Xbox Series X|S Game Reviews
Review WWE 2K22 - A Vast Improvement Over Its Predecessor
The bottom line, 'cause we said so
2K's WWE series has gone through a fair amount of ups and downs over the past few years, but the lowest point was undoubtedly WWE 2K20, which released with a plethora of bugs and ended up scoring a terrible 45 rating on Metacritic. The move prompted 2K to take an unprecedented two-year break in development, and the...
Review Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök - A Fantastical Outing
A Hugr-Rip-roaring adventure
It's been well over a year now since Ubisoft dropped the majestic Assassin's Creed Valhalla, our own personal favourite entry in the long-running franchise, and it's a game that's been well supported with supplementary story content 14 months down the line, with both previous DLCs, Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of...
Review Elden Ring - FromSoftware's Crowning Achievement
Rise, Tarnished
Can it really be almost thirteen years since we first clapped eyes on Demon's Souls? The very first time we sat down to tangle with FromSoftware's action RPG masterpiece we were blissfully unaware of the horror, the terror and constant, relentless death that awaited us. We were, of course, immediately hooked on it all, we couldn't...
Review GRID Legends - A Solid Arcade Racer That's Missing A Bit Of Flair
Needs more oomph
Codemasters tends to fly under the racing radar these days, especially when compared to the big boys of the genre. The team has pumped out consistent if unremarkable racers in recent years, with the F1 games probably being the best of that bunch. GRID sits somewhere in there, and the 2019 series reboot provided a decent platform for...
Review Infernax - Xbox Game Pass's Brilliant 'NES-Style' Action RPG
Crusader King
Yes, yes, we know, another retro side-scrolling effort amidst a seemingly never-ending stream of the things. It really can be quite hard to remain excited for such an overpopulated genre these days, no matter how much we love a bit old-school hack and slash action. However, this week sees the release of Berzerk Studios' Infernax, a...
Review OlliOlli World - The Best 2.5D Skateboarding Experience You Can Have
Skate or Die!
Skateboarding video games have made a comeback over the past few years – with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater returning to the spotlight in 2020 and EA’s Skate series also set for a return in the future. There have been some smaller indie efforts as well, like Skater XL,
Review Dying Light 2 - More Is Less In Techland's Latest
Dying Lite
Techland's Dying Light is, hands down, one of our favourite zombie-flavoured survival horror games released over the past decade. A uniquely gritty, ultra-violent affair that makes up for its narrative shortcomings with top-notch parkour gameplay and satisfyingly bloody combat, it's a game that took the tired zombie genre and gave it the...
Review Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction - Solid Extra-Terrestrial Siege Shenanigans
How will you REACT under pressure?
Rainbow Six Extraction really is such a great idea, a hugely appealing experiment that takes the often rather bland and samey world of Ubisoft's tactical military shooters and adds plenty of twisted alien sci-fi action and warped vistas to the mix. For the most part it's a mix-up that works too. Based on a...
Review Death’s Door - One Of 2021's Best Games, Now On Xbox Game Pass
"Deserves all the attention it will most likely get"
Update (January 2022): Death's Door is now available on Xbox Game Pass, so if you're keen to understand what all the fuss is about, we've republished our 10/10 ("outstanding") review from July 2021 below. Enjoy! Original review (July 2021): What do you get if you throw Zelda,
Review Nobody Saves The World - Another Indie Hit For Xbox Game Pass
Dungeon Master
Canadian Developer Drinkbox Studios is on something of a streak with great games, having released the excellent Guacamelee!, it's fantastic sequel and the brilliant first person dungeon-crawler, Severed. Now the studio is back with its latest adventure, Nobody Saves The World, and it's another cracker. A top-down dungeon crawler that...
Review Halo Infinite - Master Chief's Latest Outing Was Worth The Wait
Hail to the Chief
After a couple of weeks' worth of blasting around the same ten maps in its excellent multiplayer component, Halo fans are about to get their hands on the next part of their early Xmas present, the campaign component of Halo Infinite is finally here. It's been six whole years since our last mainline Master Chief experience and this...
Review Lawn Mowing Simulator - Who Knew Mowing Could Be This Fun?
Step aside Flight Sim!
Update (29th Nov, 2021): With Lawn Mowing Simulator making its triumphant debut on Xbox Game Pass this Thursday, December 2nd for Series X|S, we're republishing this review so you can see what the fuss is all about. Enjoy! Original review (9th Aug, 2021): As this reviewer looks out to his overgrown lawn which has been...
Review Sherlock Holmes Chapter One - An Interesting And Messy Experiment
Elementary!
The Sherlock Holmes series has gone on for quite a while and quietly pumped out new entries over the years. Steadily, it's grown more and more ambitious with each title and Sherlock Holmes Chapter One may be developer Frogwares' most ambitious title yet. While the series attempts to break into a more modern-day gameplay loop, it somehow...
Review Call Of Duty: Vanguard - An Enjoyable, Yet Familiar Romp
You've seen all of this before
Ten minutes into the Call of Duty: Vanguard campaign and you're jumping from rooftop to rooftop on a moving train. Yep, this is classic Call of Duty alright. Fast forward an hour and you're dogfighting in the air over the sea in a sky full of explosions. If all of this sounds fairly familiar then that's pretty much...
Review Forza Horizon 5 - An Amazing Game, But One That's A Little Too Familiar
We feel like we've been to Mexico before...
When the Forza Horizon series originally showed up on Xbox 360 in 2012, it was quite a surprise for fans of the racing genre and was perhaps the first real competitor EA’s Need for Speed series had faced in a long time. The Xbox Game Studios franchise has since gone from strength to strength and is now...
Review Demon Turf - Solid Platformer Let Down By Lacklustre Combat
It's good to be bad
When publisher Playtonic Friends was founded and one of the first titles revealed to be released under its banner was Demon Turf, it was clear the company saw something in it. After spending the last few weeks with it, it's clear the game is a fine-tuned platformer, inspired by genre classics such as Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario...
Review Project Zero: Maiden Of Black Water - Plenty Of Flaws, But Still Provides Effective Chills
Don't Look Now
The fifth entry in Koei Tecmo's long-running Fatal Frame franchise, Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water was originally released on WiiU back in 2014 and is, for our money, the weakest link in the series. This is a game that surrounds its signature ghost-snapping action with janky traversal mechanics and a wooden cast of characters...
Review It Takes Two - A Magical Slice Of Co-Op Heaven
Heading to Xbox Game Pass this week!
Update: With It Takes Two arriving on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for console, PC and the cloud this Thursday, November 5th, we're taking the opportunity to republish this review so you can see what all the hype is about! Original review: When we first embarked upon It Takes Two's ten-hour journey, we knew it
Review Riders Republic - One Of The Best Extreme Sports Games On Xbox
The Big Steezy
Ubisoft's Rider's Republic, we think it's fair to say, does not get off to the best of starts in terms of initial impressions. This massively multiplayer open world sports extravaganza - think Forza Horizon with bikes, snowboards and wingsuits and you've 100% got the idea - lays it on thick with painfully tryhard banter and...
Review NHL 22 - EA's Hockey Series Finally Makes The Jump To Frostbite
It's an important year for virtual hockey
In many ways, the latest iteration of EA's long-running hockey series in NHL 22 marks a fresh and crucial new beginning for the franchise. For the first time ever, the game is now running on the company's standard Frostbite engine as opposed to the dated Ignite engine of years past, and the result is a game...
Review The Forgotten City - A Delightful Puzzle Box Of Ideas
A long time ago in a city far, far away
Update (Thu 21st Oct, 2021): With The Forgotten City announced for Xbox Game Pass on October 28th, we're republishing this review to give you an idea of what to expect. As you can see, we were suitably impressed with it! Original (Sat 31st Jul, 2021): On the surface The Forgotten City doesn't look anything...
Review Echo Generation - Stranger Things Style RPG Knocks It Out The Park
An Xbox Game Pass title you don't want to miss
There's been something of a boom in 80s nostalgia in recent years, much of which has Stranger Things to blame for. It's no surprise, as the show's captivating world and electrifying synth tones give the feeling of a warm, cosy comfort blanket - despite the horrors the show presents. Echo Generation is...
Mini Review Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl - Not So Smashing
Something's missing
Starting up the first match with four Nigel Thornberry's battling it out was a momentous occasion. Growing up with classic Nickelodeon cartoons, this was a nostalgic moment for us, as we watched four Nigel's belly flop across the colourful stage. It was a great time, but one that fizzled out faster than it ignited. Within moments...
Review Back 4 Blood - A Worthy Spiritual Successor To Left 4 Dead
Come slay with me
The first two Left 4 Dead games were classics on the Xbox 360, and Back 4 Blood unapologetically attempts to take that formula and modernise it over a decade later, but the big difference this time is that Valve has nothing to do with it, and the reigns have been taken over by Turtle Rock Studios and Warner Bros. Games. That might...
Mini Review Bullets Per Minute - A Frantic FPS Metal Mosh Pit
Rock on!
Have you ever played Guitar Hero and lost yourself so much in the moment that you're thrashing around the room like a real-life rockstar? If so, then BPM: Bullets Per Minute is the game for you, mixing the iconic rhythm gameplay with all the ferocious action of DOOM. It's a unique sell for a game, and while it's a bit rough around the...
Review Alan Wake Remastered - Remedy’s Cult Classic Still Holds Up
Wake up, Alan
When Alan Wake first launched back in 2010, it had the unfortunate task of going up against Red Dead Redemption. The initial batch of people jumping into the game was small, but thankfully over the years, it's gained a cult following via word of mouth. Fast forward to today and developer Remedy Entertainment is working on bringing a...
Review Xuan Yuan Sword 7 - A Huge Surprise Hit
A love letter to the original Xbox days of gaming
These days, games get so bogged down in their ideas that they lose their central idea. Take Assassin's Creed Valhalla for example. The game is fantastic but is accompanied by an extraordinary amount of filler, and the result is that the percentage of people who made it to the end is shockingly low...
Review FIFA 22 (XSX) - FIFA's Best Outing On The Pitch In Years
An impressive year for the footie behemoth
Last year's FIFA 21 was the series' first outing on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and while it proved a sizeable jump up from the Xbox One version in the visual department, there weren't too many comparisons to make from a gameplay perspective. FIFA 22, however, is marketing its next-gen version...
Review Scarlet Nexus - Bonkers Combat, With An Even More Bonkers Story
Bring some painkillers
With Scarlet Nexus joining Xbox Game Pass (September 30), we're re-publishing this review. A few hours into Scarlet Nexus your fingers are dancing around the controller as you're directing the ballet of action on screen. By the end of the game, you're not only directing the experience, but you're also producing it,...
Review Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania - A Love Letter With A Few Misfires
AiAi and his friends are back!
Can you believe the Super Monkey Ball series is 20 years old? We can't either, but 2021 is the year of the monkey and SEGA is celebrating its iconic hero AiAi and friends with Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, a completely remastered collection of three fan-favourite titles in the franchise. Whether you're a series...
