IGN

• PC
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Cities: Skylines 2 is not the best game in the lineage of Will Wright's original 1989 classic. The champion is still the original Cities: Skylines, at least for now. If Skylines 2 gets the same incredible post-launch support and additional paid and free content as its predecessor, and if the modding community is allowed to thrive, I think this sequel might come out ahead in the long run. There are so many enjoyable new systems and exciting additions, sadly encased in an awful-looking block of concrete that gets in the way of how much I know I could be loving them. It makes too many promises of realism that its most basic features like zoning can't deliver on. It feels like playing a beta, or a very early Early Access game. Frankly, Skylines 2 could have used another few months in the city planning office. For now, it's more of a fixer-upper.

• SWITCH
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Super Mario Bros. Wonder establishes a new standard for what 2D Mario platformers should look like. It is colorful, it is alive, and it is joyful. It also managed to surprise and delight me in continually more creative ways thanks to its unpredictable Wonder Effects, which transform levels into something completely different for a brief while. Like dessert in the middle of the main course of each stage, they were irresistible and always put a smile on my face – as did the absolute beast that is Elephant Mario. In every way other than advanced challenges, Wonder feels like a 21st-century successor to Super Mario World, and I’m not sure I can give it a higher compliment than that.

• XSX/S
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

An impeccably detailed and blisteringly fast racer with incredible graphics and rock-solid arcade underpinnings, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 picks up where the surprisingly excellent 2021 original left off. That is, it’s not just the best thing on the breakfast bench since Micro Machines – it’s one of the strongest and most imaginative arcade racers available today. It’s definitely guilty of forgetting to suitably cater to its wide audience at times, it’s stingy on older cars, and it would’ve been a much bigger and better package if it didn’t completely shed its previous track locations, but the last time Mattel had wheels this worthy of a whirl they were welded beneath Ryan Gosling’s rollerblades.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

It requires an almost brash confidence to mash up a twin-stick shooter with a tower defense game, and then further mix that into a sci-fi roguelite. But somehow Endless Dungeon pulls it off, blending them all seamlessly into a great package that strikes just the right balance of action, strategy, and rewarding progression. It can occasionally be frustrating when the random elements stack the deck completely against you, but strong persistent upgrade options make each run still feel like you’ve accomplished something. With a great cast of heroes, a deep roster of monsters, and stellar co-op, Endless Dungeon is an audacious blend that’s worth opening that next door to find.

• PC
• PS4
• XONE
• PS5
• XSX/S
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Laika: Aged Through Blood is an unrelenting motorcycle ride through a bloody wasteland with one of the most unique and compelling spins on the metroidvania genre. It expertly blends ruthless death-defying combat with a beautiful hand-painted side scrolling world with a riveting story of revenge, desperation, and survival. Though uncompromising in its insistence that you quickly become adept at handling your bike in addition to taking on multiple threats, a heaping helping of checkpoints guarantees revenge is always within striking distance. If you’ve ever considered yourself a fan of exploring and platforming across 2D landscapes, you’ll find these open roads well worth your time.

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

Missed opportunity haunts every inch of Hellboy Web of Wyrd. Its faithful adaptation of the striking look and sharp wit of Mignola’s classic comic books is excellent, but the focus on action above all else comes at the cost of any real resonance that goes deeper than monster-of-the-week-style pulp. As a brawler, it's simple and fun to dive in and play, but all too soon you reach the bottom of its shallow gameplay, without any room for unique play styles or mechanical discovery and a complete lack of challenging enemies that would demand that you up your demon-slaying game. As a roguelite, I appreciated the short runs that were just long enough not to overstay their welcome, because spending too much time in maps that felt so similar with nothing all that interesting to see and do in them besides slap underpowered bad guys around would be a real purgatory.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

I started hedgehog over heels for Sonic Superstars, but the more time I put into it, the easier it was for me to see its Eggman-sized flaws. The decision to focus more on exploration was a great idea on paper and creates a unique dynamic to each level, but I wish it hadn’t sacrificed speed in exchange. The boss designs are creative and clever, but often wear out their welcome with long periods of being untargetable and occasionally frustrating one-hit KO mechanics. The soundtrack may not have anything as iconic as Hydro City or Spring Yard Zone, but it features some excellent additions to an already long list of Sonic bangers – if only the sound design was up to the same quality standard. And while the campaign is still enjoyable, Superstars’ multiplayer components are far worse options than anything in past Sonic games. Like digging Emeralds out of the rough, Sonic Superstars’ new ideas end up feeling like a mix of both interesting and ill-advised, making it an amusing Sonic game but not exactly a Super one.

• PC
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

Skull Island: Rise of Kong is ugly and full of bugs, but the real trouble is that, at its core, it’s just boring. It makes no meaningful attempts to do anything new or clever, with mindless combat and pointless platforming that make it feel like a worse version of every action game from the last 20 years. This isn't the kind of bad game you can play to laugh at, or that took some cool swings but missed them, or that creates weird combinations of technical snafus that lead to unexpected but entertaining results. It doesn't even rate enough to be called frustrating. Rise of Kong is fundamentally disinterested in itself: a giant ape game that doesn't even care enough about what it's doing to make the ape feel giant.

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

Wizard with a Gun does what it says on the tin, but not much more. There are tons of cool guns and spells to craft, elemental enemies to defeat, and neat areas to explore. But poor balance in almost every aspect of combat and an unsatisfying ending make a lot of the time spent not seem worthwhile. With some updates and improvements where it counts, Wizard with a Gun could be all that its first few excellent hours set it up to be — but right now it feels incomplete.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

As a sequel in a spectacular series, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is both blessed and cursed. Its story of two Spider-Men is a great time and a Spidey fan’s dream to play through as comic book pages are brought to life, elegantly walking the tightrope between light humour and heavier themes. Meanwhile, Insomniac refines a successful formula of combat and web-swinging without revolutionising either in major ways, making them comfy and familiar with just enough new tweaks and abilities to elevate them to fun new heights. The part that feels like it actually needed a radical rethinking is the open world of New York City, which has been made bigger but not better, with an exhausting checklist of mostly repetitious side activities. But it’s safe to call this another thrilling Spider-Man adventure that delivers Insomniac's best tale yet, and despite its open world falling short, it's a reliably fun superhero power trip. And, you know what? Screw it. It really did make me feel like Spider-Man, too.

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

Lords of the Fallen is a great soulslike, and its killer new idea of swapping between two versions of the world to solve puzzles and slay enemies is an excellent twist to set it apart from the pack. That concept is unfortunately hamstrung by numerous, highly annoying technical issues and weak boss fights, but awesome explorable areas and fantastic buildcrafting more than make up for those shortcomings. If, like me, you’re a sucker for a quality action-RPG even amid a clear overabundance of them, then this reboot is well worth your time.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Total War: Pharaoh looks incredible, with diverse and interesting battles complemented by an uncommonly deep and rich campaign layer. The focus is firmly on Egypt, and the experiences available outside that region don't really match up in terms of content or quality to what is on offer to the civilizations of the Nile. But when I'm sailing up and down that majestic river, fending off invasions from hostile tribes, politicking my way to the top of the power pyramid, and sending my besandaled soldiers to spill blood across the shining sands, I feel confident in saying historical Total War is back, baby. Creative Assembly Sophia has refined every part of its take on this franchise since Troy, and the results are just shy of glorious.

• SWITCH
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

The mystery story of Detective Pikachu Returns makes some bizarre and unexpectedly dark choices to get to its underwhelmingly predictable conclusion, and as a result it’s unclear who this is all for. Is it for young kids who will find the simplified puzzles about right, or adults who grew up with Pikachu and can handle the more mature themes of the second half? It’s still a cute, bubbly, animated adventure with humor, unique pokemon to meet, a

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

What’s new in NHL 24 shows a lot of promise. The Exhaust Engine introduces satisfying mechanics that make games feel more intense, though refinement to its balance is needed to keep the defensive team competitive. The improved checking system and inclusion of HUT Moments are significant features as well. However, most of the returning game modes remain nearly untouched from the last couple of years and the introduction of a battle pass, along with some annoyingly long wait times to get into games, make it harder to cheer for.

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

Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s return to the stealthy style that launched this series doesn’t do everything right, but everything it does feels like it was done with purpose. This means a shorter game with a smaller map, fewer collectibles, smaller scope in combat, and a limited selection of gear to play with – all of which I found refreshing relative to the arguably bloated scale of 100-hour games like Odyssey and Valhalla. It also means an overly simplistic plot with mostly forgettable characters, but what the story lacks in depth it makes up for with its straightforward quest progression and fast pacing. Though there's no big standout “wow” moment, Baghdad is a beautiful location in its own right, and the world’s detail is focused inward, making every alley and hovel feel well traveled and full of detail and history. I’d recommend Mirage to anyone who’s lapsed on Assassin’s Creed, as its back-to-basics approach is a successful first step in returning the feeling that the earlier industry-defining games gave me so long ago.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Wargroove 2 is a lot bigger, even if its tactical combat isn’t much better to match – but with how good the original Wargroove was already, that’s forgivable. The story of its three campaigns isn’t as cohesive as its predecessor and there aren’t many truly new gameplay features in the campaign levels themselves, but its Advance Wars-style tactical combat once again manages to make the hours fly by.A satisfyingly challenging new roguelike mode also provides a new way to play that could have practically been a whole game of its own. It’s a familiar package even with that mode, but if you loved the original then Wargroove 2 provides a whole lot more of what made it so great.

• XSX/S
• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

After six long years, Forza Motorsport is off the lift and back in our lives. It looks great, feels great, sounds great, and it’s brought with it the most impressive multiplayer we’ve seen in the series so far. With 500 cars and 20 track locations it’s hardly a small start but, now positioned as a platform, Forza Motorsport has the potential to expand into a seriously rich racing destination over the coming years. If Flight Simulator on four wheels is the plan, I’m here for it. First on the list of improvements Turn 10 should focus on is revamping the new RPG-inspired upgrade system that turns progression into an unnecessarily long road ahead of each individual car, and maybe bringing back the joys of split-screen multiplayer racing to complement the excellent online modes.

• PC
• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

The Lamplighters League takes proven concepts from other tactics games and puts them together into a novel blend. It takes an unfortunate amount of time to get going, but once it does the tight, meaningful strategic layer ensures that every mission, no matter how banal, matters to your overall campaign. The superb enemy and hero design gives you great stuff to work with as you use real-time stealth takedowns to prepare for tactical fights. Sure, sometimes the partially procedurally generated maps throw up a frustrating scenario, or an ability works a bit weird, but I was more than happy to take those in stride in order to undertake a globetrotting pulp adventure in such an interesting and engaging world.