IGN

• PS5
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Volgarr the Viking 2 is not a bad game, but it is one that feels at odds with itself. It’s built on a foundation of encouraging you to master the very precise and careful spacing in both its combat and platforming, which starts out quite compelling… but once you use six continues, you’re locked into a mode that throws all of the precision out the window as you become impervious to all damage. And even if it didn’t eventually trivialize itself with the Zombie Volgarr mode, the levels themselves are too long to be suited for that kind of incremental mastery unless you have the patience of a saint or the skill of a speedrunner. Even as someone who generally loves hard-as-nails games, Volgarr the Viking 2 disappointingly crosses the line from satisfying challenge to unfair frustration too often to recommend it.

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

SteamWorld Heist 2’s charming adventure refines the original game’s clever turn-based combat with a flexible mix-and-match class system and handmade maps that are built around using teamwork to accomplish their objectives and escape unscathed. On top of that, it serves up a light and entertaining real-time nautical exploration game as a palette cleanser between battles, and swapping between them helps things stay fresh for more than twice the first game’s 15-hour length. It’s occasionally mired in grinding to unlock the next area and the skill system will make you waste a lot of XP if you don’t know what’s coming, but there’s no shortage of loot, amusingly off-kilter robot characters, and fantastic original folksy music along the way.

• XSX/S
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

I find myself thinking a lot about that guy I overheard who is buying a $500 console just to play College Football 25. I wonder if he, as someone who doesn’t play a lot of video games, is having fun – because despite the NCAA’s wider appeal, it feels like anyone who doesn’t already know how to play EA’s football games is likely to have a bad time. If you know and love college football and just want to pop into Dynasty, build up your favorite school, and play some football that looks good and handles well, College Football 25 is the game you’re looking for. If you’re expecting a great off-the-field experience at your program of choice, however, you’re going to be disappointed. Sure, maybe EA will fix the UI issues, add a proper tutorial, and flesh out the modes a bit more in next year’s iteration; we tell ourselves that a lot in sports (and sports games) to comfort us when we’re let down. “We’ll get ‘em next year.” But promises of tomorrow aren’t certain, and they’re not what you’re buying when you get College Football 25. It isn’t a bad game, and it certainly gets the on-field action right, but it’s not a great one, either. Like any good-but-not-great football team, there’s a solid foundation here; you just hope it can reach its full potential somewhere down the line. We’ll get ‘em next year, right?

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Nobody Wants to Die’s relatively brief story isn’t a completely original concept, but it has a cool mix of inspirations and unique worldbuilding touches that all work well together to create something new and engaging. There’s a bit too much hand-holding for a game about the art of investigation, but its conversation system picks up the slack with humor, unexpected outcomes, and a surprisingly deep story about how impactful your past can be on your present — even when you’re facing immortality.

• PS4
• PS5
• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Earth Defense Force 6 is yet another riotous entry in one of the most ridiculous and corny series ever to make very poor use of our fancy gaming hardware. It looks at least a decade out of date, is absolutely dripping with plot holes and awful voice acting, and has some of the silliest combat I’ve seen in a long time – but all of that only works to its credit, coming together as a game I’ve happily lost dozens of hours of my life to while giggling like an idiot. Not all of its rough edges add to its charm, though, and an overly long campaign filled with repetitive levels and some irritating design choices definitely work against it. But those things are pretty easy to forgive when you accidentally blow your friends up with a rocket launcher that sends giant ants sailing into the air and skyscrapers crumbling into rubble.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

F1 Manager 2024 doesn't completely escape the pitfalls that come with being an annual series, though evolutionary changes make this a welcome third outing. New features like creating your own team offer strong customization options, and securing victories with a tailor-made squad feels even sweeter than building upon an existing one. The mechanical faults and expanded sponsorship systems add welcome strategic depth, too. Several flaws like the tedious contracts system and sprint format, could use further work, and some lingering issues like collision damage haven’t been solved, but this is still Frontier's best take on a Formula 1 management sim yet.

• SWITCH
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Like NES Remix and WarioWare before it, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition offers a good way to revisit challenging moments from a selection of classic NES games. The small library has more winners than losers – the shorter and more instantly repeatable the better – and even the silliest of tasks (like refilling Kid Icarus’s life by wallowing in a hot spring) can be goofy fun. Challenging yourself to improve or competing with your friends has some lasting appeal, but the weekly cycle of the online events artificially limits the fun. With its lovingly portrayed and accurate pixel art, music, and gameplay, these sample-sized portions of chopped up ROMs can serve as a good entrypoint for discovering and understanding their appeal for the first time.

• PS5
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

While the early hours are a bit rough, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is one of those soulslikes that only gets better as you get further in, unlocking more of the interesting skills that allow you to fully take advantage of its attack chains and XP multipliers. However, you’ll need to want to head off the beaten path to tackle sidequests, find optional fights, or interact with various NPCs to earn weapons and upgrades in order to get the most out of it. Thankfully, Flintlock respects your time while doing so with its use of shortcuts, fast travel, and other ways of making exploring fun and easy. It may have an abridged run time compared to other RPGs, but it makes good use of that time with interesting sidequests and an excellent minigame. Unfortunately, Flintlock’s story meanders a bit towards the middle and wastes a few opportunities that could have let its main characters shine, but this adventure did leave me interested to find out where Nor and Enki will go next.

• XSX/S
• PC
• PS5
• PS4
• XONE
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an exciting action-strategy hybrid that left me yearning to know more about its inspirations and intricacies. The satisfying day-night structure of its stages evoked that overwhelming “just one more thing” feeling that easily had me losing track of time – and while it could occasionally be tainted by busy work base management deeper in, the overall experience was a delightfully unique one. It’s not the most challenging action game around, but the strategy it demands is still satisfying, and its wide range of interesting enemy designs and quiet but effective storytelling are something I’ll remember for a long while. It’s an odd thought, but I’m glad a game as enigmatic as Kunitsu-Gami exists.

• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is an exciting new start for the series. With a fresh cast of characters joined by a handful of familiar faces, it’s a welcoming point for potential new fans to jump in while also rewarding veteran players for returning. Daybreak’s updated hybrid battle system still has a few kinks to work out with its real-time elements, but enhanced movement options and other impressive tweaks make the turn-based aspects better than ever. Wrap that up in an engaging story full of political drama and a compelling new setting, and Daybreak is exactly what the Trails series needed to reach new heights.

• IOS
• ANDROID
• PC
• PS5
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

By leaning into early 2000s nostalgia and then blending it with a stylish vision for the future, Zenless Zone Zero crafts an inimitable world that is easy to get invested in. Exploring New Eridu and getting to know this charming cast both in and out of combat was a thrilling ride I was keen to keep at for hours on end. It’s not necessarily as deep as many of its gameplay inspirations, and momentum-killing hacking puzzles can sometimes sour the mood slightly – but with exhilarating, approachable combat and so many extracurricular activities to take care of, it was always easy to turn a corner and get swept back up in the captivating culture of Zenless Zone Zero.

• SWITCH
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

With its substantially enhanced graphics and more flexible twin-stick control setup, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is undoubtedly the definitive version of Luigi’s second apparition-filled adventure. If you’re a newcomer to the series – or perhaps you only came onboard with Luigi’s Mansion 3 and are working your way backwards – then there’s plenty of ghostbusting and puzzle-solving fun for you to find in Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD’s five haunted houses. However, if you’re a fan of the original Nintendo 3DS version and you were hoping for more dramatic gameplay changes or additions, then you may well be a touch disappointed. What’s more, playing this remaster in the wake of the third game may put its limitations in an unfavourable light. All told, though, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a great installment in Nintendo’s spectre-snaring series, even if it’s not the best one you can play on the Switch.

• PC
• 10 / 10
• États-Unis

FromSoftware says Shadow of the Erdtree is the only expansion Elden Ring will get, so it’s fortunate that it’s hard to imagine a better DLC than this – as long as you’re not hoping for it to do anything radically outside the box. Everything I loved about the original has been condensed into an incredibly tight package – one that’s the size of many standalone games all on its own, and can only be considered “small” in comparison to the absolutely massive world of Elden Ring itself. Erdtree’s absolutely jam-packed with secrets, valuable treasures, challenging boss battles, and horrific monstrosities to face off against, as well as cool new weapons, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, talismans, and more to play around with and use to find even more novel ways to tackle its memorably brutal battles. Add on some very interesting lore revelations, not to mention the same spectacular visual design and stellar music that accompanies its larger-than-life bosses, and you’ve got what is certainly one of the best DLC expansions I’ve ever played.

• PC
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

I want to give Still Wakes the Deep all the credit it deserves for its fantastic art, dialogue, voiceover work, and setting. But it's frustrating to play with its nearly on-rails structure that actively scoffs at the idea of exploration. And as much as I wanted to be freaked out by it, I almost never was, trying as I might to set the mood as best as possible. It's the kind of game where I think watching someone else play through it and playing it yourself would be nearly identical experiences, and that doesn't make it easy for me to recommend.

• SWITCH
• PC
• PS5
• PS4
• XONE
• XSX/S
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

I was more than happy to revisit Shin Megami Tensei V, one of my favorite games of 2021, through this definitive version. Vengeance doesn't necessarily make drastic improvements per se, but I enjoyed the new twists, content, and quality of life upgrades it does bring all the same. And while the storyline and route exclusive to Vengeance are a bit better than the original, their appeal as a returning player is really just in how they shake things up at certain points. Don’t get it twisted, though – there’s never been a better time to play this hard-nosed RPG, if not for its satisfying turn-based combat, then for its masterful execution of a uniquely demonic world. There’s a certain attitude that comes through vividly in its art style, character design, and music that you just don’t get in other games. So, if you're simply looking for more SMT or have yet to experience Atlus’ devilish RPG series, Vengeance is absolutely worth seeing through.

• PC
• PS4
• PS5
• XONE
• XSX/S
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

Destiny 2’s potential was clear from the first time I blasted my way through The Red War seven years ago, but Bungie never actually realized much of that potential until The Final Shape. This finale expansion’s story largely succeeds at delivering a satisfying ending, the raid is brutal and epic, the Prismatic subclasses breathe fresh life into combat, and the new enemy faction adds some much-needed variety to the things you’ll spend hours shooting in the face. None of that makes Destiny’s avalanche of confusing RPG systems, currencies, and storylines any easier to digest – but for the first time in a long while, I can wholeheartedly recommend pushing through that darkness, because there’s now a bright and beaming light at the end of the tunnel.

• PC
• IOS
• ANDROID
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Wuthering Waves combo-heavy action, mobility, and monster taming enhance combat and exploration enough to respectably distinguish it from competitors. Its combat is polished and sophisticated, rewarding reactivity and pushing me to carefully consider my builds and teams. On top of that, the Echo equipment system ties your character progression into the environment in a way that encourages exploration, which can be satisfying despite the repetitive process of fighting overworld mobs. Unfortunately, the story is a bland, exposition-heavy slog, with dull writing and voice acting that rarely kept me interested. But while the quests may not be what’s pulling me along, I’m still looking forward to checking back in with the next major update to see how Wuthering Waves evolves.

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

In isolation, F1 24 remains a slick, deep, and marvellous motorsports experience. If you’re a racing gamer who’s just getting into F1 (or an F1 fan who’s just getting into gaming) it’s terrific stuff, packed with options, assists, and various other tweakable toggles to make it hugely approachable to F1 fans of all skill levels. However, if you’re a returning player of F1 23, and F1 22, and so on, it’s hard to deem F1 24 essential. Despite its refurbished career mode and handling overhaul, it’s basically a neck and neck finish with the last few years’ versions. And when you have a head start, that’s kind of a loss.