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How Metascores Are Calculated
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Age of Empires: Mythologies
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
Dementium: The Ward tells the tale of a man who awakens to find himself alone in a mysterious, derelict hospital that is frozen in time. Confronted by the deadly, grotesque surgical experiments that wander the halls, a series of challenging puzzles and a cast of peculiar characters, he must face his deepest fears, unlock the mysteries of the hospital, and escape with his life. A completely new experience on the Nintendo DS, Dementium promises to creep you out with gory visuals and bone-chilling audio that brings the world screaming to life. [Gamecock]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 90
Deeko
Visually, Dementium's divine and every facet is designed / To create a sense of ambience that offers frights galore.
 90
Zentendo
Dementium is definitely easy to interact with, and it flows quite nicely.
86
Cheat Code Central
Dementium is a riveting title which expertly straddles the line between survival horror and first-person shooter - two genres vastly underrepresented on the DS.
85
Nintendo Power
This is one genuinely frightening experience, and the brave of heart will want to play in the dark, with headphones, for maximum scares. [Holiday 2007, p.84]
85
Destructoid
There's nothing like Dementium for the DS out there, and for me personally it's always a thrill to see the first game of its kind for a portable make a debut.
83
Gamer 2.0
Dementium: The Ward is a terrific experience. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
80
GamerNode
Everything about Dementium: The Ward is polished and clean, in a very dirty sense. While you won't be jumping from your seat in fear, there's no other portable that will scare you as much. Hopefully a sequel is in the works.
80
Games Radar
Dementium: The Ward is almost perfection, performing as a fantastic feat of first-person survival, and oozes with a truly, truly frightening aesthetic. Even if it's not the first in its genre, it's the most satisfyingly original game we've seen on the DS in some time.
80
GamePro
A cohesive game with the sum of all of its parts adding up to a frightening whole.
80
IGN
It's appropriately gory (it is a shooter, after all) but also adds an element of mystery to the whole thing. Some design issues do get in the way a tiny bit, but not so much that you'll hate on the game…and unless you've got the expectations of a PC shooter fan, it's hard to not be impressed.
80
GameDaily
It doesn't push the horror genre forward, as most of its features pop up in the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, but Dementium still offers up a few genuine frights, and stands out as one of the DS' most under hyped but entertaining video games.
80
ZTGameDomain
The FPS genre is extremely rare on the system which means that the amount of quality titles is even rarer. Dementium sets a new standard on the system for presentation and visuals as well as delivering the first truly engrossing horror title for Nintendo’s micro-console.
80
Modojo
At the end of the day what you can hope for is what we actually got, an extremely noteworthy effort that bodes well for future releases from this company.
79
NGamer UK
Genuinely atmospheric and unnervingly scary - a grown up treat for your DS. [Jan 2008, p.60]
79
Official Nintendo Magazine UK
A decent suspense-filled horror game that looks good for the DS but would probably be more at home on a console. [July 2008, p.98]
79
Games Master UK
One of the better first-person efforts on DS, and a good survival horror game too. [Sept 2008, p.79]
76
My Gamer
Dementium is a respectable game. However, it seems that for every step in the right direction this game takes, it takes one back as well. But even with all the flaws that this game has, it is still an entertaining DS experience.
75
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Turn off the lights. Put on your headphones. Hear that? Wait—turn down the cheesy music. Now do you hear the screech of metal against the walls? Yep, that's scary.
75
GameSpot
Dementium is a handheld mixture of Doom and Silent Hill that is about as scary as a game played on a 3-inch screen on the bus can be.
75
Nintendojo
It’s difficult to recommend this title wholeheartedly, but Dementium does just enough to warrant it.
70
NintendoWorldReport
The game certainly has some flaws (like the loose aiming and overly complex map), and I find it hard to forgive the "die and start over again" philosophy, but Dementium is definitely something different, and it's something I think people will generally enjoy.
70
n-Revolution Magazine UK
Combat can get a bit repetitive, but the spooky atmosphere is spot on. [Issue#23, p.79]
70
GameSpy
As much as you'll wish for more variety in setting and situation, what you do get is so smooth, creepy, and darkly pleasurable that you'll be left with a smile and a twitch, if not necessarily satisfaction.
70
Pocket Gamer UK
Dementium: The Ward comes in a pretty wrapper, offering an entertaining first-person adventure light on fright. Not the best candy in the basket, then, but it's certainly still worth a bite.
65
Worth Playing
It's very scary, but it's held back by an annoying save system, limited inventory and respawning enemies.
65
Gaming Target
These factors, combined with a lack of special features, makes Dementium an undeserving purchase for all but the most die-hard survival horror fans.
60
Video Game Talk
There’s no denying Dementium is a solid first effort for the Renegade Kid development team, and a sequel would certainly be welcome. The visuals are quite good, the sound is immersive, and the gameplay is above average.
60
1UP
It's clear the team at Renegade Kid has plenty of talent and potential, and the creepy atmosphere and unique controls make the game worth a look for survival-horror fans with lots of patience -- there's not really anything else like it on the DS. Just be aware that the most of the screams the game elicits have nothing to do with the onscreen horror.
60
Thunderbolt
It makes a brilliant case of “show, don’t tell”, but unfortunately, it just doesn’t show a heck of a lot.
58
Game Revolution
There’s some repetition in the layouts for the rooms and floors, and frankly, there’s not much incentive for replay, but it’s a solid, challenging and surprisingly atmospheric, creepy ride while it lasts.
58
GameShark
With this game, Renegade Kid has shown that they’re able to pull off some very impressive technical feats on the DS, however there needs to be some equally impressive design choices married with the technology to make whatever they do next a stand out title.
58
Game Informer
It’s not frightening or disturbing. It’s just extremely frustrating.
50
Edge Magazine
There are nice touches – cockroaches that scatter under your flashlight, the occasional puzzle, effective cutscenes – but there is little that you won’t have found implemented in a vastly more satisfactory form elsewhere. [May 2008, p.99]
DJ T gave it a4: Sheila C. gave it a6: Wil gave it a9: Robert gave it a10: Adrian M. gave it a9: Anthony Z. gave it a9: |
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