Hardcore Gamer

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

For the first entry into a new generation, Monster Hunter: World wastes no efforts in making itself a sprawling experience with enough content to keep people going even without the planned free DLC quests. There’s something for every kind of hunter, whether looking to strategize or just go in with brute strength, in addition to those who like taking a break and exploring all there is in the new world. Monster Hunter: World marks the beginning of even greater things to come in the future. It re-imagined the series from a wider perspective, while keeping the core of what so many players new and old will continue to enjoy.

• PS4
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

The Inpatient’s short duration and lack of entertainment value doesn’t warrant its forty dollar price tag. For fans of Until Dawn, it does a decent job of filling in important information prior to the events of the original game. For everyone else, it’s a dull experience that never quite feels like it’s going anywhere worthwhile. Horror and VR are a natural fit, but with The Inpatient, it’s clear that the pairing doesn’t always work quite the way it should.

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory may not be a true sequel to the 2016 original, but it’s a better version of a familiar experience. The visuals don’t shine as brightly on PS4 and players will have to wander through a lot of recycled content before encountering much new. While it would have been nice to have new areas, Hacker’s Memory is carried by its profoundly personal story, engrossing combat and progression mechanics, and various quality of life improvements. While newcomers may find the experience a little confusing, returning players will appreciate meeting up with returning characters and experiencing the enhancements implemented to improve the experience. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory may not be a true sequel, but the quality put into the story, combat and progression make it a worthy successor.

• XONE
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a rare gem in a sea of licensed games. Several licensed games, including many Dragon Ball based ones, are mediocre at best but fans of the source material can deal with the glaring flaws because of their own fandom. Dragon Ball FighterZ has excellent gameplay mechanics and successfully captures the Dragon Ball spirit. Dragon Ball FighterZ is not just a must-play title for gamers who love Dragon Ball Z, but also for the fighting game community as a whole. Playing against friends either locally or online is probably the main reason most people will want to get this, but the Story Mode provides plenty of substance where people who prefer gaming to be a solo experience won’t feel cheated. The year is just getting started, but the bar for fighting games has been set very high for 2018.

• SWITCH
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

At the end of the day, Gang Beasts is a straight-up treat. It’s perfect for those looking for a new game to play with friends (maybe while waiting for Smash Bros. to finally come to Switch). The technical difficulties encountered are outweighed by the enormous amounts of fun to be had. Gang Beasts has so much character and moments of hilarity that it can’t be recommended enough. Gang Beasts runs $19.99 and with the promise of free new game modes, maps and other features on the horizon, it’s worth the pair of Andrew Jacksons.

• PC
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Visual novel readers who enjoy relaxing with a slow-paced, sweet tale may find A Sky Full of Stars a worthy next read. Its astronomy-focused tale provides an unique take on the slice of life genre and provides characters who care about something other than the protagonist. Those opposed to censorship, however, will likely need to skip the game entirely to get their message across. With so many of MoeNovel’s peers taking the route of optional restoration patches, it’s becoming increasingly tougher for MoeNovel to justify their stance.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

While Gorogoa is one of this year’s shortest experiences, it’s still one that’s worth checking out, as it turns a relatively simple idea into one of the year’s most compelling and innovative puzzle games. Its eye-popping artwork may draw you in, but it’s the superb brain-teasers where you warp around entire worlds and a narrative that leads to some surreal visuals which will keep you hooked until it ends. You may never look at a mere four comic panels and the storytelling that can potentially occur in them in the same way again.

• PC
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Okami was a high point of the PS2 era, fusing its action to an incredible art style that was years ahead of its time. It takes a bit to get moving from the opening section, but every new area is packed with things to do with little wasted space to be found and it doesn’t seem to ever stop growing. New areas bring new abilities that open up more options, both for solving puzzles in the world and taking out enemies, and there’s always something happening to pull you a little bit farther along the story. Okami HD is close to being the perfect version of the original game, sharp and crisp and beautiful in a way we could only have dreamed of when it first came out.

• PS4
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

In the same year we got great expansions like The Frozen Wilds for Horizon Zero Dawn, Defiant Honor for Nioh and In The Name of the Tsar for Battlefield 1, it’s amazing how dull Destiny 2 – Expansion I: Curse of Osiris is. Filled with half-baked ideas, repetitive mission design and the smallest explorable area yet, Curse of Osiris feels as empty and meaningless as The Dark Below. The expansion’s campaign fails to push the overall narrative forward and does little with its interesting setup, the Crucible is a mess until Bungie patches it, and the Infinite Forest feels like it needed more time in the oven. Add in some extremely-questionable business practices and you have the most disappointing expansion to hit the Destiny franchise. Though the expansion is as beautiful as ever, and the gunplay as solid as before, Curse of Osiris fails to provide Destiny 2 or Bungie with a new lease on life.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

SpellForce 3 has delivered on the potential it showed while still in development. Enjoying the layered gameplay and story requires a decent time commitment, but for an experience of this type and scope, diving right into it proves surprisingly easy. It might not be the deepest individual RTS or RPG experience ever created, but it’s no slouch in either department and the successful merger of the two game styles creates a rather unique experience. Hardcore CRPG or RTS fans might find the game systems for the respective genres less complex than some of their favorites, but as far as complexity is concerned, less is more was the way to go. A good analogy of the playstyle for SpellForce 3 for RPG fans is to think of it as a dual class; it may not reach pinnacle of either genre, but does good at both where the combination is greater than the sum of its parts. The idea of magic users being used as a scapegoat for the world’s problems and being hunted isn’t the most original idea, but the development team put enough of their own spin on this concept where it doesn’t just tread over the same familiar themes. 2017 was already a great year for RPGs and SpellForce 3 adds another entry on an already impressive list as the year comes to a close.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package does what a proper re-release should, packaging the base game together with all DLC and a smidgen of exciting new content. The inclusion of Frank Rising from the get-go gives the comedic story a proper ending. While combat, side activities and the world remain unchanged, Dead Rising 4 remains a joy to play even a year later. What really makes this such a great package is the new Capcom Heroes modes. Dressing up as some of Capcom’s greatest characters and utilizing their weapons and abilities to destroy hundreds of zombies is a thrilling new way to experience the campaign. It’s unfortunate that PS4 players had to wait a whole year to experience this zombie-slaying adventure, but at least they’re getting a big package filled with plenty of comfort and joy.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

DOOM VFR is an outstanding, but limited, game. The lack of arcade and multiplayer content hurts the overall package, but it does its sole purpose of replicating the campaign in VR incredibly well. The fat has been trimmed from it resulting in an “all killer, no filler” approach that keeps the tension and action levels at a high point that exceeds even the base campaign from the reboot. Anyone who enjoyed that and wants to play it in VR should do so if they have a Vive or a PlayStation VR.

• PS4
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Star Ocean: The Last Hope, but this is merely a good remaster of a flawed game. It has solid combat mechanics (that do take a little while to become a little deeper than hammering on the attack button) and Square Enix has done a solid job touching it up to be presentable on modern hardware. It was a long and unique experience when it launched in 2009, but unfortunately the remaster only reminds us of the issues that plagued it. Its story is absolutely atrocious and ridiculously unbelievable; I know there should be some suspension of disbelief when it comes to adventures such as this, but tri-Ace could have done so much better. The English voice acting also contains some of the most ear-screeching dialogue you’ll ever hear in a video game, so we’re thankful Square Enix tucked the Japanese audio track in there, as well. Considering Square Enix launched the remaster at a highly-discounted price, there’s a little more value to The Last Hope, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are some baffling design choices and an infuriatingly cockeyed story tucked in. Even with satisfactory combat, there are just too many good stories out there to recommend this overly-long adventure.

• PS4
• 2 / 5
• États-Unis

I really wanted to like Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier. The Apes world is fascinating and a Telltale-esque game set in that universe has all the makings for an amazing experience. While it's an awesome idea, Last Frontier’s execution just isn’t there. Hopefully Imaginati Studios and 20th Century Fox don’t give up on this idea, though. Video games are iterative and developers learn from their mistakes. While Last Frontier can't be recommended on its own merits, its concept has potential and shouldn't be abandoned.

• SWITCH
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

While it’s an indie game with issues that stem from a lower-than-average budget for its size and the bugs that come with it, RiME still captures emotion and beauty as it tells a heartwarming story. The bugs can be frustrating at times, but aren’t reason enough not to play it. Rime will run you $39.99 and takes about six to 10 hours to complete. In the same vein as Journey, RiME is a capable entry into the ranks of these emotional and heartfelt types of games.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

In the end, Battle Chef Brigade’s gambit when it comes to its unorthodox blend of ingredients pays off well, resulting in truly stellar duels that reward combat skills, proper planning and strategy, with success not only delivering dishes to make one salivate, but also truly fun gameplay on all fronts. It’s one of the most unique games to pop up this year, making for an experience with a lot of charm and energy that is not to be missed. So as they say at the beginning of each match, Vive la Brigade!

• 3DS
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

There's a couple of fun new features implemented in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and it's the definitive edition for newcomers, but overall there's not enough to make it worth playing through again for veterans. During the entire build-up to release, it seemed like we were getting a sequel of sorts with in-depth content, but what we actually got was a re-telling of what we've already been through. Perhaps I didn't pay enough attention to the promotional materials, but I was under the impression this was going to be more than a simple remake. Regardless of how I personally feel, however, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are the ultimate versions of the games and a whole lot of fun. This being the final 3DS title in the series, as far as we know, is a fine send off. Hopefully, everything is amplified to extreme levels once Pokémon makes the leap to the Switch.