IGN

• PC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a gorgeous antique city-builder that sucked me in for dozens of hours as I planned out my next district or simply watched the bustle along my aqueduct-accented boulevards. I think this series and I were always destined to hit it off, but we kept missing each other or meeting up at the wrong times. I really get Anno now, and I could hardly be more enthused. The fantastic, deep trade system with a side of exciting naval combat really seals the deal. I could take or leave the campaign, but I still don't think I've run out of things to do in the highly customizable endless mode. It may not quite be fit for a triumph, but is certainly worthy of a standing ovation.

• SWITCH2
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom left a lot of unanswered questions perfect for exploring in a prequel, but Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment isn’t all that interested in answering them. What it is interested in is weaving together iconic mechanics from its source material to deliver the best musou action the series has seen yet. It constantly rewards your knowledge of Tears of the Kingdom through clever, often hilarious movesets that recontextualize abilities to fit its over-the-top action, as well as smaller payoffs like boss weaknesses that are consistent across the pair of games. Carving through thousands of enemies remains fun throughout the roughly 18-hour campaign and beyond thanks to constant upgrades, smart systems that encourage you to use a variety of characters, and great technical performance. It’s just a shame that Age of Imprisonment fails to tell a story worthy of its potential, choosing to deviate from deepening our understanding of Tears of the Kingdom’s lore in favor of focusing on new characters who are completely unrelated. That direction isn’t inherently bad, but if you were hoping for a prequel that meaningfully pulls on lingering threads like the Zonai, Ganondorf, the Secret Stones, or the Sages, you won’t find it here. But when the prequel we have to settle for in its place is a seriously fun action game with tons of optional content to keep you going, it’s still a trip into the past that’s well worth taking.

• SWITCH2
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake beautifully concludes Square Enix’s remake trilogy. By using the iconic HD-2D style, it’s able to recapture the retro magic of the originals while giving them a modern facelift. Both games adhere to old-school turn-based combat that holds up despite being fairly simple, with the first offering a tightly focused solo adventure and the second being more expansive with its party-based structure – not to mention its stronger emphasis on storytelling and character development. By including helpful quality-of-life features, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D remake feels approachable without losing that warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling. And while it doesn’t resolve some uneven difficulty woes, when taken alongside last year’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, this collection stands as a heartfelt tribute to the origins of Dragon Quest’s enduring RPG legacy.

• SWITCH2
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Once you've given Full Metal Schoolgirl a couple runs, you've pretty much seen it all. There are decent ideas with potential that meld the shooter genre and roguelike framework well – it's unfortunate that they get squandered by foundational shortcomings. Whether it be a misunderstanding of what makes the genre work or an intentionally derivative take on roguelike games, the loop it creates is woefully repetitive with boring level design. Although I found some mindless fun since its fundamental gameplay is decent and shines a bit brighter towards the very end, it's certainly not good enough to redeem this monotonous shooter. The anime-inspired charm wears thin as its tropes quickly become annoying, even if its premise shows promise. I got into a groove in its final hour as I ascended the last floors with gear and upgrades that were fun to use, but the climb to get there wasn't exactly worth the slog.

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

If you're nostalgic for the survival horror games of old, Tormented Souls 2 can provide a modern-looking trip down memory lane, with all the good and bad that brings. It has a tense atmosphere to soak up and some gorgeously spooky locations to explore, but you’ll need to push through janky combat and a bit of backtracking to enjoy them. Its esoteric puzzles really test your brainpower in a way that could sometimes frustrate, but also delighted the part of me that missed smashing key items together to see what would happen. There's a lot to enjoy here, as well as plenty that perhaps should have remained in the past, but Tormented Souls 2 still manages to stand as an entertaining callback to the adventures that made contemporary horror gaming what it is.

• PC
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Double Dragon Revive feels less like a return to glory that its title might suggest, and more like a police sketch of someone trying to describe what the series they loved looked like from memory. There’s the important details you’d need to identify it by – simple combat with big super attacks, peacocking bad guys of all shapes and sizes, the subway, casino, and elevator stages required by law to be in games like this – but none of it feels distinct or special, and the parts in which it's passable get held back by wonky, unresponsive controls and maddening difficulty spikes. Revival suggests reinvigoration, but this feels more like exhuming a shambling corpse.

• PC
• XSX/S
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The Outer Worlds 2 doesn’t try to rewrite Obsidian’s RPG playbook, but it’s yet another strong refinement, with smoother combat, diabolically compelling buildcrafting and loot, and a story that immediately made me want to start again to see an alternate outcome. The sluggish first act and lack of enemy variety make it a bit of a slog at certain times, but once its story of political intrigue kicks in and the new flaws and perks system gets its claws in you, it can be quite hard to put down. All these improvements put The Outer Worlds 2 that much closer to being the Fallout: New Vegas successor we hoped this series would be, and that’s worth getting excited about.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

I couldn’t stop smiling as each melon, shoe, playing card, traffic cone, and house satisfyingly snapped into place on my whirling clump of stuff as I rolled across time and space. The only time Once Upon A Katamari broke my delirious grin was when it tickled my ears with riffs so funky the bassist practically reached through my TV’s speakers and slapped a stank face out of me (and that’s meant as a compliment). This appropriately ostentatious, energetic return is the best the Katamari series has been since the PlayStation 2 era. With cleverly implemented tweaks to the ever-satisfying gauntlet of rolling delights, a stellar soundtrack, and offbeat charm in spades, there will always be room on my hard drive for Once Upon A Katamari.

• SWITCH
• PS5
• XSX/S
• PC
• PS4
• SWITCH2
• XONE
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted adds new vigor to a tower defense classic that still holds up 16 years later. It focuses on consolidating all the content from its many different versions into one package, while also introducing some decent new modes, a few quality-of-life improvements, and inconsistently updated visuals. Some of its attempts to remaster the original come with questionable design and stylistic choices, which can occasionally undermine its otherwise commendable updates. Still, Replanted provides a good way to get introduced to or re-acquainted with one of the quirkiest puzzle-strategy games of the 2000s.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Line up ladies and gentlemen, and see the rare example of a sequel to a special game that knew just what to tweak, and what to leave well enough alone. The meditative motions of cleaning, the silly sense of humor, and the sense of satisfaction. There's enough here to justify slapping a big old 2 on the end of the title, but the key mechanic and feeling of the first game lives on.

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

If I may really channel my inner Toreador, I have a complicated, love-hate relationship with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 that feels almost impossible to boil down into a simple thesis statement or, certainly, a single-digit number. At times I want to be alone with it in a moment of passion, and at others I want to strangle the life out of it. Nested within the things that bug me about it are bits that I love, and in the parts I like the most I can detect the subtle whiff of things I loathe. There is a story well worth experiencing that nevertheless let me down brutally in the end. It gets so much right about how it should feel to play as one of the Kindred through every stolen bite and scrappy brawl while completely ignoring certain crucial aspects of it. Did I enjoy it? Certainly. That's an easy yes. Would I recommend it? That's a much more complicated question. The thing is, I could say the same about the original Bloodlines as well, despite the two being such different animals. Both are deeply flawed, yet unique and remarkable bites at the apple. Or, I guess, the jugular. And that may be the best compliment I can pay it.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

When it comes to combat, there are few games I’d consider to even be in the same ballpark as Ninja Gaiden 4. It is quite simply the most fun I’ve had with a 3D action game since Devil May Cry 5. Its disappointing story, bland level design, and uneven boss battles certainly put a damper on the package as a whole, but they haven’t stopped me from continuously coming back for more all the same. Blemishes and all, this is the best pure action game since Hi-Fi Rush, and hopefully it doesn’t take another 13 years for the next one.

• XSX/S
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

In the first Jurassic Park movie, there’s a moment when the main characters see dinosaurs in the wild for the first time and they’re almost frozen in amazement. The Jurassic World Evolution series has done an incredible job of recreating that feeling since its first installment. Seeing your first dinos leave their incubation center is always a thrill, and it gets even more exciting when your park becomes populated by pteranodons, megalodons, fierce carnivores, looming long-necked herbivores, and hybrid species that defy man and nature. Jurassic World Evolution 3 builds on an already impressive foundation to give aspiring dinosaur theme park managers more control than ever before. New features and quality-of-life updates make the third installment the pinnacle of the series, even if the Scenario mode doesn’t hold a candle to the previous game’s Chaos Theory. If building and maintaining a dinosaur theme park is your idea of a good time, Evolution 3 has plenty to offer.

• PC
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

A surreal painting come to life, Keeper is a stunning puzzle game that carefully balances its moreish mechanics with a heartfelt story. Its levels are teeming with life to interact with and interesting objects to ogle, with each scene framed by a percussive driving score. The leading duo might not speak. But, well-executed animations and a soundboard of affecting chirps and creaks imbue them with a spirit that grows on you fast. Adorable in premise, Keeper is a psychedelic exploration of life packed into a brief runtime that’s well worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime.

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

At nine missions and just five hours, Battlefield 6’s campaign’s flame doesn’t burn for long, and it doesn’t burn particularly bright in that time, either. It’s a staggering spectacle to behold at times, and a treat for the ears at others, but when it comes to mission design and an engaging plot, it fails to deliver at all. A quick afternoon of fun, it's a safe reimagining of what Battlefield once was, but far from a bold reinvention of what it could, and maybe should, be now.

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Absolum is an excellent beat ‘em up let down by a roguelite structure that doesn’t serve it. I hate being limited by numbers instead of skill in action games, and in the early hours here, it feels like you’re a slave to them. Once you get to the point where each run has you making substantial progress and the story picks up, Absolum is very compelling. But it took me a long time to get there. Gorgeous artwork, an excellent soundtrack, and smart combat spread out among several distinct characters do a lot to carry it, but they can’t fix the feeling of dread when I died, again, and realized that I would have to do some variation of the same exact thing once more. I’m not against failure; I just wish there was more variety to it, and Absolum doesn’t find that until a good way into its runtime. That it manages to emerge as an exciting beat ‘em up in spite of that is a testament to the skill and work of its developers. But it would be a lot better if it just got on with it. Unlike Absolum’s heroes, I’ve only got one life to live.

• PC
• PS5
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Yooka-Replaylee aims to overhaul a platformer that was rife with frustrating issues, and while it does feel better for it, none of its changes do enough to bring it close to the 3D platforming standards of today. Improvements to the movement of both your camera and character, the upgraded graphics, and the removal of unnecessary annoyances like having to unlock abilities over time are all fantastic changes. But all of the bending that was done to modernize this thing has resulted in an almost equal number of drawbacks, like a story that has been unsatisfyingly chopped up and a search for Pagies that feels a bit too easy given how many are now crammed into each area. So unless your nostalgia for this kind of 3D platformer is particularly strong, there aren’t a ton of compelling reasons to revisit this one.

• PS5
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Despite a pair of new protagonists and the inclusion of two-player support for the first time in the series, Little Nightmares 3 doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from the previous two adventures, making each step through its shadowy structures less full of dread and more like a retread. There are some memorably morbid moments here and there, and the Carnavale chapter is a standout, but the constant crate-pushing and instant-fail chase sequences feel all too familiar at this point. Little Nightmares 3 features little innovation, few scares, and limited appeal if you’ve already played the previous two games, unless you’re dead keen to experience the series’ signature brand of stop-start stealth with a friend in tow.