Find the critics closest to players and the ones furthest away

Browse individual journalists, inspect their latest review activity, and sort by recency, review volume, or disparity to surface the voices that track closest to audience sentiment.

Michiel Vonck

6 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

Gaming BoulevardAug 18, 2026Score 70

“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.”

+7.9

Dagmara Kottke

15 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

WayTooManyGamesAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“The Sinking City 2 will pull you in like quicksand. It may not be a technical marvel, but it has that “something” that can keep you entertained for many hours.”

-2.1

Mario Seijas

74 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

IGN SpainAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“The Sinking City 2 is survival horror by the book. Puzzles, constant tension and a good dose of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. A sequel that builds on what worked in the original game and refines it with a much more focused approach.”

+2.0

Richard Wakeling

154 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

GameSpotAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell 2 constantly surprised me, whether it was the mechanics behind a newly discovered Shell, the layered improvements to combat, a bulbous monstrosity of a boss fight that was more mouth than anything else, or the ways you can tinker with a build and make it wholly your own.”

+3.6

Alessandro Zingariello

15 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

CrazyGameCommunity.itAug 17, 2026Score 85Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell II marks a successful comeback for the studio, refining and evolving its predecessor's formula to deliver a polished and enjoyable experience.”

-2.7

Bram Noteboom

67 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

GamelinerAug 17, 2026Score 70Pre-release Review

“The Sinking City 2 is a game with two sides. Many elements that made the original The Sinking City interesting have been removed or downplayed. What you get in their place, however, is a more than worthy survival horror game that has taken a close look at the best titles of recent years within this specific genre and eagerly draws on those blueprints.”

-5.8

Gaming Boulevard Staff

50 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

Gaming BoulevardAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“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.”

+8.4

Console Creatures Staff

19 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

Console CreaturesAug 17, 2026Score 90Pre-release Review

“The Sinking City 2 takes another successful dive into the survival horror genre, with challenging puzzles, an engaging and heartbreaking story, and wildly fun gunplay. I just wish it were longer and a bit more replayable.”

-0.2

Kristina Žarkov

6 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

Virtualni KutakAug 17, 2026Score 90Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell II takes everything that made the original intriguing and expands it into a bigger, darker, and far more ambitious Soulslike experience. With brutal combat, fascinating lore, memorable bosses, and a beautifully grotesque world begging to be explored, this is Mortal Shell finally reaching its full potential.”

-0.3

Pedro Pestana

7 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

IGN PortugalAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell 2 is the perfect example of a sequel done right, improving upon nearly every aspect of the original and doubling down on its unique identity to truly stand out in a sea of Soulslikes. Cold Symmetry took the first game's solid foundations and expanded upon them with deliciously aggressive combat, inventive weapons, and striking art direction. Despite a few rough edges, uneven difficulty spikes, and the occasional cheap death, Fallgrim's dense atmosphere and addictive gameplay will keep you hooked from the very first second to the last.”

+6.3

Jordan Hawes

116 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

WayTooManyGamesAug 17, 2026Score 85Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell II cemented itself as one of my favorite ARPG’s up there with the best of FromSoftware. The changes to the combat make it fast and fierce while still maintain the difficulty I expect from these games. The expanded shells and weapons really help set it apart in the genre and allow for so much more build personality. This is truly one of the best games I’ve played this year, and I fully recommend it.”

-1.1

Aden Carter

22 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

Game SandwichAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell 2 is a great step forward from the original; one that takes extra brutality, a more scenic world, and magnificently designed enemies and puts them in the forefront. The world is full of life, and every inch of it is worth exploring - from the poisoned swamp to the snowy alcoves. The brutal gameplay, combined with a plethora of items to create a build makes this one of the best soulslike titles I have played. Unfortunately, it still has a little ways to go when it comes to the mechanical aspects, as glitchy bosses, a world you can and will fall through, and broken weapons make it difficult to fully love the title. If you can get past that, it is a game that is worth coming back to.”

-4.0

Nathan Manoel

21 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

Manual dos GamesAug 17, 2026Score 85Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell 2 is one of those sequels that improves upon everything from the previous game. With a greater variety of Shells, environments, and enemies, Mortal Shell 2 establishes itself as one of the most noteworthy titles in the soulslike genre.”

+5.8

Valerio Tosetti

34 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

MondoXboxAug 17, 2026Score 88Pre-release Review

“The Sinking City 2 is one of those games that stay with you after you turn off the console: Arkham is a wonderful place to explore, the atmosphere works from start to finish, and the Lovecraftian side supports a story that grows over time. The clumsy combat system, the inventory management, and the constant backtracking hold it back, but Frogwares' change of formula pays off.”

+6.3

Chris Wray

272 reviews

Latest: The Sinking City 2

WccftechAug 17, 2026Score 85Pre-release Review

“The Sinking City 2 is a far tighter, story-driven game - still with exploration and investigations, albeit more limited - than the original. Only really let down by the smallest of niggles, the game features excellent world-building, supported by challenging survival-horror combat and gameplay, decent exploration and puzzles, and a story that is genuinely interesting until the end, with a small but strong cast of characters. Fans of the original may be missing the open-world and detective focus, but the trade-off and direction of this stand-alone sequel feels right, and performs brilliantly.”

+1.7

Bruno de Souza Bom

12 reviews

Latest: Madden NFL 27

Press AttackAug 17, 2026Score 83

“Madden NFL 27 delivers a consistent evolution by improving different parts of the experience. The gameplay places greater emphasis on decision making, particularly in defensive and short yardage situations, while Franchise and Superstar offer strong options for players who enjoy following a career across multiple seasons. The presentation also helps considerably, with more dynamic weather, more natural player movements, and a soundtrack that blends different styles. The result is a Madden that maintains the series' identity while adding enough new elements to make the season feel fresh. There are still areas that could have received more attention. Franchise could require fewer menu confirmations and steps before games, while Ultimate Team keeps microtransactions highly visible and consistently encourages players to engage with its systems from the very beginning. Timing Based Catching could also offer a more flexible default configuration. The achievement list is another area that could have received more attention. With only 24 achievements and several ideas that closely resemble objectives found in previous editions, it feels like there was room for more creativity to take advantage of the variety of modes and mechanics available. These issues do not compromise the overall experience, but they show that Madden NFL 27 could still have been more ambitious in certain areas. The edition does not reinvent the franchise, but it evolves it consistently and delivers a complete season. For longtime Madden players, it is a solid and enjoyable experience that can justify another season in the NFL.”

+12.2

Rob Kershaw

221 reviews

Latest: Servant of the Lake

Jump Dash RollAug 17, 2026Score 80

“Servant of the Lake expands the Vanderboom story with excellent puzzles, superb atmosphere and a welcome dose of character, even if its heavier storytelling and gentler difficulty occasionally dilute the wonderfully unsettling mystery that makes Rusty Lake so special.‍”

-7.5

Sam Aberdeen

147 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

Nexus HubAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“Mortal Shell 2 is a worthy step up from its predecessor, boasting a large, cleverly interconnected sandbox world, greater build variety, refined gameplay and a visually arresting dark fantasy presentation.”

+6.5

Kevin Vercauteren

7 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

PragaliciousAug 17, 2026Score 90Pre-release Review

“In my humble opinion, Mortal Shell II surpasses the original. Whilst the first instalment made a particular impression with its Shell system, the second builds on that in an excellent way. The eight Shells, more extensive skill trees, Tarstones, Seals and sidearms give you a huge amount of freedom to create your own build. My Tiel, for example, evolved into a venomous shadow assassin who strikes from the darkness and can protect himself against poison. For me, that sort of experimentation is one of the game’s greatest strengths. On top of that, the combat feels a lot smoother than I remembered. The Posture mechanic gives parries more meaning, the Riposte remains delightfully brutal, and the sidearms add a fun extra dimension. Add to that the dungeons, puzzles and the many ways to further customise your Shell, and Mortal Shell II no longer feels like just another sequel, but like a game that’s finally starting to stand on its own two feet. And honestly? As far as I’m concerned, that Shell can stay wrapped around me for a while yet.”

+5.3

Hasipcan Kahraman

3 reviews

Latest: Mortal Shell II

TourensAug 17, 2026Score 80Pre-release Review

“While Mortal Shell 2 may not be a game that pushes the boundaries of the genre, it’s a sequel that manages to build on the first game and is especially enjoyable for its overall action. It’s not flawless due to its shortcomings and repetitive structure, but the improvements to the combat system and the Shell mechanics make it worth playing.”

+1.9