Latest Previews
April2024
Hands On XDefiant - Ubisoft's Server Test Has Us Hooked For The Full Release
Working out the kinks
Well, another XDefiant 'beta' of sorts has come and gone - with Ubisoft's server test session wrapping up this past weekend on Xbox. As the name suggests, this pre-release test was put out there mainly to stress the servers, but the game's return has done more than that - it's made us crave the full release thanks to its...
March2024
Feature Hands On With South Park: Snow Day! - A Short But Sweet Co-Op Adventure
Fart-tastic?
You'd have been forgiven for expecting the new South Park game to follow a similar structure to that of 2014s The Stick of Truth and 2017's The Fractured But Whole, but South Park: Snow Day! is a very different beast to those 2D adventures, transforming the series into 3D and offering up a very different gameplay experience. That said,...
Crawling through the zone
Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has finally brought its noughties STALKER games to console in the form of STALKER: Legends of the Zone Trilogy - out now on Xbox. This collection brings together the team's three existing STALKER titles — Shadow of Chornobyl, Clear Sky and Call of Prypiat — into one neat package, and...
January2024
Feature Hands On With Stumble Guys: The New Free-To-Play Timed Exclusive On Xbox
Fall Guys has a new Xbox rival
You've heard of Fall Guys, but have you heard of Stumble Guys? This is an incredibly popular multiplayer game on mobile (and even Steam), and its arrival on Xbox today marks its first ever console version. It'll be coming to PlayStation at some point down the line - and who knows, maybe Nintendo Switch - but it's an...
Feature Hands On With Palworld: The New 'Pokémon-Like' For Xbox Game Pass
"Mom, why does Pikachu have a gun?"
The following is a slightly altered transcript of our Palworld preview on the Pure Xbox YouTube channel. You can watch the full video up above, complete with a bunch of gameplay footage that we captured during our early access hands-on! This new 'gotcha' game has drawn comparisons to the likes of Pokémon which...
November2023
Hands On Gangs Of Sherwood Brings Arcadey Robin Hood Action To Xbox Series X|S
Robin Good
We've been donning our hoods and tackling some Gangs of Sherwood this past weekend ahead of its full release on Xbox later this week (the "Lionheart Edition" is actually out today), and we've been having a good time doing so! GoS is a co-op action game from developer Appeal Studios, and while it definitely feels 'AA' in many ways, it's...
Hands On Call Of Duty MW3's Campaign Is Here For A Good Time, But A Short Time
Modern Shortfare
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's campaign has been out for a few days now in early access - ahead of the full game's launch on November 10th. This has given us a bit of time to blast through the game's single-player component and give you some impressions on Call of Duty's direct story sequel to last year's Modern Warfare 2. Now,...
October2023
Hands On Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Feels Like DLC Of The Nostalgic Kind
1v1 me on Rust?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is officially this year's Call of Duty title, and ahead of launch, the team is running multiple beta tests across different platforms to gauge community feedback. The Xbox open beta is about to go live shortly, so we've been hands-on with the early access version to see how things are shaping up on the...
Hands On High On Knife - A Fantastic Expansion For A Divisive Xbox Game Pass Title
The quest for Knifey's package
When High On Life released on Xbox back in December 2022, it ended up proving one of the biggest Game Pass launches of all time, but the game itself was still a divisive one - with review scores ranging from the 3s all the way up to the 9s. In our own review here at Pure Xbox, we acknowledged that you were "either...
September2023
Hands On Payday 3 - A Performant Yet Familiar Co-Op FPS Hits Xbox Game Pass
Put your hands behind your head
Ahead of today's broader Xbox Game Pass launch, we've been playing some Payday 3 in early access - sneaking, robbing and shooting our way through a variety of heisty scenarios on Xbox Series X. Our time with the game so far has been spent with bots and random online players, and while partnering up with some real life...
Hands On Assassin's Creed Mirage Is An Enjoyable Return To The Series' Roots
We spent multiple hours with Ubisoft's latest AC title
Assassin's Creed Mirage is shaping up to be a bit of a throwback to the series' origins when it launches later this year, with more of a focus on tight, stealthy gameplay - and plenty of assassinations of course. Ahead of the game's upcoming launch, we played a good few hours of Mirage (more...
Hands On Starfield's Constellation Edition Is A Thing Of Beauty
Here's a closer look
Starfield is available in three different forms this week — the Standard Edition, the Premium Edition and the Constellation Edition — and courtesy of GAME, we've been lucky enough to get hands-on with the most luxurious of all. Yes, the Starfield Constellation Edition is available right now, and it not only includes the...
Hands On 'Bomb Rush Cyberfunk' Brings Us Back To The OG Xbox Days
A spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio
If you're a big Jet Set Radio fan, there's a good chance you've been keeping a close eye on the progress of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk over the past few years. This brand-new Xbox release (it arrived on September 1st) is a spiritual successor to the classic Dreamcast and original Xbox series from SEGA, and it's been...
August2023
Hands On Stray Is A Cat-Tastic Adventure, And It's Now Available On Xbox
Purrty great
Editor's note: our hands-on time with Stray has been limited to the PlayStation 5 version of the game so far. We have not had access to test the Xbox version ahead of release, so these impressions are purely based on the PS5 experience at the time of publishing. After a long, catnip-barren year, indie darling Stray is finally out on...
July2023
Hands On Telltale's 'The Expanse' Episode 1 Has Us Hooked
Archer's Paradox
Telltale Games is back with The Expanse - a new episodic series that serves as a prequel to the space-based Amazon Prime TV show. So far, we've gone hands-on with Episode 1 on PC, so do bear in mind that these impressions are based on that version. What we can say though is that our impressions are largely positive, and we're very...
Feature Hands On With Antstream Arcade: Xbox's Massive New Retro Gaming Collection
"Your ultimate gaming arcade is here"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has mentioned in the past how he feels emulation is a crucial tool in preserving the history of video games, so we probably shouldn't be so surprised to see over 1400 retro titles coming to Xbox later this week in the form of Antstream Arcade. It's also the first third-party cloud...
June2023
Why the long nose?
Whilst Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest might not have been as packed full of surprises as we had perhaps hoped, we did get a nice little lift last night in the form of a demo drop for Neowiz Games’ Lies of P. This promising Soulslike has been on our radar for quite some time now, and the South Korean developer has...
March2023
Hands On Our Early Impressions Of The Diablo 4 Beta On Xbox
One hell of a good time
It’s now been more than a decade since Blizzard originally released its last mainline Diablo game, Diablo III. In between that time it also dropped expansion packs and updates, released multiple versions of the game across various platforms, re-released an older entry, and even launched a mobile (and PC) title known as...
Hands On Dead Island 2 Is A Fleshy Funride Through Infected LA
Hell-a good times
It's safe to say we were somewhat sceptical of Dead Island 2 heading into this hands-on preview. That scepticism wasn't based on what we've seen of the game so far, or on our history with the series (we actually quite liked the first Dead Island), but rather the game's protracted development period. After all - Dead Island 2 was...
Hands On Resident Evil 4's 'Chainsaw Demo' Has Us Wanting More
Is it March 24 yet?
Late last night, the folks over at Capcom unleashed their pre-release Resident Evil 4 Remake demo, and we did what all wise folk would - downloaded it straight away and played it in the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully (for our sleep schedule anyway), this demo slice of Resi 4 is short, with our playtime clocking in at just...
January2023
Hands On Our First Impressions Of GoldenEye 007 On Xbox Game Pass
Rolling back the years
Can you believe it's finally here? For the first time ever since its Nintendo 64 release back in 1997, GoldenEye 007 has officially arrived on Xbox consoles, and we're still pinching ourselves that it's the real deal. The question is, though, what's this version like? In a nutshell, we're looking at a slightly spruced up...
Feature Hi-Fi RUSH Feels Like A Rhythm Game Version Of God Hand, And We're Absolutely Loving It
The Music Within
Wow. Stuff just happens doesn't it. You spend your whole week waiting and expecting a big game remake to drop that's gonna be the main topic of conversation for January 2023 (although the Dead Space Remake does look excellent) and then
December2022
Hands On Need For Speed Unbound Is A Next-Gen Return To Form For NFS
Gotta go fast
As soon as we caught wind that British developer Criterion was back behind the wheel of the latest Need for Speed title, you could say we were pretty excited to see the final result. A number of the series' recent entries have underwhelmed us, so a mix up in the dev department felt like a good choice with 2022's game. While the results...
November2022
Hands On Soccer Story - Xbox Game Pass's Answer To Golf Story On Nintendo Switch
A charming physics-driven adventure RPG
If you own a Nintendo Switch, then there's a good chance you've heard of Golf Story - it's a popular sports/adventure game with RPG elements, and it's getting a highly anticipated sequel called Sports Story in a few weeks' time. Unfortunately, it's a Switch exclusive series, but
Hands On Police Simulator: Patrol Officers - Rough Around The Edges, But Surprisingly Addictive
This is a silly sim, but we're enjoying it
This time last week, we reported on a game called Police Simulator: Patrol Officers which had become one of the "Top Paid Games" in both the UK and US, and even with the Xbox Black Friday 2022 sale in full swing this week, Police Sim
Hands On Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration - A Lovingly Crafted History Lesson
Developed by the brilliant Digital Eclipse
The first thing you'll notice when booting up Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is just how much effort has gone into putting this collection together. Developed by the brilliant Digital Eclipse (TNMT: The Cowabunga Collection), 'Atari 50' rounds up over 90 playable Atari games (including six new ones)...
October2022
Hands On Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Flexes The Series' AAA Muscle
Captain Pricey
Another year, another Call of Duty, with long-time developer Infinity Ward at the helm once again in 2022 delivering a direct sequel to Modern Warfare 2019. So far, we've only had access to the game's campaign ahead of the big online server switch-on later this week, so these thoughts are based purely on single-player. What we can say...
September2022
Hands On Prodeus Is A Fantastic Retro Shooter That DOOM Fans Should Not Miss
Game Pass is slaying it
"The first-person shooter of old, reimagined using modern rendering techniques." That's how Prodeus developer Bounding Box Software describes its Kickstarter funded indie FPS and, boy oh boy, has this studio managed to absolutely nail what they've set out to achieve here. We hadn't heard a great deal about this one, even...
Hands On Disney Dreamlight Valley (Xbox for PC) - A Slice Of Animal Crossing On Xbox Game Pass
A whole new world
When Disney Dreamlight Valley was first revealed for Xbox Game Pass a few months ago, we didn't quite know what to expect from it. Was it more like The Sims or Disneyland Adventures? Well, it's actually a bit of both, and it also incorporates plenty of familiar elements from games like Animal Crossing and
August2022
Feature Pentiment Preview: Obsidian's Latest Is A Unique And Painstakingly Researched Murder Mystery
A narrative adventure most unexpected
Pentiment: pen·ti·men·to: Definition of pentimento: a reappearance in a painting of an original drawn or painted element which was eventually painted over by the artist. First announced back in June during the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase, Obsidian's Pentiment immediately stood out from the crowd...
Hands On Turbo Golf Racing - Good Fun In Short Bursts With Xbox Game Pass
Rocket League meets golf and racing
One of the additions to Xbox Game Pass this week that went somewhat under the radar was Turbo Golf Racing, which launched on Thursday, August 4th in Xbox Game Preview, meaning it'll remain in an early access state for some time. As a result, this isn't your typical review — we're not going to score it or...
July2022
Hands On What Remains Of Edith Finch Is A Worthy Xbox Series X Upgrade
Returning to the Finch House
Indie publisher Annapurna Interactive dropped a lovely surprise on us during last night's Game Pass-filled showcase. The critically acclaimed story adventure, What Remains of Edith Finch, got a free Xbox Series X|S upgrade out of the blue and let us say, it's a huge leap on Microsoft's flagship console. While we haven't...
June2022
Hands On Resident Evil 7 Is Impressive All Around On Xbox Series X
Revisiting the swamps of Louisiana
Capcom recently dropped some feature-packed updates to a selection of Resident Evil titles, in an attempt to make them spick and span on Xbox Series X|S. We took the two remakes for a spin last week on Series X, and overall, performance mode was the way to go, especially when rocking a 120Hz display. With the...
May2022
News Hands On Preview: Matchpoint Tennis Championships - No Frills Fun For Xbox Game Pass
Shaping up as one of the better tennis games of recent years
In just over a month's time, we'll be getting a brand-new tennis game launching day one on Xbox Game Pass in the form of Matchpoint: Tennis Championships on July 7th, and we've had a chance to go hands-on with it recently — not just the publicly available Steam demo, but also a preview...
Feature Hands On Preview: The Quarry - Until Dawn's Spiritual Successor
Supermassive Games is back at it again
If you're a fan of the PlayStation exclusive cinematic horror game Until Dawn or the Dark Pictures Anthology series of horror games, you're going to want to know about The Quarry, which is the latest feature length effort from developer Supermassive Games, and it's coming out in just a few short weeks on June...
Hands On Arma Reforger Is A Barebones But Exciting Look At The MilSim's Future On Xbox
On the road to Arma 4 with this Xbox timed exclusive
Military Sim fans have had quite the exciting time of things recently with confirmation by Bohemia Interactive that Arma 4 is finally on its way. Further to this, the Czech developer has also gone and dropped the recently leaked Arma Reforger onto current-gen Xbox consoles. But what on earth is a...
Super Smash (Warner) Bros
Player First Games' MultiVersus has been doing the rounds for quite some time now, having first been rumoured as far back as 2019 and then, after a leak, officially announced in November of last year. The colourful free-to-play platform fighter, which is unmistakably and unapologetically a Super Smash Bros clone, takes...
Hands On Evil Dead: The Game - Murderous Multiplayer Mayhem
Within the woods
Saber Interactive's Evil Dead: The Game is now out in the wild, and we've spent a little bit of time digging in over the weekend. This is a fairly deep multiplayer-focused experience, much like the ever-popular Dead by Daylight, and we haven't had enough time with it for a full review. However, our initial impressions are positive,...
March2022
Hands On The Skywalker Saga Is LEGO Star Wars At Its Very Best
It's living up to the hype so far
The brand-new LEGO Star Wars game, The Skywalker Saga, launches on Xbox in just a couple of weeks on April 5th, and thanks to the folks at Warner Bros. Interactive, we had a chance to get hands-on with the game last week and see whether it's living up to the hype so far. There's a lot of anticipation behind this...
Hands On Is GTA V Worth Buying All Over Again For Xbox Series X|S?
Here's what we think of the next-gen edition
Almost a decade since it first released for Xbox 360 all the way back in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V gets its third Xbox outing this week on Tuesday, March 15th, this time in the form of a dedicated version for Series X and Series S. It's not a free upgrade from the Xbox One version, so you'll need to...
January2022
Hands On Mass Effect Legendary Edition - The Best Way To Experience The Original Series
I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favourite remaster on the Citadel
Update (January 2022): With Mass Effect Legendary Edition joining Xbox Game Pass Ultimate via EA Play this week, we're republishing this hands on feature / review to give you a better idea of what to expect. Original story (May 2021): Back in 2007, when Master Chief was still...
November2021
Roundup Halo Infinite Hands-On Previews Suggest The Campaign Will Be Worth The Wait
Described by one outlet as "spectacular"
We're all busy enjoying Halo Infinite's multiplayer right now, but we've still got the campaign to look forward to on December 8th, and some lucky critics have been getting hands-on with the first few hours of it recently. The good news? It seems like it's going to be worth the wait! It's been described as...
Hands On GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition - Still A Blast To Play, If You Can Look Past The Bugs
It's not 'Definitive' yet, though
By now, we're sure you're well aware of how GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition is being perceived by gamers across the web, and the truth is that we probably don't feel quite as negatively about it as the vocal crowd does. Then again, we can also understand why it's suffering such a poor reception right now...
October2021
Hands On The Good Life Is The Strangest Xbox Game Pass Title You'll Ever Play
The Good Life is a good time
There's no singular way we could describe The Good Life that would accurately represent what the game actually is. It's a concoction of many different genres, often poking fun into their tropes, and the end result is an absolute mess of a game - which we absolutely love. Despite its constant attempts to squander our fun...
August2021
Hands On Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - A Subtle Bump In Visuals On Xbox Series X
Still a visual stunner
After the news of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice receiving an Xbox Series X and Series S upgrade yesterday, we just had to dive in. Admittedly, none of us have actually finished the game here at Pure Xbox - a travesty, we know - so this next-gen upgrade is the perfect chance for us to finally embark on that quest. The upgrade...
Hands On Back 4 Blood Is Left 4 Dead 3 In All But Name
And that's not a bad thing
When Back 4 Blood was first announced, we initially were turned off by yet another zombie game hitting the market. It's a genre that's died a death now (no pun intended), and we weren't sure how many more avenues could be explored. It wasn't until we discovered this was being helmed by the creators of Left 4 Dead that our...
Random Uh-Oh, Halo Infinite's Destructible Fruit Has Become A Bit Of A Talking Point
Attention to detail or just nitpicking?
The first Halo Infinite Multiplayer Technical Preview has officially ended, and while many participants seem to be quite taken with it (including us here at Pure Xbox) there are some more, let's say...controversial takes. One video, in particular, on the Halo subeddit highlights how the destruc
Hands On Halo Infinite's Multiplayer Feels Like The Perfect Blend Of New And Old
This could be the start of something new
There was a lot riding on the Halo Infinite Technical Preview. Despite it only being a taste of what’s to come, first impressions count, and it was one the game scarpered in its gameplay reveal last year. Playing the game for the first time has to feel right, and capture the magic that many felt had been...
July2021
Hands On The Ascent - A Gritty Cyberpunk Action-RPG Shooter That Will Keep You Coming Back
Shoot, loot and shoot some more
If you’re familiar with the cyberpunk genre – be it Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner or games like Shadowrun, or CD Projekt Red's troubled release, you can probably already imagine what the world of The Ascent has to offer. It’s got hacking, body modification, artificial intelligence, overcrowded nightclubs, lots...
Hands On 'Braking Point' Is F1 2021's Version Of FIFA's 'The Journey'
It's a proper, fully-featured F1 story mode
Remember 'The Journey' in the FIFA series? It was a multi-year story centring primarily around the fictional character of Alex Hunter, allowing you to play out his career, make decisions to progress the narrative and watch pre-determined cutscenes every time you got to a certain point in the season. That's...
June2021
Hands On Chivalry 2 Is A Multiplayer Game You Do Not Want To Sleep On
A humorous war simulator
Within the first few minutes of Chivalry 2, you're thrown into a boot camp and taught the basics. Whilst this is happening, you're being shouted at by your trainer as he pushes you forward through each tutorial. It's a jarring start and one that surprised us. Not because it was anything jaw-dropping, but purely through the...
Hands On PES 2021 Is An Enjoyable Compliment To Euro 2020 On Xbox Game Pass
Complete with all the official branding
Enjoying the Euros? This year's UEFA European Football Championships (well, technically last year's) have been underway for just over a week now, and if you're anything like us, you've been hooked to your TV multiple times per-day to catch all the action. But when the action stops, Xbox Game Pass comes to the...
April2021
Hands On Second Extinction Feels Tailor-Made For Xbox Game Pass
Our verdict after a few hours with the Xbox version
There's a lot of buzz in the Xbox community surrounding the release of co-op dinosaur shooter Second Extinction, which arrives on Xbox Game Pass as part of the early access Xbox Game Preview program this Wednesday, April 28. Ahead of its launch, we had a chance to go hands-on with the game this...
November2020
Hands On Seagate SSD 1TB Storage Card Is A Great Expansion For Xbox Series X
Faster than fast, quicker than quick
After spending 24 hours with the Seagate SSD Expansion Storage Card, it's clear it was built with the Xbox Series X|S in mind. It's speedy, accessible and adorable with its minute size, making for an excellent choice for anyone who is already clutching for space on their next-gen system. Immediately off the bat...
August2020
Hands On Project xCloud Works Almost Impossibly Well
'There are moments where this feels like a native handheld experience'
I’ve spent the last few days playing Halo without an Xbox in sight. Microsoft have taken Game Pass Ultimate, a service that was already rolling in value, and have unquestionably made it the greatest deal in gaming with Project xCloud. Not only do you get access to hundreds of...
August2013
Up close and personal.
At a small building in London’s Waterloo area on a bright and sunny Wednesday, Microsoft decided to give the UK press their first taste of the Xbox One. Spread across three floors, the event showcased Kinect, Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct,
Stunning.
At a small building in London’s Waterloo area on a bright and sunny Wednesday, Microsoft decided to give the UK press their first taste of the Xbox One. Spread across three floors, the event showcased Kinect, Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct,
Believe in it.
At a small building in London’s Waterloo area on a bright and sunny Wednesday, Microsoft decided to give the UK press their first taste of the Xbox One. Spread across three floors, the event showcased Kinect, Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Ryse: Son of Rome, Killer Instinct,
July2012
Feature Kinect PlayFit - First Impressions
Free. Worth every penny.
So, Kinect PlayFit has been out for about a week, and it seems that folks are racking up the burnt calories like there's no tomorrow. The free app (available from your Xbox dashboard) tracks your play across 10 different Kinect titles, tracking how many calories you burn and awarding achievements and avatar awards based on...
April2012
First Impressions Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor
Metal madness
Pack it up, folks: with Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, we have reached the apex of video games as an entertainment medium. We now have the technology and, apparently, the desire to fist-bump our computer cohorts, and there's no going back. "Bro-op" aside, From Software's Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor's mammoth task is...
October2011
First Impressions Kinectimals with Windows Phone 7
Kitty in your pocket
Unlike Nintendo and Sony consoles, sadly you've never been able to take your Xbox games on the go with you, something even Dreamcast offered over 10 years ago. Now with Windows Phone 7 devices and Xbox 360 you're able to access select content wherever you are, something we recently got chance to try out with Kinectimals and...
September2011
Hands On Kinect Sports Season Two
We visit Rare's UK HQ to experience what could be this Christmas' biggest Kinect title
Given the incredible commercial and critical response to the original Kinect Sports, it was inevitable that a sequel of some description would occur. What was slightly less predictable was the news that the legendary British code house Rare would be co-developing...
July2011
First Impressions The Black Eyed Peas Experience
Rock that body
Michael Jackson: The Experience was a pretty good attempt at bringing the King of Pop to the living room, but the Black Eyed Peas are a totally different undertaking: whereas the MJ game put you in Michael's shoes in his legendary live shows and music videos, in The Black Eyed Peas Experience you don't play as Will.i.am, Fergie or the...
First Impressions Just Dance 3
Get on the floor!
Until now Harmonix has undoubtedly had the Kinect dancing market all sewn up, but that dominance will meet its sternest challenge yet in October when Ubisoft brings the astonishingly successful Just Dance brand across to Xbox 360 in the luridly coloured form of Just Dance 3. At first glance, very little has changed from its Wii...
First Impressions Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012
Toned up
Ubisoft knows when it's onto a good thing: not only is the publisher bringing Just Dance 3 to Kinect, it's also gearing up to launch a sequel to the sensor's biggest selling fitness title. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 is set for release this November with all the original game's content and some new tricks up its sleeve too. Game...
First Impressions Kinect Sports: Season Two
Another big score for Microsoft?
Last night we brought you our First Impressions of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier from Microsoft's Christmas showcase, and next on our travels was the sequel to Rare's Kinect Sports, without doubt one of Kinect's best launch games. We were quickly told that the motion tracking had been vastly improved from the first...
June2011
First Impressions Fruit Ninja Kinect
Ripening nicely
If you happen to own a modern smartphone then you’ve probably already sampled the delights of Halfbrick’s amazing Fruit Ninja. The game has now registered over 20 million downloads across mobile formats, and rightly so — it’s one of those unique titles that takes a very basic premise (in this case, the slicing and dicing of...
