IGN gave Hades II a 6 and Assassin's Creed Mirage an 8. Let that sink in.
“Hades II is a competent roguelike that struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessor despite its expanded scope.”
Games Reviews
Meta-reviews of gaming reviews from IGN, GameSpot, Kotaku, and more. We hold game critics accountable.
IGN gave Suicide Squad a 5 and every negative came with a 'but'
“Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has fun moment-to-moment action dragged down by its live-service design.”
'Marathon fucking rules' is not a review, Kotaku. It's a bumper sticker.
“The future might be bleak, but Marathon fucking rules.”
IGN reviewed a different Dragon's Dogma 2 than the one you bought
“Dragon's Dogma 2 is a captivating action RPG full of surprises.”
Kotaku is mad that Resident Evil feels like Resident Evil. In 2026.
“It kind of just feels like another Resident Evil game.”
GameSpot compared Alan Wake 2 to David Lynch. Lynch would sue.
“Alan Wake 2 is a bold, beautiful, and terrifying triumph.”
Kotaku published a full review of a game they couldn't finish. Literally.
“An incredibly creative and often funny FPS held back by wonky combat and glitches.”
Kotaku's Nioh 3 review argues with itself for 1,500 words. Both sides lose.
“This really is the best-playing Souls-like around.”
Kotaku called a game 'comfy' and 'satisfying.' We fell asleep reading it.
“Code Vein II emerges as a comfy mix between a Soulslike and a JRPG that makes for a satisfying entry point for folks who want to dip their toes into both genres.”
IGN wrote 2,000 words about BG3 without a single negative sentence
“Baldur's Gate 3 is a new high point for CRPGs and one of the best RPGs I've ever played.”
IGN and Pokemon: from 'too much water' to whatever this is
“Pokemon Legends: Z-A reimagines Lumiose City with impressive scale, though its streamlined approach may leave some trainers wanting more.”
Spider-Man 2 added a second Spider-Man and IGN added two more points
“Marvel's Spider-Man 2 builds on an excellent foundation to deliver one of the best superhero games ever.”
Eurogamer's thesis: 'It's basically BOTW again.' The score: perfect.
“It is, essentially, more Breath of the Wild, but with the additions and changes made here it becomes something meaningfully new.”
IGN said 'charming' 3 times and 'framerate' once. The game ran at 20fps.
“Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are Pokemon at their Pokemon-est, with an impressive open world full of Pokemon to catch.”
IGN gave an RPG an 8/10 for having great action and no RPG elements
“Final Fantasy 16 takes the series in an exciting and unexpected direction.”
IGN's SF6 review has 1 paragraph on fighting and 11 on avatar customization
“Street Fighter 6 is an incredible fighting game that's absolutely bursting with content and style.”
120 critics, 47 perfect 10s, and a standard deviation that screams herd
“Mighty Top Critic Average: 96. 99% of critics recommend.”
IGN buried the MK1 microtransactions in the second-to-last paragraph
“Mortal Kombat 1 is a strong start for the rebooted timeline.”
The Ubisoft 8: IGN's most reliable annual tradition since 2012
“Assassin's Creed Mirage is a triumphant return to the series' stealthy roots in a gorgeous but compact open world.”
IGN reviewed Diablo 4 at a Blizzard event. On Blizzard hardware. It got a 9.
“Diablo 4 is close to being the best in class of the action-RPG genre.”
22% of this 10/10 review is criticism. We did the math.
“God of War Ragnarok is everything I could have hoped for and more. It's a masterfully told story.”
Polygon reviewed a PS2 game remake like nobody played the original
“A pure remake that updates graphics and controls without altering the core, making experimentation fun through survival mechanics.”
Destructoid gave No Man's Sky a 5/10 in 2016. They never updated it. Ever.
“No Man's Sky is a shallow, repetitive experience that never lives up to its astronomical ambitions.”
Every Sony exclusive gets an 8 or 9 at GameSpot. Every. Single. One.
“The Last of Us Part II is a game that wrestles with the ugliness of human nature in a way that's both affecting and uncomfortable.”
We ran a diff checker on IGN's EA FC reviews. 73% identical. Year over year.
“EA Sports FC 25 refines the beautiful game with meaningful improvements to tactics and a refreshed Rush mode.”
Polygon praised a 5-hour walking simulator for being 'the start of something'
“There's no doubting the craft on display, or the immersive sense of presence this game has.”
Destructoid's Erdtree review follows the same template as their last 400 reviews
“Shadow of the Erdtree is a worthy expansion that lives up to the legacy of the base game.”
IGN listed 6 flaws and still gave Hogwarts Legacy a 9. We counted.
“Hogwarts Legacy is an excellent RPG that makes exploring the magical world feel enchanting.”
IGN's Starfield reviewer confessed in paragraph 12. We read the whole thing.
“Starfield is a massive game with a wealth of content.”
Polygon's entire Erdtree review: 'it's hard, you die, it's great.' That's it.
“Everything in the expansion is stronger and more deadly than anything you've met in Elden Ring.”
IGN gave Cyberpunk a 9 while Sony was pulling it from the store
“Cyberpunk 2077 is dark and disturbing at times, but always exciting and entertaining.”
GameSpot gave Starfield a 7 and somehow that counted as bravery
“Starfield is a massive game that occasionally struggles under the weight of its own ambition.”
Polygon called a patch note a 'love letter.' We are reviewing patch notes now.
“Stardew Valley's 1.6 update is a love letter from ConcernedApe to the community.”
IGN has never given a Call of Duty below 6 or above 9. It's a cron job.
“Modern Warfare 3 feels like a missed opportunity that nonetheless still delivers the core Call of Duty experience.”
Polygon praised Dragon's Dogma 2 exploration. The game had no fast travel.
“Dragon's Dogma 2 is a game that practically begs you to get lost in its world.”