potential to be a fun 3D puzzle platforming game. It has a friendly artistic design and the music accompanies it very well by breaking the silence with its slow calm notes. But sadly, it comes packaged with a thought-provoking narrative around your ideas of love which can make you feel uncomfortable and could be detrimental to a relationship if played with your partner.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 57 Critic Score
    Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery
    It’s short, the story loses grip, and the puzzles are far too easy throughout.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 77 Critic Score
    Rad Rodgers
    Rad Rodgers is a good looking, fun, and comical adventure that will please just about anyone that gamed in the 90s. It’s short and suffers from some screen tearing issues, but for the most part, it holds its own ground well. This is one foul mouthed, entertaining, and well rounded nostalgic trip that you don’t want to miss out on.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dakar Desert Rally
    Overall Dakar Desert Rally is a diamond in the rough. With the upcoming features adding another layer to the game and a little bit of rounding off and Saber Porto/Saber Interactive have come up with a winner. Newcomers and casual racer fans will love how the game looks and have plenty of fun in sport mode while hardcore fans or players who love a challenge will have a great time mastering.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Berzerk: Recharged
    The mechanics of Berzerk: Recharged are excellent and I can’t fault it. Dowside comes when you’ve played a few levels, they are more or less the same. While playing I was reminded how this would be a wonderful 90’s arcade cabinet game and have everyone queueing up to play. But for a modern-day console game, it does hit all the right shots. Co-op was fun and made the game more palatable.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 56 Critic Score
    Payday 3
    After a decade away, it’s disappointing that Payday 3 feels so insubstantial and unwilling to evolve from its excellent predecessor. The heist variety and enemy types are cool, but the predictably rote objective-following and the continuing practise of shooting bullets into police is tiresome and without change-ups to make them entertaining. For seasoned veterans and newcomers, Payday 3 should grant you a worthwhile exhibition of heists across a smorgasbord of locations, but for everybody else, this’ll be an eye-rolling exercise of the familiar and the banal. If you can band together with three mates then there’s some valuable loot to steal here, but what maybe most apparent is how Payday 3 ironically steals your time without the valuable substance to go along with it.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    NBA 2K21
    NBA 2K21 is in the end another basketball simulation game. Nothing here will catch you by surprise and leave you in awe. The biggest thing this game suffers from is the painstaking grind for VC so you can be on par with everyone else, which is not very welcoming to newcomers. It’s an enjoyable game but without any new updates or features it will end up lost in your backlog.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Effie
    Effie is a decent entry into the third-person action-adventure genre, it features intricately designed levels and lots of satisfying platforming. There is a nice combination of old and new mechanics. The combat can leave a bit to be desired, and there were a few non-game breaking bugs/glitches but overall this is a nice call-back to a classic well-loved genre. Whether you want to get some feelings of nostalgia or you are new to the genre and are curious, Effie is worth a look.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    I Saw Black Clouds
    I Saw Black Clouds unfortunately misses the mark more often than not. While the general concept of the story is interesting, messy presentation and confusing, vague stats make it harder to enjoy than it should be. If you’re looking for an enjoyable live action adventure, I’d still recommend checking out The Complex before this.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Police Stories
    Police Stories is definitely worth a look if you like tactical shooter-like top-down games. It has a good, fun story and if you take your time with it you will enjoy yourself. Whilst you will find yourself sometimes playing the same level a couple of times, once you complete it you do feel a sense of satisfaction.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Panic Porcupine
    In the mashup of the year comes Panic Porcupine which is kind of like throwing Sonic and Super Meat Boy into a blender. Overall the challenge of the game is fun to take on but can quickly become overwhelming if your skill isn’t up to it. If you are one that can keep the rage down and is decent at platforming, I would recommend this game. If you are one to need a new controller after dying over and over … and over again, then maybe save your controller and play something easier.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 78 Critic Score
    Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China
    With the desolate multiplayer population to the side, Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China will help satiate those hungering for a little bit of air combat in a genre that is in need of a few more good titles. Controls are mostly comfortable on the Xbox controller, though it would have been nice to see support for the HOTAS. There’s enough diverse content on offer to justify the generous price tag, but don’t expect to be blown away.
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