Microsoft Studios Xbox Reviews
Review Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Another Chance To Revisit The Classics On Series X
What once was old...
Update (Tue 17th Nov, 2020): While we wait for Halo Infinite to land on Xbox Series X, at least we have a Series X|S optimised version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection now. Players with compatible displays will be able to experience up to 120 FPS at 4K on Series X and 1080p on Series S. This update also includes some...
Review Quantum Break (Xbox One)
The future is bright
Quantum Break is one of the most sophisticated cinematic experiences on Xbox One, with lavish production values, convincing performances, and a riveting science-fiction plot enveloping its time-bending mechanics. The developer Remedy Entertainment – known for Max Payne and Alan Wake – has crafted a third-person...
Review Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (Xbox One)
A little goes a long way
Ori and the Blind Forest released back in March of last year, and by now, you're likely well aware of the indisputable fact that it's a phenomenal game. We awarded it a 9 out of 10 in our review and called it "one of the best games available for the Xbox One," a statement we stand by 100%. With the Definitive Edition...
Review Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)
Combat Evolved
343 Industries took a lot of risks with Halo 5: Guardians. Tampering with the fundamentals of a series as respected and beloved as Halo could be disastrous, but the Microsoft-created studio went ahead and did it anyway. Considering Halo 4 divided the fan base and caused many to worry that the franchise might be in the wrong hands, you...
Review Forza Motorsport 6 (Xbox One)
Start your engines...
We reckon that we can do away with the preamble with this review, given that if you aren't aware of what the Forza series is by now, you probably never will be. With this sixth iteration (if you forget the Horizon interludes) being a pretty important title for Xbox One as a platform as it heads into the holiday season, let's...
Review Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
Changed like a remix and raised like a Fenix
Back in 2006, the original Gears of War was one of the first games to really showcase what the Xbox 360 was capable of, both in terms of technical prowess and cinematic delivery. With an engrossing campaign – which could be played locally with a friend – and a thrilling online multiplayer offering,...
From Rare with love
To celebrate its 30th year as a developer, Rare has crammed 30 of its games into a single package for just $30. Not only does that make for a brilliantly-coordinated promotion, it also makes for a value almost unheard of for a new release. Instead of breaking down each individual game in this collection, which would push us well...
Review State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition (Xbox One)
New and unimproved
When it comes to writing a review, sometimes the words are easy to put together, while the score causes problems and doubt. Sometimes, the opposite occurs and while you've got the score locked in your head, the words just don't flow. With Undead Labs' remaster of the cult Xbox 360 hit State of Decay, we seem to have run into...
Review Ori and the Blind Forest (Xbox One)
An unforgettable journey
Some people are bothered by the term Metroidvania, which we’ve never really understood. We’re fully aware that it’s an unnecessary subgenre classification that derives its name from two of the industry’s most respected franchises, Metroid and Castlevania, but we're quite alright with that. For those of you unfamiliar...
Scream if you wanna go faster...
Every so often – with increasing rarity – a game comes along that provides genuine doses of innovation on a wide scale. It may be entirely original. It may build and improve upon notes taken from another title, or even from more than one. But with more and more copycat products just rehashing the same old...
Two Is Better Than One
Developer Press Play has a track record of consistently creating interesting platformers that allow players to experience inventive mechanics. In Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, they allowed players to wield a magic marker to interact with the game's levels, for example. They continues with their trend of crafting well-made...
Review Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)
Chaos never tasted so good
Insomniac Games has been responsible for creating great exclusive software for the PlayStation brand over the years. With franchises like Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance earning both critical praise and impressive sales numbers, it’s easy to see why Sony has held the developer so close to the chest...
Review Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox One)
Bring us the horizon
Every so often, a game comes along that you imagine that you’ll be reminiscing about as a ninety-year-old while sipping a cup of weak tea in an old people’s home with your friends. Of course, the games of your youth will come up first. The arcade game that you beat with a single credit when you were on holiday with your...
Review Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (Xbox One)
Artful or awful?
Let’s get this out of the way first: prepare to die a lot in Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. Press Play’s latest puzzle platformer will test your patience with its “trial-and-error” approach and finicky controls — which often led to Max plunging to his death more times than we could count. With that being said, Max’s...
Review Powerstar Golf (Xbox One)
Swingin'!
If there’s one thing every console apparently needs, it’s a golf game. Whether you’re seeking realism in one of EA’s PGA-licenced affairs, or firing up the over-the-top action of the excellent Everybody’s Golf series, there always seems to be at least one available relatively early on in a console’s life-cycle. Powerstar Golf...
Review Dead Rising 3 (Xbox One)
Dead fun.
If you're a fan of the original title and the sequel, then Dead Rising 3 is going to impress and please you. The series' intriguing lore and storyline, over the top, ridiculous psycho boss battles, and oodles of extravagant combo weapons are all present and accounted for, enhanced further by the Xbox One's powerful hardware. Dead Rising 3...
Review Ryse: Son of Rome (Xbox One)
Veni, vidi, vici, all in a day
Ryse: Son of Rome is an excellent showcase for the Xbox One hardware. The visually stunning, fast paced action title delivers intense combat, an intriguing story and a pleasantly surprisingly slice of cooperative multiplayer to introduce this new generation of gaming. It's far from flawless but it's undoubtedly...
Review World Series of Poker: Full House Pro (Xbox 360)
Fold 'em.
When Full House Poker hit Xbox Live Arcade back in 2011, it had one thing that other play-money poker games did not – Texas Heat. For those who never played it, Texas Heat was a gameshow-style poker tournament, presented on a schedule. Each half-hour “show” consisted of three levels of play, with better (or luckier) players being...
Review Charlie Murder (Xbox 360)
Hybrid Moments
Charlie Murder is unabashedly punk rock; it is what it wants to be, and doesn't care if you like it. That’s something we can commend, even if it doesn't always work out for the best. Charlie and his band of misfits are on a mission to stop a rival metal band, Gore Quaffer - and their army of minions - from being the most rockin'...
Review Motocross Madness (Xbox 360)
Back once again...
Back in the day, Motocross Madness was a technically impressive, addictive PC game that did away with the narrow borders of conventional racing games, providing a relatively open world for the player to barrel through. The last entry in the series – Motocross Madness 3 for the original Xbox – was a bit of a stinker when...
Review Gears of War: Judgment (Xbox 360)
The Xbox 360's testosterone-fuelled swan song?
There isn’t much to say about Gears of War that hasn’t been written countless times before. It’s undoubtedly one of the most beloved video game series of this generation, and went from being a relative unknown to one of Microsoft’s most important trump cards. Gears of War shifts systems and has...
Review Fable: The Journey (Xbox 360)
The road less travelled?
Let’s get this sorted right away. Fable: The Journey isn’t an on-rails experience. Well, it is and it isn’t. Ok, it’s about half and half. But when you’re not being moved about automatically, you’re controlling a horse and cart that can only really go in one direction. So it kind of is. But you can choose which...
Review Kinect Sesame Street TV (Xbox 360)
Big Bird's Big Let-Down
After seeing the potential of Kinect-based learning with Kinect Nat Geo TV earlier this week, we were looking forward to visiting our old friends down on Sesame Street. If older kids could be coaxed into mixing learning into their downtime, we were sure that the same could be said for an even younger crowd, especially given...
Castle Crasher
Angry Birds has a lot to answer for, doesn’t it? Not only are we besieged by clones of the game in each operating system’s app store, but now we’re seeing the influence stretch to console gaming. Even the master itself – Rovio — is exerting its influence, confirming that Angry Birds Trilogy will be coming to Kinect for Xbox...
Review Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure (Xbox 360)
Fools rush in?
Kinect is proving to be the ideal platform for younger gamers right now; we’ve already had the reasonably enjoyable Disneyland Adventures, and it’s highly likely that the forthcoming Kinect Star Wars will find more favour with pre-teens than thirty-something geeks. Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure is another controller-free...
You want Haunt
While Kinect has had a handful of really great games over the past year, the stinkers have all had the same problems: poor controls and general lack of charm. Developer NanaOn-Sha comes along to save the day with Haunt, which controls wonderfully and drips with so much charisma it forms a very likeable puddle on the floor. Haunt, with...
Review Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Xbox 360)
"You had me at Halo"
The purple "Better with Kinect Sensor" stripe is a familiar sight on games now, but strangely it's nowhere to be seen on Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a HD revamp of the game that arguably established Microsoft as a major player in the console business. To put it another way: no Halo, no Kinect. Halo CE brings the...
Review Kinect Disneyland Adventures (Xbox 360)
Taking the Mickey?
Parents, take your child or children aside and ask them what the happiest place on Earth is. If the answer isn’t a resounding and enthusiastic “Disneyland” then you’re not doing your job properly. Those Disney DVDs are chocked full with adverts for their vast wonderland getaways aimed directly at an audience that’s...
Review Kinect Sports: Season Two (Xbox 360)
The best just got better
Despite posting impressive sales figures and delivering some engaging titles, Kinect has arguably struggled to find that elusive ‘killer app’ that is capable of convincing both casual and hardcore gamers of its worth. While the original Kinect Sports was a fantastic grounding in Microsoft’s brave controller-free world,...
Review Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)
Leader of the pack
We've seen a handful of games call themselves "Better with Kinect" — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and Virtua Tennis 4 are two of the more high-profile titles, but neither managed to use the sensor for more than mildly entertaining side games. Arguably, Forza Motorsport 4 is the first game to show the...
