IGN

• PC
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

The Casting of Frank Stone’s repetitive, time-hopping horror tale is packed with dozens of character choices to consider, but really the most important decision that Dead by Daylight fans need to make is whether or not a sub-standard, six-hour story is worth sitting through purely to spot the odd recognisable weapon or slight reference to the source material’s lore. I would argue it’s not, since no single stretch of this sluggish and forgettable horror show ever comes close to matching the frantic amounts of fun to be had in a single, 15-minute Dead by Daylight trial. Unable to match the intensity of its murderous multiplayer inspiration and lagging well behind Until Dawn and The Quarry as a standalone story, The Casting of Frank Stone is a second-rate interactive slasher that just can’t hack it.

• PC
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Squirrel with a Gun is an awesome, immediately charming idea with legs as short as its fluffy protagonist. While platforming around by firing off weapons and causing mayhem in the small sandbox areas yields plenty of enjoyable moments, shallow combat, numerous technical issues, and short runtime left me wanting more. Even the over-the-top boss fights, which are definitely a high point in the zany adventure, come to an end all too quickly and are in short supply. I still adore this violent rodent and have high hopes for a sequel that’s bigger, more fleshed out, and less prone to crashing, but this first shot leaves a fair bit to be desired.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Visions of Mana finally brings the long-dormant classic RPG series into the modern age, looking great and playing even better thanks to multi-layered class and skill systems that interact in clever ways. There are definitely some pacing issues and a few questionable design choices later on, and the occasional framerate drop or awkward lipsyncing can distract. But the flashy and exciting combat, deeply rewarding class system, and cast of likable characters make Visions of Mana a winning comeback for the classic series all the same – and a great game even if you haven’t spent decades waiting for it.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

It’s ironic that Kay’s ship is called the Trailblazer, since there’s actually not a whole lot of ideas in Star Wars Outlaws that haven’t been done before in other action and open-world adventures. Instead, it’s quite like the Millenium Falcon: a bucket of bolts held together with repurposed parts and prone to breaking down, but at its best it’s more than capable of jolting your pleasure centres into Star Wars fan hyperspace. A clever syndicate system brings real weight to almost every task you choose to undertake, some of which have creative quest designs that can often conjure up some genuinely stunning blindsides. Having a pal like Nix at your side the entire time not only adds an extra dimension to Kay’s fairly generic smuggler character, but also gives her an enhanced set of useful abilities. But even he can’t quite make its stealth and combat feel any less rigid and repetitive, and the odds of avoiding the many glaring technical issues present at launch are 3,720 to one. But you probably didn’t want me to tell you the odds.

• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Monster Jam Showdown distinguishes itself from the last two decades of officially licensed Monster Jam games by actually delivering a decent, if modest, serving of monster truck mayhem. It’s a great looking, family-friendly racer that feels good to fling over giant jumps, but it’s light on track variety and crying out for a deeper career mode and customisation.

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

There’s a lot to like in Madden NFL 25. The on-field action is the best it's been and BOOM Tech and the additions from College Football 25 make it a better game than Madden NFL 24. The presentation upgrades are very welcome too, but the modes are functionally the same. Ultimate Team is still a Skinner Box, Superstar is still mediocre, and the Skills Trainer, while great, really needs an update to help newer and lapsed players along. Franchise is the best thing here, and it still needs help. The improvements it did get are nice, but also long overdue, and you don’t get a parade for doing things you should have done years ago. EA seems content to continue skating by on being the only company with the NFL license. Remember that bit about the definition of insanity?

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

After the first hour, I was sure finishing Dustborn would be up there with folding laundry in terms of chores – but just a few hours later and I was invested in the welfare of all my little freaky friends as they played gigs, fought robots, and had sometimes melodramatic conversations. Its band of well-intentioned weirdos tells an absorbing story in an alternate-history America, and while I may have started by rolling my eyes, I was high on science fiction satisfaction and wondering if I was too old to get a neck tattoo and some neon accessories by the end.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

As GameScience’s debut action game, Black Myth: Wukong is mostly a great success, despite some major technical black marks and localization issues that are likely to cause some frustrations at launch. Combat is fantastic thanks to a great balance of careful resource management and lightning-fast, twitch-reaction gameplay that tested my skills as much as Elden Ring ever has, despite being a more traditional action game than FromSoftware’s style. Not only that, but there are a ton of exciting boss battles, a great variety of enemies, and the world they inhabit is an absolute treat for the eyes and ears. Its story has its moments but relies a bit too much on having prior knowledge of the events of Journey to the West, and it really could have used a map to make its rewarding exploration measure up to the strength of its combat. That said, its strengths more than carry it through, making Black Myth: Wukong a great action game that could be even greater if GameScience can squash the bugs.

• PS5
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Volgarr the Viking 2 is not a bad game, but it is one that feels at odds with itself. It’s built on a foundation of encouraging you to master the very precise and careful spacing in both its combat and platforming, which starts out quite compelling… but once you use six continues, you’re locked into a mode that throws all of the precision out the window as you become impervious to all damage. And even if it didn’t eventually trivialize itself with the Zombie Volgarr mode, the levels themselves are too long to be suited for that kind of incremental mastery unless you have the patience of a saint or the skill of a speedrunner. Even as someone who generally loves hard-as-nails games, Volgarr the Viking 2 disappointingly crosses the line from satisfying challenge to unfair frustration too often to recommend it.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

SteamWorld Heist 2’s charming adventure refines the original game’s clever turn-based combat with a flexible mix-and-match class system and handmade maps that are built around using teamwork to accomplish their objectives and escape unscathed. On top of that, it serves up a light and entertaining real-time nautical exploration game as a palette cleanser between battles, and swapping between them helps things stay fresh for more than twice the first game’s 15-hour length. It’s occasionally mired in grinding to unlock the next area and the skill system will make you waste a lot of XP if you don’t know what’s coming, but there’s no shortage of loot, amusingly off-kilter robot characters, and fantastic original folksy music along the way.

• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

I find myself thinking a lot about that guy I overheard who is buying a $500 console just to play College Football 25. I wonder if he, as someone who doesn’t play a lot of video games, is having fun – because despite the NCAA’s wider appeal, it feels like anyone who doesn’t already know how to play EA’s football games is likely to have a bad time. If you know and love college football and just want to pop into Dynasty, build up your favorite school, and play some football that looks good and handles well, College Football 25 is the game you’re looking for. If you’re expecting a great off-the-field experience at your program of choice, however, you’re going to be disappointed. Sure, maybe EA will fix the UI issues, add a proper tutorial, and flesh out the modes a bit more in next year’s iteration; we tell ourselves that a lot in sports (and sports games) to comfort us when we’re let down. “We’ll get ‘em next year.” But promises of tomorrow aren’t certain, and they’re not what you’re buying when you get College Football 25. It isn’t a bad game, and it certainly gets the on-field action right, but it’s not a great one, either. Like any good-but-not-great football team, there’s a solid foundation here; you just hope it can reach its full potential somewhere down the line. We’ll get ‘em next year, right?

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Nobody Wants to Die’s relatively brief story isn’t a completely original concept, but it has a cool mix of inspirations and unique worldbuilding touches that all work well together to create something new and engaging. There’s a bit too much hand-holding for a game about the art of investigation, but its conversation system picks up the slack with humor, unexpected outcomes, and a surprisingly deep story about how impactful your past can be on your present — even when you’re facing immortality.

• PS4
• PS5
• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Earth Defense Force 6 is yet another riotous entry in one of the most ridiculous and corny series ever to make very poor use of our fancy gaming hardware. It looks at least a decade out of date, is absolutely dripping with plot holes and awful voice acting, and has some of the silliest combat I’ve seen in a long time – but all of that only works to its credit, coming together as a game I’ve happily lost dozens of hours of my life to while giggling like an idiot. Not all of its rough edges add to its charm, though, and an overly long campaign filled with repetitive levels and some irritating design choices definitely work against it. But those things are pretty easy to forgive when you accidentally blow your friends up with a rocket launcher that sends giant ants sailing into the air and skyscrapers crumbling into rubble.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

F1 Manager 2024 doesn't completely escape the pitfalls that come with being an annual series, though evolutionary changes make this a welcome third outing. New features like creating your own team offer strong customization options, and securing victories with a tailor-made squad feels even sweeter than building upon an existing one. The mechanical faults and expanded sponsorship systems add welcome strategic depth, too. Several flaws like the tedious contracts system and sprint format, could use further work, and some lingering issues like collision damage haven’t been solved, but this is still Frontier's best take on a Formula 1 management sim yet.

• SWITCH
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Like NES Remix and WarioWare before it, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition offers a good way to revisit challenging moments from a selection of classic NES games. The small library has more winners than losers – the shorter and more instantly repeatable the better – and even the silliest of tasks (like refilling Kid Icarus’s life by wallowing in a hot spring) can be goofy fun. Challenging yourself to improve or competing with your friends has some lasting appeal, but the weekly cycle of the online events artificially limits the fun. With its lovingly portrayed and accurate pixel art, music, and gameplay, these sample-sized portions of chopped up ROMs can serve as a good entrypoint for discovering and understanding their appeal for the first time.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

While the early hours are a bit rough, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is one of those soulslikes that only gets better as you get further in, unlocking more of the interesting skills that allow you to fully take advantage of its attack chains and XP multipliers. However, you’ll need to want to head off the beaten path to tackle sidequests, find optional fights, or interact with various NPCs to earn weapons and upgrades in order to get the most out of it. Thankfully, Flintlock respects your time while doing so with its use of shortcuts, fast travel, and other ways of making exploring fun and easy. It may have an abridged run time compared to other RPGs, but it makes good use of that time with interesting sidequests and an excellent minigame. Unfortunately, Flintlock’s story meanders a bit towards the middle and wastes a few opportunities that could have let its main characters shine, but this adventure did leave me interested to find out where Nor and Enki will go next.

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

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an exciting action-strategy hybrid that left me yearning to know more about its inspirations and intricacies. The satisfying day-night structure of its stages evoked that overwhelming “just one more thing” feeling that easily had me losing track of time – and while it could occasionally be tainted by busy work base management deeper in, the overall experience was a delightfully unique one. It’s not the most challenging action game around, but the strategy it demands is still satisfying, and its wide range of interesting enemy designs and quiet but effective storytelling are something I’ll remember for a long while. It’s an odd thought, but I’m glad a game as enigmatic as Kunitsu-Gami exists.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Once Human is a lot of fun, with survival-crafting that is simple and accessible, but still rewarding to dig into. Building a house is amusing, even if pieces aren’t always cooperative about snapping together in the right orientation. And while the combat is generally pretty basic, the grotesque weirdness of the monsters more than makes up for that, especially when you get a menagerie of weird little creatures of your own to fight with. Once Human would benefit from more creative quests and a flatter difficulty curve, but I still had a great time, and I’m eager to continue my adventures in this twisted world as its first season progresses.