Hardcore Gamer

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Flaws aside, Axiom Verge is a stunning achievement for one man to have developed entirely by himself. It's not as good as Super Metroid, but it's close. Some of its more annoying flaws, like the lack of crucial information on the map screen and the frustrating boss fights, hold it back from being one of the greats, but don't hold back a recommendation at all. Axiom Verge looks, sounds and plays great. It carries a lot of value for your buck, and it's the kind of game you'll be happy to own so you can hop back into it from time to time. Axiom Verge is absolutely worth your time if you're a fan of old-school Metroidvania games, but even if you're not, it'll still be a lot of fun.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection isn’t the greatest remaster ever, nor is it the worst. One could argue that it wasn’t necessary, as neither game is old enough to justify a port and nothing substantial has been added to the three-year-old Borderlands 2. Even so, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a solid compilation of the two best Borderlands games with all DLC combined into one convenient package. These are still great games with great humor, tight gameplay and dozens of hours of content. Outside of the remastering, there’s nothing here for anyone who has played Borderlands 2 and all its DLC, or purchased The Pre-Sequel and its Season Pass. For anyone who skipped either game, or their many DLC episodes, however, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is a fine catch.

• VITA
• PS3
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Helldivers is at first a fresh, rewarding, challenging experience that stands up to any other game in terms of quality. The tangible skill increase that comes from consistent practice is as gratifying as it gets in modern gaming, but sadly that novelty wears off once other flaws start to emerge. There are far too many network issues for this multiplayer title to hold its own for long, and while these issues can be resolved, it's hard not to wonder whether or not players will still be around to see the fixed product. Add all of this to a genuine lack of replay value once everything is figured out and you have all the makings of a quality title that's weighed down by a fair share of problems. It's truly a shame, as Helldivers' core gameplay is among the best the industry has seen in the last six months or so. Here's to hoping Arrowhead develops a sequel whose periphery is as good as the moment-to-moment gameplay itself.

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• WIIU
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

• 3DS
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• XONE
• PS3
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Bladestorm: Nightmare can appeal to both Warriors fans and those who don't even get into Tecmo Koei's flagship series. Its brilliance exists in those moments of storming enormous strongholds with an army of 100-strong at your back, ready to slice and dice through wave after wave of enemies. Unfortunately, these moments don't happen as much as they should, leading to an experience that can instead feel uninspired and repetitive. Still, it gets a lot right; the scope, large scale battles, story and new Nightmare mode are particular achievements. Ultimately, Bladestorm may not be Omega Force's finest hour, but it's a good one just the same.

• PC
• XONE
• X360
• PS3
• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Resident Evil Revelations 2 is an absolute surprise. While the first game was arguably the best spinoff the series has seen, Revelations 2 steps it up by offering a perfectly suited episodic format. The bite-sized experience comes with more content than most sixty dollar releases, with the Raid Mode alone being worth the investment, giving players an unhealthy amount of enjoyment. It’s a shame the survival horror title doesn’t have online co-op at launch, but it still offers something far deeper than anything in the series, and is the best value for your dollar. Resident Evil Revelations 2 may have started off a bit slow, but Capcom was able to redeem themselves by creating an irresistible adventure through and through.

• PC
• PS3
• PS4
• X360
• XONE
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Battlefield Hardline could have gone wrong in so many ways. It’s a testament to Visceral Games as a studio that they were able to make Hardline as good as it is. The multiplayer experience is fantastic thanks to some interesting new modes, a sense of speed, map design, increased focus on destruction and the fact that the game actually works. The campaign pulls in some strong performances from its actors and earns points for its open-design. The campaign gameplay, however, leaves much to be desired. Still, it’s a step in the right direction for future Battlefield games. Hardline may not revolutionize the Battlefield brand, but it fixes many of its biggest problems.

• PS4
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD contains highly enjoyable combat that’s unfortunately limited by its design. The repetitive nature of how the missions are structured damages the overall experience, not to mention it isn’t until roughly halfway through the campaign before a meaningful plot is established. That tied in with a cast that’s spread too thin equates to a story that had incredible promise but ends up falling flat. It’s apparent that this wasn’t designed for the current generation consoles as, not only are the visuals lacking outside of the fourteen main protagonists, but many of the mechanics are constrained and not fully realized. How do you have a side quest system where you can only take one request at a time? It doesn’t help that the added motion blur will pierce your eyes in the most painful way possible, and the vast majority of cities outside of Akademeia are carbon copies of one another. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD has some fantastic ideas implemented with restrictive elements that ultimately don’t work with a console release.

• PC
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

At its core, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number doesn’t do much different than its predecessor. It’s gritty, pulp fiction cranked to eleven. Rich with drugs, sex, violence, corruption and all the other buzz words of its artistic scene, it dares to push the player further down a surreal trance of discomfort. But beyond its dizzying story is a game that feels honed and intense. Visceral and satisfying, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is bloody action, concentrated to a near-perfect balance. With the subtle changes to design and options, the game takes incremental steps toward evolution, while still feeling as mentally unstable as you’d want. It controls like a dream, entrancing the player with its accessible design, challenging difficulty and blissfully indulgent presentation. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is purposely discomforting and hypnotically visceral. It’s one of the best games released so far this year.

• PS4
• XONE
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Most of what made DmC Devil May Cry so enjoyable has been altered; some of it for the better, some for the worse. While the fluid and highly enjoyable combat remain intact, the restructuring of collectibles and scenarios such as the final boss tarnish the experience. That’s not to mention that the Definitive Edition doesn’t hold a candle to the two year old PC version from a visual standpoint as there’s a lack of anisotropic filtering and a shinier gloss to Dante’s skin. With that said, the Turbo Mode is a welcome addition, speeding up the combat just enough to make a difference, and the Hardcore Mode offers an old school rebalancing structure to the core mechanics. While DmC Devil May Cry is still a top-notch experience that’s highly recommended for newcomers and existing fans, calling this the “Definitive Edition” is a stretch.

• VITA
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

For a first foray into the SPRG genre, Hyperdevotion Noire does surprisingly well. It offers tons of strategic gameplay concepts packed into an easy-to-learn interface. Along the way players are given a lot of freedom to how they choose to play which is definitely positive. Where it flounders is simply with the fact that it doesn’t respect the player’s time. There are options to speed up gameplay to some degree, but not on the key component that is the slowest of all. Yes, most SPRGs end up being “slow” but that’s due to players lovingly strategizing their perfect plan instead of the game enforcing timeouts. Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart offers great gameplay with the unfortunate caveat that you’ll need to waste more time than expected waiting on enemies to enjoy it.

• PS3
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

The Awakened Fate Ultimatum can probably be best compared to Sorcery Saga in that it's lacking in core ways, but remains incredibly accessible because of it. It's quite a bit different from The Guided Fate Paradox, as well; to that end, it's foregone the use of sprites and watered down its system, but bolstered its story and placed a specific emphasis on player choice. The ardent NIS fans will probably play this regardless of its pitfalls, and we can't even fault them for that because The Awakened Fate Ultimatum is not an inherently broken game, and it has plenty of enjoyable elements. It is, however, an experience that leaves a bit desired. Newcomers looking to get into the roguelike genre for the first time though, will probably find this to be the ideal experience.

• VITA
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Ultimately, I feel like I ended up liking htoL#NiQ more than I probably should have. The controls feel a bit loose and plodding even if you switch away from the atrocious touch screen interface, the puzzles never reach the peak I was hoping for, and the world swapping mechanic is not utilized to its full ability. It is an enjoyable experience through its short run time, but it falls short of its potential and ultimately feels too safe. This is the kind of game you’ll enjoy while playing it, but will almost immediately forget about once you move on to something else. htoL#NiQ is good, which is a shame because it could’ve been much more than that.

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Dragon Ball Xenoverse has its share of flaws, many of which have plagued DBZ games for nearly a decade, but it also fixes nearly all of the problems of its predecessor. The create-a-character feature is a rich pool of choices, filled with expansive combat options and a seamless integration into the story. The controls, while still sketchy, offer a ton of fluidity and variety in how you take on enemies. The combos you can build are so layered that you’ll be bouncing enemies around the map in no time. The multiplayer suite is completely unintrusive as well; you’ll never feel like Xenoverse was only made for online play thanks to plentiful, albeit rather repetitive, missions. Still, the repeatedly offending camera remains a huge issue, and I feel like the omission of some very memorable moments in DBZ lore are noticeable. But as a recovery from Battle of Z, it shines. It won’t set the world on fire, but Dragon Ball Xenoverse is one of the best DBZ games in a long time.

• PS4
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires has all the entertaining, albeit repetitive combat the series is known for, but lacks the features to back it up. While this is par for the course for an Empires game, it’s still hard to recommend as little has changed over Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires outside of some insignificant updates to the highly strategic politics that go on outside of battle. It’s a matter of refusing to think outside of the box, not in terms of the gameplay mechanics, but in terms of features and variety, offering a seemingly mirrored product to a new generation of console adopters. With a country domination simulator that’s not readily accessible to newcomers, and a user interface that’s straight out of the 90s, there’s just not enough here to warrant a recommendation. Some may be content with more of the same, but there’s just simply not a lot here to carry the series forward.

• PC
• 2 / 5
• États-Unis

Lumenox states on Aaru’s Awakening‘s Steam Store page that it’s “a hand-drawn, fast-paced 2D action platformer.” The issue here is that there isn’t a whole lot of action to speak of, outside of the occasional enemy elimination through warping, and its trial-and-error nature causes it to be anything but fast paced. There are aspects of Aaru’s Awakening that will catch the eye of the hardcore audience, namely its level design and brutal difficulty, but it fails to be the very thing it sets out to be. Sure, players can speedrun through levels in hopes of gaining a gold, silver, or bronze metal, but these achievements will be marred by the maddening inconsistency of nearly every mechanic present. It’s hard to see a great deal of the audience putting up with all of Aaru’s Awakening‘s issues long enough to complete its campaign, let alone achieve timed greatness. If you’re looking for a challenging, fast-paced action platformer, you should simply flock to games like Velocity 2X or Guacamelee, as both of these titles do everything that Aaru’s Awakening does, only better.