IGN

• PC
• PS5
• XSX/S
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Gotham Knights is a consistently disappointing return to Batman’s troubled city and a distinct step backwards from the past decade-plus of Batman games. Even if running around Gotham in two-player co-op can be decent fun and each of the four playable crime fighters are well executed in their dialogue and distinctive moves, too many of the fundamentals fall short for me to recommend it. From the inconsistent frame rates, to the weak story, to one-note combat that rarely feels good, there was virtually always something going wrong to make sure I wasn’t experiencing the triumphant return with my friends at my side I had envisioned.

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

A Plague Tale: Requiem is an impressive sequel to one of my favorite action-adventure games, upping the ante in almost every way. It doesn’t do a ton to distinguish itself from its predecessor in terms of its actual gameplay mechanics, but with a depressing yet awesome story, fantastic graphics, and rat-filled moments that I’ll never forget, this unique adventure very much deserves your attention. I certainly wish it were more ambitious with its stealth action sandbox and took more risks than it does, but it’s still a worthy follow-up that left me with some great memories and a few recurring nightmares.

• SWITCH
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope takes the excellent tactical combat ideas of Kingdom Battle and runs absolutely wild with them. Its goofy characters still have the ability to bounce off of each other, but they’re now free of the rigid grid and wonderfully customizable thanks to the mix-and-match Sparks that give them new and reliably interesting powers. Between fights you get to catch your breath in the large and brilliantly colorful open worlds, solving its light puzzles and being puzzled yourself by its oddball story. It’s extremely gratifying to play an ambitious sequel that fixes all of the main issues I had with the original, and then some.

• XSX/S
• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

If Scorn were much longer than it is, I think it would have overstayed its welcome. But the fact that it's such a bite-sized sprint through the grisly and surreal made it memorable and satisfying. The frustrating combat, mercifully, only haunts a fraction of that playtime. But the superb, darkly mystifying art direction and ambient soundtrack suffuse the whole thing like rancid blood bringing a creaky corpse back to life. It's an uneasy, sometimes disorienting experience from end-to-end. Yet, it's one I don't regret plunging into.

• PS5
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Even after a year off, PGA Tour 2K23 returns offering minimal progress from its preceding, prior-generation edition. A new three-click swing is an unforgiving mess, it’s somehow worse at emulating the look and feel of televised golf, and the few spurts of personality that’ve been layered on can’t counter developer HB Studios’ penchant for preserving pro golf’s elitism above all, or the apparent terror of breaking from that form. At least PGA Tour 2K23 can define itself through the properly challenging golf sim at its heart and the barebones career mode that stands all but alone in its menus.

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

It’s overdue, but NHL 23 finally looks and feels like it belongs on these beefier consoles. The visual tech upgrade adds stellar reality to the on-ice play, which also benefits from players who are willing to dive for the puck to make a desperate goal or save. It gains new energy from crowds reacting to the action like real crowds would, bringing a definitive audio design that’s best-in-class for stadium effects. Franchise mode customization greatly expands, and seeing women in the fold for the first time feels right – and also overdue. At the same time there are several modes that are outright ignored, including the Be a Pro single-player campaign, and its microtransaction-driven Ultimate Team mode comes with the usual caveats about its predatory, profit-driven nature.

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

It’s a shame that LEGO Bricktales can often get in its own way, because it’s a fun adventure that breathes new life into what a LEGO game can look like. Building brick structures feels almost as good on the screen as it does in real life, and even when I was feeling frustrated by limited camera controls or an obscure objective, I still found myself smiling and fist-pumping when I finally found my way forward. LEGO Bricktales is full of good ideas, and while there will always be a place for the licensed LEGO adventure games, this is a change of pace I’d welcome more.

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

Overwatch 2 breathes new life into what was once the sharpest multiplayer shooter around, before it had its edges severely dulled by Blizzard’s attention shifting away. The switch to smaller 5v5 matches ushers in a new brawler age for Overwatch where individual duels take precedence over tactical team play, and crucially, all but a handful of shields have been thrown out of the arena. The new heroes and maps hit the mark, while Push is one mode that could develop into a fan favourite over time. The fundamentals are all set for Overwatch to shine as it once did in the multiplayer shooter scene once again, and the future definitely looks bright with what is set to come over the following months. I can’t review Overwatch 2 on what it could potentially be though, and instead can only judge what’s in front of me at launch – and that is a very fun team-based FPS, packed full of charm and love for the world it takes place in, and one that I can’t wait to lose hundreds more hours playing in.

• PC
• PS4
• PS5
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

While Valkyrie Elysium is certainly not the next coming of the beloved PlayStation JRPG Valkyrie Profile, there are parts that shine. Sure, it's not a visual powerhouse, it suffers from some occasionally aggravating camera issues, and the tale it weaves doesn’t leave you and your friends with much to discuss and dissect. But Elysium’s new take on combat does eventually grow into something fun and satisfying to play, and that’s enough to carry it through – just not to stand out.

• SWITCH
• 2 / 10
• États-Unis

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

FIFA 23 is a bombastic swan song for the series (under its current name, at least) with a welcome focus on theatrical flair. FUT Moments, action replays and viral-friendly gameplay revisions like Power Shots make it a more considered, memorable game of simulated football with intentional defending and plenty of drama and goals. But EA's Spartan approach to the modes that don't make money ensures FIFA 23 is an all-too-familiar beast to previous years, and Ultimate Team’s offensive focus on microtransactions continues to take much of the fun out of it.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Shovel Knight Dig is yet another treasure dug up by Nitrome and Yacht Club Games that successfully turns the series’ signature 2D side-scrolling action into excellent 2D side-falling action. The procedurally generated levels are expertly designed, and though the roguelite progression elements leave a bit to be desired when it comes to motivating further runs after you’ve completed one, the focus on risk-and-reward choices make for a supremely satisfying experience the whole way through. It’s a short delve (albeit with a very well hidden post game) and it’s not quite as groundbreaking as either of the Spelunkys as far as spelunking roguelike’s go, but Shovel Knight Dig is still a gem.

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

Session may be reminiscent of the similarly hardcore 2020 skateboarding simulation, Skater XL, but it picks up where its rival stalled by arriving with a far more substantial map selection, plus a simple campaign that stitches it all together. I also can’t deny the addictive charm of seeking out a spot and having dozens of attempts at sticking a slick trick sequence, for no other reason than it looks cool as hell when you nail it. Despite its unfinished feel and the unflinching precision it requires to play, I really am finding it rewarding and relaxing. However, while Creā-ture Studios’ unapologetically difficult-to-master ode to skateboarding is packed with a palpable love for the sport, it’s also packed with a few too many frustrating bugs – and its unsympathetic tutorial and mission design severely undermines its approachability.

• PC
• PS5
• XSX/S
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

If you just can’t get enough of the style of action-slasher that Hideki Kamiya made popular in the United States over 20 years ago, Soulstice might help scratch the itch – at least while you’re in combat. The setting and story, even with its strong pair of main characters, are largely just a bland backdrop for its generally competent and challenging hack-and-slash battles against some deviously fun and interesting enemies. So long as you have the stomach and willpower to trudge back and forth through its tedious, linear levels and wrangle its unruly camera in the midsts of colorful, screen-filling chaos, those fights are the light at the end of the tunnel.

• PC
• SWITCH
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

After decades of believing that we’d never see Gilbert get to make his Monkey Island 3, I was in no way disappointed with Return’s conclusion. In fact, it moved me, and made clear that Gilbert cares as much about these characters as we fans do. I expected Return to Monkey Island to be funny. I expected it to have good and often-zany puzzles and hilarious puzzle solutions. You can see that in its writing, its acquired-taste art style, and its delightfully upbeat music. But I didn’t expect it to have such heart. Monkey Island has been known almost solely for its comedic prowess over the past three decades, but Return reminded me of why I first fell in love with Guybrush Threepwood in a way that will have me thinking about it for a long time. What longtime fans get out of it is definitely going to be markedly different from what newcomers take away from it, but I can say that Return to Monkey Island meant a lot to me before I ever clicked to start a New Game, and it meant far more after the end credits rolled.

• X360
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

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

Isonzo is an eminently approachable World War One game. The firearms and technology might be ancient by modern standards, but anyone who's played a modern first-person shooter can easily start storming the Dolomites and picking off headshots as soon as they boot it up. Developer Blackmill keeps it fast and loose with its historical touchstones, to the point that you can swig from a canteen to give your warfighter a quick stamina buff. It’s more historical fantasy than recreation, and most of its turn-of-last-century touches are revealed to be skin deep. That’s fine, since it allows you to fully participate in battle without knowing who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand or being able to find the Austro-Hungarian Empire on a map, but it’s all too easy to forget about the time period you’re in and focus on popping off headshots to climb the score board.

• PS3
• 5.6 / 10
• États-Unis