Hardcore Gamer

• PS3
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Enjoying Ragnarok Odyssey: ACE hinges on enjoying the original, because this is the same game that was released in 2012 with more content. Sadly, some of that content feels uninspired and downright lazy at times thanks to the re-using of assets and a hideous tendency to demand players work their way through dungeons that play host to a criminal lack of enemy diversity. The fundamental mechanics here remain the same, which means ACE isn’t worth its steep price tag if you didn’t like the gameplay of the first. On the contrary, if hack and slashing your way through near-endless hordes with the carrot of level progression, new loot, a massive dungeon and new attacks dangling in front of your nose is enough to keep you interested, then ACE may just be worth the investment.

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

You can’t go wrong with Xtreme Legends if you have a deep love for the Dynasty Warriors franchise. That being said, not enough has changed to justify an upgrade from the vanilla version on PS3, . There are some additional characters and scenarios, but they’re incremental to the overall experience. The visuals have been enhanced and the frame rate is generally smoother, but they aren’t a significant leap over its last generation counterpart. If you go into Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition knowing that it’s just a slightly better looking port, you’ll have a blast with its addictive mindless button mashing mechanics.

• PS3
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

With a kickass, overcharged aesthetic and silky-smooth mechanics, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is one of the finest fighting games available today. Satisfying for longtime fans and inviting to newbies, this is some of the most fun you can have with a friend on the same couch. If you’re on your own, it’ll be a long time before you run out of things to do. It’s a bit of a drag to have to unlock a character in this day and age, but in every other respect, Chrono Phantasma is the slickest fighting game you’re likely to play this year.

• PS4
• 5 / 5
• États-Unis

Over the course of two years, Fez has somehow been able to break out of its Xbox Live Arcade confines, re-releasing on PC and now Sony’s platforms. As it remains, this is still one of the most charming, charismatic adventures you will have, leaving those who experience it with a smile across their face for the duration of their play. Throw in its incredibly cryptic and deceivingly vague world, and you have a game that’s far more than skin deep.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS3
• 2 / 5
• États-Unis

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is an affront to all good taste. When it comes to the gaudy aesthetics, that’s mostly a good thing, but it doesn’t work so well for the gameplay. If Ninja Gaiden 3 left a black mark on the series, Yaiba dumps a bucket of black paint all over it. It’s little wonder Tecmo Koei downplayed the franchise name when giving Yaiba its title. They wanted to give the IP as much space as possible from this train wreck, and I’d suggest you give yourself the same.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Ground Zeroes’ lack of length is its biggest weakness, and it’s not a weakness worth ignoring, but even that’s not enough to sour this poignant look into the future of Metal Gear Solid. The open-ended world design makes a single level into something layered and expansive, with varied landmarks and lots of ways to experiment with the game’s exceptional stealth mechanics. The ability count is tuned to all the right frequencies, offering multiple ways to take out enemies and dodge detection. Even the concise story hits the notes right on cue, with memorable scenes and a voice cast with a ton of promise. It’s short, there’s no denying it, but every moment spent playing Ground Zeroes shows a trace of progress for the genre itself, a way to interpret stealth alternatively and without any significant hindrances. If you simply play Ground Zeroes from start to finish, none of the most promising and progressive elements will be apparent. Whether or not this brief glimpse into the future of Metal Gear Solid is worth 20 or 30 bucks is up to you, but I can say without any hesitance that Ground Zeroes displays the biggest evolution of the series seen since the original Metal Gear Solid on Playstation, even if that evolution only lasts for a short, fleeting instant. Bring on The Phantom Pain.

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

SteamWorld Dig is an amazing achievement, a rewarding and addictive adventure built around a mechanic that would be unbearably repetitive and monotonous in practically any other game. The steady amount of exciting abilities and open-ended exploration give players incentive to dig deeper and deeper, with whole new worlds appearing from the soil. The controls are fluid and accessible, always making navigation around the depths of Tumbleton easy and frustration-free. The PS4 eliminates much of the great pacing and accessibility of digestible mining journeys, so it’s difficult to call it the definitive version of this indie gem (though cross-buy allows for the Vita version as well). And to be fair, since this is a rather formulaically constructed game about mining, there are a few moments of tedium sprinkled throughout. But even with that in mind, SteamWorld Dig manages to stay exciting and fun for the entire playthrough. If you’ve already explored Tumbleton’s depths, the PSN version won’t give you many new or better reasons to buy it again, but if you’ve yet to grab your pickaxe and start digging, SteamWorld Dig has a lot of fun and well-designed ideas buried within.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky is an RPG doing double-duty. It serves as a new entry in the Atelier series for longtime fans with Escha's story, while also tossing classic RPG players a bone with Logy's somewhat more serious tone and focus on combat rather than item creation. Both systems have some good meat on their bones, making it worth the second play-through to get the full experience. The clever crafting and engaging combat shore up a story loaded with likeable characters in an intriguing world, and if most of the asset work is focused on character design rather than sparing a few polygons for world rendering that's not such a bad tradeoff. Atelier Escha & Logy is a lovely RPG that should easily succeed in its goal of pleasing both series and standard RPG fans, with pleasantly deep systems and an inviting world to explore them in.

• X360
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Dark Souls II isn’t for everybody. It’s one of the most — if not the most — hardcore action games to ever come from a major publisher. Players will die — a lot — as they come to realize that this is a punishing is a test of resilience. Those who can brave the challenge, however, will be richly rewarded with one of the most gratifying experiences in gaming and a true sense of accomplishment. It doesn’t hold hands and stops players from flying too close to the sun by constantly clipping their wings. From Software should be applauded for not giving into pressure to make the series more accessible, instead going the opposite direction by producing the most devilish entry yet. With impressive visuals, smartly-designed dungeons and the most complete experience to date, Dark Souls II is a stunning accomplishment and one of the purest experiences in the medium.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Awesomenauts was an easy recommendation before, and with the addition of new characters and other improvements, Assemble! is a must-have both for those who haven’t experienced the game and veterans who want to play the best possible console version. Anyone who enjoys run and gun shooters or action platformers will enjoy this, and it’s a perfect gateway game to the MOBA genre.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

While there's plenty of humor throughout the game, and the hand-drawn textures make even the most gear-filled and lava-soaked areas look pleasantly quirky, Tower of Guns is hard. Surviving the high density bullet barrages of the final areas requires fast shooting and full use of all the power-ups you've found along the way. Huge guns firing 30 foot tall bullets, floating tanks throwing out walls of firepower, flamethrowers and homing plasma dispensers, and even floating teleporting laser platforms only have one target in their sights, and that's you. You can't get too comfortable with the level layout because the rooms are randomized, so you'll never see more than a small percentage of the available areas in a single run-through. The best you can do is react as fast as you can, tossing back as much firepower as is sent your way while grabbing every power-up you can. Tower of Guns is an ass-kicking bullet-hell FPS arcade-style action, loaded with cool toys and unpredictable situations, and one of the most purely fun shooters I've seen in a very long time.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

If you somehow have avoided Resident Evil 4 for this long, you may as well just get it over with and play the Ultimate HD Edition. The updated PC version is by far the one to get as the buttery smooth frame rate, true high definition resolutions and refined textures only add to the immersive experience. If you have played the game before, though, then there isn’t much here to justify another purchase unless you’re a diehard fan. While the mechanics are starting to feel a little dated at this point and the sound effects lack the quality the rest of the game shows, Resident Evil 4 is still one of the greats that needs to be experienced, and the Ultimate HD Edition is the perfect excuse to do so.

• X360
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Pac-Man Museum is a nice history lesson in pure gaming bliss. Despite a couple of peculiar inclusions, this is a strong collection that will better acquaint contemporary gamers to the world of Pac-Man. It offers the original Pac-Man at its absolute best, and the games in the collection that expand upon the classic formula are all immensely replayable. That said, even the more experimental variations present in this collection provide a welcome and commendable alternative. If that didn’t already make this compilation a solid value proposition, it also throws in Championship Edition and Battle Royale. In short, Pac-Man Museum is the best representation of what has been a truly illustrious video game career.

• PS3
• 1 / 5
• États-Unis

With a great game – Bravely Default, for instance – all of the systems and mechanics interlock perfectly to create a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. In much the same way, Magus’ myriad failings play off of each other brilliantly, turning what could have been a train wreck into a roller coaster of incredible, organic hilarity. It is a perfect storm of terrible ideas and botched execution, endlessly enjoyable in spite of itself. Were you to play it with your friends, perhaps as part of some raucous drinking game, the laughter might well kill you before the alcohol. Like Birdemic or The Room, Magus is so terrible that it can only be called a masterpiece. The critic in me is forced to give it our lowest possible score, but that comes with my highest possible recommendation.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

WayForward have earned a huge reputation for respecting the retro age for the current generation and Double Dragon Neon is a great example of how good they are at making the old feel new again. Its respect for the age of its predecessor borders on obsessive, but that sense of respect is what makes Double Dragon Neon laugh-out-loud cheesy fun. But behind that flashing neon sign stands a beat-em-up that, while still in the past, holds up remarkably well in the present. The movelist is sparse and the movement controls are rather cumbersome, but there’s a ton of variety in the levels. The enemy and weapon diversity makes up for the slightly reserved basic combat, which shines the brightest with a friend. Abstraction Games has also put their best foot forward with online play and some excellent PC porting, making the Steam version the definitive edition. Double Dragon Neon is a game that disguises its hardcore gameplay within a constantly entertaining 80’s nostalgia-filled fever dream. It’s never serious and it never tries to modernize when it doesn’t need to, and that’s what makes Double Dragon Neon such an excellent example of a reborn classic.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Chronicles is a quality HD port of at least one absolutely fantastic game. Tales of Symphonia is arguably the best game in the series, providing an endearing roleplaying experience that is chock-full of character. From its lovable cast to its endearing save-the-world story and engaging combat engine, the game is a wonderful showcase for the JRPG genre. Unfortunately, its paint-by-numbers sequel is anything but memorable. Simply put, it’s a woeful game on its own, lacking any kind of intrigue or fascinating qualities, but especially so when put up against Symphonia. The forgettable characters that seem hellbent on making it impossible to form any kind of emotional connection to or level of empathy toward, and the even less remarkable narrative make it almost not worth playing at all, even for folks who love the established world. Overall, though, this is a bundle worth its price of admission for the first game alone, especially because it’s been taken care of so well by Namco in this remastering project.

• 3DS
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

At the end of the day, whether or not you will enjoy Senran Kagura: Burst will ultimately come down to answering this question: do you pine to play a game where getting beat up means your character's clothes become tattered, torn, or completely destroyed, revealing the half-naked body of an adolescent girl who just so happens to have absolutely titanic breasts? If you answered, "yes," then Burst has a lot to offer: pulse-pounding combat, deep customization and a wealth of unlockables and content. If you answered, "no," then all the best brawling mechanics in the world probably won't make Senran's provocative, shinobi schoolgirl pill any easier to swallow.