ROUGH CUT REVIEW

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Game reviews: console, PC and indie releases, plus convention coverage

Every game review and convention report on Rough Cut Review in one list, across console, PC and indie releases.

Game reviews: console, PC and indie releases, plus convention coverage
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What a game review judges

A game review on Rough Cut Review judges the game as a thing a person plays, not as a trailer. It looks at how the central loop feels after the first hour and after the tenth, whether the difficulty and pacing respect the player's time, and how the story, art and sound support the play instead of sitting beside it. Technical state counts when it changes the experience: crashes, input lag and unclear controls are named, along with the platform they were seen on. Each review ends with a written verdict and no numeric score.

The section covers console and PC releases from large studios and small ones. Indie games get the same treatment as big budget titles, and the review says who the game suits. A short, rough project can earn a warm verdict if it does one thing well, and a polished one can earn a cool verdict if it does nothing memorable. Titles that mix genres are described by what the player actually does, so a reader with a particular taste can decide from the first paragraph.

Convention coverage sits in the same section. Reports from game and pop culture events record what was shown, what was playable and which demos were worth the queue, with the event and the date stated on the page. Hands-on impressions are kept apart from finished-game reviews and say so in the headline, because a demo is not a release. Where a game has a franchise, the review links to the related guide or ranking. Browse the list below, or head to the culture section for interviews recorded at events. A review also names what it was played on and how far the reviewer got, so the limits of the verdict are visible. When a patch changes the game in a meaningful way, the page is revised and the update is dated, and the verdict is rewritten if the patch changes the answer to whether the game is worth buying.

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Browse this section

Reviews and event reports are listed below, with the platform named on each page.

  1. No. 01Slay the Princess Review: The Visual Novel That Flips the RescueSlay the Princess is a hand-drawn horror visual novel from Black Tabby Games, released on October 23, 2023, in which a Narrator orders you into a cabin to kill a princess who will end the world if she lives. It is one of the sharpest pieces of branching storytelling of its year, and this review explains how the loop works, what the voice cast and art add, and who should skip it.
  2. No. 02Pikuniku Review: A Puzzle Platformer Where Kicking Is the AnswerPikuniku is a bright, silly puzzle platformer from Sectordub and Devolver Digital in which a red oval named Piku kicks, rolls and swings his way toward the villain Mr. Sunshine. It is a charming three-hour comedy that only wants a little more of everything.
  3. No. 03Dwarves of Moria Explained: The Lord of the Rings: Return to MoriaThe Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a survival crafting game from Free Range Games in which a band of dwarves, summoned by Gimli, sets out to retake the ruined Dwarven city of Moria in the Fourth Age. It reached PC on October 24, 2023, and John Rhys-Davies returns to voice Gimli.
  4. No. 04Cult of the Lamb Review: A Crisp Dungeon Crawler and Colony BuilderCult of the Lamb is a roguelike that pairs fast, fair dungeon crawling with a colony builder deep enough to be a game of its own. It launched on August 11, 2022, sold a million copies in its first week and earns its recommendation despite some management and bug issues.
  5. No. 05The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Amiibos AnnouncedNintendo announced three new Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild amiibo on June 14, 2016: Link as an archer, Link on horseback and a Guardian, the first amiibo with flexible parts. The existing Wolf Link figure from Twilight Princess also works in the game, and the whole line arrived on March 3, 2017, the day Breath of the Wild launched.
  6. No. 06PAX East Hands-On: Spin Rhythm XD, the Rhythm Game for DJsSpin Rhythm XD is a rhythm game from Super Spin Digital in which players spin, scratch and tap to the beat, and it supports real DJ controllers over MIDI. This PAX East hands-on Spin Rhythm XD preview includes an interview with creator Dave Curro about where the idea came from, how the music was chosen and what comes next.
  7. No. 07PAX Unplugged 2024 Wrap-Up: Dates, Venue and What the Philadelphia Tabletop Show OffersPAX Unplugged 2024 ran from Friday, December 6 to Sunday, December 8, 2024 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, the tabletop-only branch of the PAX convention family. This wrap-up covers the show facts that can be checked and explains what a PAX Unplugged weekend is built around.
  8. No. 08PAX West 2017: Divinity: Original Sin 2 Lets You Wear FacesDivinity: Original Sin 2, previewed at PAX West 2017, adds an undead race that can rip the face off a dead enemy, craft it into a mask and walk around as that person, gaining their racial skills. Larian Studios’ sequel was set to release on PC on September 14, 2017.
  9. No. 09Halo 5: Guardians Review: Fast Co-op, Strong MultiplayerHalo 5: Guardians is the fastest Halo to date, with tight 60 fps controls, excellent co-op and a strong Warzone mode, while its story leans on series lore. Players new to Halo will enjoy the play more than the plot.
  10. No. 10Rise of the Tomb Raider Review: Eat Your Heart Out, IndyRise of the Tomb Raider, released on Xbox consoles on November 10, 2015, improves on the 2013 relaunch in almost every way except its villains. This Rise of the Tomb Raider review covers the story, the crafting and tomb changes, and the small design problems that hold it just short of perfect.
  11. No. 11Twenty-Sided Tavern Review: The Interactive D&D Comedy ShowDungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is an interactive comedy show in which improvisers play a live D&D adventure while the audience votes on its choices from their phones. It is a joyful, fast-moving evening for anyone who has rolled for initiative, and friendly enough for people who have not.
  12. No. 12Bright Memory: Infinite PS5 Review: A Short, Sharp Action ShooterBright Memory: Infinite on PS5 is a few hours of excellent slash-and-shoot combat wrapped around a story that barely explains itself. The shooter was designed largely by one person, and its best moments feel like a AAA game.
  13. No. 13Walking Dead Season 3 Clementine: Was the Villain Theory Right?After the first two episodes of Telltale's The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, released together on December 20, 2016, some players argued that season 3 Clementine was secretly the story's villain. The theory did not survive the finale, but the reasons it felt plausible say a lot about how the game uses a beloved character.
  14. No. 14SpiderHeck Weapons and Combat Review: The Lightsaber Spider BrawlerSpiderHeck is a 2D physics brawler from solo developer Neverjam, published by tinyBuild and released on September 22, 2022, in which armed spiders duel with particle swords, guns and a grappling web. Its weapons are the draw, and a combat system built on momentum makes even a simple duel feel like a stunt.
  15. No. 15Everybody's Gone to the Rapture Review: Beautiful but PainfulEverybody's Gone to the Rapture is a first-person walking mystery from The Chinese Room that earns a 7 out of 10 from Rough Cut Review. The village, the writing and Jessica Curry's score are superb, and the slow movement speed tests a player's patience for the full five hours.

Questions about this section

What does a game review judge?

It judges the game as something a person plays. That includes how the central loop feels after the first hour and the tenth, whether pacing respects the player's time, and how story, art and sound support the play. Each review ends with a written verdict and no numeric score.

Are indie games reviewed differently from big releases?

No. Indie and large-studio titles get the same treatment, and the review says who the game suits. A short, rough project can earn a warm verdict if it does one thing well.

How does convention coverage differ from a review?

Convention reports record what was shown, what was playable and which demos were worth the queue, with the event and date on the page. Hands-on impressions are kept apart from finished-game reviews and say so in the headline.

Do reviews mention technical problems?

Yes, when they change the experience. Crashes, input lag and unclear controls are named along with the platform they were seen on.

What happens when a patch changes a game?

The page is revised and the update is dated. The verdict is rewritten if the patch changes the answer to whether the game is worth buying.

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