Gaming Trend

• 3DS
• 85%
• États-Unis

Bye-Bye Box Boy! is a fitting farewell to a beloved sleeper hit. Its minimalist charm and some great puzzle mechanics grant a feeling of excitement for which all puzzle games should strive. I would love to see Qbby star on the Switch, but until then, this game marks the end of an amazing series.

• PS4
• 95%
• États-Unis

Night in the Woods is a fantastic narrative with a beautiful artstyle, theme and plenty of small touches occupying a wonderful world full of loving characters covering a sinister story underneath.

• PC
• 50%
• États-Unis

Beat Cop is meant to be a tribute to cop shows from the 1980s, complete with snarky dialogue and questionable characters. When it comes down to it, however, it’s a stressful sim that’s heavy on time management and largely unforgiving. There are multiple endings you could discover, but after several hours with the game it’s hard to muster the patience for even one.

• PC
• 75%
• États-Unis

Thimbleweed Park is a game that was created with a specific audience in mind, and that audience is adults who grew up on classic LucasArts adventure games.  If you’re part of that audience, you owe it to yourself to check it out.  If you aren’t, there really isn’t much for you here.

• PS4
• 80%
• États-Unis

LEGO City Undercover, like many games exclusive to the Wii U, is an undiscovered gem. I’m happy Warner Bros. and TT Fusion decided to update it for a new audience. The story is laugh-out-loud funny, full of witty one-liners and fantastic movie references for kids and adults (“Compupers!”). While the co-op feels very tacked-on, and the loading requires a bit of patience, it’s a worthy addition to the LEGO universe.

• SWITCH
• 90%
• États-Unis

Graceful Explosion Machine is the perfect arcade style shooter, and one of the best Switch games available right now. Its fluid, addictive gameplay and flashy yet minimal visuals pair well with a variety of challenging enemies, and it’s great for sessions lasting for a few minutes or a couple hours.

• XONE
• 90%
• États-Unis

Bulletstorm: Full Clip edition let me revisit a game that I really enjoyed, and it didn't disappoint. It is still as unique and hilarious as ever, and with the improvements to its visuals, Bulletstorm now has some beauty to go with its blood.

• XONE
• 60%
• États-Unis

The Inner World has the heart of an adventure game, but its execution can only be likened to a dilettante’s exploration of the point-and-click genre. Asposia is an inventive world full of personality, but even despite the game’s goofy nature, the puzzle design is unfair, and frankly, indefensible. The game is a respectable dabbling in the genre, but when Robert’s adventure finally reaches its conclusion (and it will have you saying ‘finally’), don’t expect to feel like you accomplished much of anything at all.

• PS4
• 65%
• États-Unis

Not unlike the gray pebble on the bed of gaming’s great river, Toukiden 2 does nothing to harm or hinder the flow, but does nothing special to draw anyone in either. Action RPG first and prototype ice skating hack and slash second, Toukiden 2 is as worthy of a look as it is a pass.

• PS4
• 90%
• États-Unis

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is the best way for you to play two of the most frequently overlooked visual novels out there. The additions to Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors bring new life to a underrated gem, and Virtue’s Last Reward is still as close to perfect as it was when it was first released. If you want to experience two of the best stories from the last generation of handhelds, this is the best way to do so.

• PC
• 80%
• États-Unis

Mass Effect Andromeda is a return to the original Mass Effect game in ways both good and bad. Interesting characters, solid gameplay and RPG mechanics, and the revival of the open-world elements of the series will immerse and delight longtime fans. However, wooden characters, a light story, and plenty of glitches hold this title back from fulfilling its full potential.

• SWITCH
• 85%
• États-Unis

A re-imagining of the 1988 NES title, Blaster Master Zero is a great game for anyone looking for classic 8-bit action. Its accessible difficulty and superb retro graphics make for a wonderful addition to the Switch’s library.

• 3DS
• 90%
• États-Unis

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns brings all the charm of the Bokujō Monogatari games, along with a whole new cast of characters animals, and a number of improvements. With a more colorful and stylized look than the previous game, a new part-time job system, and a revised, more strategic approach to tool upgrades, Trio of Towns is a welcoming, forgiving, and addicting game. One of the biggest Boku games yet, Trio of Towns is loaded with characters, features, and objects to unlock, and is a must-have for fans of life down on the farm.

• PS4
• 90%
• États-Unis

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is the first open-world Atelier game and it takes the fun battles and item creation modes from the previous titles and makes improvements and additions that make this the most impressive game in the series. Fans of the series will find this a triumph, and even those unacquainted will be impressed with this fun, strategic, and light-hearted adventure.

• PC
• 80%
• États-Unis

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is equal parts new approach to a storied franchise and familiar and well-trod open world systems. While it doesn’t break a great deal of new ground for the genre, when played with friends this cooperative open-world game can be an amazing amount of fun. Those moments are tempered by technical mishaps and inconsistencies that can be patched, but as a result, this launch ride is going to have some technical potholes that put a damper on an otherwise excellent experience.

• SWITCH
• 75%
• États-Unis

While a step up from last year in terms of included tracks, Just Dance 2017 doesn’t bring a lot new to the table -- the meat and potatoes lies in Just Dance Unlimited. The Switch version specifically functions as well as you might expect, offering up an easy second player controller courtesy of readily-available Joy-Cons, though the experience becomes difficult visually once undocked. At this point, it’s what you’d expect from Just Dance, but on a new platform. Consider this tiny cartridge your portal into Just Dance Unlimited as I imagine 2017 might be where physical entries to the series end.

• PC
• 95%
• États-Unis

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a modern take on classic computer RPGs that tells an engrossing and original story, meditating on complex themes of identity in a strange world that just begs to be explored. While the combat seems a bit forced and uninspired, it doesn’t detract too much from the rest of the experience, and as a result I cannot recommend it highly enough.

• XONE
• 60%
• États-Unis

Boasting high production value and the minor intrigue of what a new villain might mean for the greater series, Halo Wars 2 is fantastic for casual RTS gamers, but probably not for anyone else. Its relatively flat story, short campaign, and strategically shallow mechanics hold it back from greatness, instead relegating it to being yet another example of why RTS games don’t mix well with consoles.