Hardcore Gamer

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

World of Tanks has arrived on PlayStation 4 in spectacular fashion. It plays better than it ever has before on a console, looks fantastic and features some PS4-only content to add extra value. What's here is nearly identical to the Xbox One version, but it's impressive that Wargaming has spent so much time refining it to make it feel as if it were originally built for PS4 when they could have easily plopped the Xbox version on the platform and swapped the button prompts. Timed-exclusive maps Skorpion Pass and the updated version of Ruinberg are a blast through and through, while the PS Plus exclusive German Pz.kpfw. II Ausf. J-PS is a force to be reckoned with. Those who have already built a respectable tank life for themselves on Xbox One don't have much of a reason to hop over, but for anybody who still has somehow managed to avoid playing the game, PlayStation 4 is the place to play World of Tanks.

• XONE
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Despite its affinity for the supernatural, Oxenfree's soul is firmly planted in reality. It asks big questions, challenging you to consider how you interact with others and what you hold dear in life. Its vocal performances don't always do it justice, but the underlying emotions of the characters shine through, spinning a deeply resonant narrative that begs to be replayed thanks to the branching dialogue options and multiple endings. Night School Studio's debut release is spooky, touching, and beautiful, and an adventure absolutely worth experiencing.

• PC
• PS3
• X360
• PS4
• XONE
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster is a fantastic reworking of a solid entry into the mainline series. While there are still glaring issues with its narrative and repetitive progression formula, it’s not as if Capcom was aiming to completely remake the game from the ground up. The visuals have been cleaned up nicely, giving stronger atmosphere to the already tense set of events. Capcom has even gone as far as to create an additional mode that adds not only an aesthetic change for Billy and Rebecca, but establishes a couple of new abilities at the same time. The new control scheme works great in the remaster, as well, although it can get finicky with some of the unfortunate camera angles. With all the enhancements in visuals and gameplay elements, Capcom has not only set a precedent for how remasters should be done, but helped excel Resident Evil 0 into being a far more enjoyable horror experience.

• PC
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Darkest Dungeon is difficult, but not because its systems are unclear or unfair. In fact, the richness and complexity of its mechanics are miraculously transparent. What makes Darkest Dungeon challenging is balancing and equipping a party and the essentially unpredictable nature of the dungeons and combat. The art style -- hand-drawn and evocative, with just enough effective animation to keep things interesting without adding overwhelm to the already busy nature of the action -- is beautiful, and its music and stentorian narration are perfectly in sync with the characters. The whole enterprise is polished and a lot of fun.

• PC
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is a four-year-old game wrapped in slightly better visuals. It’s an incredibly hardcore RPG that features so many unique characteristics that other developers should seriously consider adopting. While it maintains its charm, there are elements that feel dated. The keyboard and mouse transition is done almost perfectly, but the overall controls still feel a little clumsy at times and the online functionality should have been more fully developed. We also ran into multiple technical issues, whether it was low audio levels or frequent crashes, despite the game running nicely on three-to-four year old hardware. There’s still a lot to like in Dragon’s Dogma as the time of day actually plays a vital role in adventuring, and the world is absolutely brimming with exploration and mythical creatures to battle. There’s nothing like grabbing onto a Griffin only for it to take off fifty feet into the air. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen for PC is a gem among the RPG genre, despite it being flawed in places.

• PC
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

In order to get the most from Turok, it’s important to approach it as a remnant of the ’90s, rather than a modern game. There’s no avoiding that the graphics are hideously dated, even with the polish that’s been applied. AI is weak at best, summed up for almost all enemies as “charge and attack,” and that includes ones with ranged weaponry. Turok is a fun and playable revival, but there’s no ignoring that it’s a product of its time. On the other hand, that time made some fantastic games, and while Turok was only ever mid-tier at best, the improvements in framerate, controls and graphic effects have improved it immensely. Racing full-speed through the levels, using massive firepower to blast enemies that just get more ridiculous as you go, getting lost in the levels before learning the layouts, and marveling at the best explosion effects 1997 had to offer makes for an excellent round of modern-retro gaming. Turok is a great example of a type of game the FPS genre moved away from, and is actually better to play now than it was in its original version.

• PS4
• 2.5 / 5
• États-Unis

It's a shame that a mechanic as promising as playing as a toddler -- and all the repercussions surrounding it -- is underplayed here, as tied in with a psychological leaning in horror, Among the Sleep could have offered a fresh take in what is a painstakingly underused concept in games. Sadly, with a game that risks playing out the same formula ad nauseam, there's little in the way of a compelling narrative or set of gameplay circumstances that make Krillbite Studio's efforts look anything other than introductory. Intriguing an introduction it might be, Among the Sleep relies too heavily on safety in numbers rather than fleshing out what is so clearly established well. Charming as it might seem, Krillbite's attempt at horror turns out about as scary as a brightly-colored bed sheet.

• PS4
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

If you’ve wanted to play another Amplitude game for the past generation, then this is going to scratch your itch and then some. Harmonix has delivered a reboot that perfectly captures the spirit and rock solid mechanics of the original, which is something that should be commended. The issues here revolve around the fact that this game, perhaps more than any other rhythm title in memory, inspires players to crave DLC due to its relatively shallow track list and its content-light package. Make no mistake, the core gameplay here is worth the price of admission alone, but if you’re looking for a music title that will last you for months to come, then you’re going to have to venture into the plastic instrument sector. Maybe this is simply a launching point for the ultimate Amplitude game that will blow us all away. Instead, what we have is a solid palette cleanser that will ultimately inspire palpable feelings of nostalgia and wonder for a fleeting moment.

• PSP
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Summon Night 5 is an SRPG that needs to be played by anyone who likes the genre. It’s a love letter to fans of a somewhat bygone era of Japanese roleplaying games and manages to deliver on nearly all fronts, be it story, characterization, gameplay or presentation. 2015 has been kind to the strategy-RPG genre and there are plenty of great titles out there vying for players’ time, but do yourself a favor and play Summon Night 5 before nearly all of those. It feels uniquely magical and unlike most other games on the market right now.

• PC
• 3 / 5
• États-Unis

Lightning Returns is the antithesis of its predecessors. The confined and plodding pace of the last two games is no more and the nonsensical narrative has been lightly improved. More still, the combat is hands-down the strongest of the three games. Unfortunately, Lightning’s new quest isn’t without its limitations, as while the visual fidelity has improved thanks to the transition to the significantly more flexible platform, the six year old engine is showing its age and the degree past assets are used is almost criminal. The countdown clock will also be off-putting to those who like to take their time and explore to their heart’s content. There seems to be a general lack of content, too, as the game feels like it should only be about fifteen hours long instead of upwards of forty. For the PC port, Square Enix has done wonders, with upwards of a 1080p resolution and a non-demanding 60fps, improving heavily over the somewhat subpar looking PS3 predecessor. Unfortunately, it’s not all roses and rainbows as there could have been more graphical options and a lot of the existing assets, specifically shadow resolution and texture work, show their age. Regardless of these issues, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII’s PC port is a solid one that only enhances the conclusion to the Fabula Nova Crystallis finale. It may be one step forward and two steps back in the overall Final Fantasy XIII series, but it is still an attractive package.

• 3DS
• 3.5 / 5
• États-Unis

Other than the Resident Evil offerings, there simply aren’t a lot of good survival horror games on the 3DS, so even this remake of an eight year old game is welcome. In a marketplace where the genre is well represented by dozens of games on current consoles and PC, nothing about Dementium Remastered is going to seem revelatory, but it’s a competent update to a game much appreciated by fans in its day. It looks good and sounds creepy and unsettling and though Renegade Kid has tweaked the gameplay and systems to make it friendlier, Dementium Remastered is still a victim of some awkward controls, borderline bland level design and an overall feeling of repetition.

• WIIU
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

At every turn, FAST Racing NEO bombards players with challenging action. It's often unforgiving, and doesn't take any steps to welcome players new to fast-paced racing, but those brave or skilled enough to summit the steep learning curve will find an exhilarating experience that is unrivaled on Wii U. Its color-coded racing improves upon the F-Zero formula, and even if the mutiplayer fails to meet its potential, FAST Racing NEO is challenging and riveting enough to keep players busy for a long while, whether driving solo or with friends.

• PS3
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

It may have taken a number of years to get here, but Yakuza 5 was worth the wait. It’s not only the most robust and well-executed game in the series, it’s also one of the best games of last generation. It’s the perfect swansong for the PS3 and should be played by anyone with even a passing interest in open-world, action, fighting, role-playing, story-driven games or, well, just games in general. It effectively transcends its genre and can truly be enjoyed by people who don’t usually get into such non-linear experiences thanks to the wonderful implementation of a host of systems that are all fully-realized and compelling. There’s so much to do here that Yakuza 5 could easily last into the hundreds of hours range and wouldn’t drag its feet for a single minute of it. This is how Japanese gaming rose to prominence and stayed at the top for so long. If you’ve written it off in recent years, then this is a reason to come back, because Yakuza 5 is the pinnacle of eastern games development, bar none. It’s even more than that, though, as this could stand toe-to-toe with the best out there, be it western- or eastern-developed. Just do yourself a favor and buy this game.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Fat Princess was subversive, politically incorrect and unexpectedly complex in its strategy and depth. Fat Princess Adventures trades a little of that depth for a more straightforward, action RPG-focused design. The top-notch voice cast and obviously talented writers are underutilized by the trite main story, but moment-to-moment deliver wit and charm in their performances. The art direction and visuals are kind of wonderful, and the action and gameplay -- especially in co-op -- is simple but fun and rewarding, at least in the short term.

• VITA
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

Since Earth Defense Force 2017 was brought stateside on the 360, this cult favorite series has seen its share of ups and downs. While interesting, the western-developed Insect Armageddon was not what fans were wanting. The follow up from the original developers, Sandlot, found in 2025 was good, but somewhat flabby. This Vita version of an older title has managed to up the game, surpassing the goofy, B-movie fun found in 2017. Anyone who has not yet experienced one of these titles is highly encouraged to start here.

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

It would be easy to blow off Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair as just another HD remake, but that wouldn't give it credit for how much better it plays now that it's got appropriate processing muscle behind its enemy-packed levels. Simply put, Earth Defense Force has never looked or played as good as this, and while the framerate still drops a bit when the action gets particularly intense, it's never anything but playable. Whether flying through the air as the Wing Diver, breaking out the heavy weaponry as the Lancer, dropping turrets as an Air Raider, or simply blasting everything that moves as the Ranger, everything is sharper, smoother and just plain more fun in this update. The story is as ridiculous as it's ever been, told like a radio play during comms chatter as the mission unfolds, providing the perfect audio backdrop as you level a city with each explosive encounter. The action is huge, the enemies gigantic and the firepower overwhelming. Earth Defense Force 4.1 is finally the game the series has always tried to be.

• PS4
• 4 / 5
• États-Unis

• PS4
• 4.5 / 5
• États-Unis

The Bit.Trip is a must for anyone who owned any of the original games on the Wii, or heard of them and just wants to try them out. Their designs are simplistic in theory, but a riot to play. They challenge you constantly, but feature a gradual learning curve that never gets overwhelming. Every game included in this collection is fun to play in either short bursts or longer stretches. They play like a dream on the DualShock 4 and look better than ever before on the PS4 thanks to a widescreen presentation. They’re also some of the best-sounding chiptune-based games out there.