November2023
War never changes (but it could at least have tried)
A brand new re-release of a bunch of Metal Gear Solid games that take in the series' history from 1987 right up to 2004 should, you would think, be cause for much celebration. Hideo Kojima's jaw-dropping stealth spectaculars remain as vitally important as ever, absolute must-plays for any student...
August2022
Review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - A Radical Bundle Of Beat 'Em Ups
Totally not bogus
It's been quite a year for fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We've already had Tribute Games' outstanding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, a game we called a "lovingly crafted and supremely entertaining return to the glory days of early 1990s Turtles action" in our 9/10 review, and now the heroes in a...
September2015
Review Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (Xbox One)
A game of two halves
It isn't our policy to look at reviews from other publications before playing a game that we know we'll be reviewing here at PureXbox but this time around, we weren't sure whether or not we'd be reviewing Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, so we indulged in a little light reading. It appears that the game is universally loved and is –...
November2014
Review Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (Xbox One)
On the up
The annual soccer head-to-head battle is on once again, given that nobody else has come forward to try and bring a new entrant into the fight. Konami are making the step up to the new generation properly – last year’s effort can hardly be counted – with Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and the early demo-fuelled hype suggests that the game...
March2014
Review Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes (Xbox One)
Sneaking on to next-gen like a Boss!
Metal Gear Solid has been one of the very best franchises in gaming history. Developed by Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions, each new title has always been able to reinvent itself, bringing fresh gameplay mechanics, in depth stories and pushing the graphical power of consoles to their limits. Now, six years...
Review Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Xbox 360)
Second time round.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 isn't going to grab your attention as firmly as its predecessor did. The narrative fumbles along and the structure flutters between confusing and tedious. Indeed this denouement to MercurySteam’s take on this cherished franchise doesn't live up to their first foray. However, creative boss...
February2013
Review Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Xbox 360)
Hack-tastic.
Let’s get it right out of the way. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance isn’t your standard Metal Gear title. With Platinum Games (Bayonetta, Vanquish) picking up the developmental reins, it was never going to be and as much as we love the stealth subgenre’s favourite son, it isn’t a bad thing. There are some cunning nods to previous...
August2012
Review Rhythm Party (Xbox 360)
Rhythm is gonna get-cha.
More and more often when we talk about Kinect games, we’re talking about hybrids. They can be difficult to categorise, and even more difficult to judge in terms of quality. With Konami’s Rhythm Party though, that isn’t the case. You see, Rhythm Party is designed to be a dancing game – albeit one that allows...
January2011
Review Def Jam Rapstar (Xbox 360)
Rap karaoke ain't nuthing ta #$*! wit
Between Rock Band and Guitar Hero, music fans looking for a game focused largely on rock, metal, punk and whatever else you can bang out with a guitar, a bass, a drummer and a vocalist have been pretty well covered. There have been a few deviations into other genres, like Activision's rather splendid DJ Hero...
December2010
Review Deca Sports Freedom (Xbox 360)
When sports compilations go bad
Sports compilations are quickly becoming a dime-a-dozen when it comes to showing off new motion-sensing technology. Rare's Kinect Sports did a nice job of showing off some of Kinect's impressive features, and now Hudson has decided to bring its oft-forgotten Deca Sports (known as Sports Island in Europe) series to...
Review Adrenalin Misfits (Xbox 360)
From X-Game Hell they came
Kinect and snowboarding should go together like peanut butter and chocolate, yet out of the gate riding sports have fallen closer to the experience of discovering Vegemite on the floor: a (very) select (and brave) few will be able to wring some enjoyment out of the likes of SEGA’s Sonic Free Riders and Konami’s...
November2010
Review DanceMasters (Xbox 360)
Are you a master of dance?
DanceMasters (known as DanceEvolution in Europe) is about as hardcore a dancing title as you can get on Kinect right now, moulded from decades of experience ruling the neon-lit arcades in downtown Tokyo. Some will find themselves drawn into its fast-paced world of J-pop and over-complicated gameplay concepts, but the...
