Joystiq's Scores

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For 768 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 46% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 51% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.3 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 Diablo III
Lowest review score: 20 Conduit 2
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 421 out of 768
  2. Mixed: 279 out of 768
  3. Negative: 68 out of 768
768 game reviews
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    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dokuro
    There's something about the heart of the game that keeps me pressing forward. Despite the bony exterior, Dokuro feels like it has a real soul, like it was made by people who truly loved and believed in it. It's inspired, well-made, and thoroughly enchanting.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Kalimba
    Push through its uneven beginning and you'll be rewarded with clever level layouts that stretch a solid mechanical framework to its limits. Getting to that point may be more frustrating than you'd like, though, thanks to its sharp difficulty curve.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
    For all its good looks, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is ultimately disappointing. What the game does, it does very well, but the sum total feels lacking.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Xeodrifter
    What's remarkable about it all is that Xeodrifter crams this much into only a few hours.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Never Alone
    Never Alone is a glimpse into the real lives of Alaska Natives, and it's a peek at a different kind of fairy tale.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Crew
    If the Xfinity-branded hypercar race a few hours in is anything to go by, The Crew is an overt attempt to capitalize on the popularity of modern car culture, and it would seem entirely cynical if not for a few redeeming design decisions. In the world of modern racing games that's just not enough to earn a victory lap.
    • Joystiq
      • Posted Dec 10, 2014
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
    Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris's temples and puzzles are fantastic, but I found myself wishing for several more hours of gameplay.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
    Treasure Tracker may be small in stature, but it's packed with depth and detail.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
    The more progress-focused Adventure definitely loses some of that competitive edge in translation, and that's certainly a shame, but it still has that instant, stimulating, rip-roaring flavor that puts the shots into shoot-em-up.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    WWE 2K15
    A severe disappointment. The chain wrestling mechanic is tiresome, and online play is a chore. A dearth of customization options across the board tear away at what made the series special.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed Rogue
    Assassin's Creed Rogue is not a bad game, but it is a derivative game.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
    Smash is an intelligent, creative, blissful continuation of the "Who's better?" character debate, and I look forward to changing my answer as I reconfigure Smash's roster and find new favorite ways to send Donkey Kong into the stratosphere.
    • Joystiq
      • Posted Nov 23, 2014
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd
    Rock Band may be dead and buried, but rhythm game fans jonesing for a fix should give Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd a shot. Its cheery aesthetic and anime styling may be a little off-putting for some, but its gameplay is solid and surprisingly challenging.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
    Though it occasionally feels grindy, each new area is a refreshing challenge, and the ease with which you can mix up your party prevents your trips through the dungeons from ever getting stale.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
    The core mechanics of Pokemon remain immensely addictive, and Game Freak's latest coat of polish only enhances an already captivating adventure.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Pokemon Omega Ruby
    The core mechanics of Pokemon remain immensely addictive, and Game Freak's latest coat of polish only enhances an already captivating adventure.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    LittleBigPlanet 3
    The Adventure mode at the center of LittleBigPlanet 3 is a grand showcase of bold imagination like nothing else out there, with a wellspring of charm and warm-natured humor at its heart. Even so, Sumo Digital's brief 4-5 hours of polished, pre-made contributions pale in comparison to what could be – but that's essentially the point.
    • 46 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley
    The Lost Valley offers a pitiful amount of content, and what's available takes ages to unlock.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Far Cry 4
    Far Cry 4 may have installed a despot, but it's still the undisputed king of the open-world shooter.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Halo: The Master Chief Collection
    The real treat for fans, of course, will be revisiting Halo 2's campaign and subsequently reliving the classic multiplayer...For newcomers looking to see what all the fuss is about, Halo is as vibrant now as it was a decade ago, and The Master Chief Collection is essential.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed Unity
    Assassin's Creed Unity is the best and worst of Assassin's Creed. It's hard not to appreciate everything that it gets right, and you'll have a good time if you can wrangle some friends for co-op, but it's impossible to ignore where Unity falls tragically short.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Dragon Age: Inquisition
    It's a gorgeous game on an epic scale. Rich in character and story, it creates a fantasy world with plausible social rules you can get lost in. It makes you feel that you aren't just exploring a new world, but helping shape it at various levels of society. Inquisition sets the bar for what a blockbuster RPG should be.
    • Joystiq
      • Posted Nov 11, 2014
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Lords of the Fallen (2014)
    There's definitely satisfaction to be had with Lords of the Fallen, but there comes a point at which it has no more tricks up its sleeve. In the end, the worst enemy in the game may be the game itself, and there's nothing hiding in a chest somewhere to fix that.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
    Despite the familiarity, it's been years since a Call of Duty campaign was as coherent and fast-paced as this one. Within the confines of its franchise, which has yet to make much room for a mature look at the subject matter, Advanced Warfare works with aplomb and, at the very least, plays its Big Dumb Movie card wisely.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Sunset Overdrive
    The bottom line is that regardless of whether we're talking about character appearance, weapons, special abilities or buffs, Sunset Overdrive piles the number of options you can choose from sky-high. No matter who you choose to be, what weapons you equip, what playstyle you choose, or how you deck out your secondary abilities, everything feels valid and worthwhile.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    The Legend of Korra
    Platinum Games may not have made a Legend of Korra game that plumbs the same well of soul that the source material does, but they've made something elementally entertaining all the same.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth
    Civilization: Beyond Earth is a good game in the context of the Civilization franchise.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Fantasia: Music Evolved
    If you have an Xbox One and a Kinect, you should have Fantasia: Music Evolved in your library, not only because it's the thing that shows off how well your Kinect can work, but also because it's an immediately accessible and fun party game.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    A Golden Wake
    A Golden Wake interprets a rich history in its chapters and paints an image of the best and worst of the 1920s, and while its overly-easy puzzles didn't really add to the story, I felt a stronger appreciation for that era after playing through it.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    A City Sleeps
    As a shoot-'em-up, though, A City Sleeps feels half-baked. The foundation is solid, but since it only includes three levels, it has to ramp up its difficulty too quickly, and it becomes overwhelming and frustrating as a result. With a more measured approach to difficulty and more levels to give players time to acclimate to its mechanical quirks and control issues, A City Sleeps could be exceptional.
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