Latest Reviews
Review Atlas Fallen - AA Adventuring Rises Above Its Flaws With Addictive Action & Exploration
The Essence of Combat
Deck13 has been on a pretty solid run over the past nine or so years, with the likes of The Surge, The Surge 2 and, to a slightly lesser extent, Lords Of The Fallen, seeing the German studio serve up some satisfyingly crunchy AA action of the Soulslike variety. While 2014's Lords of the Fallen was a valiant effort, it had a...
Review AEW: Fight Forever - A Fun Wrestling Game That Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously
It's Wednesday, you know what that means!
I'll start off our Pure Xbox review of AEW Fight Forever by admitting I'm an absolutely massive All Elite Wrestling fan. I watch all the shows, I buy all the pay-per-views, and I'll be in attendance at the historic Wembley event this August. Therefore, there was a lot of expectation going into this specific...
Wrath of Scan
Dimfrost Studios' Bramble: The Mountain King initially released on consoles back in April of this year and, now that it's headed to Xbox Game Pass, we're diving in for a review of this dark and brooding Limbo-like set within a fantastical Scandinavian fairy-tale world. If you're already au fait with your Nakens and Skogras, Gnomes and...
Review Crash Team Rumble - Toys For Bob Serves Up Another Crash Bandicoot Banger
Wumpa Warzone
When we first got wind that Crash Bandicoot was to star in his very own online multiplayer game, you'll forgive us for not having got all that excited. As much as we love Crash, and as much as we enjoy this genre of game, well, it just feels as though these sorts of online arena-styled efforts come and go all too frequently these days,...
We just got made
If you've ever watched Michael Mann's sublime 90's crime caper Heat, and specifically the famous heist scene within it that ends in a prolonged running gun battle down the streets of LA, you'll know the exact tone and flavour that Czech developer INGAME STUDIOS was hoping to nail with Crime Boss Rockay City. This Payday clone, in...
Review Aliens: Dark Descent - Finally! An Aliens RTS That Mostly Gets It Right, Mostly
Open up, sesame!
The Aliens franchise has charted a fairly choppy course across various mediums throughout its 44 year history. Whether in video game form with the likes of the execrable Aliens: Colonial Marines, or on the silver screen where Michael Fassbender whipped out a flute to put the final nail in the filmic coffin that was Alien: Covenant,...
Review Layers Of Fear - A Gorgeous Take On A Pointless Remake
Too many layers
In the wake of Hideo Kojima's PS4-exclusive 'P.T' demo, Polish developer Bloober Team unleashed its take on a similar concept with 2016's Layers of Fear. At the time, we quite enjoyed our experience with Bloober's slender adventure - its focused nature prevented the concept from getting stale over a roughly four-hour runtime...
Review Dordogne - A Heartfelt Indie Delight That's A Perfect Fit For Xbox Game Pass
Conte d'Eté
Un Je Ne Sais Quoi's Dordogne first appeared on our radars all the way back in 2020 via a delightful gameplay trailer that showcased its charming watercolour style and sun-dappled setting. What we got a glimpse of three years ago has now finally arrived on Xbox, and it's a genuinely touching little journey through long-lost childhood...
Review Diablo 4 - Blizzard's Biggest Diablo Game Ever, But Is It The Best?
The Mother of Sanctuary makes her return
Blizzard Entertainment has an amazing legacy in the games industry, but in recent years the California developer’s public reputation has suffered following a series of controversies, a change of guard across many of its key franchises and certain projects simply not meeting the expectations and high...
Review Amnesia: The Bunker - Frictional's Frightening Follow-Up Creeps Onto Xbox Game Pass
The horrors that lurk below
Frictional Games' Amnesia series has been one of the premier horror franchises in gaming over the past decade plus. The team's first Amnesia game, The Dark Descent, burst onto the PC scene way back in 2010 and is now renowned for being one of the spookiest games out there. We've had a few indirect sequels since, and while...
Review Street Fighter 6 - The World Warriors Make A Triumphant Return To Xbox Consoles
Metro City Marvel
Have a quick browse through a few online rankings of the best Street Fighter games and you’ll find that Street Fighter V - yep, the one that never made it to Xbox consoles - usually lingers somewhere behind Street Fighter IV in the minds of many a fan of the franchise. Whilst it was still a top-notch effort when it came to actual...
Review Company Of Heroes 3 - A Solid Xbox Version Of A Fantastic WW2 RTS
World War Wahoo?
Relic's Company of Heroes series has been doing the rounds on PC since all the way back in 2006 and, especially with regards to the first game, is still considered to be one of the premier RTS franchises out there. This is deep and addictive real-time strategy that presents its historical battlefields in luxurious detail and gives...
Review Planet Of Lana - A Gorgeous New Xbox Game Pass Adventure
We've been looking forward to this one
From the moment Planet of Lana was first announced as an Xbox Game Pass title back in 2021, there was plenty of excitement surrounding its amazing visuals - and therefore a lot of hope that it would translate into an entertaining puzzle-adventure experience. Fortunately, developer Wishfully has managed to...
Review Redfall - Arkane's Undead Experiment Brings Mixed Results To Xbox Game Pass
Stranger Fangs
After multiple delays, and the somewhat controversial decision to launch on current-gen consoles at a locked 30FPS, Arkane Studios has finally managed to get Redfall out the door and into the hands of Xbox Game Pass players. This is a game we’ve been really digging the style of from what we’ve seen in pre-release footage, with its...
Review EA Sports PGA Tour - EA Returns To The Fairways With A Slick Golf Sim
It's in the game
Well, we may be a tad late with our review of EA’s first foray into the world of golf in eight years but, as it turns out, our delay has rather worked in the game’s favour. Indeed, our biggest issue thus far with EA Sports PGA Tour, its rather demanding analogue shot system, has now had a classic three-click option added via a...
Review Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened - The Consulting Detective Returns In A Lacklustre Remake
Sherlock Holmes ah back ph'nglui wgah'nagl!
Frogwares is a game developer whose wonderfully unique output we’ve been thoroughly enjoying over the past number years, with the likes of The Sinking City, and their long-running Sherlock Holmes series making for charmingly off-beat experiences that manage to nail the atmosphere and vibe they’re going...
Review Minecraft Legends - The Action Strategy Spin-Off That's Even More Fun With Friends
Rise up against the Piglins and save the overworld
Reflect on Minecraft and you’ll likely find yourself thinking about the original crafting, building and survival sandbox title which has gone from strength to strength over the past decade – becoming one of the greatest video game IPs of all time. Since Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang in...
Review Ghostwire: Tokyo - Solid Supernatural Adventure Impresses On Xbox, Aside From A Few Issues
Shibuya Scramble
Just over a year since it first released on PlayStation and PC, Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire: Tokyo finally arrives on Xbox Game Pass, bringing with it all manner of ghoulish goings-on down in Tokyo's Shibuya ward. This is a highly atmospheric and unique open world adventure that's jampacked full of Japanese folklore and tradition, a...
Review Road 96: Mile 0 - A Fantastic Prequel That Builds On Road 96's Heartfelt Adventure
Floating on the breeze
Around a year ago, Road 96 finally made its way over to Xbox and into our hearts. Digixart's narrative adventure ended up being one of our favourite indies to grace Xbox in a long time, thanks in large parts to its captivating narrative that took us on a journey to the fictional border of 'Petria'. A year on, the team is back...
Review Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure - A Love Letter To Rally
Eat dirt in this latest expansion
Rally has played a significant role in the automotive industry over the years, and Forza Horizon 5 is now acknowledging this important history (and the many rally games over the past few decades) in its latest ‘Rally Adventure’ expansion. Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time there’s been a rally add-on...
Review MLB The Show 23 - Another Solid Outing With A Standout Storylines Addition
Is it a whiff or a dinger?
Another year, another entry in SIE San Diego's long-running MLB The Show franchise, and this time around history takes centre-stage with a new Storylines mode giving players the opportunity to learn about some of the all-time great baseball players from the Negro Leagues. It’s undoubtably the highlight of an outing that...
Review Sifu - Former PlayStation Console Exclusive Brings The Fight To Xbox
Become a Kung Fu master
If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to be Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee in one of their famous martial arts films, Sifu (referring to 'a master’ in Cantonese) might just be as close as it gets. This new Xbox release by French studio Sloclap (Absolver) first launched on PlayStation and the Epic Store a year ago, and...
Review Resident Evil 4 - Capcom's Stellar Remake Improves Upon Perfection
Bingo!
It's been a long old while now since Shinji Mikami's final Resident Evil foray was first unleashed upon the world, and what a parting contribution to the series it was. Here was an entry in an already iconic survival horror franchise that shifted away from slow-burn resource management towards full-on Hollywood levels of bombastic action...
Review WWE 2K23 - A Wrestling Game Worthy Of 'Main Event' Status
The bottom line, 'cause we said so
Last year's WWE 2K22 was a very important release for the franchise, successfully overcoming the botched mess of a launch that was WWE 2K20, while also incorporating some key new features such as the addition of the MyGM and MyFaction modes, highly improved visuals, redesigned entrances and much more. WWE 2K23...
Review Tales Of Symphonia Remastered – A Remaster That Could Have Been So Much More
Lloyd Irving returns in Bandai Namco’s classic RPG
Bandai Namco’s Tales series hasn’t exactly been a powerhouse here in the west compared to certain other famous Japanese role-playing games, but one entry in particular that has got quite a lot of love from fans over the years is the charming adventure Tales of Symphonia. This action-style RPG...
Can't fight the moonlight
Following on from 2021’s relatively successful revamp of Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water, Koei Tecmo returns with a remaster of the fourth title in its Fatal Frame/Project Zero series, Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. Originally released as a Nintendo Wii exclusive back in 2008, this is actually one of our...
The sweet elixir of death
As much as we absolutely adore Team Ninja's PC and PlayStation-exclusive Nioh series, it often felt as though it bogged itself down a little bit too much with the depth of its combat mechanics and a certain heavy-handedness when it came to the importance of stamina with regards to every single action you took in battle...
Review Atomic Heart - An Interesting Alt-History Crusade, But Not A True Great
Shaky Soviet adventures
Anybody who's ever played Irrational's BioShock Infinite will be immediately familiar with the opening sequence of Atomic Heart. You arrive at an 'idyllic' utopian city by boat — a city that happens to be floating amongst the clouds of a post-WW2 land dominated by Soviet science — before a short guided tour takes a turn...
Review Wanted: Dead - A Highly Disappointing Hybrid Slasher/Shooter
It sounded good on paper...
"A new hybrid shooter/slasher from the makers of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive!" Now, just wait a minute. We absolutely adore Ninja Gaiden, it's one of the all-time great hack and slashers. And Dead or Alive? Well...we mean, somebody probably likes that too, but let's not confuse the issue, the point is that Wanted: Dead...
Review Age Of Empires 2: Definitive Edition - Microsoft's PC Classic Makes Its Debut On Xbox
RTS historical battles…with a controller
Where do you start with Age of Empires 2? It’s arguably the greatest RTS (and perhaps one of the best games) of all time. When it made its debut back on Microsoft Windows in 1999, it received absolutely huge levels of praise for not only taking the series to the next level, but also bettering the genre in...
