Joystiq's Scores

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For 532 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 47% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 50% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.4 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 73
Highest review score:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Critic Score 100
Lowest review score:
Rush'N Attack Ex-Patriot
Critic Score 20
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 296 out of 532
  2. Mixed: 184 out of 532
  3. Negative: 52 out of 532
532 game reviews
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    • Metascore: 73
    • Critic Score 80
    Disney Epic Mickey
    You don't need to be a Disney fan to appreciate the high points of Epic Mickey, but it certainly helps when the going gets rough. Thankfully, the moments of sheer joy this game creates -- whether it's the umpteenth weird twist on a Disney classic or the multitude of fantastic side-scrolling levels themed after Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts -- mean there's always something worthwhile just around the corner.
    • Metascore: 73
    • Critic Score 80
    Kinect Sports
    Rare's work on Kinect Sports really demonstrates what the camera is capable when it's used by a capable developer. If you've already got the hardware to play it on, consider Kinect Sports a must-have.
    • Metascore: 74
    • Critic Score 80
    Kinectimals
    You can judge Kinectimals all you want, but are you going to be the one who tells the little girl she can't have her own imaginary tiger? Thought not.
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    Dance Central
    Ultimately, Dance Central's greatest shortcoming is that it can't actually teach you how to dance. But, it's greatest triumph is that -- against all odds -- it will make you want to.
    • Metascore: 68
    • Critic Score 80
    EA Sports Active 2
    The hands-free motion control with heart monitor alone is worth the price of admission. But fortunately there's more to this game than just a gimmick – it's a solid effort all-around and a surprisingly fun way to get fit.
    • Metascore: 78
    • Critic Score 80
    Sonic Colors
    To say that this game comes as a surprise would be an enormous understatement. Sonic fans, I know it's hard to believe, but there's a reason to believe again.
    • Metascore: 87
    • Critic Score 80
    Call of Duty: Black Ops
    Black Ops is a terrific action game with a solid story and a deep, rewarding multiplayer mode.
    • Metascore: 81
    • Critic Score 80
    GoldenEye 007
    I tend to sprint in the middle of the room with a shotgun, shoot a round in the air, and get ready for the army to rain down on me. To each his own.
    • Metascore: 78
    • Critic Score 80
    EA Sports Active 2
    It's a solid effort all-around and a surprisingly fun way to get fit.
    • Metascore: 79
    • Critic Score 80
    Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem
    Although the bite-sized puzzle play of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! initially seems no more enthralling than what you could find on a free Flash game site, it takes only a few minutes for the game's quality to shine through.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 80
    Hoard
    But like Narbacular Drop, Hoard's gameplay shines beyond its meager trappings. If anyone ever polishes this game to a Portal-like hue, there won't be enough cake jokes in the world.
    • Metascore: 79
    • Critic Score 80
    Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
    Having waited seven years for another helping of Golden Sun, cozy is exactly what I was looking for.
    • Metascore: 85
    • Critic Score 80
    Amnesia: The Dark Descent
    Amnesia's macabre sensibilities and slow pacing may not be for everyone, but horror fans looking for a truly frightening experience should turn off the lights, plug in some headphones and settle in.
    • Metascore: 75
    • Critic Score 80
    Bit.Trip Fate
    The music in Fate is dark, ominous, and really cool.
    • Metascore: 88
    • Critic Score 80
    Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam
    Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam -- as a $15 expansion -- is a must. The maps are excellent and several aspects of the game feel different, but still balanced, like they did in the original game.
    • Metascore: 81
    • Critic Score 80
    ilomilo
    My apprehension toward abandonment is exactly what kept me coming back to ilomilo, because I couldn't bear to leave those errant thumbs unsupervised (in the game, I mean).
    • Metascore: 90
    • Critic Score 80
    Dead Space 2
    How much you get out of Dead Space 2 is directly proportional to how much you enjoy slicing up Necromorphs (or eviscerating humans in multiplayer). The campaign is designed for multiple plays, with a "new game plus" option allowing Isaac to take his items and upgrades into a new game, even on a new difficulty.
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night
    Even with its rough spots, Encore of the Night is a great game and a genuine surprise. You don't have to be a Castlevania junkie to enjoy it, but you'll definitely appreciate it even more if you come from the vamp-stamping camp.
    • Metascore: 65
    • Critic Score 80
    Explodemon
    Ultimately, Explodemon doesn't coalesce into a product that's as refined or as beautiful as the Treasure classics that inspired it. But thought it may be a bit rough around the edges, it's also precisely the kind of game I would've bought used from a Japanese import store -- so, in that sense, it's still something of a gem.
    • Metascore: 78
    • Critic Score 80
    Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
    It's not a bad game, but it's certainly not a friendly game -- something that you'd notice even if you weren't coming off of Dragon Quest IX, and something that is only exacerbated for those who are.
    • Metascore: 87
    • Critic Score 80
    Pokemon White Version
    Ultimately, though, these are the new trappings of an old, old game -- one you may have already played three or four times before.
    • Metascore: 87
    • Critic Score 80
    Pokemon Black Version
    Ultimately, though, these are the new trappings of an old, old game -- one you may have already played three or four times before.
    • Metascore: 79
    • Critic Score 80
    Dragon Age II
    By the time the last sword was swung in Dragon Age 2, I had enjoyed some great conversations, participated in some thrilling battles and even been at the center of an interesting story. I just never could shake the feeling that it was a story I was telling myself.
    • Metascore: 82
    • Critic Score 80
    PixelJunk Shooter 2
    Shooter 2 is not as consistent of an experience as its predecessor. Given Q's record of creating terrific "Encore" expansions for previous PixelJunk games, it's a bit disappointing that the franchise's first real sequel falls a little short. Still, I imagine it'd be a welcome addition to anyone's PSN library.
    • Metascore: 71
    • Critic Score 80
    Pilotwings Resort
    Taken in "shotgun" form, Pilotwings Resort's difficulty curve seems harsh, and the game stressful. But if you enjoy a few missions at a time, perhaps going back through them to refine your score and your abilities, you'll get a better sense of the relaxation and freedom that comes from taking to the skies.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 80
    Crysis 2
    While the single-player campaign is something I can see myself returning to a couple more times in a quest for Achievements/Trophies, the multiplayer side of Crysis 2 has me utterly hooked. I came for the pretty graphics, was happy with the solid shooter underneath them and am pretty much beside myself with how unexpectedly good the online play is.
    • Metascore: 85
    • Critic Score 80
    Crysis 2
    While the single-player campaign is something I can see myself returning to a couple more times in a quest for Achievements/Trophies, the multiplayer side of Crysis 2 has me utterly hooked. I came for the pretty graphics, was happy with the solid shooter underneath them and am pretty much beside myself with how unexpectedly good the online play is.
    • Metascore: 78
    • Critic Score 80
    Yakuza 4
    What a game. I passed a few dozen hours leading a contingent of scumbags-with-hearts-of-gold through a convoluted gangster soap opera full of betrayals, redemptions, posturing, overdramatic gestures, and profoundly awkward dates, and played Boxcelios 2 in the Club Sega arcade on Theater Square when I didn't feel like doing any of that stuff.
    • Metascore: 80
    • Critic Score 80
    Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
    Stepping onto the greens at Augusta National for the first time was nerve-wracking, but I did it. I walked away a winner in stylish bravado, the green cloth of victory a sign to all that I came and conquered.
    • Metascore: 84
    • Critic Score 80
    Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
    A delicious blend that masks its less welcoming ingredients with the grace of Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Its innovative, genre bending mechanics, forgiving design, brisk pace, and lovely setting more than compensate for the occasional unlucky circumstance or superfluous battle.
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