IGN

• XONE
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS4
• XONE
• 8.3 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 8.3 / 10
• États-Unis

• VITA
• PS4
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

I wanted to love Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment for its enjoyable exploration and addictive combat. Unfortunately, the embarrassing romance system, confusing Hollow Missions and wonky translation overshadowed any fun I was having.

• PC
• PS3
• PS4
• VITA
• WIIU
• X360
• XONE
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Uneven and undercooked, Disney Infinity 2.0 isn’t the major upgrade I expected. It lacks the playful fun and diversity that made Infinity 1.0 so great last year. A few things are better – characters, old and new, feel more distinct and combat has been improved, and The Toy Box has made creation more inviting and less overwhelming. Disney Infinity 2.0 feels very much like a franchise that’s still finding its way, but I hope it doesn’t forget that what made it fun wasn’t the cool characters it had at its disposal but the way in which it played with them.

• WIIU
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Surprisingly, Hyrule Warriors does a good job of tying together the combat of Dynasty Warriors and the revered characters and lore of the Legend of Zelda series in a way that makes me feel powerful in a world I love. Character customization adds unique flavor to the simple combat, and the satisfying weapons, rewards, and story make it a fun alternative to the typically serious Zelda games. It’s just a shame you can’t share the action with a friend without significant slowdown.

• 3DS
• 8.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• VITA
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis

Hyperdimension Neptunia: Re;Birth1 attempts to give new life to its source material, but it straddles the past and present too much and doesn’t find its footing. Is it a satire, or a laughable caricature? How is the varied battle system supposed to be engaging when it makes everything too easy? It’s not strongly one thing or the other, which makes it decidedly average. I grew fond of the characters during my playthrough — one of my favorite things about gaming! — but that made me even more uncomfortable when weird, pseudo-satirical sexual conversations cropped up. However, it’s still enjoyable and super adorable, which makes it worth the playthrough if you’re looking for light, easy fun.

• PS3
• X360
• PS4
• XONE
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

NHL 15 is a tough game to size up. I truly do believe that gameplay is king, and it's there that NHL 15 shines brightly. It plays extremely well, whether online or offline, proving why EA Sports' long-running series has been the king of the ice for over 20 years. But there needs to be a reason to keep playing, and it's there that NHL 15 falls short and feels somewhat vacant. The jump to new-gen hardware has left behind a host of missing features and options that we had last year, and that's simply not acceptable. A barebones Practice Mode, no Season Mode, gutted GM Mode and Be A Pro Mode, no Winter Classic, and missing online features are just as easy to count as what's still there, and that's troubling. NHL 15 is a blast to play, but it doesn’t have the staying power I expect.

• PS4
• XONE
• 9.7 / 10
• États-Unis

We’ve all spent a lot of time playing games where the goal is to kill things and break stuff down. It’s nice to finally play a game about building something up. Reshaping a pristine landscape into new world using your own two hands while things try to kill you isn’t just an amazingly rewarding gaming experience, it’s a clever retelling of human history. In a way, this is what we’re all instinctively driven to do, and Minecraft captures it brilliantly on new-gen systems.

• XONE
• PC
• 8.3 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

Hatoful Boyfriend has a strange premise, and though it embraces that weirdness fully, it is able to surpass the label of silly dating sim by presenting interesting themes and characters through strong writing. Though it has some pacing issues and a seemingly useless upgrade system, the funny, meaningful stories had me reading right past them.

• PS4
• PS3
• X360
• XONE
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

Simplistic “it’s like X mixed with Y” comparisons don’t really add up when attempting to explain what Destiny is, or why it’s worth playing. It borrows from many well-established gaming destinations, but the climate of each is wildly different, and often incompatible. It’s a complex production that boils down simply to this: Destiny is a mechanically excellent, visually evocative FPS housed within an under-developed RPG framework. The endgame might hook you for the long haul once you fully understand it, but Destiny is ultimately unable to be all the different games it’s trying so hard to be.

• PC
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Transitioning from The Sims 3 to The Sims 4 is a little rough. The Sims 4 seems barren of content and features by comparison, especially with regard to the severely limited scope of the world and frequent (but much shorter) loading screens and noticeable absence of toddlers, pools, and cars. It’s not so much that Maxis didn’t recreate all the same features, but rather that there aren’t enough cool new things to replace what’s missing. Yet The Sims 4 does succeed in being a deep and complex game when it comes to Sim interactions, with lots of entertaining emotional potential. The emotions system and its contextual actions are really strong and added to my investment in my Sims as well as my enjoyment from watching ridiculousness unfold. Plus, excellent building tools make architecture more fun than ever. Overall, it’s a good start to what may eventually be expanded into a great Sims game, but it’s not there yet.

• 3DS
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

I had a lot of fun playing Azure Striker Gunvolt, even if some questionable design decisions hamstrung it in some unfortunate ways. Inspired by Mega Man X -- especially in terms of its level design, visual aesthetic, and accompanying soundtrack -- Inti Creates still managed to craft something uniquely its own, especially when it comes to its novel combat. With just the right pace, an appropriate level of challenge, and some customization options that make it much more than just another old-school side-scroller, Azure Striker Gunvolt comes heavily recommended to those that want to relive a sliver of the platformer golden era.

• 3DS
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 6.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Lichdom: Battlemage suffers from an over-reliance on linear level design and samey enemy types, but few other games deliver such a memorable brand of action-packed magic combat. The loot-driven nature of its complex but rewarding spellcrafting evokes some of the thrill of Diablo or Borderlands, and the resulting customization allows for multiple playstyles to shine. It's a challenging and occasionally frustrating beast, but the magic of Lichdom: Battlemage is that such struggles make achieving victory all the more rewarding.

• X360
• VITA
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds may have nice animations, interesting, old-school-inspired environments, and the heart of a classic beat-'em-up, but its gameplay pales in comparison to its more quality-oriented, difficult, and well-balanced competition. It's an easy, almost mindless romp. Should you throw caution to the wind and download it anyway, go in with seriously tempered expectations. Even with unlockable characters, Trophies to earn, a surprisingly deep leveling system, and multiple difficulty levels, it's hard to imagine truly engaging with Battle Grounds for very long.