IGN

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

When you get into the guts of it, WRC Generations is by no means a drastic shake-up on its quality predecessors, even if there have been some small but welcome improvements to the career mode and customisation tools that have spiked my enthusiasm. It does, however, deserve credit for both the very respectable range of relevant rally cars it features, as well as its absolute mountain of rally locations. With almost every country to host the WRC over the last decade represented, WRC Generations may be KT Racing’s last WRC game, but there’s nothing least about it. The kitchen sink philosophy has resulted in a fantastic and uncommonly generous package for gravel groupies, asphalt addicts, and mud-slinging maniacs alike.

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

Call of Duty’s shooting is once again in a prestige class of its own, which means Modern Warfare 2’s campaign always manages to operate on a minimum quality bar that delivers a satisfying punch. But beyond each thunderous pull of the trigger is an underwhelming story and level designs that are too concerned with replicating the successes of previous campaigns rather than embracing its own good ideas for more than a single mission apiece. In the areas it does innovate it almost always stumbles, although there does remain some enjoyment to be taken in its momentary flashes of inspiration. Overall, though, this is sadly a lackluster follow-up to Modern Warfare 2019’s refined take on a Call of Duty campaign, and an experience that’s already fading in my memory.

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

The Divine Force isn’t necessarily a standout in this long-running series, but it is a much more successful effort to bring Star Ocean into the modern age than its predecessor. The revamped battle mechanics do wonders for its previously limited combat system, offering more freedom and flexibility than ever before. The main cast of characters is also charming, even if the world they are exploring and the animations that accompany them are far less captivating. I wish its interface issues were less obnoxious, but even so, The Divine Force at least proves that Square Enix’s sci-fi JRPG certainly deserved another shot.

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

It’s a shame that Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord lets you auto-resolve its glorious action/real-time strategy combat but forces you to endure dozens of hours of laborious and repetitive activities on its dry, flavorless overworld map. If I could skip over the bugs, shallow grinds, and frustrating non-combat activities around building up your faction and quickly return to battle it'd be easier to recommend. When it comes to simulating a medieval warfare at the ground level between hundreds of soldiers down to every swing of a sword and clash of shields, this is the only game in town.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Victoria 3 is the kind of game that sucks me in and doesn't let me go, whether I'm trying to turn Hawaii into an anarcho-communist utopia or make Afghanistan the centerpiece of the global economy by monopolizing the opium trade. The scope and depth of its simulation is remarkable. I would need to double the length of this review just to explain the enormity of it in full. And that's only outdone by the fact that it actually runs well. I wish there was a fair bit less overall jank and weird AI behavior taking me out of the illusion, and the warfare system feels very work-in-progress. But that hasn't stopped me from playing it until the sun comes up more than a couple times in the last few weeks. It's a great first step, with an even more promising tomorrow.

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

New Tales from the Borderlands successfully recaptures a lot of Telltale’s original magic with a fresh, funny, and affable new set of main characters, but unfortunately it also introduces new problems – both in the story and in some half-hearted game mechanics – that gum up the works. You don’t need to have played the first Tales in order to enjoy this one, but if you’re going to choose one or the other, stick with the original and circle back to this pseudo-sequel with tempered expectations if the first one grabs you as much as it grabbed me.

• 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
• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Slime Rancher 2 is a fantastic and charming life simulator that still has lots of room to grow. It probably won’t surprise anyone who played the original, borrowing quite a lot from its predecessor while inventing relatively little so far, but it continues to be bewitchingly fun all the same. If this is just the beginning, then I fully expect this adorable adventure to evolve into something very special – but for now, it’s just a highly enjoyable start.

• 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.