IGN

• PC
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

While Ara: History Untold is a visually captivating historical 4X with an interesting underlying economy, it gets bogged down well before the midway point, mainly because it doesn’t provide enough tools and UI support to manage all of the things it expects you to manage. Your choice of leader, religion, and government almost always simply add uninteresting passive modifiers, which means most playthroughs will feel roughly the same other than the layout of the map itself. I had a pretty decent time with my march through the ages, especially in the first of its three acts. But it did require me to eventually give up on trying to play optimally, passing turns without doing anything until I emerged victorious. A lot of these systems are exciting and clever in their design – they're just not that enjoyable to interact with past a certain point.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Building up multiple colonies, researching technologies, and passing laws in Frostpunk 2 is quite the act of plate-spinning. Just about anything you do is bound to make one of your city’s factions angry at you, and a powerful storm can literally and figuratively freeze your whole economy. This is a city-building sequel that might have lost some of the intimacy of the original by thinking bigger, but what it’s gained through its ambitious philosophy of reinvention rather than iteration means you can play it immediately after the original and not feel like you’ve done most of this before.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Above all, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster preserves the iconic original’s experience while including some very logical and welcome modern adjustments, like auto-saving, a new navigation system, and NPCs that seem less inclined to serve themselves for lunch. Not all the new voice acting is an improvement – and there are a variety of other tedious flaws that have gone unfixed – but wading back into the Willamette Parkview Mall after all these years has been an effective reminder of just how brilliant the original Dead Rising was back in 2006. Coaxing as many hapless consumers as I can back through throngs of the festering undead is as compulsive as it was nearly two decades ago. At the very least, now that I’ve paused to actually package this review together, it’s still gnawing at me to return – and that’s the sign of any great game (or reasonably effective zombie, for that matter).

• PC
• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Aside from the fundamentals of combat, Enotria: The Last Song really tries to step outside of the box when it comes to dressing up the standard soulslike. The sun-drenched environments and wild, Italian folklore-inspired character designs are a real breath of fresh air straight from Italy’s Alps. Combat is fun, even when the difficulty spikes unexpectedly (since most of those fights are optional anyway) and despite the bloat of many, many systems that govern all of the more nuanced abilities and stats. The unapproachability of its RPG systems, and the wonky performance when a smooth frame rate matters the most are what really prevent Enotria from taking center stage.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

At its heights, The Plucky Squire is a beautiful Zelda-inspired adventure filled with brilliant wordplay-packed puzzles. Jot’s ability to manipulate his own storybook from both the outside and within result in clever dimension-hopping mechanics and solutions that make each problem a joy to unpack. While genuinely funny at times, its wordy script often gets in the way of the action and occasionally spoils a puzzle’s solution before it even begins. It also drags in its drawn-out final act, as the adventure continues a couple hours after it’s already used up all its best ideas. But prior to that late stumble, The Plucky Squire is full of surprises, breaking up its puzzles with cute minigame homages to classic video game genres and fun sections that take Jot outside of the pages of his story.

• PC
• PS4
• XSX/S
• PS5
• SWITCH
• 4 / 10
• États-Unis

Funko Fusion has no shortage of oversized heads, but between them all it still manages to contain precious little in the way of interesting new ideas. Its simplistic shooting is dull, its many bugs and backtracking requirements are exhausting, and its peculiar marriage of child-pleasing character styles and LEGO-like level design with a number of film and television licenses that are distinctly adult just seems ill-advised from the jump. Although it definitely nails the signature look of the pint-sized collectibles, it’s just not much fun to play which means that just like your Funko Pop collection it’s probably best left on the shelf.

• PC
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is far and away the most ambitious driving game that developer KT Racing has ever put together, but it’s plagued with problems. Forced online requirements that feel needlessly punitive towards solo players, inconsistent and non-adjustable AI difficulty levels, a stale car list, and chore-like progression all conspire to undermine an otherwise robust driving model and eye-catching open world. The former home of the WRC series has come out swinging with Solar Crown, but unfortunately the studio may have flown a little too close to the sun.

• PS5
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Astro Bot made me smile from beginning to end. A collection of endlessly inventive levels and fantastically fun abilities, it delivers joy in spades, never once becoming even remotely dull or repetitive. And while you don’t need a long history with Sony systems to enjoy it, it is especially a delight for those with a piece of PlayStation in their heart as a treasure trove full of playable nostalgia awaits. Taking the PS5 marketing mantra that “play has no limits” more seriously than you’d expect, Team Asobi has crafted a mascot platformer that goes near enough toe-to-toe with Nintendo's best efforts, and that's about as high a compliment as I can give it.

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

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a terrific third-person shooter with a compelling story, loads of weapons that are a blast to use, and a healthy variety of enemies to use them on. It once again borrows many of its ideas from the Gears of War series, but they’re good ideas, and Space Marine 2 does a fine job of making them its own. And while the Operations PvE mode that accompanies it doesn’t currently offer enough to keep me coming back, the deep customization options for your Space Marine do look promising if it’s supported in post-launch updates as planned. Besides, when you’re eviscerating aliens on planets as pretty as these, it’s hard not to leave satisfied.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

The more things change, the more they stay the same, and that’s never been more true than with NBA 2K25. Although the core gameplay feels familiar (and it most likely always will), a handful of improvements such as Go-To Moves, Rhythm Shooting, and Shot Timing Profiles also make it more novel and challenging. MyCareer remains the most important mode in the series, and I love that the Heart of a Dynasty storyline and the return of Streetball bring a sense of nostalgia and highlight a renewed focus on single-player experiences that I’ve finally been given reason to hope will be even better next year. Don’t get me wrong: microtransactions are still as pervasive and frustrating as ever, particularly when progressing your player online. But at least it doesn’t always feel necessary, especially in MyTeam, thanks to the much-needed restoration of the Auction House to allow you to earn cards without buying VC. To put it plainly, NBA 2K25 isn’t quite on the level of the splashy return of Michael Jordan in 1995. Instead, it feels more like his late-career stint with the Washington Wizards; you know what you’re getting at this point, but it still has a few tricks up its sleeves that longtime fans like me can be pleasantly surprised by even as we gripe about long-term issues.

• 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.