Xbox Series X|S Game Reviews
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...
Review Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels – Back For An Enjoyable Second Lap
The skies above Mexico are calling
There was definitely some confusion when the first Forza Horizon 5 expansion was leaked on the Steam Store – indicating it would be Hot Wheels (again). While it was thought to be placeholder artwork for something else at the time, it was in fact another Hot Wheels expansion. This announcement received mixed...
Review Bright Memory: Infinite - Tight Gunplay In A Gorgeous World, But Lacks Depth
Shining bright
In the run up to the Xbox Series X|S launch, Bright Memory caught the attention of many Xbox fans for its incredibly impressive and stylish visuals, especially considering the game was made by just one developer. Well, with a little more time, and money from sales of the predecessor, developer FYQD is back with more in Bright Memory:...
Review As Dusk Falls - A Cracking Crime Thriller On Xbox Game Pass
Free fallin'
Going into As Dusk Falls we were a little apprehensive. Xbox's marketing push has been somewhat light with this one considering it's an Xbox Games Studios effort, and we've only just seen Road 96's similar tale of loss and hope through to its fantastic conclusion. As it turns out, we needn't have worried at all; As Dusk Falls is a...
Review PowerWash Simulator - A Great Way To Chill Out With Xbox Game Pass
If you like simulators, that is
We all had a good laugh when Lawn Mowing Simulator was released and later added to Xbox Game Pass last year, but it ultimately proved a popular addition for many. Simulator games are clearly enjoying a resurgence at the moment, and the latest unlikely PC hit to join the Xbox lineup is PowerWash Simulator, which...
Review Road 96 - An Education In Empathy, And A Delight To Experience
The road is all I know
Update (July 2022): To celebrate the arrival of Road 96 on Xbox Game Pass, we're republishing this review from a couple of months ago when the game was first released on Xbox. Spoiler alert, it's definitely worth playing! Original review (April 2022): Every once in a while a video game story just hits you right where you...
Review Matchpoint Tennis Championships - The Sport's First Xbox Game Pass Title
A good addition, but with a couple of unforced errors
We've been waiting for a great new tennis game on Xbox for the best part of a decade now, and while the likes of AO Tennis and Tennis World Tour have kept us busy in recent years, they haven't managed to live up the high standards of the Virtua Tennis and Top Spin series' from the Xbox 360 era.
Review F1 22 - Another Solid, Surprise-Free Entry In Codemasters' Superlative Series
Hot Lap
With Codemasters having taken the wheel of the F1 video game franchise all the way back in 2009, this is a series that's been in pretty good shape for the past thirteen years - Codies are racing kings after all - with the worst we've really had to moan about being a lack of big marquee changes between yearly iterations. It's par for the...
Review MX vs ATV Legends - Two Wheeled Racing Leads The Pack
Pile-up on the mountain
MX vs ATV is an off-road racing series that's flown somewhat under the radar in recent years. We can attest to that — this reviewer hasn't played one since the original Xbox release — but we were looking forward to jumping into MX vs ATV Legends to see how things have evolved since way back when. Legends is a more focused...
Review Sonic Origins - A Supersonic Collection That's Lacking TLC
I feel the need, the need for speed
How many times have you bought the original Sonic the Hedgehog? Honestly, for us, it's gotta be getting into double figures by now and we still get fairly excited every single time SEGA drops another re-release - and boy have they dropped their fair share. Yes, even though we've been through all of the games...
Review Industria - A Disappointingly Dull Sci-Fi Short
Industrial waste
Bleakmill's Industria has seemingly caused a little bit of a stir since it released back on the 9th of June. A sci-fi adventure that looks quite stunning in places and recalls the likes of Half Life 2 and Bioshock in terms of its overall art direction and atmosphere, it's not hard to see why folks might get excited for this one...
Review Fall Guys - A Great Addition To The Free-To-Play Xbox Lineup
It's fall coming back to us now
It's been a long time coming, but the wildly popular party game Fall Guys is finally now on Xbox, and the relaunch of the game has also coincided with a transition to a free-to-play model. So, now that we're kicking off Season 1 all over again, including on Xbox this time, is Fall Guys worth a download? In our view,...
Review Shadowrun Trilogy - A Superb Tactical RPG Series Hacks Into Xbox Game Pass
Hacker's Delight
Harebrained Schemes' superlative Shadowrun Trilogy first released back in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter campaign that saw its intriguing cyberpunk-meets-fantasy world drop onto PC and mobile platforms. Set in the same brilliant universe as the long-running Shadowrun tabletop RPG series, this is a trio of games that take place...
Review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - A Totally Radical Retro Delight
T-U-R-T-L-E Power hits Game Pass
Hot on the heels of French developer Dotemu's huge success in revisiting the Streets of Rage series with the immaculate Streets of Rage 4, Montreal-based Tribute Games is having a crack at another early 90s arcade stalwart, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Hero Turtles if the word Ninja seems to violent for you -...
Review Assassin's Creed Origins - Better Than Ever On Xbox Series X
Bayek it's a good' un.
Looking back on it now, Assassin's Creed Origins really did mark a brand new direction for Ubisoft's long-running franchise when it released back in October of 2017. This truly epic Egyptian odyssey introduced RPG-lite elements to the series, invigorating its core gameplay with tons of loot, weapons and gear, it completely...
Review Kao The Kangaroo - A Retro Platformer With Hints Of Crash Bandicoot
The reboot hops its way to Xbox
We were never treated to the original Kao The Kangaroo on Xbox, releasing for Dreamcast and PC back in the early 2000s, but the "Round 2" sequel did end up on Xbox in 2003 (launching to mixed reviews), and now almost two decades later, this retro-style 3D platformer is finally making a comeback in the form of a fresh,...
Review Sniper Elite 5 - The Best Sniper Elite To Date And A Sure Shot For Game Pass
Moisten Nagant
It's been seventeen years now since we first got a taste for Rebellion's superlative Sniper Elite series and, in the years that have followed, it's a franchise that has steadily grown and evolved into a sure thing, a safe bet, in terms of serving up slick, satisfying and highly replayable slo-mo sniper action for fans of exploding...
Review Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong - Big Bad Wolf's Vampire RPG Lacks Real Bite
Lacking Bite
While the wait continues for Vampire: The Masquerade fans to get their hands on the ever-so-slightly troubled Bloodlines 2, Big Bad Wolf steps into the breach with Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, a narrative-driven RPG that returns to the World of Darkness, specifically Boston this time around, where the ancient Camarilla sect is...
Review Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising - A Distinctly Average Introduction To All Things Eiyuden
Nevaeh Had a Dream Come True
Suikoden's spiritual successor, the hugely successful Kickstarter project Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, isn't due to release until sometime in 2023 but, in the interim, 505 Games is treating us all to a precursor to the main event in the form of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising which launches today (May 10th) on Xbox Game...
Review Citizen Sleeper - A Unique Narrative RPG That's A Perfect Fit For Xbox Game Pass
Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?
Jump Over The Age, the developer behind the sublime alien ocean exploration adventure In Other Waters, returns with yet another wonderfully unique experience in the form of Citizen Sleeper, a life sim RPG that looks and feels like nothing else we've played recently. Here you assume the role of a...
Review Trek To Yomi - Stylish Samurai Action With Real AAA Polish
Bow to your Sensei
The plight of the sole samurai looms large in Trek to Yomi, as you're tasked with choosing your warrior's path and ultimately, fighting to survive a pretty hellish situation by the end. This stylish 2D action game from developer Flying Wild Hog is a delight throughout its runtime though, even if its combat sometimes stumbles in...
Review Rogue Legacy 2 - An Xbox Console Exclusive You Don't Want To Miss
On the House
The original Rogue Legacy separated itself from the pack back in 2013 by centring its fiendishly addictive platforming gameplay around a clever roguelike mechanic that saw players continuously spring back to life in the shoes of an heir to their previous character, inheriting all of their ill-gotten gains in the process, which they then...
The choice is yours?
It's been a good long while now since we first sat down and revelled in the endless ingenuity and inventiveness of 2013's The Stanley Parable and, in all honesty, there hasn't been another interactive story experience since that's grabbed us quite like this one did. It was/is a sublime game, a fantastic piece of actual art, and...
Review Chernobylite (Xbox Series X|S) - An Irradiated Indie Gem
Rad times
A sci-fi survival horror shooter RPG with base building, crafting and roguelike elements that features a choice-driven narrative, time travel, stealth, supernatural entities and an endgame heist on the Chernobyl power station? Yes, there are many different aspects to The Farm 51's Chernobylite, all of them vying for your attention at any...
Review Lost In Random - A Cult Classic In The Making
We're all mad down here
Update (Thu 14th Apr, 2022): With Lost in Random now part of EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, we're re-sharing our original review from last year to give you an idea of what to expect. Enjoy! Original Review (Tue 14th Sep, 2021): Lost in Random feels like the sort of game that would have come out 15 years ago. That's...
Review Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands - A Borderlands Fantasy Spin-Off Worth A Look
Borderlands x D&D
The latest Borderlands game Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has had an incredibly low-key launch compared to previous “mainline” entries in the series and a lot of other games this year. While it’s technically a spin-off – acting as a follow-up to the Borderlands 2 DLC, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, Wonderlands breathes...
Review MLB The Show 22 - Sony's Second Season On Xbox Game Pass
Solid contact
After the delightful weirdness of having MLB The Show 21 on Xbox last year, we can now settle into the annual pleasure of a new entry accompanying each real-world season. If you're coming back for a second year a lot will feel familiar, though MLB The Show 22 does make some tweaks to the formula (and it's even been wrangled onto...
Review Weird West - A Rootin' Tootin' Romp For Xbox Game Pass
Freaky Frontier
We've been keenly awaiting the arrival of Wolfeye Studios' Weird West for quite some time now, with a crack dev team put together by Arkane founder and former creative director, Raphael Colantonio, alongside former executive producer Julien Roby, it's an immersive action RPG that's shown real promise in previews and one that's got...
Review Tunic - This Zelda-Esque Adventure Was Worth The Wait
Star Fox
When we spoke to Tunic developer Andrew Shouldice recently about the various influences and experiences that played a key role in shaping his upcoming game, he made a point of highlighting the joy of poring over instruction manuals and paper guides as an aspect of gaming’s past that he and his small team have attempted to pay homage to in...
Review Shredders - An Ideal Snowboarding Game For Xbox Game Pass
Shred those slopes
We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Xbox console exclusive Shredders for some time now, especially since Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer highlighted it as a game he was particularly looking forward to last year, and it finally drops on Xbox Game Pass this Thursday, March 17th. It's inspired by the classic Amped games on...
