VideoGamesCritic | The one source of truth for gamers

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.

Alignment (40%)

Decoded accuracy (30%)

Player-side (30%)

Controversy record: on 18 games where press consensus and players sharply disagreed, this reviewer sided with players 5 times.

Computed 26m 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.

Recent reviews (166 tracked)

80
Resonance: A Plague Tale LegacyAug 26, 2026
“Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is more than a spinoff; it’s reinventing the conventions and removes the classic stealth gameplay to introduce its first interesting combat system. A system that could be more fleshed out but this doesn’t take away that the story, breathtaking environments, and excellent sound design pave the way for something fresh that still feels like the quality of game we’ve come to expect from Asobo Studio. It’s Plague Tale’s most action-packed adventure set in mystery and mythology. A great game to pick up whether or not you’ve played the others before, it stands on its own.”
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80
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredAug 20, 2026 · Nick de Reiger
“You could spend hours doing something completely pointless and still feel like you had accomplished something and that’s ultimately what makes Oblivion great. The developers’ story about the poisoned apple says it all. A player found a solution that nobody had specifically designed, because the systems were allowed to interact in ways that produced an unexpected result. That is the kind of emergent storytelling that made Oblivion special in the first place. The Nintendo Switch 2 version doesn’t try to replace that; it gives it a new home. My little brother had Morrowind. I had Oblivion, and I still don’t care for Skyrim (sorry). Nearly twenty years later, Bethesda has given me the opportunity to return to the game that introduced me to Tamriel, this time on a Nintendo handheld. They rebuilt a large portion of the underlying technology and made the game work on hardware that didn’t exist when Oblivion originally launched. But the brain is still there. The strange quests are still there, and the freedom is still there. And somewhere in Cyrodiil, there’s probably still an NPC doing something completely ridiculous for no apparent reason. That’s Oblivion, and that’s exactly what I wanted back.”
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70
The Sinking City 2Aug 18, 2026 · Michiel Vonck
“Visually, the game is one of its strongest aspects. Unreal Engine 5 creates a convincing, drowning Lovecraftian city, although technical issues, performance drops, and occasional visual problems prevent it from feeling completely polished.”
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70
The Sinking City 2Aug 18, 2026
“The Sinking City 2 is an enjoyable evolution of the original, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. Frogwares succeeds in creating a stronger survival-horror experience, with an intriguing Lovecraftian atmosphere, visually impressive environments, interesting enemy designs, crafting, resource management, and a more focused progression system. The more guided structure particularly works well for me because it makes progression feel meaningful without demanding the enormous time investment of a traditional open-world game.”
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80
Mortal Shell IIAug 17, 2026
“Mortal Shell II isn’t trying to prove that it can make a better Dark Souls. It’s trying to prove that a Soulslike can evolve without losing what made the genre special in the first place. And after playing it, I think Cold Symmetry has made a pretty convincing argument.”
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80
Mortal Shell IIAug 17, 2026
“Mortal Shell II isn’t trying to prove that it can make a better Dark Souls. It’s trying to prove that a Soulslike can evolve without losing what made the genre special in the first place. And after playing it, I think Cold Symmetry has made a pretty convincing argument.”
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80
Mistfall HunterAug 17, 2026
“So, is Mistfall Hunter worth buying? If you enjoy high-risk gameplay, PvPvE combat, character progression, and the constant tension of deciding whether to stay or extract, then absolutely. It may still need some polishing, but there is a lot to like here. Mistfall Hunters understands what makes extraction games exciting: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose—but there is always a reason to go back into the mist and try again.”
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90
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting SoulsAug 17, 2026
“It’s been a while since Marvel took another serious shot at the fighting game genre, and handing the reins to Arc System Works initially seemed like an interesting pairing. As it turns out, it simply works. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls manages to be approachable enough that newcomers can start throwing out spectacular attacks within minutes, while its 4v4 system hides an impressive amount of depth for those willing to put in the time. Combine that with a varied roster, gorgeous anime-inspired presentation and a clear affection for the Marvel Universe, and both fighting game enthusiasts and Marvel fans should find plenty to enjoy here.”
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80
Mistfall HunterAug 16, 2026 · Michiel Vonck
“So, is Mistfall Hunter worth buying? If you enjoy high-risk gameplay, PvPvE combat, character progression, and the constant tension of deciding whether to stay or extract, then absolutely. It may still need some polishing, but there is a lot to like here. Mistfall Hunters understands what makes extraction games exciting: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose—but there is always a reason to go back into the mist and try again.”
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80
Pokemon Pokopia: Bubbly BasinAug 8, 2026
“Update 2.0 smooths away many of the rough edges veteran players had learned to live with. Bubbly Basin introduces one of the most enjoyable traversal mechanics in the game while proving that underwater environments don’t have to slow the experience down. The new Pokémon aren’t simply fan service, but meaningful additions that support both creativity and progression. Most importantly, the expansion never loses sight of what made Pokopia special in the first place. It isn’t about catching them all; instead, it’s about building a world worth sharing with them. And yes, that was true five months ago; Bubbly Basin simply offers you an even better world to build in. If this is what Pokopia 2.0 looks like, I genuinely can’t wait to see what Pokopia becomes next.”
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50
Disgaea MayhemAug 7, 2026 · Toon Borremans
“Disgaea Mayhem is an attempt to create a Musou-style fighting game in the Disgaea universe. The story captures the whimsical DNA of the main series to the fullest, but the gameplay feels lackluster. Battles feel repetitive and button-mashy, especially because you have to play every map four times without any change to the gameplay. Since you can get strong quickly, you don’t really need to engage with the side modes. Truly a shame, because waging large-scale war as an Overlord with demon armies could be so awesome, dude!”
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70
BLUE REFLECTION QuartetAug 6, 2026 · Nick de Reiger
“Whether every individual entry reaches the same heights is debatable, and the collection’s modern alterations will undoubtedly remain a point of contention among longtime fans. Yet taken as a whole, Blue Reflection Quartet succeeds in something far more difficult than simply compiling four releases onto a single cartridge. It preserves the identity of a franchise that has always dared to be different. It doesn’t want its players to simply become heroes, it asks them to become more understanding human beings, and that’s an idea worth preserving.”
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70
Helix: Descent N AscentAug 5, 2026 · Nick de Reiger
“Looking back, Helix: Descent N Ascent worked best when it trusted me to figure things out for myself. The story is told without long explanations, and most puzzles expect you to experiment instead of waiting for a tutorial. For a large part of the game, that approach works really well. There were also moments where Helix became too vague for its own good, though. Instead of asking myself, “How do I solve this?”, I occasionally started wondering, “Am I even supposed to be doing this?” That can be frustrating, especially because the rest of the game proves that the developers know how to build clever puzzles. By the time the credits rolled, however, I was thinking more about the strange landscapes, the quiet story, and the puzzles that made me feel smart once everything finally clicked. Helix doesn’t always explain enough, but I would rather play a puzzle game that occasionally asks too much than one that gives away every answer before I have the chance to find it myself.”
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80
ConstanceAug 4, 2026 · Lander Van der Biest
“I wasn’t really sure if I needed another metroidvania, but Constance kept pulling me back in. Moving through the world as paint feels great once everything starts to click, and the story about creativity, pressure, and knowing when to stop gives the adventure a rather emotional experience. That being said, the map can be a bit too vague, and some bosses suddenly hit a lot harder than the sections leading up to them, but neither problem was strong enough to ruin the experience for me. Constance isn’t perfect, but it made me care about both the world and the person fighting her way through it. For me, that says enough.”
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85
Lies of PAug 3, 2026 · Toon Borremans
“Lies of P: Complete Edition is the most complete package released for the Pinocchio-themed Soulslike. Everything we came to know and love from the original release is still here, and the Switch 2 handles the game wonderfully. Both in handheld and docked mode, it runs at a stable frame rate without issues. The visual quality may not be comparable to the current-gen versions, offering last-gen textures that can sometimes be a bit too dark for comfort. But Lies of P feels right at home on the Switch 2, because being able to undock my console and take my game wherever I want is still the biggest benefit of them all.”
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Gaming Boulevard

How this trust score was computed

Outlet vs. players

Biggest disagreements with players

Recent reviews (166 tracked)