IGN

• XSX/S
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate isn’t the worst expansion the looter shooter’s been given, but it’s a major step back from The Final Shape in almost every regard, mixing content that’s simply more of the same with a few experiments here and there that don’t always work out. I quite enjoyed the surprising new direction of the story, though it’s definitely a bit of a slog getting through the campaign to see it all, and a so-so raid doesn’t do much to salvage it. The new abilities on Kepler are at least interesting ideas, but the forgettable and claustrophobic areas don’t offer many reasons to stick around. The changes to endgame progression are the real poison pill though, which turn an already grindy game into an absurdly repetitive death march into the bowels of Destiny hell that is sure to put even the loyalty of hardcore players like me to the test. There are worse ways to spend your time than playing The Edge of Fate, but you don’t have to look very hard to find better ones.

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

With its fast-paced, dynamic, and flexible combat and a best-in-class skill tree that allows for a ton of build experimentation and customization, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is an extremely respectable debut soulslike for developer Leenzee Games. Some of the later bosses feel frustratingly lacking in chances to capitalize on opportunities for damage, and I would’ve enjoyed fewer “Surprise! You’re dead!” kinds of moments. But while those feather-ruffling issues lead to some rough patches, none are abrasive enough to keep this innovative take on a hugely popular genre from soaring with some of the greats.

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

As someone who delighted in blasting through the original RoboCop: Rogue City, my hopes for this standalone Unfinished Business expansion were higher than a junkie on Nuke. However, outside of the exhilarating playable cameo from ED-209, there’s really not enough new here to make another 10 hours as everyone’s favourite baby food-slurping supercop worth going out of your way for. Peter Weller’s deadpan delivery is as endearing as ever, and the cryo gun is an icy blast (though ironically still not quite as cool to use as the Auto 9), but the supporting cast of characters is seriously shoddy and the raft of performance issues on PlayStation 5 make for a bumpier ride than accelerating up the exit ramp from the Metro West carpark. If you thirst for some more Auto 9 bursts flourished with TJ Lazer-inspired twirls then RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business will certainly scratch the itch on your trigger finger, but it’s far from the future of law enforcement.

• SWITCH2
• 10 / 10
• États-Unis

The leader of the bunch is finally back to kick some tail in Donkey Kong Bananza, a brilliant successor to Super Mario Odyssey and a smashing return for a classic Nintendo character. It was a bold choice to build the Switch 2’s first 3D platformer around Donkey Kong instead of Mario, but it’s proven to be the best decision Nintendo could’ve made. DK’s satisfying, expressive movement and powerful, dynamic abilities create a truly groundbreaking adventure. The ambitious, destructible layers of this underground world are densely packed with satisfying collectibles, abundant charm, and clever challenges that never seem to run out of smart ideas, even long after the credits have rolled. Bananza is a constant crescendo across its 20-hour campaign and beyond, with puzzle-platforming concepts that only grow richer as DK and Pauline dive deeper toward the Planet Core. Every element comes together in complete harmony to create Nintendo’s first Switch 2 masterpiece.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

College Football 26 is a very good college football video game, but I don’t think it’s a great one; I’m pretty choosy when I use that word. This year’s version walks a little taller, looks a little more toned, and has better footwork than last year’s model. It has put in the work in the off-season, but there’s still more to be done. Proper teaching tools aren’t here yet (for the love of God, EA, please, so my friends can play this game without spending days of their lives on YouTube), and Road to Glory and Dynasty still need meaningful changes. But Dynasty is at least compelling enough, and the on-field game still has it where it counts. You can tell the College Football team is listening, and that it cares. EA has avoided the sophomore slump, but like any college football fan will tell you, you don’t build a Dynasty off a couple good seasons alone. You have to build for the future. College Football 26 is a step in that direction, but EA will have to keep at it if they want this series to be up there with the all-time greats. You’ve got potential, kid, and you’re better than last year. What matters now is if you can take that leap (you know, the one we’re all expecting you to) next season.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a largely successful rejuvenation of the acclaimed 2001 and 2002 originals, and another very welcome time capsule of everything great about the golden age of early 2000s gaming – before microtransactions and battle passes botched everything right up. Like 2020’s 1 + 2 before it, THPS 3 + 4 proves again the series’ over-the-top skateboarding formula is totally timeless and remains suitable for all skill levels; simple at first blush, but extraordinarily sophisticated beneath the surface for those with the minerals (or the muscle memory) to push their combos to colossal levels. However, syncing THPS4 with the classic two-minute timer of the initial trilogy is probably going to be a sore point with fans who strongly regard the series’ fourth installment as their favourite, and discarding a whopping 80% of the original THPS3 and THPS4 soundtracks is a startlingly naive choice to make about such a famously crucial component of those games. No T.N.T.? Watch me explode.

• PS5
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

The original Death Stranding held promise: A complex, often confusing, but never contrived first draft. A reflective journey across a lost America, it established a world and its rules with a flourish, even if I found it stumbled along the path. But in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Australia plays host to an expanded vision and is a more accomplished achievement in nearly every facet. It removes almost all of the friction that weighed down its rookie effort, delighting with a truly unpredictable story full of intrigue and malleable stealth-action playgrounds hidden in its vast, hauntingly beautiful version of Australia. Yes, at times, it is unapologetically weird – but that isn't what defines it. It's an inventive journey packed full of both shock and awe, the sort of bold work that deserves to be encouraged. No, it isn't perfect, but it's incredibly exciting and original, never once straying from the path less trodden, and I love it all the more for it.

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

I have no really strong criticisms of Tron: Catalyst. But I also don't have any great praise to heap upon it. Nearly across the board – from combat, to music, to writing, to area design – it competently gets the job done and calls it a centicycle. It may just become the seven out of 10 game I think of in the coming years when someone wants a really good example of a seven out of 10 game. And for what it's worth, that means I had a decently good time with it. In a world of bloated, hundred-plus-hour, obscenely high-budget collectathons, I think a Tron: Catalyst here and there is a nice, restrained palate cleanser. But it does leave me with the vaguely unsatisfied feeling that I wanted it to be a bit more, especially with its rewind mechanic that seemed like it could’ve been something special.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The Alters is a highly atmospheric sci-fi character study of one man who meets the effects of the formative choices he’s made throughout his life face to face. Managing Jan’s relationships with his alternate selves while extracting enough resources from a hostile alien environment to survive is a balancing act on top of a balancing act, and it cleverly builds up the pressure over the course of its story. Exploration of these barren but eye-catching maps presents a series of puzzles and threats without resorting to blasting aliens, and the conversations and moral dilemmas that arise from Jan’s clones are a novel way to approach a game like this. It’s clearly not a big-budget game with resources to throw at cinematics and character models, but it does a lot with a little to tell its story effectively, and its occasional interface quirks don’t get in the way of that.

• PC
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

When its performance is stable and you’re explosively blasting your way through robots, MindsEye can masquerade as a serviceable action shooter for a few minutes at a time. Its near-future setting and driving feel also impress. However, its flashy graphics and cinematics can’t otherwise hide its distinct lack of substance. High on ambition but low on original ideas, MindsEye’s rigid mission design renders its open world largely pointless – and it’s consistently undermined by vanilla combat, janky AI enemies, and its sloppy frame rate and bugs. Throw in its insultingly unfinished free roaming component and it’s clear it was simply not ready to be released. If you had your sights set on MindsEye, think again.

• SWITCH2
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The Nintendo Switch 2 is officially off to the races, and Mario Kart World is a great way to get things started. The first brand-new Mario Kart in a decade makes huge changes to the established formula, but ironically, the best parts about it closely follow the blueprint of every entry that’s come before: unbeatable local multiplayer racing on well-designed tracks that more than live up to the series’ legacy. World’s tight controls, celebratory soundtrack, and universal polish marvelously complement the action, and I can’t wait to see how top players will take full advantage of its exciting parkour mechanics in the months and years ahead. The way Nintendo built 30 courses into an interconnected series of highways is undeniably impressive, too, but Mario Kart’s first attempt at an open world is also fairly uneven across its variety of modes. The clear standout among the new ways to play is Knockout Tour, a thrilling battle royale that makes the best use of World’s intertwined roads. But when you add in frustrating online multiplayer limitations and some head-scratching design decisions around the interface and unlockables that will hopefully be fixed in future updates, World feels like it was hit with a blue shell right before the finish line. Still, Mario Kart World’s chassis is so strong that, with a few key tune-ups, I’m confident it will eventually end up popping champagne in victory lane.

• SWITCH2
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a charming concept, mixing an interactive instruction manual with minigames and tech demos that show off the Switch 2’s coolest features in a hands-on way. The execution of that idea, however, is a somewhat muddled collection of quaint distractions and missed opportunities dressed up as a completionist checklist without much point. This digital showroom is littered with dry informational slideshows that only occasionally feel like they are actually allowed to share something interesting. And while the minigames can be briefly amusing, it was almost never in a way that made me excited to push my high scores or check every single box. Tie that up in a world that’s cute to look at but obnoxious to progress through, and you’ve got a Switch 2 showcase that I certainly had fun with at times, but left me wishing I had just been exploring my new console with an actual game instead. It’s not worth your money and, even if it were the free pack-in game it feels like it was always meant to be, it would only barely be worth your time.

• PC
• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

When Elden Ring Nightreign is played exactly as it was designed to be played, it’s one of the finest examples of a three-player co-op game around. The eight character classes are each fun to use and feature a surprising amount of depth despite their limited movesets, the new Nightlord boss battles are among the best FromSoft has ever crafted and make the most of the three-player dynamic, and the fast-paced, race-against-the-clock nature of each run leads to exciting moments of split-second decision making and frantic rushes to try and finish up a fight before the circle closes in. But a lack of crossplay, duo matchmaking, and built-in communication tools makes it hard to create the conditions needed to have this kind of experience unless you’re bringing two real-life friends on every run, and if you want to just play by yourself, I can’t recommend it because of the poor solo mode balancing. All of this amounts to an ambitious spin-off that’s exhilarating when you’re able to create the proper conditions, and one that quickly flips to incredibly frustrating when you’re not.

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

Blades of Fire’s blacksmithing burns bright, but it doesn’t forge a sharp enough edge to put its customizable weapons to good use. The combat is serviceable but overly simplistic, and the mediocre story often failed to evoke any kind of emotion in me at all, positive or negative, as it just goes through the motions from start to finish. The unintuitive map also frequently left me running in circles, making what could have been a fun hunt for secrets feel more like a chore. And when those pain points are compounded by unflattering comparisons to the games it so clearly took inspiration from, Blades of Fire just can’t cut it.

• PS5
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

In its best moments, Deliver At All Costs is as entertaining as it is uneven. For every truly creative cargo haul twist there’s another that’s uninspired or lacking in intensity and urgency, and although there’s certainly fun to be had crashing through its many structures like a bully through a sand castle, the novelty wears off long before it ends and all you’re left with is an impressively realised 1950s world with depressingly little else to do in it. Throw in a silly, slapdash story and some toys for your truck you’re largely forbidden from playing with, and Deliver At All Costs is one shipment that’s far from the complete package.

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

The Precinct’s focus on proper arrest protocols and penalising excessive force requires a certain level of patience that not everybody will possess (and it’s a system that eventually wears out its welcome) but I genuinely enjoyed prowling the city for procedural crimes while the story lasted – and the soggy, neon-splashed ’80s setting works wonders. Fallen Tree Games had a previous crack at emulating the top-down shenanigans of classic Grand Theft Auto back with 2019’s American Fugitive, but putting the action on the right side of the law in The Precinct has proven to be far more arresting.

• PC
• SWITCH
• PS4
• PS5
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade can be fun for a bit, but with repetitive levels that lack a significant challenge for most of the three campaigns, it doesn’t stay that way for long. Though its quick and basic combat is solid, the potential of its diverse weapon selection to bring variety and nuance to battle is undermined by how easy so much of it is without really investing in them at all. Not to mention you’ll see all there is to see, enemy and level-wise, by the end of the first chapter of the first character you choose. And when its stories fail to do much more than provide a flimsy bridge to the next group of baddies to kill, you might be convinced pretty quickly to let sleeping legends lie.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Doom: The Dark Ages may strip away the mobility focus of Doom Eternal, but replaces it with a very weighty and powerful style of play that is different from anything the series has done before, and still immensely satisfying in its own way.