Latest Reviews
Review Boom Ball for Kinect (Xbox One)
Short boom.
It’s no secret that the number of Kinect-compatible titles for Xbox One is on the low side, to say the least. Given Microsoft’s decision to unbundle the console from the Kinect sensor at retail, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. However, the device is perfect for a bit of ID@Xbox experimentation and that’s what we see here,...
3+3=6, 6+6=12
Threes! may not look like much at first sight, but it's actually one of the more potent, more addictive games for tablets and smartphones that's now been ported to Xbox One. The concept is simple — you basically make big numbers by adding up smaller numbers; 3+3 makes 6 and so it goes. The game is based around a board consisting of...
Review Pier Solar and the Great Architects (Xbox One)
Built with love
You've gotta hand it to the folks over at Watermelon. Taking on a project as ambitious as Pier Solar and the Great Architects is by no means an easy task. Originally conceived in 2004 as a small homebrew project known as Tavern RPG for the Sega Genesis, development swiftly transformed into something much bigger. As the team puts it,...
Review Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (Xbox One)
Everything old is new again
When Bizarre Creations was shuttered a few years ago, a lot of people feared for one of the company’s finest creations, Geometry Wars. A twin-stick shooter released via digital means, the game flew in the face of the overblown and increasingly-complex hundred-hour behemoths that were slowly becoming the backbone of the...
Review Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One)
The boys are back in town
Last year, we reviewed Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox 360 and walked away all kinds of impressed. We thought the game’s only real weakness - the only thing holding it back from a perfect score - was that it was a current-gen game with next-gen ambitions, which resulted in minor technical complications that could occasionally...
Review Monopoly Plus (Xbox One)
This version Mayfair well.
When it comes to converting the ubiquitous property trading board game Monopoly from the living room table to digital platforms, things have not always gone well. Despite being released for every console, computer, and mobile device known to man, it’s probably safe to say that there hasn’t been a genuinely good and...
Review Assassin's Creed Rogue (Xbox 360)
A cold, hard, cash grab?
Given most of Ubisoft's marketing budget went on Assassin's Creed Unity this year, you'd be forgiven if you thought Assassin's Creed Rogue was a cash grab or an afterthought when it was announced in early August. Though the latter may feel slightly true given some of the games presentation decisions, Rogue is able to bring a...
Review Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom (Xbox 360)
Totes alright... but not quite mathematical
To be blunt, last year’s Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW (hence forth referred to as ETDBIDK) was a poor game. With bland and repetitive dungeon crawling that desperately needed another dose of Adventure Time’s wacky flavor, as well as more overall purpose, it was a game that...
Catch as catch can't.
Ever since THQ released WWF No Mercy and WWF Wrestlemania 2000 for Nintendo 64, fans of “sports entertainment” (or professional wrestling, to the uninitiated) have been crying out for a game that emulates the exciting, epic battles that take place inside the squared circle. Unfortunately, despite some half-decent efforts,...
Review Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (Xbox 360)
The P-1 Grand Prix is back and better than ever
Few fan bases are more passionate about what they care about than Persona fans. So when acclaimed fighting game developer Arc System Works was tasked with creating a fighting game based on Atlus' beloved RPG series, many were skeptical on how it would be able to translate the turn-based gameplay into a...
Review LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Xbox One)
Nananananana - Batman!
Sorry. Well, not sorry – it had to start like that. The Batman theme tune from the old TV-show is probably one of the most iconic TV themes of all time and Batman himself is probably one of the most iconic superheroes. Just like LEGO is one of the most iconic toy brands on the market. Throw it all in a blender and you should...
Review Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (Xbox One)
On the up
The annual soccer head-to-head battle is on once again, given that nobody else has come forward to try and bring a new entrant into the fight. Konami are making the step up to the new generation properly – last year’s effort can hardly be counted – with Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and the early demo-fuelled hype suggests that the game...
Pure and too simple
When it comes to sports simulations, snooker and pool have a rich and varied history. From the simple Trick Shot for the Atari 2600, via Side Pocket on the NES, Archer Maclean’s Pool for the Amiga and Atari ST, Virtua Pool for DOS, Pool Paradise on PlayStation 2 and Hustle Kings for the PlayStation 3, we’ve reached our...
Review Assassin's Creed Unity (Xbox One)
Divided you'll fall
When you load up an Assassin’s Creed title for the first time, you kind of know what to expect. Every entry in the series adds another layer of things that we assume will continue through to appear in the next game. From the basic free-running of the first title, through to the sprawling open-world adventure that was Black...
Review How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition (Xbox One)
The hitchhikers guide to a zombie apocalypse
What’s more humbling than being devoured by a swarm of bloodthirsty undead? Why, being struck with a bolt of lightning as you swing your axe at the crocodile directly opposite said swarm, who proceeds to toss you around like a ragdoll in a death-roll and in doing so, gets his own crocodile self...
Review Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze (Xbox 360)
Another turtle-tastrophe
We apologize in advance for doing this, but click here and here. Last year saw the release of two video games based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license, and you should know that we found both of them to be pretty terrible. But despite these Galapagos tortoise-sized cowabummers, when TMNT: Danger of the Ooze was...
Review The Legend of Korra (Xbox One)
Elementary elements
When you hear that Platinum Games is working on a title, you generally sit up and listen, such is the general quality of their titles. You even take notice when you hear that they’re working on a title based on a Nickelodeon TV show for Activision, despite the quality of game that sort of sentence would usually result in. Even...
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 Skylanders: Trap Team (Xbox One)
Fool us once...
To say that we were sceptical about the latest Skylanders title, Trap Team, would be an understatement. Having not had a great deal of experience with the series, but having seen the shelves upon shelves of toys for sale at seemingly ludicrous prices in every supermarket and specialist store for the last couple of years, we thought...
Review The Evil Within (Xbox One)
Survival horror revival
The Evil Within is the best Resident Evil 4 imitation to date, and in no way is that a bad thing. The similarities are nearly endless — zombie-like creatures, chainsaw-wielding maniacs — but the most common thread is that both games are created by survival horror mastermind, Shinji Mikami. With the bar raised so high, you...
Review Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (Xbox One)
Welcome to 221b Baker Street
There hasn't been that much written about Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments - in fact, so little has been said that one could almost end up thinking that the developers really wanted it to fly under the radar. Which is a shame...no, really. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments takes place in the gritty,...
Review Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved (Xbox One)
Not taking the Mickey
Enough words have been written about the history of Microsoft’s second attempt at motion controlled gaming and how it was a mandatory purchase for all bleeding-edge Xbox One owners. We all know how a lot of people – probably the majority, in fact – don’t see even the second iteration of Kinect as being a viable input...
Review Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (Xbox One)
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Square Enix are at it again with their "definitive" release of a previous generation title, this time bringing United Front’s open-world, third-person action title Sleeping Dogs to Xbox One with a new coat of polish. But are the visual improvements and included DLC enough to lure you in for another go, or is this purely for...
Review Pinball FX2 - South Park (Xbox One)
Salty balls
South Park hasn't had the most luxurious history when it comes to getting the video game treatment. There's been a decent release here or there throughout the years, but for the most part we've been subjected to repetitive first-person shooters and uninspired platformers. That is until earlier this year when South Park: The Stick of...
Review Alien: Isolation (Xbox One)
"The perfect organism."
Throughout cinematic history, very few films have influenced a genre like the Alien saga has. In 1979, Ridley Scott's initial vision of horror far away from home resonated so strongly with audiences that the film almost immediately became a cult hit and introduced us to Ellen Ripley, one of the most dynamic heroines ever to...
Review Divekick Addition Edition + (Xbox One)
Paper champion
Divekick is going to be a game that splits opinions, that much is sure. The hardcore fighting game fans will love the action/reaction playing style, but a large proportion of people will be left cold. A good portion of that first group will already own it on another format, too. That doesn't set things up all that well for the Xbox...
In for repairs
“Welcome to Brazil, where the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos is currently being hammered by torrential rain. The track is absolutely soaked and there was talk of calling the race off, but we’re here and ready to go. The cars are on the grid, facing down 71 laps of the circuit, with Lewis Hamilton in the Pure...
Review Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Xbox One)
Dark and delightful
We’ve been hearing about Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its innovative Nemesis System for a while now, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t skeptical of the game living up to its potential. Delivering a brutally violent and relentlessly grim look into the Lord of the Rings universe might alienate too many fans of the...
Review Watch_Dogs: Bad Blood (Xbox One)
Teaching an old dog new tricks
It should come as no surprise, but Watch Dogs’ first piece of single player DLC is essentially more Watch Dogs. That means if you enjoyed cruising around the beautiful virtual Chicago hacking every little thing in sight, then you’ll know exactly what to expect out of Bad Blood. There are times when it treads that...
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...
