How this trust score was computed
Trust blends alignment (40%): does the outlet rank games the way players do; decoded accuracy (30%): after translating the outlet's own scale habits (a '7/10 means mediocre' scale is decoded, not punished), how well its reviews predict player sentiment; and player-side (30%): on games where press consensus and players sharply disagreed, whose side it took. Recent reviews weigh more (2-year half-life), and the blend is shrunk toward a neutral prior (60) so small samples can't peg the scale. Player quality is launch-window Steam sentiment, so outlets aren't punished for reviewing a launch build that later got patched.
Controversy record: on 38 games where press consensus and players sharply disagreed, this reviewer sided with players 6 times.
Computed 6m ago · full methodology →
Outlet vs. players
Each dot is a game both this outlet and players scored. The dashed line is perfect agreement: dots above it mean the outlet was more generous than players, below it more harsh.
Biggest disagreements with players
The receipts: games where this outlet's verdict landed furthest from player sentiment.
- -28Ghost of Tsushimaoutlet 60 · players 88 · Jul 2020
- +56Call of Duty: Black Ops 4outlet 100 · players 44 · Oct 2018
- -26Final Fantasy VII Remakeoutlet 60 · players 86 · Apr 2020
- +30Animal Crossing: New Horizonsoutlet 100 · players 70 · Mar 2020
- +42EA Sports FC 24outlet 80 · players 38 · Oct 2023
- -29Kirby and the Forgotten Landoutlet 60 · players 90 · Apr 2022
- +38No Man's Skyoutlet 80 · players 42 · Aug 2016
- -43Company of Heroes 2outlet 40 · players 83 · Jun 2013
- -49Hitman: Absolution™outlet 40 · players 89 · Nov 2012
- -21inFamous: Second Sonoutlet 60 · players 81 · Mar 2014
Recent reviews (427 tracked)
- 80EA Sports FC 24Oct 2, 2023
“Perhaps the biggest innovation here is also the most controversial. Making good on their ‘The world’s game’ tagline and pre-release promise that this would be their most inclusive iteration yet, EA Sports have now extended their integration of women’s football to Ultimate Team, the series’ most popular – and lucrative – mode which sees gamers collectively spending billions of real-world pounds buying virtual Panini-like packs of players to assemble the best teams possible.”
read full review ↗ - 100The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomMay 11, 2023
“I felt like a hero at every moment, whether I was saving the princess or exploring hidden passageways or helping rediscover the lost recipe for that aforementioned cheese. But I felt like a hero not because the game told me I was but because it showed me. It showed me that my wacky ideas for building silly motorcars were clever and fun. It showed me that with a bit of bravery I could beat a swarm of enemies with nothing but sticks and stones. It showed me that I could dive off a flying island into the unknown and find my way.”
read full review ↗ - 40RedfallMay 9, 2023 · Tom Hoggins
“Arkane's open-world vampire shooter has some of the developer's trademark spark, but is let down by an identity crisis and technical woes”
read full review ↗ - 80STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™May 3, 2023 · Tom Hoggins
“Respawn's Star Wars sequel builds on its promising predecessor, even if it suffers from the same lack of focus”
read full review ↗ - 80Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot CampApr 20, 2023
“Nintendo's 20-year-old tactical war simulator is like video-game chess - difficult to learn but satisfying to master.”
read full review ↗ - 80EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™Apr 20, 2023 · Tom Hoggins
“EA's return to the course is a surprisingly understated and supremely accomplished golf sim”
read full review ↗ - 60Dead Island 2Apr 18, 2023
“It's unlikely to make any Game of the Year lists but Dead Island 2 provides plenty of low-brow thrills.”
read full review ↗ - 60Dead Island 2Apr 18, 2023 · Dan Silver
“It's unlikely to make any Game of the Year lists but Dead Island 2 provides plenty of low-brow thrills”
read full review ↗ - 100Resident Evil 4Mar 21, 2023
“That a Resident Evil 4 remake is expectedly brilliant is a tough stick to beat it with. But while it might not have that extraordinary sense of upgrade that Resident Evil 2 did, it is important to realise what it represents. Resi 4 was the main driver of the third-person action revolution - the moderniser-in-chief. That its influence has come full circle into its own remake should be no surprise. What does shock, perhaps, is that even after all these years and all its myriad versions is that Resident Evil 4 still hasn’t been bettered. A smartly-executed upgrade has only thrown that into sharper focus. And, particularly for those that haven’t played it before, this is as essential as video games get.”
read full review ↗ - 80Kirby's Return to Dream Land DeluxeFeb 24, 2023
“While grown-up gaming is dominated by dark and brooding fantasies, Kirby makes the case for sweetness and light among families.”
read full review ↗ - 100Metroid Prime RemasteredFeb 23, 2023
“Modern sensibilities may be shocked by the lack of checkpointing, but it is also crucial in creating the sense of tension and danger that ripples throughout Tallon IV...Few games can do that too. Maybe the closest touchstone in that regard --though they are very different games-- is From Software’s oeuvre. The success of which can only be a boon for Prime’s ethereal brilliance and a good sign for the upcoming and long-awaited Metroid Prime 4.”
read full review ↗ - 100Horizon Call of the MountainFeb 16, 2023
“Each new locale is seemingly more rich and detailed than the last, and I regularly felt compelled to stop looking for the next path forward and instead just take in the magical realism of my surroundings. ”
read full review ↗ - 60Hogwarts LegacyFeb 14, 2023
“While Hogwarts Legacy makes what seems a genuine effort of inclusion, much of it is muddled.”
read full review ↗ - 60Hogwarts LegacyFeb 14, 2023 · Tom Hoggins
“Can Avalanche Software's Harry Potter adventure escape the shadow of the JK Rowling backlash?”
read full review ↗ - 60The Callisto Protocol™Dec 30, 2022 · Tom Hoggins
“Overrun by mutants, Jupiter's moon is the setting for this spiritual Dead Space successor”
read full review ↗