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Metareview: Mario Kart 8
Nintendo turned on the nitros with the new Wii U bundle for Mario Kart 8, not forgetting how every copy of the racer bundles in a code for a free game. Good thing, then, MK8 itself is a 4.5 stars winner according to Joystiq's Thomas Schulenberg. From his review: "Despite an unfortunate change to its battle mode, MK8 is a solid extra lap on a series with a great foundation. The gravity-shifting sections spliced into existing and new tracks feel like a natural extension of the series rather than a gameplay-changing revelation, but it's a strong complement to an already enjoyable experience. The social features are surprisingly solid and may even outlive the total course selection, but it helps that the new tracks feel as worthy of a revisit as the series' standouts." Of course, we're not the only kart lined up on the reviews grid. Head past the break for a quick ride through what others had to say on Mario Kart 8. [Image: Nintendo]
Metareview: Infamous: Second Son
Is Infamous: Second Son gaming Nirvana? Our four-and-a-half star review said that the game "represents a great leap forward both in terms of gameplay and in graphical fidelity, and establishes a high standard for what players can expect from the PlayStation 4," so even if it's not perfect, it's worth making room in your heart-shaped box for Delsin and company. But we're not the only tourists to developer Sucker Punch's vision of Seattle. Read past the break to see what others think of the Infamous series' PS4 debut.
Metareview: Metal Gear Solid 5 - Ground Zeroes
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is the amuse bouche of the bigger (and hopefully better) The Phantom Pain, which should sneak into stores sometime between October and the birth of standardized nanotechnology. Our review of this carved out experience called it "too good to be a cash-in, too calculated to be satisfying and too intriguing to spurn." If you want to see what all the la-li-lu-le-lo is about, check out our Joystiq Streams this Thursday at 4PM ET and watch our own Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello) play it for the first time. Head past the break to see what others think of the Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain prologue.
Metareview: Titanfall
Prepare for Titanfall! Today's the big day when the big mechs come falling from the sky. Our review said it "isn't tuned to perfection for everyone yet, but it starts as a smart, swift and startling movement in well-traveled space." If you're still cyber fence-sitting about the game, check out as team @Joystiq plays the game together today on Joystiq Streams at 4PM Eastern (1PM Pacific, 8PM UK). We'll have a post with the specifics up in a few hours. Let's see what everyone else has been saying about Respawn's debut game...
Metareview: South Park - The Stick of Truth
There may be friendly faces everywhere, but the South Park: The Stick of Truth launch trailer is prolifically NSFW, and it's slightly spoiler-y - but it's also pretty great. The game's not bad, either, according to our three-and-a-half-star review, which said, "If you can also forgive the repetitive nature of combat and some uninspired quests, it's worth taking up arms – or dildos – for The Stick of Truth's hilarious, disgusting adventure." Of course, we're not the only kid in the class. Head below the break for a sampling of what others had to say on The Stick of Truth.
Metareview: Thief
Say "hello" to Thief, the first game of the year with review scores across the board. Ours trended toward the higher side calling it a game where the "balance isn't entirely successful." Game Informer (80/100): "Locked behind this old-school game design is a gem that stealth fans should eye up for their collection." Edge (70/100): "Fans who take the time to customise their settings ahead of their first playthrough will find a rewarding world here to pick clean. Nevertheless, it's still difficult to shake the feeling that, for all his dexterity, Garrett has stumbled in his attempt to gain access to a new generation. IGN (68/100): "Between the hit-or-miss missions is an extremely annoying city hub map and a weak story full of bland characters, and Garrett himself isn't as sure-footed as a master thief ought to be. Ignoring the story and cherrypicking the best side missions is the best way to approach it." Gamespot (60/100): "Each time I thought I might fall in love, the game doused my passions with a new annoyance. There was the bug that had me swimming in place on top of some boards I'd leapt to. (Thank goodness for reloadable checkpoints!)" Telegraph (40/100): "I had more fun making my way up to bed in the dark after playing Thief than I did at any point during its benighted trudge across The City." [Image: SquareEnix]
Metareview: Lightning Returns - Final Fantasy 13
Lightning's last two outings were far from universally acclaimed, so while a lot of things are surprising about her goodbye game, a mixed critical reaction isn't one of them. Managing Editor Susan Arendt's four-star analysis says Lightning Returns is "a fitting farewell for the final chapter of XIII's saga," but for some reviewers, it's more a case of good riddance. Check past the break for a selection of the game's reviews.
Metareview: Fighter Within
There are games so bad that even trying to review them is a paradox. We simply couldn't do it with Ubisoft's Xbox One Kinect game Fighter Within. At least Aliens: Colonial Marines was sport. Fighter Within is... well, is it possible for a publisher to put out product just for the trolololol? Games Radar (40/100): "Boring fighters, advanced attacks that are horribly imprecise to pull off, and a paper-thin solo campaign add up to a disappointing slog that feels like a punishment" IGN (27/100): "And that's when Fighter Within is working properly. The second it tries to do anything more elaborate, like throws or finishing moves, it trips over its own shoelaces and falls flat on its face." Edge (20/100): "Here is a game that, through its abject brokenness, sets the Kinect cause back considerably, a knockout blow for this style of game before the next-generation of camera-controlled play has even started." Game Informer (10/100): "Fighter Within is garbage. It fails to operate on any level, and the content isn't deep enough to be fun even if everything worked." Eurogamer (10/100): "Ubisoft should be ashamed of itself for trying to peddle more of this nonsense. And Microsoft needs its giant cyborg head examined for thinking this is a great way to show off the capabilities of its new hardware. "
Metareview: Super Mario 3D World
Our review of Super Mario 3D World couldn't help but mention Luigi's "adorable cat butt." So, obviously, it's a five-star game from us. Eurogamer (100/100): "It's beautiful as well as busy, too. While Nintendo came to HD textures late, it's benefited more than most - probably because it has rendering interests that go beyond rust and gunmetal." IGN (96/100): "Super Mario 3D World is marvelous, and its constant variety and fantastic light-hearted co-op play proves that Nintendo still knows exactly how to tweak their Mario formula in fun ways." Game Informer (93/100): "While 3D World shines in single-player, the fun multiplies with others. This merges clever and flexible 3D maps with New Super Mario Bros.' wild four-player gameplay. Everyone fights over their favorite characters not just for looks, but also for their unique traits." Edge (90/100): "This is Mario like you've never seen him before, and unlike so many of his next-gen rivals, he nips along at an effortless 60fps. If the true measure of new hardware's worth is how stark the difference is between it and what came before, then this is the most next-gen game that 2013 has yet produced." The Escapist (80/100): "Super Mario 3D World is a very good Mario game that suffers only in that the unrealized potential for it to have been a great game, period, keeps peeking in between the cracks."
Metareview: Call of Duty - Ghosts
It's seriously lacking in Swayze, but Call of Duty: Ghosts still notches three and a half stars in our review. According to Xav, the latest entry in Activision's flagship shooter series "is a solid installment, but it lacks creativity and innovation." If you'd literally like to hear more of his thoughts on Ghosts, be sure to check out his video review, too. You might be surprised to learn that our review of the new Call of Duty isn't the only one out there. Yes, the Meta-verse is brimming with Ghosts-ly opinions, including full marks from one outlet. Here's a brief sampling of what the rest of the world had to say.
Metareview: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Assassin's Creed 4, according to our review, will have "you leap between the roles of assassin, pirate and one-time whaler wracked with guilt." But we aren't the only fish in the sea, let's see what others thought. Gamespot (90/100): "A story that keeps you invested throughout the whole thing. If there was ever any question that Assassin's Creed needed something ambitious to get the series back on track, Black Flag is that game and then some." Edge (90/100): "We never felt like we had enough gold to buy everything we wanted, which seems engineered to push you out to sea to do what pirates do best: raid other ships. You peer through your spyglass to see what cargo they are carrying, then decide whether to engage in naval combat. The choice can be a fraught one. " Game Informer (83/100): "Black Flag is ultimately better than Assassin's Creed 3. Some elements seem crafted directly in response to criticisms about the previous game. You get to the piracy rather quickly, without the need for several hours of tutorial missions." Polygon (75/100): "For all of its mechanical improvements; for the wonder I felt as I sailed the ocean, with orca, dolphins, even great whites breaking the surface to my port side as I outran a royal trade armada; for the excellent performances and character moments throughout ... it felt disjointed." VideoGamer (70/100): "There's only so many times, however, that you can tolerate the poorly-defined stealth and terrible AI. Eavesdropping returns, and is as poor as before, and most missions devolve into 'follow the man, kill the man' repetition. "
Metareview: Battlefield 4
War, huh? What - Is it good, 4? Well, Dave certainly thought Battlefield 4 was good in his review, in which he unloaded four and a half stars' worth of praise onto DICE's first-person shooter. That said, there's many a soldier out there on the Battlefield, and you might be interested in what they have to say.
Metareview: Beyond: Two Souls
Reviews for Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls appear to have been delicately placed on a lazy susan and then spun by the force of a truck slamming into the table. We haven't seen scattershot like this since the last time we fed caviar to a baby. Our review used the term "face full of ghost farts" in it, so let's see what delicate words were used by others. Gamespot (90/100): "Top-notch acting makes the characters you interact with sound believable ... Beyond: Two Souls so easily melds story and mechanics that you become enamored with this young woman and her extraordinary life." Polygon (80/100): "While it's exhilarating to see a team that has worked so hard to perfect a new way of telling stories, I couldn't help wishing they had a perfect one to tell." Giant Bomb (3/5): "Maybe there is no simple yes/no recommendation to give this game. For every part of it that comes together almost perfectly, there's another that's stricken by needless cliche or undercooked gameplay." Edge (50/100): "... this is a game almost entirely bereft of tension, one in which failure goes largely unpunished and is almost always inconsequential. There is emotion here, but it's felt passively, as spectator instead of player." VideoGamer (40/100): "There are bright moments, but when a game sells itself on a story, said story better be good. This one isn't, and anyone expecting Heavy Rain 2 is going to be sorely disappointed." [Image: 5432action via Shutterstock]
Metareview: Pokemon X / Y
Pokemon is back with a new coat of fur, scales and whatever MewTwo has for skin. Our review of Pokémon X/Y called it "hands-down the best in the series." Let's see what the other Poke trainers thought: IGN (90/100): "Building on five generations of games, a digital menagerie of captivating creatures, and a wide range of diverse regions to explore, Pokemon X and Y proves this formulaic portable role-playing series can still deliver an innovative experience." Eurogamer (90/100): "For the young, the game is a soothing promise that, if you work hard, concentrate and look after others, victory and success will be yours. For the young at heart it's a warm reminder of the childlike thrills of discovery, compilation and care." Game Informer (88/100): "[Pokémon X & Y] goes down the checklist of important Pokémon features, neatly ticking them off one by one. It still feels like a Pokémon game, but the ease of player control, the updated art direction, 3D graphics, and the scaling of the world make everything more inviting, attractive, and fun." Edge (80/100): "While the structure of X/Y may be identical to previous Pokémon games, everything moves a little quicker: those roller skates make backtracking less of a chore, while Experience Share items distribute XP points across your whole party, all but eradicating the need to grind. You can strengthen your bond with Pokémon through a Tamagotchi-esque minigame or by participating in short, skill-based activities to earn a virtual punch bag that can increase their base statistics."
Metareview: Grand Theft Auto 5
Grand Theft Auto 5. We reviewed it. So did other outlets. Opinions differ slightly. Edge (100/100): "Everything works. It has mechanics good enough to anchor games of their own, and a story that is not only what GTA has always wanted to tell but also fits the way people have always played it. It's a remarkable achievement, a peerless marriage of world design, storytelling and mechanics that pushes these aging consoles to the limit and makes it all look easy." Game Informer (98/100): "Open world games are often weighed down by "errand boy syndrome," tasking players with menial jobs that seem beneath the ability of the protagonists or outside the cause of the narrative. ... The majority of the tasks feel more important because you can often see the direct benefit. For example, running weapons across Los Santos may increase the amount of money the airfield you purchased generates. This also applies to the heists serving as the game's centerpiece." Destructoid (90/100): "Though aspects of the game remain old fashioned and more could have been done to switch things up, the end result of still a game of spectacular scope and density of content. And while the narrative is as morally reprehensible as ever, the underlying intelligence backing up the wanton immaturity manages to keep GTA V treading the line of acceptable." Escapist (70/100): "Driving is forgiving, and your inevitable crashes have a low chance of tossing you through the windshield or flipping over your car permanently. Not only can you nab the fastest or best-handling car on the road for a more pleasurable ride, but you also level up each character's driving skill as you play. Franklin starts out as the most expert driver, and he has a special ability that slows down time for a short period to allow you to navigate around corners and between cars. Using the ability to win races and escape cops is very fun, and the RPG-lite mechanics of leveling provide some structure to the experience."
Metareview: Lost Planet 3
We said Lost Planet 3 is a "game about attempting to get on with it and failing miserably." So, let's get on with it... Game Trailers (77/100): "It's true that a lot of the game feels standard issue; nothing's really broken but there's certainly a bit of awkwardness. In the end playing Lost Planet 3 is very much like taking a job on a remote ice planet: most of the work is pretty ordinary, but there are enough bright spots and interesting people to make it a job worth taking." IGN (62/100): "But the biggest frustration of Lost Planet 3's level design is its lack of consistency. Getting locked in the mech and auto-killed instead of ejected sucks. Can you grapple that ledge? Probably not, but you have to check. Can you fall off that cliff? Probably not, but just when you've gotten used to the idea that an invisible wall will stop you, you fall to your death." Game Informer (60/100): "I don't hate Lost Planet 3. There's still a base satisfaction to popping orange Akrid weak points and mopping up goo. I even made a point to track down most of the hidden collectibles. The first two games balanced out any unsavory elements with mega moments and straightforward fun. The third entry simply doesn't have enough thermal energy to overcome its many problems. " Eurogamer (40/100): "Level design is a problem in the exterior scenes: the game's world is so cramped and divided by loading screens I genuinely couldn't tell you which bits are the hubs and which are the spokes, and that hurts your sense of stomping freedom in the rig. But the interiors are just lazily strung together shooting galleries which pinball Peyton between objective markers on flimsy narrative pretexts."
Metareview: Saints Row 4
Our review deemed Volition's return to Steelport a "non-stop cavalcade of self-aware meta-humor and surprising, bombastic gameplay decisions from stem to stern," but there are other crews in town. Here's a meta-sampling of the net's judgments on Saints Row 4. The Escapist (100/100): "A fantastic game, keeping up the series' tradition of giving players a wide open world and the tools to go absolutely bonkers within it. It's hilarious, it's action-packed, and most of all, it's fun to play." Destructoid (95/100): "What I love most about 4 is how it puts the player first -- absolutely every new feature and ability gifted to the player seems designed purely to make the game more convenient to enjoy, and more fun to play." Giant Bomb (80/100): "The game is packed with some great moments that subvert the open-world crime genre even further than SR3 did, it's funny, and its references aren't just lazily tossed off, they're earned. You'll feel like you've played some of this before, but if you're at all interested in Saints Row's brand of weird, it's absolutely vital." Eurogamer (80/100): "Saints Row 4 may lack refinement - nothing thwarts a superhero quite so frequently as an overhanging roof or your homies standing in a doorway - but it compensates with sheer exuberance. It's a heartfelt love letter to the superhero genre and to a medium that makes such madness possible." OPM (60/100): "Occasionally excellent, often mired in mediocrity, Saints Row 4 is inferior to Red Dead Redemption and even five-year-old GTA 4 in almost every way. And while you're always likely to miss when comin' at the kings, Volition's effort still falls short of the more cohesive Sleeping Dogs, the expansive frolicking on Just Cause 2's Panau and the polished pantomime of Infamous 2."
Metareview: Deadpool
So you want a stupid action game? Good, you're in luck. EGM (80/100): "If you're a fan of Deadpool, you'll certainly appreciate the experience, but if you're really unfamiliar with the character (even though I don't know how that's possible at this point), you might be a bit wary of having this game be your first experience" Game Informer (60/100): "When I finished this game, I walked away unfulfilled. After a weekend away from it, I found myself chuckling over the crazy things Deadpool said and did. His obsession with Wolverine is particularly funny. The memories I took away from the game were worth the time I put in, even if playing it was a chore." Eurogamer (60/100): "Even with this crudely skewed difficulty curve, it's not hard to romp through the game's six stages without too much trouble, and once it's done there's not much else to do, beyond replaying it all again to max out those upgrade trees or dipping into a selection of one-note challenge stages based on locations you've already grown tired of." IGN (60/100): "On the other hand, much of the Deadpool gameplay experience is formulaic and safe...so safe you might think developer High Moon Studios is playing some sort of self-referential "hey, isn't it ironic how normal this is?" meta-gag on you. But it's not." VideoGamer (50/100): "Deadpool is a great character wrapped in a standard (and short) action experience."%Gallery-192212%
Metareview: The Last of Us
Naughty Dog, best known for the Uncharted series, has received near universal critical praise for its PS3 swan song The Last of Us. Our review gave it a perfect score, which doesn't mean the game is perfect, it just means that when The Last of Us launches next week, you won't want to be the last of us who plays it. Edge (100/100): "At times it's easy to feel like big-budget development has too much on the line to allow stubbornly artful ideas to flourish, but then a game like The Last Of Us emerges through the crumbled blacktop like a climbing vine, green as a burnished emerald." Eurogamer (100/100): "It starts out safe but ends brave; it has heart and grit, and it hangs together beautifully. And it's a real video game, too. An elegy for a dying world, The Last of Us is also a beacon of hope for its genre." Giant Bomb (100/100): "There are bitter pills to swallow along the way, and nothing is taken for granted, not even characters. People live, people die. Sometimes it's fair, sometimes it's not. It's still a zombie game, but a sobering one. Take a deep breath." Gamespot (80/100): "The Last of Us stretches on for hours, forcing you to endure the suffocating atmosphere and unrelenting despair that citizens of this world have become accustomed to. And that time spent navigating the desolate wasteland draws you deeper inside." Polygon (75/100): "It's not a fun place to be, and likewise, the game isn't really a fun thing to play."
Metareview: Remember Me
A memorable aspect of Remember Me is its soundtrack, available now on iTunes or accessible through Spotify. As for the game, our review tried its best not to repress the whole thing. Edge (80/100): "Schlocky and silly in places, but potent and reflective in others, Nilin's tale has bags of heart to play off against its flamboyant bosses and existential quandaries, all grounded by a charismatic female star." Game Informer (78/100): "The environmental climbing sequences offer some simple fun, but the linear paths diminish any sense of exploration this otherwise would have achieved. Combat is filled with fresh ideas, but that creativity inhibits your capability in combat. Hopefully Dontnod doesn't forget any of the lessons it learned this time around, because a sequel could be truly memorable." GameSpot (70/100): "Remember Me is not the game its world and premise hint that it could have been; rather, it's simply a good third-person action game: entertaining, slickly produced, and flavorful enough to keep you engaged to the end of its six-hour run time." IGN (59/100): "Ultimately, it failed to challenge or excite me as a game, as all of its best ideas are confined to its overarching fiction rather than its gameplay." NowGamer (50/100): "This feels like an awkward first step rather than a finished product. As it stands, Remember Me is a series of mediocre gameplay ideas stapled to a pretty, hollow shell."
