Tag: Reviews - Page 4
Review Sniper Elite 5 - The Best Sniper Elite To Date And A Sure Shot For Game Pass
Moisten Nagant
It's been seventeen years now since we first got a taste for Rebellion's superlative Sniper Elite series and, in the years that have followed, it's a franchise that has steadily grown and evolved into a sure thing, a safe bet, in terms of serving up slick, satisfying and highly replayable slo-mo sniper action for fans of exploding...
Review Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong - Big Bad Wolf's Vampire RPG Lacks Real Bite
Lacking Bite
While the wait continues for Vampire: The Masquerade fans to get their hands on the ever-so-slightly troubled Bloodlines 2, Big Bad Wolf steps into the breach with Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, a narrative-driven RPG that returns to the World of Darkness, specifically Boston this time around, where the ancient Camarilla sect is...
Review Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - A Distinctly Average Introduction To All Things Eiyuden
Nevaeh Had a Dream Come True
Suikoden's spiritual successor, the hugely successful Kickstarter project Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, isn't due to release until sometime in 2023 but, in the interim, 505 Games is treating us all to a precursor to the main event in the form of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising which launches today (May 10th) on Xbox Game...
Review Citizen Sleeper - A Unique Narrative RPG That's A Perfect Fit For Xbox Game Pass
Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?
Jump Over The Age, the developer behind the sublime alien ocean exploration adventure In Other Waters, returns with yet another wonderfully unique experience in the form of Citizen Sleeper, a life sim RPG that looks and feels like nothing else we've played recently. Here you assume the role of a...
Review Trek To Yomi - Stylish Samurai Action With Real AAA Polish
Bow to your Sensei
The plight of the sole samurai looms large in Trek to Yomi, as you're tasked with choosing your warrior's path and ultimately, fighting to survive a pretty hellish situation by the end. This stylish 2D action game from developer Flying Wild Hog is a delight throughout its runtime though, even if its combat sometimes stumbles in...
Review Rogue Legacy 2 - An Xbox Console Exclusive You Don't Want To Miss
On the House
The original Rogue Legacy separated itself from the pack back in 2013 by centring its fiendishly addictive platforming gameplay around a clever roguelike mechanic that saw players continuously spring back to life in the shoes of an heir to their previous character, inheriting all of their ill-gotten gains in the process, which they then...
The choice is yours?
It's been a good long while now since we first sat down and revelled in the endless ingenuity and inventiveness of 2013's The Stanley Parable and, in all honesty, there hasn't been another interactive story experience since that's grabbed us quite like this one did. It was/is a sublime game, a fantastic piece of actual art, and...
Review Chernobylite (Xbox Series X|S) - An Irradiated Indie Gem
Rad times
A sci-fi survival horror shooter RPG with base building, crafting and roguelike elements that features a choice-driven narrative, time travel, stealth, supernatural entities and an endgame heist on the Chernobyl power station? Yes, there are many different aspects to The Farm 51's Chernobylite, all of them vying for your attention at any...
Review Streets Of Rage 4 - The Best Entry In A Legendary Franchise
Play it before it leaves Xbox Game Pass!
Update (18th Apr, 2022): Streets of Rage 4 is finally leaving Xbox Game Pass at the end of April 2022, so with that in mind, we're republishing this review so you can see what all the fuss is about. Don't miss out on this one! Another Four Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (April 18-30) Original review...
Review Lost In Random - A Cult Classic In The Making
We're all mad down here
Update (Thu 14th Apr, 2022): With Lost in Random now part of EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, we're re-sharing our original review from last year to give you an idea of what to expect. Enjoy! Original Review (Tue 14th Sep, 2021): Lost in Random feels like the sort of game that would have come out 15 years ago. That's...
Review Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands - A Borderlands Fantasy Spin-Off Worth A Look
Borderlands x D&D
The latest Borderlands game Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has had an incredibly low-key launch compared to previous “mainline” entries in the series and a lot of other games this year. While it’s technically a spin-off – acting as a follow-up to the Borderlands 2 DLC, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, Wonderlands breathes...
Review MLB The Show 22 - Sony's Second Season On Xbox Game Pass
Solid contact
After the delightful weirdness of having MLB The Show 21 on Xbox last year, we can now settle into the annual pleasure of a new entry accompanying each real-world season. If you're coming back for a second year a lot will feel familiar, though MLB The Show 22 does make some tweaks to the formula (and it's even been wrangled onto...
Review Weird West - A Rootin' Tootin' Romp For Xbox Game Pass
Freaky Frontier
We've been keenly awaiting the arrival of Wolfeye Studios' Weird West for quite some time now, with a crack dev team put together by Arkane founder and former creative director, Raphael Colantonio, alongside former executive producer Julien Roby, it's an immersive action RPG that's shown real promise in previews and one that's got...
Review Tunic - This Zelda-Esque Adventure Was Worth The Wait
Star Fox
When we spoke to Tunic developer Andrew Shouldice recently about the various influences and experiences that played a key role in shaping his upcoming game, he made a point of highlighting the joy of poring over instruction manuals and paper guides as an aspect of gaming’s past that he and his small team have attempted to pay homage to in...
Review Shredders - An Ideal Snowboarding Game For Xbox Game Pass
Shred those slopes
We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Xbox console exclusive Shredders for some time now, especially since Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer highlighted it as a game he was particularly looking forward to last year, and it finally drops on Xbox Game Pass this Thursday, March 17th. It's inspired by the classic Amped games on...
Review WWE 2K22 - A Vast Improvement Over Its Predecessor
The bottom line, 'cause we said so
2K's WWE series has gone through a fair amount of ups and downs over the past few years, but the lowest point was undoubtedly WWE 2K20, which released with a plethora of bugs and ended up scoring a terrible 45 rating on Metacritic. The move prompted 2K to take an unprecedented two-year break in development, and the...
Review Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök - A Fantastical Outing
A Hugr-Rip-roaring adventure
It's been well over a year now since Ubisoft dropped the majestic Assassin's Creed Valhalla, our own personal favourite entry in the long-running franchise, and it's a game that's been well supported with supplementary story content 14 months down the line, with both previous DLCs, Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of...
Hardware Review xScreen For Xbox Series S - A Brilliant Plug-And-Play Companion
Gaming on the go
Portable consoles aren't particularly a new idea. Dedicated handheld systems have been around for decades, and even screen attachments just like this one have cropped up before — heck, Sony even made an official one for the PS one. While an xScreen setup requires a power outlet to play, meaning it's not technically a 'portable'...
Review Elden Ring - FromSoftware's Crowning Achievement
Rise, Tarnished
Can it really be almost thirteen years since we first clapped eyes on Demon's Souls? The very first time we sat down to tangle with FromSoftware's action RPG masterpiece we were blissfully unaware of the horror, the terror and constant, relentless death that awaited us. We were, of course, immediately hooked on it all, we couldn't...
Review Infernax - Xbox Game Pass's Brilliant 'NES-Style' Action RPG
Crusader King
Yes, yes, we know, another retro side-scrolling effort amidst a seemingly never-ending stream of the things. It really can be quite hard to remain excited for such an overpopulated genre these days, no matter how much we love a bit old-school hack and slash action. However, this week sees the release of Berzerk Studios' Infernax, a...
Review OlliOlli World - The Best 2.5D Skateboarding Experience You Can Have
Skate or Die!
Skateboarding video games have made a comeback over the past few years – with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater returning to the spotlight in 2020 and EA’s Skate series also set for a return in the future. There have been some smaller indie efforts as well, like Skater XL,
Review Dying Light 2 - More Is Less In Techland's Latest
Dying Lite
Techland's Dying Light is, hands down, one of our favourite zombie-flavoured survival horror games released over the past decade. A uniquely gritty, ultra-violent affair that makes up for its narrative shortcomings with top-notch parkour gameplay and satisfyingly bloody combat, it's a game that took the tired zombie genre and gave it the...
Review Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction - Solid Extra-Terrestrial Siege Shenanigans
How will you REACT under pressure?
Rainbow Six Extraction really is such a great idea, a hugely appealing experiment that takes the often rather bland and samey world of Ubisoft's tactical military shooters and adds plenty of twisted alien sci-fi action and warped vistas to the mix. For the most part it's a mix-up that works too. Based on a...
Review Death’s Door - One Of 2021's Best Games, Now On Xbox Game Pass
"Deserves all the attention it will most likely get"
Update (January 2022): Death's Door is now available on Xbox Game Pass, so if you're keen to understand what all the fuss is about, we've republished our 10/10 ("outstanding") review from July 2021 below. Enjoy! Original review (July 2021): What do you get if you throw Zelda,
Review Nobody Saves The World - Another Indie Hit For Xbox Game Pass
Dungeon Master
Canadian Developer Drinkbox Studios is on something of a streak with great games, having released the excellent Guacamelee!, it's fantastic sequel and the brilliant first person dungeon-crawler, Severed. Now the studio is back with its latest adventure, Nobody Saves The World, and it's another cracker. A top-down dungeon crawler that...
Review Halo Infinite - Master Chief's Latest Outing Was Worth The Wait
Hail to the Chief
After a couple of weeks' worth of blasting around the same ten maps in its excellent multiplayer component, Halo fans are about to get their hands on the next part of their early Xmas present, the campaign component of Halo Infinite is finally here. It's been six whole years since our last mainline Master Chief experience and this...
Review Lawn Mowing Simulator - Who Knew Mowing Could Be This Fun?
Step aside Flight Sim!
Update (29th Nov, 2021): With Lawn Mowing Simulator making its triumphant debut on Xbox Game Pass this Thursday, December 2nd for Series X|S, we're republishing this review so you can see what the fuss is all about. Enjoy! Original review (9th Aug, 2021): As this reviewer looks out to his overgrown lawn which has been...
Review Sherlock Holmes Chapter One - An Interesting And Messy Experiment
Elementary!
The Sherlock Holmes series has gone on for quite a while and quietly pumped out new entries over the years. Steadily, it's grown more and more ambitious with each title and Sherlock Holmes Chapter One may be developer Frogwares' most ambitious title yet. While the series attempts to break into a more modern-day gameplay loop, it somehow...
Review Forza Horizon 5 - An Amazing Game, But One That's A Little Too Familiar
We feel like we've been to Mexico before...
When the Forza Horizon series originally showed up on Xbox 360 in 2012, it was quite a surprise for fans of the racing genre and was perhaps the first real competitor EA’s Need for Speed series had faced in a long time. The Xbox Game Studios franchise has since gone from strength to strength and is now...
Review Demon Turf - Solid Platformer Let Down By Lacklustre Combat
It's good to be bad
When publisher Playtonic Friends was founded and one of the first titles revealed to be released under its banner was Demon Turf, it was clear the company saw something in it. After spending the last few weeks with it, it's clear the game is a fine-tuned platformer, inspired by genre classics such as Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario...
Review Project Zero: Maiden Of Black Water - Plenty Of Flaws, But Still Provides Effective Chills
Don't Look Now
The fifth entry in Koei Tecmo's long-running Fatal Frame franchise, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water was originally released on WiiU back in 2014 and is, for our money, the weakest link in the series. This is a game that surrounds its signature ghost-snapping action with janky traversal mechanics and a wooden cast of characters...
Review It Takes Two - A Magical Slice Of Co-Op Heaven
Heading to Xbox Game Pass this week!
Update: With It Takes Two arriving on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for console, PC and the cloud this Thursday, November 5th, we're taking the opportunity to republish this review so you can see what all the hype is about! Original review: When we first embarked upon It Takes Two's ten-hour journey, we knew it
Review Riders Republic - One Of The Best Extreme Sports Games On Xbox
The Big Steezy
Ubisoft's Rider's Republic, we think it's fair to say, does not get off to the best of starts in terms of initial impressions. This massively multiplayer open world sports extravaganza - think Forza Horizon with bikes, snowboards and wingsuits and you've 100% got the idea - lays it on thick with painfully tryhard banter and...
Review Age Of Empires 4 (Xbox for PC) - The Return Of The King
RTS is back on the menu
Long before MOBAs hit their stride with titles like DotA and League of Legends, one of the most popular genres on PC was real-time strategy. We may no longer be in the heyday of RTS, but there are still many series from this period that remain an important part of video game history. One of the standouts alongside classics...
Review The Forgotten City - A Delightful Puzzle Box Of Ideas
A long time ago in a city far, far away
Update (Thu 21st Oct, 2021): With The Forgotten City announced for Xbox Game Pass on October 28th, we're republishing this review to give you an idea of what to expect. As you can see, we were suitably impressed with it! Original (Sat 31st Jul, 2021): On the surface The Forgotten City doesn't look anything...
Review Echo Generation - Stranger Things Style RPG Knocks It Out The Park
An Xbox Game Pass title you don't want to miss
There's been something of a boom in 80s nostalgia in recent years, much of which has Stranger Things to blame for. It's no surprise, as the show's captivating world and electrifying synth tones give the feeling of a warm, cosy comfort blanket - despite the horrors the show presents. Echo Generation is...
Mini Review Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl - Not So Smashing
Something's missing
Starting up the first match with four Nigel Thornberry's battling it out was a momentous occasion. Growing up with classic Nickelodeon cartoons, this was a nostalgic moment for us, as we watched four Nigel's belly flop across the colourful stage. It was a great time, but one that fizzled out faster than it ignited. Within moments...
Review Back 4 Blood - A Worthy Spiritual Successor To Left 4 Dead
Come slay with me
The first two Left 4 Dead games were classics on the Xbox 360, and Back 4 Blood unapologetically attempts to take that formula and modernise it over a decade later, but the big difference this time is that Valve has nothing to do with it, and the reigns have been taken over by Turtle Rock Studios and Warner Bros. Games. That might...
Review Alan Wake Remastered - Remedy’s Cult Classic Still Holds Up
Wake up, Alan
When Alan Wake first launched back in 2010, it had the unfortunate task of going up against Red Dead Redemption. The initial batch of people jumping into the game was small, but thankfully over the years, it's gained a cult following via word of mouth. Fast forward to today and developer Remedy Entertainment is working on bringing a...
Review Xuan Yuan Sword 7 - A Huge Surprise Hit
A love letter to the original Xbox days of gaming
These days, games get so bogged down in their ideas that they lose their central idea. Take Assassin's Creed Valhalla for example. The game is fantastic but is accompanied by an extraordinary amount of filler, and the result is that the percentage of people who made it to the end is shockingly low...
Review FIFA 22 (XSX) - FIFA's Best Outing On The Pitch In Years
An impressive year for the footie behemoth
Last year's FIFA 21 was the series' first outing on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and while it proved a sizeable jump up from the Xbox One version in the visual department, there weren't too many comparisons to make from a gameplay perspective. FIFA 22, however, is marketing its next-gen version...
Review Scarlet Nexus - Bonkers Combat, With An Even More Bonkers Story
Bring some painkillers
With Scarlet Nexus joining Xbox Game Pass (September 30), we're re-publishing this review. A few hours into Scarlet Nexus your fingers are dancing around the controller as you're directing the ballet of action on screen. By the end of the game, you're not only directing the experience, but you're also producing it,...
Review Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania - A Love Letter With A Few Misfires
AiAi and his friends are back!
Can you believe the Super Monkey Ball series is 20 years old? We can't either, but 2021 is the year of the monkey and SEGA is celebrating its iconic hero AiAi and friends with Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, a completely remastered collection of three fan-favourite titles in the franchise. Whether you're a series...
Mini Review Islanders: Console Edition - An Addictive Tetris City Builder
Building has never been so relaxing
On the outside, Islanders: Console Edition seems like just another take on the city building genre, but within a single minute, it's clear there's more here than meets the eye. Instead of making your islands as pretty as possible, there's a surprisingly in-depth puzzle experience to sink your teeth into, which is...
Review Lost Judgment - Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Strikes Again
Another fantastic entry
When the original Judgment launched, it came at a time when the Yakuza series was gaining momentum in the West. Fast forward to today and the franchise has grown exponentially, resulting in Lost Judgment being the first instalment to launch worldwide simultaneously. With such a gargantuan task ahead for developer Ryu Ga...
Review NBA 2K22 - Bringing Another Layer Of Next-Gen Polish To The Court
A next-gen slam dunk?
This review is based on the next-gen (Xbox Series X, Series S) version of NBA 2K22. With 2021/22’s NBA season not too far away from tipping off, a brand-new edition of NBA 2K makes its way onto next-gen consoles just in time to give b-ball fans a wealth of slam-dunking sports action to get stuck into. This time around...
Mini Review Breathedge - An Hilarious, But Frustrating Survival Game
Lost in Space this is not
Breathedge arrives on Xbox Game Pass on Thursday, September 9th (2021). Here's what we think of it! If you put Ark: Survival Evolved and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy into a blender, Breathedge would most likely be the result. A game which attempts to balance the in-depth mechanics of various survival games, whilst...
Mini Review The Artful Escape - A Fantastic Musical Odyssey On Xbox Game Pass
An assault on the senses
Around an hour into The Artful Escape, we were absolutely in awe of what was on display. It was an assault on the sense, both visually and through its audio, absolutely engrossing us in its musical odyssey. It was a moment that was perhaps our favourite of the entire year, perfectly encapsulating the reason why we play...
Mini Review Kitaria Fables - Charming World Let Down By A Monotonous Grind
Cat got your tongue?
On the surface, Kitaria Fables looks to be a charming mixture of Stardew Valley and Diablo. Blending elements of the iconic farming simulator with the ferocious action of the latter is a great setup. In its initial opening hours, the game demonstrates a perfect blend of the two, delivering a satisfying gameplay loop. But it's...
Review Sonic Colors: Ultimate - A Rollercoaster Thrill Ride
Faster than fast, quicker than quick
Sonic has had a tremendously troubled past. Outside of Sonic Mania, the series has hit a lull for several years now with lacklustre titles such as Sonic Forces and Sonic Lost World - the poor hedgehog can't catch a break. However, back in 2010, Nintendo Wii owners were treated to a 3D iteration which seemed to...