Hardcore Gamer

• VITA
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

The Metroidvania formula will forever remain one of gaming’s best, so whenever a modern 2D (or 2.5D in this case) version is announced, it’s cause for excitement. Blackgate doesn’t exactly do anything new and is derivative of practically every predecessor in its “genre,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not a whole lot of fun. It’s challenging, adds a few interesting gameplay mechanics and makes players use their brain instead of mindlessly smashing through villains. It’s a shame, then, how unpolished the whole effort is with some lazy puzzle solutions, cheap looking on-screen prompts and an absolutely horrible map that can’t even be navigated with the touch screen. The strength of the core gameplay and story told through beautiful motion graphic novel cutscenes make it well worth a playthrough, but its most challenging aspect may be shaking the constant reminder of missed opportunities.

• PS3
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Before beginning my time with Rocksmith, I couldn’t play a guitar. Hell, I didn’t even know how to properly hold one (the guy at Guitar Center jovially assisted me). But after a few hours with Rocksmith, my skills improved in the sense that I was no longer a guitar-virgin, and had a basic understanding of the dos and do nots. I won’t be sitting beneath an old tree on some college campus reciting pretentious hogwash to a bunch of promiscuous socialites with my trusty 6 string any time soon, but I’ll continue to learn, and eventually advance beyond the help of Rocksmith, grow horns and dethrone Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist of all time. If I ever find the time, that is.

• X360
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD presented MercurySteam with a chance to correct many of the original release’s problems and glaring issues. What we ended up getting was an airlifted port with the only new addition being online leaderboards. Sure, the gameplay is tighter on a controller, but that doesn’t make this lazy port any better than the original release.

• 3DS
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney -- Dual Destinies is a success. Yes, it feels like more of the same, but for a series that has yet to put out a bad title, that shouldn't be viewed negatively. The writing and dialogue is extremely intelligent and razor-sharp. Moreover, the characters are infinitely entertaining, giving players one of the franchise's strongest casts to date. Sure, the gameplay itself isn't overtly challenging, and at times the developers hold your hand too much to make certain you succeed in the courtroom, but in doing this, the game never feels nerve-racking or frustrating. It allows us to sit back, do some investigating and simply enjoy the tale being told. Dual Destinies pays homage to the installments before it, giving longtime fans something to look forward to, yet is also possibly the best entry point for newcomers to the series. Appeasing both audiences is not easy, but Capcom has done it here -- that's an accomplishment in and of itself.

• WIIU
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Overall, the updates and changes here are impressive, despite the fact that AI was not properly tweaked, nor facial animations substantially improved. I did, however, appreciate the overhauling of boss showdowns, the second screen offerings, and the overall “squeaky clean” feeling of a game freshly ported to a new console. It’s not perfect, but it’s as close as it’s going to get for this Deus Ex, and that’s impressive in its own way.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

The Guided Fate Paradox is a niche game, but that shouldn’t scare off anyone who has a taste for Japanese RPGs. Its story does a balancing act of providing lighthearted fun and philosophical poignancy, while its gameplay is perhaps one of the deepest endeavors on the PS3 right now. Yes, it’s a punishingly difficult dungeon crawler, but one that is never unfair or asking too much of those players willing to learn its bevvy of systems and dedicate the time needed to perfect them. The reward in Guided Fate Paradox comes from understanding its multitude of gameplay layers, as only then will folks comprehend the brilliance that shines even brighter than the candy-colored aesthetic and zany characters themselves. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise; this is one of NIS America’s most complete and sound offerings, and one that should not be missed by anyone who enjoys the genre.

• X360
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

How to Survive is a challenging, but rewarding game. Its combat and crafting mechanics are executed fairly well, and I wound up having a lot more fun with it than I thought I would going in. Unfortunately, the fetch quests kill the flow of the game, and make you thankful for their conclusion so you can get back to what's really fun -- killing hordes of zombies with a sense of danger present at all times. There are some rough edges with the animation and environments, but the overall package is fairly impressive. The soundtrack is good, but hurt by it not fitting the game at all. Still, it's worth checking out if the concept intrigues you as and it's a fine gateway game for those who are intimidated by the survival genre.

• VITA
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

When all is said and done, Valhalla Knights 3 is a roller coaster of a game. It has highs, lows and some inbetweens. Its core gameplay is spot-on, and fortunately so is the bulk of the entire experience. The class system, customization options and online features are downright fantastic. But qualities like its presentation, poor graphical fidelity, lousy AI, load times and throwaway story weigh it down in the end. As a result, fans of action-RPGs will want to check out Valhalla Knights 3, while those who don't enjoy the genre won't find anything here that will change their minds.

• VITA
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

If you’ve been playing along with the Arland trilogy so far, you have no reason to miss out on Atelier Meruru Plus. Despite the weaker story, the crafting and combat are just as good as they’ve ever been and the world building is addictive and enjoyable. However, this Vita remake doesn’t really remake enough to justify a purchase if you already own the PS3 original, and while the extras are nice, this is basically the same game but made portable. The saccharine story and an annoying case of characters might end up souring the experience even for RPG aficionados, but if you can get past the overly cutesy presentation, you will find a surprisingly deep crafting system that will challenge even the most seasoned of grinders. This is the kind of title that has niche written all over it in bold, flashing letters, but if this happens to be your flavor of niche, you’re in for quite the treat.

• X360
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Dependable as ever, Just Dance 2014 is another solid entry into the hit dance series that simply wants players to have a good time. Its low entry price makes it a great yearly purchase if only to have on hand when you’re trying to entertain guests who are otherwise adversed to video games. Aside from the intriguing features of the Xbox One version looming on the horizon, there’s simply not much working against it. With one of the best soundtracks yet, great new modes in both On Stage and World Dance Floor and the sensible addition of karaoke, Just Dance 2014 is a blast.

• VITA
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Adapting a console title to work on a handheld is never a simple task, so Team17 should be congratulated for being able to preserve much of what made Worms: Revolution successful, including its high-resolution textures and varied environments. There’s even room for complex endgame strategies, and the opportunity to play online or local multiplayer Vita-to-Vita. If you can find a friend, you can obliterate them. Or you know, they can send you away crying. All-out warfare has come to the Vita, and the excellent Worms series continues. As long as we don’t have to deal with another Worms: Ultimate Mayhem. That was reprehensible.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Few games in recent years offer the immeasurable amount of content offered in Disgaea D2. With a 35 hour campaign, multiple endings to complete, side-missions, an expansive and randomly generated item world, thousands of character customization options and endlessly replyable levels, the series didn't really need to make many improvements or changes to remain a true value. But it did, and it did so with such loving execution that D2 has instantly established itself as the new SRPG standard. Sure, some features have been downgraded, simplified or removed entirely, but the core gameplay has been refined in the most pertinent areas. If an addictive, fun and hilarious game is something you're in the market for, don't look elsewhere -- unless that particular shop is sold out of Disgaea D2.

• X360
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Playing Armored Core: Verdict Day almost feels like playing a sports game, as it’s marginally unchanged from the series’ last game and proves difficult for the uninitiated to jump in. Like most every entry in the series, this is a game reserved solely for hardcore Armored Core players who have been religiously playing since the franchise’s inception. An unintuitive interface, confusing story and an insanely high learning curve makes the game feel unwelcoming to new players. Of course, fans who are already scoffing at these criticisms will likely find a lot to love in Verdict Day. The story mode is improved, making part gathering easier, UNACs have made playing online less frustrating when a team can’t be assembled and mech customization is as deep as ever. It’s a marginal enhancement over Armored Core V, but it’s enough to keep its core fanbase invested in the game. It’s just a shame the series is so unwilling to expand past it.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

PES 2014 is another strong entry into the second fiddle series, providing a great no frills game of soccer. With a lack of licensed assets, an uninspired presentation and an almost nonexistent soundtrack, it can’t complete with the polish or flair of FIFA 14, but the core game of soccer has been tweaked in fundamentally impressive ways. The debut of the Fox Engine signals exciting things to come for the series, already showing off some unique and realistic physics here. With improved player handling, new collision detection and the best visuals of the series, PES 2014 is simply another great soccer game.

• WIIU
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Scribblenauts Unmasked feels less like a video game and more like a chore. That’s a phrase too often thrown around in video game reviews, but it’s about as apt as a comparison one could draw. With just a handful of environments, a main storyline no longer than ten hours and repetitive encounters, there’s not much of a game here. Most of its duration will be spent typing words, which although enjoyable in prior Scribblenauts games, here boils down to repeatedly typing weapon names. While there’s tons of puzzles included, they lack enough substance and challenge to hold your interest for long. Thankfully, however, quite a bit of time was put into adapting the DC universe into the game and being able to create or interact with literally thousands of its characters is enjoyable. As such, children and devoted fans of DC properties should have a good time, but there’s simply not much here for anybody else.

• 3DS
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Alien Rage is essentially the generic marine alien shooter that we've all grown accustomed to over the years and really has no aspirations of being anything different. It feels a bit like the picture that comes with the frame and if there was a default program installed on computers called "alien shooter - marine demo," it would be indistinguishable from Alien Rage. There is a bit of mindless fun to be had here, and I've certainly played worse shooters over the years. Unfortunately, poor enemy AI, mindless and repetitive environments, and a laughably generic story cause the game to fizzle out well before it's over and it makes even getting to the end of the game a struggle. The low price point might make this an appealing way to kill a weekend for someone looking for a brainless shooter, but I'd recommend looking for something with a bit more originality, like an indie game or a remake or a photocopy someone made of a photocopy.

• PS3
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter HD is the best arcade-style dinosaur hunting game on the PlayStation 3. Like being the greatest didgeridoo player in the world, or the national tether-ball champion, however, some achievements are simply less significant than others. Carnivores isn’t broken by any means, but that’s its strongest selling point. It will only appeal to hardcore hunting game enthusiasts, as it’s ultimately boring, repetitive and empty. There’s little to do, see or experience, and unless you’re a true fan of the genre, your money is best spent elsewhere.