Hardcore Gamer

• PS3
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

• X360
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Developed by an unproven developer with no marketing push, Lost Planet 3 is dead on arrival. It’s almost as if Capcom sent the franchise to die, as even if Spark wasn’t so inept at staging combat, it would still seem like an unessential imitation of the first game. The levels are repetitive, mutliplayer is disposable, the gameplay is boring, enemies are uninspired and the entire thing just feels like a chore to get through. It’s a shame that the narrative couldn’t have been placed in the hands of a more capable developer, as there’s a surprisingly strong story to be found in the midst of all the generic third-person shooting. It’ll be difficult for the franchise to bounce back after this one, but after fighting the same giant snow crab boss on its third appearance, it’s hard to even care.

• WIIU
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Doing the impossible by topping its predecessor, Rayman Legends is one of the best gaming experiences this year. It takes everything fun about classic platforming and puts it in a visually stunning environment. It’s a product of minds who understand the fundamentals of game design, humor and art. It never aspires to be anything more than a beautiful platformer and succeeds at practically every turn. With eighty new stages, the majority of Rayman Origins, multiplayer modes and a new online challenge daily, it’s the sort of classic experience that one could spend numerous months exclusively playing, unlocking every secret it has to offer. The endless runner stages don’t live up to the excellence of the platforming, but it’s hard to complain about their inclusion when their absence wouldn’t have dramatically impacted the amount of content. Clearly designed for and best experienced on the Wii U, it’s a rare non-exclusive killer app that should be purchased immediately to ensure its franchise lives a long and productive life.

• PS3
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Once again, EA delivers another solid game of professional football with Madden NFL 25. The changes might not be as notable as last year’s offering, but it’s about as solid of an NFL game as one could want in this console generation and a great way to bid farewell to it. Statistically-minded individuals will enjoy delving into the surprising deep Owner portion of Connected Franchise, while older fans will love the opportunity to play as hall of fame players and the history tidbits of past Madden games shown during loading screens. Graphically, the game shows heavy signs of aging, so one might be advised to wait a few months and purchase the much superior looking Ignite-based version on Xbox One or PS4 (or take advantage of an upgrade program). Regardless of which console you choose to play it on, however, know that you’ll be getting a great game of football chock-full of exciting new features.

• X360
• 2 / 5
• États-Unis

I typically frown on comparing games in reviews, but considering this was supposed to be a faithful remake of what's largely considered a classic, its crucial to note its shortcomings. Flashback isn't entirely bad -- I even caught myself having fun on several occasions -- but those looking for something as striking as the original Flashback likely wont find it here. If you're dying for something similar to Flashback, and don't mind wrestling with some control issues, an inferior story and a generic art-style, then this may be what you're looking for. Otherwise, you'd best just sit tight and hope that someone decides to make a version of the original game with a slightly higher resolution.

• X360
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

It's not perfect, though it's certainly good fun. Procedural level generation wasn't quite so prevalent last year, but this is the first true platformer to make it work. Every level is something different, and even though they tend towards being beatable by rushing straight forward with slight variations on speed and careful control of jump height, you're still making these decisions on the fly. Learning Cloudberry Kingdom means learning to adapt to endless challenge, and it can be hard to put down when the next level could be just about anything.

• X360
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Oddly enough, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is more about the journey than the destination. It's sobering, funny, heartfelt, and inspirational all at once, sprinkled with some real life lessons in between. If this is what Starbreeze Studios is truly capable of, then we're ready to see plenty more -- especially if it means more interesting experimental mechanics like the ones exhibited here.

• 3DS
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

If you love Metroidvania games, you'll love Steamworld Dig. It takes a little while to get going, but once you find your first upgrade underground, you'll be hooked. It blends action-platforming with exploration very well, and manages to feel different enough from every other MV-style game while still feeling somewhat familiar. For under ten dollars, there's a lot of fun to be had with SteamWorld Dig.

• PC
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Guacamelee! Gold Edition only helps to enhance the rich, fun, free-scrolling action platformer by strengthening the visual art style and adding a bevy of Steamworks features. With a fantastic fighting engine and some truly tricky platforming challenges, this is a game for the ages. It knows exactly what it wants to do and has a blast doing it, and while the game comes to an end a little quickly, it’s a great time the entire way through. Exploring the levels and finding secrets while pummeling enemies into piles of marrow is entertaining from start to finish, and absolutely worth checking out.

• PC
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

It is fairly amazing that this is THREAKS’ first foray into the world of gaming, because Beatbuddy is a spectacular experience that far outclasses what many of the big budget studios have been churning out. It isn’t perfect, as the game lacks length and any real variety in gameplay, but the good far outweighs the bad. There is just so much to love about Beatbuddy: the music, the visuals, and the charm are completely off the charts. Forget Guitar Hero or Rock Band and listening to your drunk friend woefully belt out the lyrics to Roxanne. This is a real music game, with every aspect of gameplay so perfectly molded with the music in mind. More importantly, Beatbuddy epitomizes why you should be excited about the indie scene in gaming. This is a tremendously unique, wildly creative endeavor that is a blast to play and even more enjoyable to listen to.

• WIIU
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Pikmin 3 is the answer to the question “what’s on the Wii U?” It may not be a killer app, but it’s a wholly satisfying title that quite simply can’t be had on any other console. Imaginative, challenging and visually gorgeous, Pikmin 3 has one of the highest fun factors of any game this year. With the deepest story of the series, fantastic boss design and gameplay additions that set a new series standard, it’s arguably the best Pikmin yet. Speaking to its quality, the biggest drawback is that there’s simply not enough of it. If Pikmin 3 is representative of the quality Nintendo plans to bring with its future first-party releases, the Wii U could turn out to be quite the special console.

• X360
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

The last game in the series before the next generation hits, NCAA Football 14 has it tough in ways that only NCAA Football 2001 and 06 have had before it. Many are looking towards the admittedly impressive thrills of the upcoming Ignite Engine, something that the next NCAA Football game will likely include, making this edition about as long in the tooth as a sports game can get. Those simply looking for a solid game of collegiate football should ignore all that, however, as NCAA Football 14 offers the same quality the series has been known for this generation with some great tweaks and implementations added. Madden 25 will likely take the crown for the best game of football this year, but those who make NCAA Football a yearly tradition have no reason not to add this solid addition to their collection.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

BIT.TRIP FATE was a must-have on the Wii and remains so on the PC. While existing players may not have an immediate need to upgrade, they should definitely do so when it’s on sale. Those new to the experience should check it out as soon as possible if the idea of a 2D on-rails bullet hell shooter appeals to them. Whether you play with the keyboard/mouse setup or use a 360 pad, you’ll get solid controls. It’s a challenging, but rewarding game and its surreal audio/visual combination will be stuck in your head for quite some time.

• X360
• 1 / 5
• États-Unis

Ride to Hell: Retribution is an offensive abomination of a game. Once the laughter from its ineptitude wears off, it becomes insulting that Deep Silver thought the game was polished enough to actually produce hard copies and charge thirty dollars for them. We’ll avoid the “worst games ever” aggrandizement, but know that Ride to Hell: Retribution may truly be one of the worst games of this generation. Literally nothing here works: the QTE-filled fighting, motorcycle mechanics, gunplay, voice acting and music and are all some of the worst to come out of a release from a major publisher. A failed project that should have been scrapped, Ride to Hell: Retribution represents and includes everything bad about video games.

• VITA
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Outside of the graphics, there isn’t a lot new to this iteration of Muramasa, and as such it’s a tough sell to those who have already played through the original game. The localization has been vastly improved, but the gameplay is the same. Fortunately, that’s a great thing. Thus, if you haven’t had the pleasure of playing Muramasa before, and you have a Vita, Rebirth is wholeheartedly worth playing. It’s breathtakingly beautiful in all aspects -- from its combat to graphics to soundtrack to the sword forging mechanic, this is just an immensely enjoyable game, even in spite of its repetitious combat and under-emphasized story.

• X360
• 2 / 5
• États-Unis

Other than that, the developers took a misstep at creating a party racing game. Fireburst is mediocre at best, playable whenever you have friends over, but not necessarily a first choice in anyone’s library. With the lack of any real story or campaign mode and busted online features, there are games that do a lot better than this offensive, boring and buggy arcade racer.

• X360
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

At the end of the day, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara packs together two splendid side-scrolling brawlers that have withstood the test of time. This is indicative of how well-designed and crafted they are, as they provide some of the most entertaining beat’em up action around, even when put up against more modern rivals. They may have some shortcomings and be rather short, but the five hours that will be spent taking in the sights and sounds of all things D&D will be amongst the most enjoyable you’ll have gaming all year. Some of the best downloadable titles of 2013, these games are a token of appreciation to a time in gaming when just beating up on some bad guys could be fun. Not plunking down the $15 would simply be daft — and you don’t want to be daft, right?

• X360
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Remember Me is a great game that is persistently close to being a spectacular one. It has a bigger story to tell than a 10-15 hour third-person action title can accommodate, but still manages to be surprisingly emotional and touching by the time the credits roll. While admittedly limited, the Combo Lab adds a unique dynamic to the game that makes combat more interesting and deeper than others in its genre. If the world were expanded, the Combo Lab fleshed out and a few more memory remixes thrown in for good measure, Remember Me’s visionary world could have been transcendent. Let’s just hope this risky gamble proves successful enough for DONTNOD to venture into Neo-Paris once again.