To understand our review methods, please read this article explaining our game review categories and standards.
You will also want to read The Beautiful Game to fully understand how our criteria came to be, and if you’re interested in how we define our competitive gaming criteria, please read Competitive Gaming 123 and 456 for an in-depth discussion.
The Agoners Steam Group Curator page lists the titles below that are recommended and also available on Steam, as well as some summary review text.
See the list below of all the games review scores & summaries. Click the links for the more detailed reviews or browse through all our Review Posts
“An extremely basic platform-puzzler with little to recommend it”
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“Recommended this game for years since it’s first XBLIG incarnation, it’s awesome. Far better than every Mario & Sonic game.”
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“Recommended this game for years since it’s first XBLIG incarnation, it’s awesome. Far better than every Mario & Sonic game.”
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Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
“The only Assassin’s Creed game I bothered to play enough to give a fair review score to… GOD I WISH I HADN’T”
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A Virus Named Tom
“Not bad single player but gets really fun as a co-operative challenge title. Really under-rated and under-noticed”
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“It’s not complete balls, but just feels a bit lacking in just about every area except graphics”
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“Seriously under par as challenge title, but I just barely recommend it anyway – mainly to mong out to the lovely graphics and audio.”
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BattleBlock Theater
“A fun co-op challenge. A bit lacking in variety, but the humourous style is great and keeps your interest”
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Batman Arkham Asylum
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“An embarrassment to the ‘games industry’ (and perhaps even the human race) that things such as this exist”
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“A very weak challenge title, spoiled further by pointless touchscreen controls”
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Braid
“Really good and difficult puzzle challenge title with platforming elements”
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“Some really promising stuff here for my taste, but let down by awful grind-to-upgrade re-play mechanics rather than actual challenges”
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“In MW2, hidden away in the usual COD crap, are the excellent co-op challenge “Special Ops” missions – this is recommended only for those!”
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The Cave
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Darksiders
“Really tedious and really buggy”
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Divekick
“Online is barebones and a huge disappointment, but the actual gameplay is great fun with a competitively minded friend or 3”
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Electronic Super Joy
“Very challenging but not (usually) too punishing platformer with loads of interesting achievements, great soundtrack and silly retro graphics.”
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Gears of War
“A very good co-op challenge”
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“A superb co-op challenge title”
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Gears of War 3
“Became way more repetitive and generic than the previous Gears games, and the 3 and 4 player co-op mechanics were a huge let down compared to the co-op of the previous games”
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Guacamelee
“Pretty good fun co-op platform-style fighting & exploring game. I’ve not played the “Super Turbo” version so I don’t know if it’s worthwhile.”
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“An atrocious challenge-based game due to it’s pathetic save system & many of the puzzles are also incredibly weak. The only strong point is the story”
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“I was actually glad & relieved when I finally finished this rubbish so that I’d never have to play it again, please never make Half-Life 3 if it’s anything like this”
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“This is a ‘more than the sum of it’s parts’ game that is pretty darn good at everything & has lots to offer, but it’s a shame it never really found a tight competitive game mode”
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Hero Academy
“A good asynchronous strategy game. Android/iOS portable device required to really play. Could’ve reached excellence with better competitive features.”
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Killing Floor
“This had potential as an interesting co-op challenge in the vein of L4D, but is ruined by pathetic grinding mechanics”
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“Whilst it’s hopeless as a competitive game, it makes up for it by being one of the best co-operative challenge titles ever made. It’s so good it got me to like FPSs!”
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“Not close to the excellence of L4D1, but still very enjoyable as a co-operative challenge. Be warned, competitive play is still a joke”
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Lollipop Chainsaw
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Ms ‘Splosion Man
“‘Splosion Man is probably the best platformer I’ve ever played. Ms isn’t quite as good, but it’s still fantastic! Full review of ‘Splosion explains why”
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii
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“A shame that the utter disaster of the health and checkpoint system conspires to damage everything else that’s good about the game”
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Plants Vs Zombies (PC)
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Plants Vs Zombies (360)
“Good co-op play drags this a nudge above the usual tower defence game problems”
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Portal
“Hugely over-rated, but it is a solid 1P puzzle challenge. Taking the only good bits of Half Life and condensing a game to just them was a good idea.”
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Portal 2
“Single player drags a bit, but co-op with a friend is a really fun challenge and experience”
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Scary Girl
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“Weak for competitive play, but the single player mission mode is a really fun challenge and difficult in places too.”
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“This may very well be the perfect puzzle-platformer for my taste and skill”
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“At its best, Stacking is an interesting logic puzzle. At its worst its an exercise in dumb trial and error”
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“StarCraft II online with Battlenet 2 is the poster game for exactly how things should be done as far as competitive gaming design goes”
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“Despite the improvements it’s made in some areas, the flaws mentioned here, and the fact they all exacerbate each other, means that I can’t score it any higher than SFIV in terms of its overall competitive gaming design”
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Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
“This is close in skill-tests and design goals to being my ideal competitive fighting game, but the online gaming system is what lets this amazing game down.”
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Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Ver 2012
“It’s kinda sad to say it, but at the time this game set the standard for online fighting game competitive features – albeit it’s at a pretty low bar.”
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Transformers: War for Cybertron
“Would be MUCH improved if it had proper Steam integration and achievements etc, but still a fun if repetitive co-op shooter. Roll out with 2 friends!”
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“Far too easy, but fun and engaging platformer whilst it lasts”
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Trine
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Ultra Street Fighter IV
“It’s kinda sad to say it, but at the time this game set the standard for online fighting game competitive features – albeit it’s at a pretty low bar.”
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“Solid platforming challenge title with some awesome music. Desperately needed proper Achievements or a leaderboard or something though”
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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
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Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide
“A would-be fun co-op L4D style challenge, all but ruined of any longevity due to stupid grind-based mechanics. Such a waste of potential”
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“Easy puzzle challenges that then force an utter chore of implementing the solutions precisely enough”
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“Probably the best competitive card game around. No pay2win, grind2win rubbish, great balance, matchmaking, leaderboards – perfect competitive game design”
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