Hardcore Gamer

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• SWITCH
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• SWITCH
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

While it has its occasional little issues here and there, Felix the Reaper stands out as one of the year’s best puzzlers. Felix himself may easily lure you in with his charming appearance and cute design, along with a colorful world that he inhabits full of morbid humor and terrific music, but once you’re in, you’ll find a highly challenging game with superb, rewarding gameplay that will have you tearing out your hair one minute and cheering in delight the next, like any good puzzle game that puts up a fight. If death should indeed be considered a joyous occasion, then Felix appropriately brings along one delightful party via his game.

• SWITCH
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

It would be easy to say that you should just wait until later to pick up Killer Queen Black once more content has poured in, but no, you should check it out as soon as you can. The action is still quick and intense while requiring a healthy dose of strategy, it’s visually stunning and it’s another stellar example of “easy to learn, hard to master.” Top it all off with the insane amount of fun that can be had while playing with friends and Killer Queen Black a no-brainer. Much like the NBA Jams and Mortal Kombat IIs of the ’90s, what we have here is an impressive home version of an arcade hit that can easily keep you tied up for a while.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

What this reboot of the GRID franchise does well, it does really well. Stunning visuals with great car models and lighting mixed with a 60 FPS experience and an excellent sense of speed goes almost unrivaled. The engine sounds are an orchestra to car enthusiasts’ ears and the handling engine is the perfect blend of arcade and simulation. These aspects of the game feel up to date, but while I respect the desire to keep the game mostly a single player experience and negate the open world flavor of recent arcade titles, most of the game outside of the racing feels like something that launched in 2008. The Nemesis system really hasn’t evolved and the AI is frustrating at times. Once the feel of the grind of the Career Mode begins, the initial appeal starts to wear off even though the varying race experiences try to hide it. The multiplayer experience is seemingly just an afterthought with something that could have had so much potential. But with beautiful visuals and impressive gameplay, fans of the original GRID will find that this modern version will suit them on the track.

• PC
• SWITCH
• PS4
• XONE
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Valfaris is a dark, mean sci-fi trek through a corrupted landscape that can only be cleansed through fire. Or firepower, at least, and with the right weaponry it can be both at the same time. The large levels are stocked with a host of creatures ranging from small and swarming to large and vicious, and you'll frequently have to deal with both at once. Therion's arsenal is nicely balanced to deal with the madness and the weapons are quick and responsive so each of the many deaths is theoretically preventable. Most of all, though, Valfaris is pure badassery in every level, from its brutal environments, the monstrous abominations of its bosses and of course the driving guitar soundtrack pushing the action forwards. It's hardcore run & gun action from the very start and exactly what we dreamed 16-bit gaming would grow into back in the day.

• PS4
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

The cycle of Destiny whiplash continues with Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. Like during the Destiny 1 era, we started with a lackluster opening, then got two awful expansions, got our significant overhaul, and now we’re at the stopgap. Much like Rise of Iron, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Bungie is just buying time until the inevitable next entry in the franchise. In this case, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep feels like Bungie is slow-walking to Destiny 3. The campaign ends up going nowhere, ending in an unsatisfying cliffhanger we likely won’t see resolved for a while. Meanwhile, as great as the Moon is compared to its incarnation in the first game, there’s no getting around the fact that we’ve already seen and paid for this before. The core gameplay is still the star of the show, the Moon is a fun place to play around in, the Strikes are imaginative and the new Seasonal Activity is a standout. But you can access all that without owning Shadowkeep (though the Seasonal Activity does require you to own the Season Pass). Destiny 2: Shadowkeep isn’t bad, but it also feels wholly unnecessary when most of its selling points (Strikes, the Moon, Armor 2.0) can be played without owning it. This is one nightmare we didn’t need to have.

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

The Trine series is one of those that always offers an enchanting, beautiful 2.5D world to explore and challenges to overcome, and the fact the Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince continues this trend is no surprise. It always plays fair, making the player feel like a genius one minute and then utterly helpless the next. It packs plenty of highs, with satisfying moments galore, while offering a charming and family-friendly environment. One does wish that the story and the combat had more real meat, but this isn’t why the series exists. It does what it sets out to do and serves as a fantastic steward to Trine’s good name.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• SWITCH
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line may not be perfect but it’s a classic title that should be played by any JRPG fan. A vast improvement over the original, this title laid the groundwork for how Dragon Quest will continue to evolve after we first battled the Dragonlord. Criticisms about some of the dated aspects are valid but the game’s charm and sense of adventure outweighs these claims. Having first played Dragon Warrior II on the NES in the early ’90s, the upgrades are welcome improvements to the overall experience but the sense of adventure and wonder is just as prevalent as it was all those years ago. Veterans of this title should check out the Switch version as it’s currently the best version of Dragon Quest II. To Dragon Quest fans who missed this title when it was originally released, this is the best time to experience it.

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

FIFA 20 has Volta at the center of its marketing and successfully introduces a mode that has real potential, but it’s not the experience that reinvents the franchise. Some players will fall in love with it from the minute they first play it, while others will feel the novelty quickly wear off. If the player heads into the mode with the expectation that this is the spiritual successor to FIFA Street, they will feel disappointed after going hands-on with the mode. Irrespective of Volta, FIFA 20 does little to inject the series with gripping features to help improve the stagnating single-player experience. Ultimate Team remains popular and returning fans will be happy with the tweaks that have been made to the mode, but the single-player experience is far from being the complete package. Customization to modes like Volta, career mode and Pro Clubs is a step in the right direction, but FIFA 20 does little to flesh out features like press conferences and make them have more of a real impact. Players will quickly realize how similar the interface is to FIFA 19 in several modes and will be yearning for the franchise to receive a complete overhaul. With Sony and Microsoft preparing for next-generation consoles, players can only hope that the FIFA franchise also decides to evolve and significantly revamps the single-player experience next year.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Overall, Cat Quest II is a fantastic adventure that’s easy to recommend for players of any age. It’s a big improvement over the first and greatly expands upon what worked before while fixing some of the issues that didn’t. Having two characters to play as simultaneously keeps things fresh, as does the addition of long-range attacks. The graphics aren’t a giant improvement over the first, but they’re still good overall and pleasing to the eye. The weakest point is its sound — which isn’t bad, but unspectacular. Anyone seeking an action-centric dungeon-crawler will love Cat Quest II — and if you didn’t like the first, the second may just fix that.

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Contra: Rogue Corps tries to maintain the essence of Contra while changing the gameplay mechanics into something that doesn’t remotely resemble classic Contra. It plays more like Smash TV cosplaying as Contra with several nods to classic Contra titles. In the end, anyone wanting a return to the glory of 2D Contra won’t find it here, but removing expectations of what Contra should be will find a great deal of entertainment. The intro mission establishes that this is a title that doesn’t take itself seriously; it’s simple, over the top dumb fun with nonstop carnage and some dark humor. The characters, enemies and scenarios are all ridiculous but that is what makes the game so enjoyable.

• SWITCH
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis