The Wolf Among Us Remastered, Joe & Mac Retro Collection and Croc 2 review roundup

October 29 was a day for old games. Telltale's The Wolf Among Us came back as a single remastered release, ahead of its sequel in 2027. Red Art Games collected Data East's three Joe & Mac SNES platformers. And Argonaut Games remastered Croc 2, the 1999 PlayStation sequel, a year after it did the same for the first Croc.

The short version: The Wolf Among Us Remastered is the clear winner, at 85 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, with no negative reviews. Critics say it's the best way to play the game, but that it changes little for anyone who played it in 2013. Joe & Mac Retro Collection and Croc 2 are smaller, more divided releases, mostly for people who remember the originals.

Scores below were taken at the time of writing and may still move.

The Wolf Among Us Remastered, Joe & Mac and Croc 2 at a glance

The Wolf Among Us Remastered review scores: 85 on Metacritic

The Wolf Among Us is Telltale's noir detective story based on Bill Willingham's Fables comics. You play Bigby Wolf, the detective at its centre, in Fabletown. It first came out in five episodes between October 2013 and July 2014. The remaster bundles all five as one release, with rebuilt visuals, a black-and-white Noir Mode, playable deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes extras. Your save can carry over to The Wolf Among Us 2, which is due in 2027.

Most reviews went live on October 27. Metacritic lists it at 85 on PS5 from 11 critics, all positive, and 84 on PC from 8. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 85 from 18 reviews, with 100% recommending it. Our guide to how Metacritic and OpenCritic scores work explains the difference.

What critics love about The Wolf Among Us Remastered

The story still holds up, and it now looks the way people remember it. GamingBolt's Daniel Boyd (9/10) notes "Every character was recreated from scratch as a high-resolution model," and calls it "a beautiful overhaul while preserving its story and atmosphere." PlayStation LifeStyle's Tyler Treese (9/10) calls it "the best way to revisit one of Telltale's best-crafted stories."

The fixes matter too. COGconnected's Jaz Sagoo (80) says it "irons out performance issues from the original release," and Final Weapon's Saras Rajpal finds the frame rate "far more consistent" than before. GamingTrend's David Flynn (95/100) singles out the deleted scenes, cut sections of episodes you can now play.

Where The Wolf Among Us Remastered reviews split

Nobody dislikes it. The question is how much it adds. TheGamer's verdict is blunt: "You won't find a new story to experience here." GamingBolt's cons include an "Unchanged main adventure offers few surprises for returning players."

Some old problems survived. IGN's Sarah Thwaites (8/10) says "It's disappointing that some of the original's stiff animations haven't been ironed out," and GamingTrend calls it "Still kinda janky, particularly with animations." The deleted scenes are rough in places: COGconnected found "odd bugs seeping through the cracks" there.

The brighter lighting also divides people. Flynn writes "I don't think Bigby was meant to be seen in harsh daylight," and Rajpal misses the shadow that once hid Bigby in his first scene. Noir Mode gets a shrug. PlayStation Universe's James Davie calls it "superfluous," and GamingTrend says it "feels tacked on."

On length, GamingTrend took "about 9 hours" to finish all five episodes. The Switch version, announced for the same day, has been delayed with no new date.

Joe & Mac Retro Collection review scores: 73 on Metacritic

This collection gathers three Data East SNES games: Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, the spin-off Congo's Caper, and Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics. It adds rewind, save states, CRT filters, a Boss Rush mode and a box art gallery. Physical editions for Switch and PS5 follow in early 2027.

Metacritic lists it at 73 on Switch 2 from six critics. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 80 from 13 reviews, but only 46% recommend it. That gap tells you a lot: the scores are decent, but few critics call it essential.

What critics love, and where Joe & Mac reviews split

The fans are happy. CGMagazine's Jordan Biordi (9/10) calls it "an excellent assortment of three prehistoric platformers." Several critics prefer the later games to the original. Creative Bloq says it's "A better collection than its headline game suggests," Gaming Boulevard rates Lost in the Tropics highest, and Nintendo News PL calls Congo's Caper the surprise.

The complaints are about what's missing. Ladies Gamers' James Luff writes that it "doesn't feel particularly comprehensive" and feels "a little bare-bones" next to better retro compilations. Universo Nintendo notes it doesn't fix the games' gameplay flaws or add online play, so co-op is local only.

Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos review scores: 65 on Metacritic

Croc 2 first came out on PlayStation in 1999. This remaster, from the revived Argonaut Games, has updated visuals, modern or classic controls, and the Croc2pedia, a museum of development material and interviews. On GOG, the original PC version comes bundled with it.

Metacritic lists it at 65 on PS5, with most reviews in the mixed range. OpenCritic has a Top Critic Average of 70 from six reviews, with 67% recommending it.

What critics love, and where Croc 2 reviews split

The presentation and the extras get the praise. Noisy Pixel's Orpheus Joshua (7.5/10) says the modern controls "make movement much smoother," and calls the Croc2pedia "an extensive encyclopedia" of the game's history. Netto's Game Room calls it "a charming platformer finally realized into what it was always meant to be."

The split is about the 1999 design underneath. Spilstrøm says the gameplay "has not aged particularly well," even if the remaster itself is well made. Gamesurf calls the upgrades "a superficial coat of paint." Noisy Pixel calls it "an enjoyable but uneven sequel" and says it lasts "an afternoon or two." GamersRD recommends it to nostalgic players and younger gamers, but warns it can feel repetitive.

Which one to play

The Wolf Among Us Remastered is the easy pick if you've never played it. It's a short, well-written detective story, and you can finish it in a couple of evenings. If you played it in 2013, the case is weaker. You're paying for sharper visuals and deleted scenes, not new story. It makes more sense as a refresher before The Wolf Among Us 2 in 2027.

Joe & Mac Retro Collection is for SNES fans with someone to play with on the couch. The later games are the stronger part, and the price is low. If you want a deep, museum-style collection, critics say this isn't it. Our list of co-op games to play with your partner has more couch options.

Croc 2 is for people who played it in 1999. Newcomers will find a tidy remaster of a game critics say feels its age.

GTA 6 arrives on November 19. If you want something short before then, The Wolf Among Us fits. Our plan for clearing your backlog before GTA 6 can help with the rest, and if you log what you finish in Perthro, you'll know where you left off once Vice City takes over.

Sources

• Metacritic: The Wolf Among Us Remastered
• OpenCritic: The Wolf Among Us Remastered
• Steam: The Wolf Among Us Remastered
• Wikipedia: The Wolf Among Us
• Game Informer: The Wolf Among Us Remastered emerges from the shadows on October 29
• Pure Xbox: Glowing reviews for The Wolf Among Us Remastered
• The Wolf Among Us Remastered reviews: GamingTrend, GamingBolt, PlayStation Universe, COGconnected, Final Weapon
• Metacritic: Joe & Mac Retro Collection
• OpenCritic: Joe & Mac Retro Collection
• Steam: Joe & Mac Retro Collection
• Time Extension: Joe & Mac Retro Collection brings three SNES games to modern consoles
• Joe & Mac Retro Collection reviews: Ladies Gamers, Creative Bloq
• Metacritic: Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos
• OpenCritic: Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos
• Steam: Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos
• Wikipedia: Croc 2
• VGC: Croc 2 is getting the remaster treatment
• Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos reviews: Noisy Pixel