IGN

• PC
• XSX/S
• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

It may take place at the bottom of the ocean on a distant alien planet, but Harold Halibut’s story is an entirely human one, both in terms of its carefully handmade environments and its strong emphasis on empathy towards its eccentric cast of characters. While I wish that there was a little more interactivity to be found throughout its subaquatic setting, and Harold’s shuffling run could have been boosted to a sprint to reduce the time spent repeatedly schlepping from one end of its levels to the other, I nonetheless remained captivated by his whimsical quest to unite his community and explore the spectacular surroundings of his sunken home. Consistently funny and full of surprises, Harold Halibut is a wholesome, handcrafted adventure with plenty of heart.

• PC
• SWITCH
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Like its diminutive main character, Pepper Grinder may be a little on the short side, but even this small pinch of Pepper still packs plenty of punch. Plowing through platforms feels fantastic, no two levels ever seem the same, and there are some wonderfully destructive toys to discover and employ along the way. I do wish the boss fights outside of the final encounter were a bit more challenging, and the lack of anything meaningful to buy in the in-game store meant I didn’t feel compelled to take too many return trips through each world to collect any missed currency and extend my playtime. But if you’re in the mood for a short but sweet slice of propulsive platforming action of a kind rarely seen since Ecco the Dolphin’s last adventure, Pepper Grinder is all driller and no filler.

• PC
• SWITCH
• PS4
• PS5
• XONE
• XSX/S
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Propelled by a star-studded cast and charming retro world, Open Roads' tale of family tragedy stumbles over its heavier themes, delivering an earnest but ultimately safe road trip mystery. Pottering through meticulous environments full of kitschy decor was at least enough to keep me entertained for its short runtime. However, with sharp teeth and no bite, I was left hungry for something meatier and more emotionally charged by the time the credits rolled.

• PC
• SWITCH
• PS5
• XSX/S
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

Thanks to recent successes, we know exactly what a great South Park game looks like, and South Park: Snow Day! couldn’t be farther from it. I’m a huge fan of throwing out the rulebook to try something completely fresh, especially in this age of samey sequels and forever live-service games that increasingly play it safe, but this bold attempt at a new direction misses the mark so drastically I’m aghast at just how sideways things went. Whether it’s due to the thoroughly unenjoyable combat or the uncharacteristicly toothless and unfunny story, I can’t recommend anyone waste their time on this cooperative lost cause – even my fellow die-hard South Park fans.

• SWITCH
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Princess Peach: Showtime! is more closely aligned with Kirby and Yoshi’s simple, cheery romps rather than Mario’s polished platformers and Luigi’s haunted mansions. There’s fun to be found in the Sparkle Theater, as these delightfully simplified takes on some of gaming’s most popular genres are entertaining to blast through, and the whimsical stage play aesthetic gives Peach’s game an identity all its own. I’m also thrilled that Nintendo is finally giving Peach another crack at her own solo outing after nearly two decades, and I hope this is the start of an ongoing spinoff series within the wider Mario universe. Some noticeable performance issues and the frustrating lack of a chapter select means I won’t be returning for an encore, and I wish there were a few extra levels to lengthen the somewhat brief campaign, but Nintendo and Princess Peach at least know how to put on a good show.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Rise of the Ronin marries a cool historical setting, Team Ninja’s mastery of tough-but-fair combat, and some smart RPG design to make a game that is immediately compelling, and even more fun with friends. It’s full of cool little touches, whether it’s throwing something at an enemy with the grappling rope or dropping from your glider onto your horse. Unfortunately, it’s also a game full of map clutter, bloated systems, and a truly absurd amount of junk loot, and the time I spent clearing out everything that didn’t spark joy and dealing with all these non-essential systems made me pine for a leaner, meaner, more focused game. Rise of the Ronin is excellent when it has the courage to be itself and lean into its challenging, rewarding fighting; too often, however, it feels stuck in indecision, torn between what it wants to be and what it feels it’s expected to be, and not even the best samurai can overcome that.

• PC
• PS5
• XSX/S
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Like a Louisiana voodoo priestess, Alone in the Dark is not without its charms, but its basic combat lacks the flexibility and function of Resident Evil 4, its inventive narrative is never as mind-bending as Alan Wake II, its uninspired creature design can’t compete with Dead Space, and it’s not nearly as scary as any of them. Its central mystery intrigued me enough to lure me through its strand of imaginative settings all the way to its story’s end as Edward, and its puzzle design did feel consistently rewarding, but I was disappointed to discover that there wasn’t a substantial enough difference to make a repeat playthrough as Emily feel particularly worthwhile. While this remake is undoubtedly a step up from the three-decades-old original, Alone in the Dark fails to escape the shadows of the other contemporary survival horror titans that it helped spawn.

• PC
• XSX/S
• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a strange and wonderful game that seems haunted by some of yesteryear’s bugaboos. It is a retelling and reimplementation of all of those wonderful ideas from the 2012 cult-classic, including an awesome dynamic world and some of the best combat in the genre that integrates a subtle but amazingly complex physics system. On the other hand, its finicky ally AI, clunky climbing, choppy frame rate, and camera with a habit of going haywire at the worst times are all “features” I wish hadn’t been brought back for another round. Even so, there’s an action-RPG here that’s richly rewarding and incomparable to its contemporaries if you can be patient with its quirks and open to embracing its hands-off open-world and quest designs.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Hank Aaron’s motto was “Always keep swinging,” and MLB The Show 24 does just that. It continues to push the envelope for what a baseball sim can be by adding a deep respect for the history of the sport on top of its already excellent gameplay. Season 2 of the Negro leagues is off to a fantastic start, and I can’t wait for the next episode to drop. The addition of women to that and Road to The Show emphasize Sony San Diego’s commitment to the idea that baseball is for everyone. With great new features like Custom Game Entry in Franchise, and seamless integration of Major League Baseball’s latest changes, not even a lackluster Storyline and a Diamond Dynasty mode in flux can change the fact that this is a great way to play baseball.

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Tribes 3: Rivals is a return to form for a series I’ve long-adored that absolutely nails the most essential parts of this iconic high-speed murder fiesta – but in its current Early Access state, it’s also missing a whole lot that its predecessors pulled off so well, from alternate game modes to vehicles. I’ve had a blast relearning the ropes and becoming a badass titan of the skies once more, despite weird party size limitations and the odd bug here and there, and I’m hopeful the planned ongoing development will make this a more fully featured sequel. But for now, much like controlling the jetpack-powered commandos it stars, Tribes 3 is a really fun time that threatens to run out of fuel quite quickly.

• PC
• PS5
• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Thanks to its wildly customizable weapons and versatile Iron Man-like jetpack, Outcast: A New Beginning actually does feel like the start of an open-world adventure that’s different from pretty much everything else out there. It’s clearly not a big-budget game, but the freedom it gives you and its ability to laugh at itself make up for a lot of its weaknesses, such as character animations and some overly long questlines filled with busywork. Once you get to know the Talans and appreciate their goofy sci-fi babble, this becomes a charming and colorful world to spend a few dozen hours blasting robots in.

• PC
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Contra: Operation Galuga met my expectations as a marginally modernized run-and-gun arcade game, but it almost never exceeded them. All eight levels do a solid job of playing to my Contra nostalgia, and small tweaks to combat like the weapon upgrade and overload systems add a couple of much-needed wrinkles to its otherwise extremely faithful formula. But with only a few hours worth of things to do and very few surprises to be found, the rollercoaster comes to a halt too quickly and doesn’t have many drops or loop-de-loops to enjoy.

• SWITCH
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Remarkably approachable with complex systems waiting for those willing to lose themselves to it, Balatro successfully assembles the infinitely fun gameplay loop that every great roguelike sets out to create. It takes the fundamentally simple nature of poker’s scoring hands and shuffles in deep mechanics that don’t feel like a chore to learn but are always thrilling to exploit. A deck-builder of endlessly satisfying proportions, it's the sort of fun that threatens to derail whole weekend plans as you stay awake far too late staring into the eyes of a jester tempting you in for just one more run. Simply put, Balatro is no joker, but in fact, ace.

• PS4
• SWITCH
• XSX/S
• PS5
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Reflecting on the incredibly diverse and remarkably creative world I explored across my 45-hour journey, any issues I had with Unicorn Overlord ended up feeling like nothing more than nitpicks. The tactical combat system is unique and complex while also being easy to understand, expertly blending mechanics from many of its peers with smart new additions of its own. The interesting terrain across the continent of Fevrith makes every fight feel unique, with some of the best map gimmicks I’ve seen in any strategy RPG. Because the campaign is told through the eyes of a diverse and creative cast, its trope-filled fantasy story is elevated in a way that a more traditional storytelling style wouldn't manage. The shorter, more personal stories work wonderfully to support a loop of exploration and liberation that had me begging to see one more tale told, one more town rebuilt, and one more battle fought.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game certainly isn’t a replacement for the supremely addictive SnowRunner, but its more untamed wilderness maps and huge truckload of exploration-focused missions do see it function as a very worthwhile complementary experience – despite some aggravating mission gating and a bit of an unfriendly map screen. Its unique brand of slow-paced bushwhacking won’t ever be for everybody, but successfully taking a truck on a trek through terrain that the toughest trailblazers would fear to tread is still an oddly satisfying challenge that proves the journey is always more important than the destination.

• PC
• PS5
• PS4
• XONE
• XSX/S
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

WWE 2K24 is clear proof that 2K and Visual Concepts have certainly hit their stride when it comes to making today’s package better on the whole than yesterday’s. While not drastically different, there are enough new little features added to every inch of this iteration that make it well worth climbing back into the ring. Old enemies still have their number, though, such as making its docuseries Showcase mode feel good to actually play, creating a more consistent tone and pacing in MyRise, and getting more of the current day roster up to the high visual bar that’s currently only hit by its most popular superstars. But even with those lingering annoyances, WWE 2K24 puts an impressive cap on a three year run of great wrestling games.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The Thaumaturge is a slow, text heavy caper that is often curious and sometimes captivating, weaving revolutionary labor politics and mysticism together to create a unique and charming piece of historical science fiction. It is eurojank through and through, filled with criss-crossing systems like gathering observations, Thaumaturge abilities, and combat that are all fun and engaging despite the sometimes hitchy controls, clunky conversations, and odd voice overs that make this journey a bumpy one. But if a little jank didn’t stop you from enjoying RPGs like Vampyr or The Witcher, you’ll be well equipped for this otherwise exciting ghost story.

• PC
• PS4
• PS5
• XONE
• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

As it exits Early Access, The Outlast Trials is a really enjoyable and unique cooperative horror game, but it runs out of runway more quickly than I would have liked. Each of the five stages are memorable and wildly entertaining thanks to their over-the-top horror (despite repeatedly reused antagonists), and the enemy AI is aggressive enough that I was always on my toes. But with just five levels and two main bosses, there isn’t much variety available to support all of the progression that’s in store, and even all of the neat upgrades to chase and some truly devious difficulty options that unlock after your first run through each of the stages can’t jolt life back into them. Some more meat on the bones of the story would have gone a long way to keeping my interest long term, but that’s little more than a skeleton. There are plenty of fun, grotesque memories to be forged in the first few hours of murderous bliss The Outlast Trials provides, but that novelty quickly subsides once you’ve seen everything once.