Xbox One Game Reviews
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...
Review Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection - Welcome Back Ryu Hayabusa, We Missed You
Update: Now available on Xbox Game Pass!
Update (June 2022): To celebrate Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection's arrival on Xbox Game Pass, we're republishing this review from last year to give you an idea of what to expect. It's available to download now on console and PC! Original Review (June 2021): Ryu Hayabusa has been around since 1988 but if you...
Review Streets Of Rage 4 - The Best Entry In A Legendary Franchise
Play it before it leaves Xbox Game Pass!
Update (18th Apr, 2022): Streets of Rage 4 is finally leaving Xbox Game Pass at the end of April 2022, so with that in mind, we're republishing this review so you can see what all the fuss is about. Don't miss out on this one! Another Four Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (April 18-30) Original review...
Mini Review Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game - A Worthy Competitor
Included with Free Play Days this weekend
Update: With the Olympics beginning in real life today, and Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 included with this weekend's batch of Free Play Days titles, we're republishing this review to help you decide if you fancy trying it! Original story: Whether you should consider picking up the official game of this year's...
Mini Review RetroMania Wrestling - An Enjoyable Old School Alternative To WWE 2K
A non-WWE game on Xbox? What a rush!
We've definitely been starved for good wrestling games on Xbox over the past decade, but if you're looking for something a bit more old school, RetroMania Wrestling finally has you covered. The game is an official sequel to 1991's arcade classic, WWF WrestleFest, boasting a highly detailed style of 2D...
Mini Review Pacer - The Closest Thing To Wipeout On Xbox
On your marks, get set, Wipeout!
If you're of a certain age and you've owned a PlayStation at some point in your life, you probably have some fond memories of the futuristic racing series Wipeout. And while it's never made the crossover to Xbox over the years, R8 Games has created a faithful and enjoyable spiritual successor in the form of Pacer,...
Mini Review Taxi Chaos - Competent Enough, But Lacking That 'Crazy' Factor
Let's take a trip back to 1999
Here's the thing about Taxi Chaos; it unapologetically borrows the formula from SEGA's popular Crazy Taxi series in almost every single way, and if you enjoyed that game back in the day, you'll probably get at least a few kicks out of this one. It handles well, the city is well realised and brimming with colour, and...
Review Little Nightmares 2 - Bigger And Bolder Than Its Predecessor
Beware! You're in for a scare!
We play games for escapism - especially in today’s global situation. The art of losing ourselves in a world far different from our own, no matter how horrifying, provides us with a reprieve. Little Nightmares II is built around that idea and deploys its theme of escapism both literally and metaphorically. The result?...
Review Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition - A Cracking Comeback
"Hey! You totally came!"
When Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game was removed from digital storefronts in 2014, it was a massive blow. A game franchise which celebrated gaming as a medium was cruelly snatched from us. Since then it’s garnered a massive cult following, and over the years has since become a relic from the Xbox 360 era. Then, last...
Review Cyberpunk 2077 - Packed With Potential, But Desperately In Need Of Some TLC
Soulkiller?
Disclaimer: This review has been updated to include our verdict based on the initial 1.04 hotfix update for Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One, and also now includes a score to represent that version of the game. We're not sure we've ever before played through a fully released AAA title while constantly thinking to ourselves "this is going to...
Review Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Another Chance To Revisit The Classics On Series X
What once was old...
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 graphic enhancements to the game...
Review FIFA 21 - The Slightly More Beautiful Game
Heading in the right direction
It's that time of year again, as EA's never-ending FIFA franchise dribbles down the tunnel and out onto the pitch for another brand new season. It's an incremental update for the most part this time around, there are no really big marquee additions or modes to speak of here, beyond Volta's new story "Debut", but the...
Review Star Wars: Squadrons - The Force Is Strong With This One
Use the Force, LukeSkyWLKR1991
There's an indestructibly attractive core at the heart of the Star Wars franchise that manages to remain forever untarnished no matter how many godawful Christmas Specials, Battles for Endor, butt-clenchingly dull Trade Agreements or "I don't like sand" moments are thrown at it. We're talking about the wonderfully...
Review Marvel's Avengers - Undeniably Fun, But A Bit Rough Around The Edges
A solid start for the Avengers
Marvel's Avengers, much like the most recent cinematic interpretations of the MCU, is at once a spectacular, bloated, messy and undeniably fun experience. It nails the characterisations of its central superheroes, provides a surprisingly entertaining and lengthy campaign full of bombastic action and addictive combat,...
Review Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 - Returns The Series To Its Former Glory
The Birdman is back
It's hard to believe we've reached this point. It's been well over a decade since Tony Hawk fans were last treated to a standout title in the long-running series, and even a past attempt at remastering the original two games didn't come close to hitting the mark back in 2012 with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD. But this time,...
Review Tell Me Why - A Memorable And Thought-Provoking Mystery
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
It appears as though the creative masterminds behind Life is Strange took the criticism about the second game's widely spaced out episodes to heart. This time around, Dontnod Entertainment is releasing all three chapters of its brand-new IP Tell Me Why across a three-week period (published by Xbox Game Studios) from...
Review Battletoads - A Hilarious And Hugely Entertaining Adventure
Grip it and ribbit
We’ll be the first to admit that the trailers for Dlala Studios’ reboot of Battletoads didn’t fill every member of the Pure Xbox team with confidence. Battletoads is an iconic series for many generations: older gamers remember playing it back in the day and enjoying it because of (or despite) its extreme difficulty, while...
Review Minecraft Dungeons - A Delightfully Breezy Action-RPG
Diablocks
It may seem like a somewhat risky move to make a Minecraft game that strips out Mojang's signature gameplay loops of digging, building and crafting endlessly in an infinite open world, but Minecraft Dungeons' shift to a Diablo-esque focus on looting and hack-and-slash combat against the many mobs that roam its blocky lands pays off...
Review Formula Retro Racing - The Next Best Thing To Virtua Racing On Xbox One
Virtua Tracing
Sega’s seminal 1992 arcade game Virtua Racing has aged like a fine wine. As one of the first ever polygonal racing games, until recently it was considered a bit visually basic by today’s standards. All that changed when Sega re-released the game on Switch with a 1080p and 60fps polish, and suddenly it looked like a cool, stylised,...
Review Bleeding Edge - Lacking Content, But Packed With Potential
A good idea in Theory
Given that Ninja Theory has established itself as a studio with a pedigree for fantastic single-player games, it’s interesting that its latest title is a strictly online multiplayer affair. With the outstanding Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice still lingering in the minds of many gamers and its sequel on the way, Bleeding Edge...
Review Assassin's Creed Odyssey - The Best Assassin's Creed Has Ever Been
By The Beard Of Zeus!
Assassin's Creed Odyssey continues down the exciting new path forged by its predecessor Origins, refining the reworked combat introduced in the ancient Egyptian epic and bolstering the RPG elements which saw that title heralded as something of a grand rebirth for the franchise. This is a huge adventure set in a stunning...
Review Resident Evil 3 - A Disappointing Follow-Up To Last Year's Brilliant Resident Evil 2
Raccoon City Rancour
Perhaps it was somewhat foolish to expect that a Resident Evil 3 remake, no matter how radical, could manage to reach the heady heights of last year's sublime Resident Evil 2. With much weaker source material to work from – there ain't no Raccoon City Police Department here – this one was always likely to be an uphill...
Review Resident Evil 2 - A Stellar Remake Of A Stone-Cold Classic
Raccoon City Redux
Ask anyone who played the original release of Resident Evil 2 back in 1998 what they remember most fondly about their time with the game and we reckon a lot of folk will gravitate towards the Raccoon City Police Department. Easily the best setting in a Resident Evil to date – although Resident Evil 7's hillbilly hellhouse runs...
Review DOOM Eternal - One Of The Best First-Person Shooters Ever Made
DOOM! Shake the room
We've just blasted and beaten our way into a remote cultist facility deep in the Artic Tundra, hot on the heels of the hell priest Deag Ranak. As we enter this towering death complex its tannoy speakers squeal to life – "The slayer has arrived. All mortally-challenged personnel please be advised." Ahead of us lies a bloody...
Review Cuphead - Difficult But Downright Delightful
Studio MDHR gambles and wins
There are very few games that so completely achieve what they set out to be. Studio MDHR’s Cuphead is one of them, a game that feels like a singular, focused vision come to life – as though it jumped out of its creator’s imaginations without compromise and without having to be made to fit a framework. It’s...
Review Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare - A Fresh Take On A Stale Formula
Breach and clear
Coming after the mixed reception to 2018’s Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare already has one plus on its side from the off: a fully-fledged story campaign. While many might argue whether narrative modes have much of a place in an era of battle passes and games as a service, Modern Warfare proves a story mode...
Review Ori And The Will Of The Wisps - The Best Platformer On Xbox One
Over the moon
There's a quest quite early on in Ori and the Will of the Wisps that neatly encapsulates pretty much everything that's so wonderful about Moon Studios' superlative sequel. Charged with making your way through a windmill in order to get its great big wheels turning again so the poisoned waters of Niwen may run clear once more, you find...
Review Gears 5 - Brings The Series Kicking And Screaming Into The Present
Swarm and cosy
Once upon a time, back when then the Xbox 360 was just a babe, the original Gears of War was a much-needed dose of adrenaline. Third-person shooters were all the rage back then, but it wasn’t until Epic Games came along and created its own line of bulky space marines that the genre finally stepped up a gear (if you'll pardon the...
Review Sea Of Thieves - In Truly Ship-Shape Condition Two Years After Launch
It's a pirate's life for me
When Sea of Thieves initially set sail in 2018, it was met with somewhat mixed reviews. Rare's pirate playground is undoubtedly a masterful creation; a vast, dynamic, hyper-stylised sea world dotted with mysterious islands and skeleton forts in which players are set free to create their own grand adventures. However, it...
Review Red Dead Redemption 2 - The Death Of The Wild West Comes To Life In Rockstar's Masterpiece
True Grit
Has there ever been a video game world as all-encompassing as the one presented in Rockstar's most recent Western epic? Sure, there are some that stand shoulder to shoulder or even surpass it in terms of straightforward size – Assassin's Creed Odyssey's world map is easily bigger – but when it comes to depth, detail and narrative...
