Guardian's Scores

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For 255 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 46% higher than the average critic
  • 5% same as the average critic
  • 49% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 75
Highest review score:
Journey
Critic Score 100
Lowest review score:
Shaun White Skateboarding
Critic Score 20
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 172 out of 255
  2. Mixed: 67 out of 255
  3. Negative: 16 out of 255
255 game reviews
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    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 80
    Fable III
    Fable's greatest problem is that it sets such high standards in some areas that the gaps elsewhere seem all the more noticeable.
    • Metascore: 87
    • Critic Score 80
    DiRT 3
    Despite its fantasy-sport emphasis, it has an underlying stamp of authenticity – it still requires you to adhere to the basics of rallying, keeping things smooth, braking early and balancing the throttle to get satisfying four-wheel drifts going.
    • Metascore: 88
    • Critic Score 80
    The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
    But if it feels challenging, the fact that Witcher 2 is fiendishly hard from the outset is half its appeal.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 80
    Child of Eden
    It's a blissful, beautiful thing to play.
    • Metascore: 76
    • Critic Score 80
    Shadows of the Damned
    It's true that, at times, it feels a bit disjointed, the dialogue is occasionally annoyingly clunky and given that it has no online element, you could argue that it's hopelessly old-fashioned. But if you like the sort of gameplay that Resident Evil offers, it will bring you a lot of enjoyment, more or less from start to finish.
    • Metascore: 72
    • Critic Score 80
    Cars 2: The Video Game
    What's this? A movie tie-in game that's actually good?
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    From Dust
    From Dust is sublime – it's arguably close to being a piece of art. But prospective players should be warned you will only succeed here if you are a calm, benevolent and (above all else) patient god. Wrathful Old Testament types needn't bother; you'll only end up staring at the Game Over screen.
    • Metascore: 89
    • Critic Score 80
    Deus Ex: Human Revolution
    Falls just short of perfection, then, but it is, nevertheless, an amazing game, which will confound those who persist in tarring games with the brush of mindlessness. The future it presents may be worryingly dystopian, but by God, it's fun to explore on the safe environment of your console.
    • Metascore: 79
    • Critic Score 80
    Driver: San Francisco
    It's not perfect – the storyline is a bit perfunctory, its free-form style can be illusory when it forces you to perform certain missions and it gets a bit repetitious in the latter stages. But it's a joyous sandbox in which you can drive like a lunatic, in exotic machinery that you might never even clap your eyes on in real life, without hurting anyone.
    • Metascore: 83
    • Critic Score 80
    Resistance 3
    Resistance 3 is fast, furious and entertaining throughout but lacks the uniqueness that would boost it to the very top of the FPS ladder.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 80
    El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
    Those who are prepared to forgive El Shaddai its eccentricities will truly adore it. This game is capable of garnering cult-like worship, which in a way is fitting, given its source material.
    • Metascore: 71
    • Critic Score 80
    Dead Island
    If you value polish and smoothness in your games above all else, you'd be best advised to steer clear of Dead Island. But if you crave wickedly satisfying zombie-dismemberment, a full, deliciously time-wasting RPG experience and a depiction of a zombie infestation which rings surprisingly true, Dead Island should float your boat.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 80
    F1 2011
    Pretty much an essential purchase for any self-respecting petrol-head, and a lot more compelling and enticing than those who don't dream about lap times might imagine. If he played it (it's not easy to imagine him sat in front of a games console), Bernie Ecclestone would surely approve.
    • Metascore: 89
    • Critic Score 80
    Dark Souls
    Fancy yourself as a hairy-chested gamer, hardest of the hardcore, with extensive knowledge of the arcane conventions of RPGs? If not, look away now, as trying to play Dark Souls may well turn out to be the most frustrating experience of your life.
    • Metascore: 81
    • Critic Score 80
    Rage
    A decidedly mixed affair. It isn't perfect, some of it feels quite antiquated, and it is by no means the high-water moment in the FPS genre that Doom and Quake were in their day. But it is still a very eye-catching and incredibly fun shooter, and in its best moments, it can't be matched for pure entertainment value.
    • Metascore: 73
    • Critic Score 80
    Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge
    At its core, Rugby Challenge is what rugby fans have been waiting for; this is a game made by rugby fans for rugby fans. RWC 2011 is a decent, knockaround sports game but genuine rugby fans will find Rugby Challenge a far more worthwhile investment.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 80
    Battlefield 3
    Battlefield 3 was supposed to bring down CoD, and without a campaign – which seems to be DICE's approximation of a CoD experience – this wouldn't have been possible. This is unfortunate, because the instances in which DICE seem to have tried to beat their rivals at their own game have resulted in Battlefield 3's weakest content.
    • Metascore: 77
    • Critic Score 80
    Sonic Generations
    Visually, Sonic Generations is impeccable: bright, colourful and universally appealing. At last, after well over a decade, Sonic has been given a starring vehicle that doesn't make a mockery of his glorious heritage, but instead celebrates it.
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    Assassin's Creed: Revelations
    Ezio Auditore is, simply put, the only reason one needs to pick up a copy of Assassin's Creed: Revelations. While it doesn't feel like the step forward for the franchise that its two predecessors did in their day, Revelations can confidently stand shoulder to shoulder with the better titles of 2011.
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
    It's a mighty fine game – for my money, the best in the Halo franchise – that deserves to accumulate a cult following. Microsoft should be applauded for having the balls (and the money) to exhume it in such a magnificent manner.
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
    The visuals are great – as vibrant and colourful as you'd want from a game featuring comic characters – and overall it's tremendous fun to play. Perhaps not an essential upgrade if you already own Fate of Two Worlds, but nevertheless highly recommended.
    • Metascore: 77
    • Critic Score 80
    LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
    All told, there's weeks of fun in this package. As you'd expect. It's fun and funny. As you'd expect. I'm utterly hooked. As you'd expect. Can we have Lego Matrix next? Please?
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    Saints Row: The Third
    If you've played a GTA game before, you'll know precisely what to expect gameplay-wise from Saints Row The Third, and that in itself is a major recommendation in a GTA-free year.
    • Metascore: 83
    • Critic Score 80
    Professor Layton and the Last Specter
    And bravo to Nintendo for keeping this franchise on the standard DS rather than – for the time being, at least – adding that third dimension.
    • Metascore: 87
    • Critic Score 80
    Rayman Origins
    With its ever-louder demands for precise jumps and absolute control fluidity, Rayman Origins won't be for everyone. It is tough – have we mentioned that? – and it will frustrate some gamers more than it compels them to continue.
    • Metascore: 85
    • Critic Score 80
    Mario Kart 7
    If MK7 is so brilliant, though, where's that fifth star? I'm withholding it because the best thing you can say about this is that while it improves on a near-perfect 64-bit game, it doesn't make any major advances. The 3D is excellently done, but totally disposable (in fact, you probably will dispose of it before you get your first cup).
    • Metascore: 85
    • Critic Score 80
    Star Wars: The Old Republic
    The graphics are occasionally stunning – with long draw distances rendering outdoor and space locations particularly effective and, so far, relatively lag and glitch free – an achievement in itself for most MMOs.
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    Resident Evil: Revelations
    Revelations remains as resolutely rock hard to play as ever, with an emphasis on slow forward motion that makes the 3DS's spongy analogue pad feel all the more frustrating.
    • Metascore: 79
    • Critic Score 80
    Final Fantasy XIII-2
    If you're a newcomer, answer this question as honestly as possible; are you likely to be put off a game by the idea that one of the protagonist's most powerful weapons transforms into an adorably cute imp that says "Kupo!" at the end of every second sentence? If the answer is no, then FF XIII-2 is well worth exploring. If the answer is yes, then move on – there's nothing for you here.
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    The Darkness II
    There are a lot of players who'll miss the structure, the atmosphere and unique quirks of the original. But Digital Extremes deserves credit for delivering an action-packed shooter that balances its mixture of gunplay and superpowers far better than its predecessor ever did – even if those powers will inevitably conspire to turn the game's protagonist into a monster and wreck his entire life.
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