Overall Monopoly Madness can be a fun game when playing with friends; however, playing the game solo can be an infuriating task based on how the AI plays. Rather than feeling fair and balanced, it seems like the AI has a vendetta against humans. Is Ubisoft secretly programming the upcoming terminators? Mr. Monooly’s voice lines will make you want to stop playing the game. The game would be better off without him or with more dialog lines. As a whole, the game is fun but not meant for all ages. Even those that love Monopoly will grow tired of this game after two hours. The game is fine to play for a short amount of time but it is a good idea to take breaks.
The game’s controls feel more like a chore and the overall gameplay still needs to be patched a bit. Yes, there are not as many bugs as WWE 2K20, but there are still too many. These bugs not only include core gameplay but also graphics and sound.
2K19 may not be the best wrestling game in WWE franchise but it provides players with a decent enough wrestling simulation that they will be appeased for the current year.
If you are a seasonal fan of Madden, you will feel like Madden NFL 23 is a step in the right direction with new features to experience and updates to preexisting game modes and features. At the end of the day, this game is meant to appeal to football lovers who want to have the most realistic NFL experience.
Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga is great for children who haven’t experienced the Star Wars movie. Die-Hard Star Wars fans will probably put this game down after a few hours and return it. The game does offer a lot of gameplay but the mechanics and controls hold it back. Even though the game’s graphics are polished, the game’s system feels out of date. Loading screens should not exist on the Xbox Series X. If you have a child or partner you want to introduce to Star Wars then Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga can be a good entry point. However, if you are a moderate or Die-Hard Star Wars fan, then the game will get old quickly. If you are on the fence about this game, it is better to wait for it to go on sale. A good purchase price is somewhere between $5 to $30. For a Lego game, it doesn’t feel like a Lego game; the game is missing the typical Lego comedic moments.
Destroy All Humans! 2 Reprobed does a great job remastering Destroy All Humans 2 but clearly shows its age. The game looks great but the large variety of bugs really detracts from the overall experience. The game’s story is comedic despite not aging with the times unless you look at it satirically.
Overall, Guardians of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series Ep 1 “Tangled Up in Blue” is a decent first chapter for a Telltale game, but it feels lacking for a game centered around the Marvel universe.
Although Nevermind might have been an eye-opening experience the first play through, the gameplay became rather stale quickly. Experiencing the memories of the patients through a first person experience might be great for VR, but on the Xbox One it neither hinders nor helps the experience.
If you have ever been curious or wanted to try one of the worst games ever made, then it might be finally time to play Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties. The Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties: Definitive Edition makes what was one of the worst games ever made into a fun and comical experience.
If you enjoy multiplayer battle arenas and are a fan of Crash Bandicoot, then Crash Team Rumble is a game you will most likely enjoy; if you like an occasional multiplayer match-up, CTR can be a fun game to play but there are a variety of other options. Achievement hunters should pick up Crash Team Rumble because the achievements are fairly easy to earn and you can have fun doing so.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is easily a one-and-done experience. Because of this and some of the game’s bugs, we recommend waiting until the game is fixed or goes on sale.
Overall, The Last Hero of Nostalgia is a solid game that is great for any Souls lover but in a way lacks that one thing that makes it a must-have. The only way we can see this game catching on is if a famous Souls player were to pick it up and show others. The Last Hero of Nostalgia is fun to play when you have the time, but with so many games currently releasing, it will probably get lost in the library.
For $19.99, Dragon Ball the Breakers is a game that a variety of gamers can enjoy; when it comes to playing on the Xbox Series X, the game feels like a 50-50 coin toss if you will find a match in a reasonable amount of time. Adding cross-play or a different matchmaking system could help. As for characters, the Gacha system and the lack of a tutorial inhibit the overall gameplay experience at first but with enough hours can be overlooked.
Samurai Warriors 5 is a game that you can play continuously for a few hours maybe days but then you put it away for a while until you are in the mood again. Less than an hour into each playthrough, we’d start to groan and wish for the story to get to the point so we could resume combat. After a while, combat loses its flare. The game is great for running around and killing things when you have the urge to hack and slash, but sadly it gets stale. If you are looking for a Hack and Slash that makes you feel like a god, then playing SW5 on Easy mode will do just that. With a variety of characters to choose between, you can get hours of gameplay out of Samurai Warriors 5 if you choose. Ultimately, Samurai Warriors 5 can be purchased for $60 if it is a genre you enjoy; however, if you are new to the genre, it might be worth waiting until it goes on sale. With the sheer amount of missions, fighting styles, and characters, it is definitely worth $40. If you have any hesitation towards picking up this game, definitely watch gameplay videos or other players’ walkthroughs to see if it is something you will enjoy. Are you a fan of Musou games? Do you plan on picking this one up? Let us know what you think after giving it a try. We could see Samurai Warriors 5 ending up on Xbox Game Pass in the near future.
Despite coming in with low expectations, Call of Duty Vanguard has failed to change our minds. Vanguard has managed to do the inverse of Black Ops Cold War; it has provided players with a fun multiplayer experience bringing back some fan-favorite maps while stripping Zombies of its roots. The campaign is an adequate story but it is ultimately forgettable; the campaign can be beaten in under 6 hours. Call of Duty Vanguard could have been so much better but ultimately feels like a rushed project. If you are going to play all the modes, then sure it’s worth the $60. If you were planning to purchase it for Zombies, hold off. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War would make a better Holiday present than Vanguard. A fair price for Call of Duty Vanguard right now is anywhere between $25 to $45.
Overall Silver Chains is a fun jump-scare experience the first time you play through it. The lack of alternate paths and playthrough styles make it rather lackluster to revisit unless showing others. The game’s use of different lighting effects, special effects, vibration feedback, and music draws the player in to create a scarier experience. If you are looking for a fun horror game that you can play through in three to six hours, give it a try. If you like more action-packed games, then you might want to wait until the game goes on sale.
Life is Strange: True Colors had the potential and momentum to expand and improve the franchise. Sadly, True Colors feels like an average to mediocre title in the beloved Life is Strange franchise. With strong and unique characters and relationships, the overarching story does not live up to expectations. What does the player gain from solving the mystery plaguing the small town; the knowledge that they caused a ripple or wave in the pond of corporate corruption? Other than revenge and seeking justice, the protagonist is left asking “what’s next?” The feel-good moment is finding out the truth, and deciding on a future that provides further exploration. Despite easy-to-use controls, emotional voice acting, and a great soundtrack, the graphics, and limited outcomes hold the game back. The game’s replayability is enhanced by the community choice feature and some alternate story paths.
At the end of the day, Nightdive Studios has done a great job with the Star Wars Dark Forces Remaster and would make Lucas Arts proud compared to some other Star Wars titles. Yes, the game isn’t for everyone, but the developers have done a good job of making it accessible to most. The lack of a colorblind mode does seem like a failed oversight when you look at everything they did add, but it doesn’t make or break the game experience.
Outside of 2K locking Brock Lesnar out of the game due to the Vince McMahon controversy, Visual Concepts has done a good job with the game and improves each year.
If SplitSide games can work out the bugs and add more accessibility options then Fling to the Finish could become a trending streaming game to play with friends or community members. At the moment, the game could use a bit more polish before that but is still a rather solid game.