Latest Reviews
Review Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP (Xbox) - The Cheerleader Zombie Hunter Juliet Returns
A remaster of an Xbox 360 cult classic
Lollipop Chainsaw started out as a light-hearted collab between No More Heroes designer ‘Suda51’ and the eventual Guardians of the Galaxy movie director James Gunn when it originally debuted on the Xbox 360 in 2012. Since then, the legendary zombie hunter Juliet has become a bit of a cult hit, with her...
Review NBA 2K25 (Xbox) - The Best NBA 2K To Date Is Marred Somewhat By Microtransactions
Hoop dreams, and microtransaction nightmares
We didn't get a chance to review 2K's NBA offering in 2024, but after playing the game in our own free time, we found ourselves hanging up our Air Jordans in pretty short order, as the whole thing just felt way too familiar to 2023's effort - which we'd already pumped hundreds of hours (and an...
Review Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (Xbox) - An Open World Racer That Needed More Time To Shine
This crown needs polishing up
Disclaimer: Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has been suffering from some major server issues since its early access launch on September 5th, and given that the game is always-online, we've deducted an extra point off the score as a result. Without these issues, we'd be looking at one point higher than what the game has...
Review Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (Xbox) - An Enjoyable And Surprisingly In-Depth Sports Game
Oliver Wood be proud
You know, if there's one thing that Hogwarts Legacy didn't do very well a couple of years ago, it was the total lack of playable Quidditch. The reason behind that was seemingly because Warner Bros. and developer Unbroken Studios were working on Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions in the background, and although it appears to have...
Review Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (Xbox) - Swarm Tech Shines In A Superbly Brutal Co-Op Shooter
A swarm feeling inside
Know that bit in a big action movie where two beefy bruisers spot each other from a distance and then square off in the midst of an enormous battle? Lesser enemies unceremoniously brushed aside as these behemoths charge at each other for a proper beatdown? Well, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 gives you that. It lets you do...
Review The Casting Of Frank Stone (Xbox) - Supermassive Delivers Engaging Small Town Horror
Popcorn at the ready
Creepy abandoned sawmills, labyrinth-like basements, imposing stately homes in the English countryside, small-town teens trying to keep their hormones in check. Aye, The Casting of Frank Stone isn't exactly original, but Supermassive Games has delivered yet another popcorn horror experience that we can't say we didn't enjoy...
Review Age Of Mythology: Retold (Xbox) - Microsoft's Godly RTS Classic Revitalised
Go beyond history
Age of Mythology might not be a major numbered entry, but it's still played a significant role in the Age timeline – transitioning the series from 2D to 3D following the success of Ensemble's real-time strategy king, Age of Empires II. Mythology wasn’t just there to fill the void when it landed on PC in 2002 and is still...
Review Star Wars Outlaws (Xbox) - Robust Stealth & Immaculate Vibes Make For A Super Star War
Hokey Religions And Ancient Weapons Are No Match For A Good Blaster At Your Side, Kid
Alright. Let's not beat about the space bush here. We genuinely thought that Star Wars Outlaws could have turned out pretty bad. A mediocre-at-very-best sort of affair. Just reskin any old Ubisoft-style open world game with Star Wars stuff and be done with it...
Review Kena: Bridge Of Spirits (Xbox) - Slick Combat & Cute Companions Smooth Over Some Rough Spots
Spirited Away?
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was well-received by the majority of critics when it first released as a PlayStation exclusive back in 2021. A slick and incredibly good-looking action RPG - as well as an extremely impressive first effort from Ember Lab - it may lack the polish and fancy final touches of some of Sony’s other big tentpole...
Review Star Wars: Bounty Hunter - After 22 Years, Jango Fett's Adventure Comes To Xbox
Is this the way?
Jango Fett isn’t quite as famous as his son (or even Dinn Djarin from The Mandalorian) but during the height of the movie prequel trilogy, he was lucky enough to get his very own game - known as Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. This title never actually got released on the original Xbox, but now, after more than 20 years, Force-sensitive...
Review F1 Manager 2024 (Xbox): The Best And Most Affordable Version Yet
A place on the podium
When F1 Manager first arrived on Xbox a few years ago as a brand-new franchise from the simulation geniuses at Frontier Developments, we were genuinely surprised at how well they'd managed to combine the thrill of EA's F1 series with the addictive strategy elements of Motorsport Manager. Then, F1 Manager 2023 ended up being a...
Review Nobody Wants To Die (Xbox) - An Immersive Outing That Nails Its Cyberpunk Aesthetic
The price of eternal life
Nobody Wants to Die has sort of come out of nowhere, hasn't it? The brand-new IP, developed by an entirely new studio, has largely been kept under wraps since its initial announcement earlier this year - and in truth, that had us a bit worried about what we were in for. Well, that worry was needless; Nobody Wants to Die is...
All the right moves
If, like us, you're the sort of Gridiron gaming fan who loves to run the offense, but hasn't got a clue what all those silly pictures mean on defence, we reckon EA Sports College Football 25 might just actually, finally, teach you something...even if it's just a little...about what on earth is going on during those parts when you...
Good, or a load of Herzwaffeln?
Dungeons Of Hinterberg is a very, very good name for a computer game. It has a vibe, the word Hinterberg, you see, a very specific sort of vibe that Microbird Games has absolutely nailed. When you say Hinterberg to us, we sense adventure, we demand mysterious mountains and picturesque (but very weird) villages. We...
Review Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn (Xbox) - New Game Pass RPG Hurt By Its Own Ambition
Ran out of ammo
Back in December 2018, A44 Games released Ashen. With a striking art style, gorgeous atmosphere and great combat, it is still an indie gem of the soulslike genre. Now, five and a half years later, the team is back with Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, which is a soulslike far greater in scale than the small adventure Ashen was...
Dancing Machine
Is it just us, or has Capcom been on some sort of record-breaking streak of fantastic form since around about 2016? The Resident Evil 2 Remake upped the game for revamps in general, Street Fighter 6 is the best the series has been since Street Fighter 2 Turbo (fact) and the likes of Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry are enjoying more...
Review Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 (Xbox) - A $5 Game That'll Give You The Creeps
Cheap thrills
Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 was always destined to be a hit on Xbox. You take a game with Five Nights at Freddys inspirations, slap a ridiculously cheap £4.19 / $4.99 sticker on it, and it's bound to wind up in the "Top Paid" Xbox charts before long. That's exactly what's happened within its first few days on sale, but is it any good?...
Review The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road (Xbox) – 10 Years Of Tamriel With A Trip To West Weald
Eight chapters and counting
The Elder Scrolls Online might have started its life a lot later than certain other MMORPGs, but that hasn’t stopped it from making a name for itself over the past 10 years. Since its initial launch in 2014, which was propelled by the popularity of Bethesda’s solo adventures, it has evolved in all sorts of ways, and...
Review Neon White (Xbox) - A Speedrunner's Heavenly Delight, Now On Game Pass
Look into the light
Neon White isn’t your average first-person shooter. It incorporates elements of speedrunning, parkour, card games and even some basic aspects of the visual novel genre to create a stylish single-player experience where you must kill every demon in sight to secure your spot in Heaven. You’ll take control of a demon-slaying...
Review Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition (Xbox) - Ubisoft's Classic Revitalised
Jade is finally back!
It feels like we've been waiting forever for Beyond Good & Evil 2 to show up, and to tide us over until then, Ubisoft has now released a new remaster of the original outing – this time celebrating the game’s 20th anniversary. Yes, this year marks two decades since the original title debuted on the first Xbox (which was...
Review Still Wakes The Deep (Xbox) - Nautical Narrative Adventure Perfect For Xbox Game Pass
Swearing like a sailor
If you've played any of The Chinese Room's past games you'll have an idea of what to expect from Still Wakes The Deep; something short, sweet, dripping in atmosphere and with a laser focus on the overall narrative. Well, we're here to report that despite some behind-the-scenes changes at the British developer, Still Wakes the...
Review Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends (Xbox) - A Wholesome Game Pass Gem
Don't let this one pass you by!
Amidst all the craziness of the Xbox Showcase and everything else over the past few days, it may have completely passed you by that Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends launched on Xbox Game Pass earlier this month, and after spending plenty of hours with it between all of these major events, it's proved the...
Review Alan Wake 2: Night Springs (Xbox) - Weird & Wonderful DLC That Oozes Remedy Style
Embark on three wild episodes of Night Springs
Alan Wake 2 was big, bold, stylish and just a fantastic rollercoaster ride from start to finish last year, so you can bet your bottom dollar that we've been all over Alan Wake 2: Night Springs since it was basically shadow-dropped right after Summer Game Fest 2024. Night Springs brings together three...
Review F1 24 (Xbox) - Codemasters Delivers The F1 Goods. Again. And Again. And Again.
Lick the stamp and send it
There's something very "wannabe cool dad energy" about F1 as a sport. It's just one of those things. For every spectacular crash, breathtaking win or undeniable display of driving greatness... there's still a wrap-around shades sort of a vibe, a sort-of neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard aspect to the whole thing that it...
Review Hypercharge Unboxed (Xbox) - A Slick, Silly Shooter That Stands Out From The Pack
Charged chaos
We've been hearing about Hypercharge Unboxed eventually coming to Xbox for bloody ages at this point, and the day is finally here for us to live out our childhood toy soldier dreams. Make no mistake, this is a bit of a silly shooter at heart, but it's one that definitely has its place on the market amongst a sea of beige, realistic...
Review Horizon Chase 2 (Xbox) - Gorgeous Graphics Turbocharge This Speedy Arcade Racer
Redlining it
After a short period of time on other platforms including Nintendo Switch, the sequel to 2018's fantastic Horizon Chase Turbo is finally coming to Xbox. Yep, Horizon Chase 2 is almost here, and we've been well up for this one ever since it was announced for the platform. The good news is that this high-speed sequel largely delivers on...
Review XDefiant (Xbox) - Classic COD In A Current-Gen Frock
Getting back to basics
Xbox 360 era Call of Duty was a special time for Activision's long-running FPS franchise. Call of Duty 4 burst onto the scene with unprecedented popularity back in 2007 — pairing smooth, fast-paced gunplay with a deep, addictive progression system — and most of the series' Xbox 360 follow ups built on the formula fairly...
Review Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox): An Incredible Spectacle That Lacks An Essential Hook
Diminishing Returns
If we cast our minds all the way back to 2019's The Game Awards, all the way back to that very first reveal for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, it's a strange thing that, amidst all of the next-gen hype and excitement of that specific time, we still clearly remember considering a sequel to Ninja Theory's 2017 tour-de-force a weird,...
Review System Shock Remake (Xbox) - Nightdive Does It Again With Another Superbly Studied Remake
Nice jump...insect
System Shock is just one of those games innit. It's one of those "classic" computer games that the old folk tell you about. You know those old folks, the ancient gamers (not me, obviously), just constantly yammering on at bus stops about System Shock and "oh, you shoulda seen SHODAN" and you're like "I did see SHODAN" and then...
Review Braid, Anniversary Edition (Xbox) - XBLA And Indie History Remastered
Wind back the clock
Braid is not only an important part of Xbox Live Arcade's history, but it’s arguably up there as one of the most significant indie game releases of all time – illustrating on debut the appetite for more niche and artistic experiences in a market that was at the time booming with blockbuster franchises. With this in mind,...
