Pure Xbox's Reviews
Sea of Thieves has managed to successfully steer a course through turbulent waters during its first two years. Its once somewhat sterile and empty world is now full to bursting point with activities and distractions and it's got a sense of direction and purpose which mean players don't need to work nearly as hard to find ways in which to indulge their inner Black Beard. Tall Tales provide a properly meaty, narrative-driven campaign that works equally as well for solo players as it does for eager crews of four and that once empty horizon is now full of things to see and do as you make your way from the lowliest bilge rat to a pirate of legend.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar's greatest achievement to date – an epic Western masterpiece set in a phenomenally-detailed recreation of 1890's America. Top-notch acting across the board brings its beautifully-written cast of characters to life and the riveting central story is surrounded on all sides by an almost endless array of deep and satisfying side activities that serve to further ground you in the life and times of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang. A must-have title for your Xbox One.
Homefront: The Revolution has bigger problems than its myriad of technical issues. Sure, the constantly freezing of the game to save is jarring, and the game as a whole is largely unpolished, but even when everything works it just isn't captivating in any way. Pass this up.
Whilst Cubikolor is not a bad game, it lacks the imagination and something special to make it stand out from the crowd. It's an interesting title for a quick pick-up-and-play but is nowhere near as gripping as it could be, given that the core idea behind the gameplay is fairly interesting. Unless you're an absolute puzzle fanatic, you can safely skip it.
In conclusion, Hard Reset: Redux is a missed opportunity to exploit the exciting cyberpunk environment and story that was developed for it. The shooting is unsatisfactory, and the whole game has an old fashioned feel to it that doesn't sit well in comparison to other, more modern games. The presentation of the story, and the story arc itself are highlights, and will drive you to keep playing, but it's possible that once the story is finished there will be no urge to go and play again on a different difficulty setting. This is a game from only five years ago, but it really shows its age. Unless you are a massive cyberpunk fan, this isn't one that we can recommend.
The premise and complexity of the puzzles, mixed with the cheery art style, point to an interesting puzzle experience but you may find that Mystery Castle a bit of an unrewarding drudge if you aren't really into the types of puzzles on offer. It's challenging at points and allows enough flexibility for you to skip stages that prove too perplexing which makes it accessible for most, but there's such a flatness to the level completion that there's no real rush of excitement when you solve a particularly difficult puzzle. The vast number of levels available also acts as more of a demotivator than a blessing and it could be argued that just sometimes, less is more. There's certainly not much wrong with Mystery Castle, but it's not doing anything to make it stand out from the crowd either.
Neon Chrome is an admirable blend of genres that provides a stiff challenge and potentially massive amounts of playing time. There a feeling of repetition to be found for sure and the need to die, die, and die again won't be for everyone. Those with the mettle though, will find a fun and enjoyable shooter that has the potential to be both strangely compelling and unrelentingly addictive.
In conclusion then, Soul Axiom is a slow burning game, but one that satisfies if you engage with the world and its lore. The pacing won't be to everyone's liking, as it isn't a fast paced, reaction based experience, but it is compelling more because of this than in spite of it. Add to this the numerous monkeys to be found, as well as three possible endings and the game has more longevity than the average puzzler. If you fancy having your grey matter teased, you could do a lot worse than this.
Dangerous Golf is a bit of a letdown. There may be patches along the way that improve things, but as it stands, the game doesn't do justice to the premise and is ultimately frustrating and disappointing as a result. The addiction factor is in full effect relatively early on, but the number of problems it displays will soon put paid to that for most players.
Oozing charm and potential, this really is a great example of what a small development team can achieve and Brainy Studio's pride in their creation is alluded to throughout the game. It's undeniable that TurnOn does a lot of things right, which makes it sadly all the more noticeable when something doesn't quite hit the mark. Even so, if you give it some time, there's a chance that you'll find a place in your heart for Turnon's journey through Electro City's night of darkness.
Dead Island: Definitive Collection is great value if you're a fan of the games, given that it's the only way you can play them on Xbox One. Players that fit that description shouldn't be expecting any major gameplay changes though since they're very thin on the ground, outside of an unlockable "one punch" mode which was available on PC as a mod for the first game. Even at a budget price, players new to the franchise can safely avoid the set as there's much better gameplay to be found elsewhere, such as in the likes of the Metro: Last Light or even Techland's own Dying Light, both of which outshine Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide in almost every area.
In pride of place on Azkend 2's feature list is the phrase "8 different backdrops!" and that really seems to be all you're playing the story mode for here - the chance to see a different barely animated backdrop before more puzzling is thrust upon you.
You could refer to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan as the best TMNT game in years, but that really doesn't mean much. While there's a moderately entertaining co-op experience underneath the lazy level design, short game length, bland missions, occasional bugs, and minor kinks in the combat system, the quality and value most certainly aren't in line with what we expect from a $50 game. Sure, it could be worse (look at the last three TMNT games, for example), but it's especially heartbreaking considering Platinum's history of delivering fantastic action games. This is not Bayonetta. It's not even Transformers: Devastation. Don't shell out your hard-earned cash when you could spend it on delicious pizza instead.
Doom is a big, loud, visceral experience that not only impresses visually with a silky-smooth framerate and detailed texture work, but which reaches into your soul and jacks up your heartrate as it does so. Some would say that things are a little bland in terms of plot, but playing Doom for the story would be like watching a baseball match because you're a fan of diamonds. The multiplayer is playable but a little less so than you'd expect, but that's more than made up for by the campaign. It's fast, fun, violent, addictive, and highly recommended.
OlliOlli2: XL Edition is the best version of Roll7's stellar skateboarding game, although just by a smidge. The addition of manuals to the core game is a huge boost to the trick system, and makes it possible to combo every single level from start to finish.
Not A Hero is an enjoyable 2D shooter that will provide a decent challenge to the majority of gamers. There are failings to be found here and there, but they're relatively rare and the comedic presentation generally provides enough coverage to paper over those cracks. It probably isn't a game that you'll blast through in a single sitting and it certainly won't be for everybody, but Not A Hero is definitely a good deal of fun.
Although it's easy to pick up, Tropico 5 is a deep and complex strategy title which keeps things interesting by throwing ever-changing challenges in to the story structure to mix things up. The humour expertly lightens the mood and adds life to the game, with each character proving slightly more unhinged than the last.
The Battleborn experiment has been largely successful. Fusing humour and shooting together with the mechanics from a MOBA sounds like it should be a recipe for disaster, but the charm of the graphical style and characterisation lifts the whole game. The story (or lack of it compared to Borderlands 2, say) is a bit of a let down, but it does enough to keep you interested and eager to see the next mission. There are issues with online play, which we're hoping get ironed out, but there's fun to be had as you and your fireteam roll up the battlefield, combined with the genuine laugh out loud moments.
Super Night Riders undoubtedly started out as a good idea. 80s and 90s racing games were cool, of that there is no doubt. But when you compare the visuals here to what's on display in upcoming projects such as 90s Super GT or Racing Apex – which aren't even finished yet - and then throw in super-repetitive gameplay and framerate issues, it all runs out of fuel rather quickly.
Grand Prix Rock N Racing is an interesting proposition, but it tries every possible way to make you fail and you can tell that most of the time, it isn't doing it on purpose. Poor handling, archaic AI, no online play and a distinct lack of depth even in the game's Championship mode means that this is one that got stuck on the grid.