Pure Xbox's Reviews
Amazing Princess Sarah is a good retro platformer, of that there is no doubt. There's also plenty to do, although the nature of the implementation means that some will feel that it crosses the line into repetitiveness. It would have taken longer in development of course, but if the game had 30 levels in play as opposed to five levels repeated six times with slightly different character parameters, the developers would have been onto a surefire winner. As it stands though, Amazing Princess Sarah still has the ability to hook you and is enjoyable enough for the price.
Since The Living Dungeon is actually quite an interesting board game, the multiplayer side of things does a decent job at entertaining. The banter with your friends makes up for overly long wait times and the never ending brown of the environment. The missing online play is almost essential for a title like this though, since the main reason to play tabletop games on a console is not being able to wrangle eight other people to your house (or being too lazy to tidy up.) For the times your friends can't make it, the single player campaign offers a frustrating distraction. But the poor AI, unlikeable characters, and levels that take seemingly forever to complete due to unlucky dice rolls make The Living Dungeon only for those with active social lives.
Fortified is a tower defence/third person shooter which draws on the imagery and tropes of 1950s pulp fiction. The emphasis is on multiplayer but it can be enjoyed alone if you have the patience to get through some of the more severe difficulty spikes. The 50s theme is well implemented in many areas and the gameplay is challenging, while characters remain different enough to warrant multiple playthroughs. If you enjoy this genre, Fortified is worthy of your time and you should consider dropping it into your multiplayer gaming rotation.
G Prime Into The Rain has an interesting concept, but it's also one that has been done much better in other games. What made games like Blast Off successful was that they were simple to pick-up, but had enough depth to keep players hooked. Soma Games' title is the exact opposite as it's overly complicated and makes a terrible first impression. If you stick with it you might find some enjoyment, but one that still doesn't live up to its contemporaries.
The lack of actual Heroes content in Gemini: Heroes Reborn can be taken two ways. It's not caught up in the increasingly complicated timelines of the franchise and aside from a few collectibles and a one line mention of a plot point, there isn't enough to keep fans hooked solely on their love for the show. It does manage to pack a lot of surprises into a short game with its interesting mix of powers but excellence is prevented as it gets bogged down in not allowing its own mechanics to properly flourish.
Full disclosure, in the ten hours we spent with Dungeon of the Endless over the course of this review, we didn't escape from the dungeons. Even playing on the inappropriately named 'Too Easy' mode, this rogue-like can turn on you in an instant. Take your eye off the ball and your previously flourishing band of survivors can be unceremoniously wiped out, taken down by rapidly spawning hordes of enemies without so much as a last breath with which to cry for help. But it's a game that, once it has you hooked, will reel you back in over and over again because you just know you can do better this time, or perhaps you think you've discovered a new strategy - it's all very compelling.
In conclusion, Sparkle 2 is a lot like Sparkle Unleashed, which in turn was a lot like PopCap's Zuma. If you are a fan of this genre of game, then Sparkle 2 has a lot going for it, but it unlikely to convert anyone else to its cause. We found it weirdly addictive, with the "just one more level" effect being very strong, and the usually pretty graphics and reactive music all helping to hook us in. At its heart, its another colour matcher, but this is a little different to the run of the mill mobile ports that we see, and with the new modes to unlock as you play, it could well keep you hooked a little longer than normal.
Puzzle platformers are a dime a dozen in the modern era of gaming, but there's nothing that feels quite like A Boy and His Blob. Taking advantage of blob's shape-shifting abilities to solve environmental puzzles, while seeking hidden treasures that unlock challenge stages, is mentally stimulating and very rewarding. Even though a handful of issues do frequently nag at you throughout the course of the adventure, they don't weigh the game down enough to keep it from a recommendation.
AIPD is a solidly-made twin-stick shooter with some nice ideas. The problem is that it just isn't fleshed out enough. Outside of the shooting action itself, the presentation is lacking to the point of being non-existent and unless you become hooked relatively early on and become determined to beat it on the hardest difficulty or are absolutely dead-set on getting to get to the top of the leaderboards, it isn't going to be on your playlist for long. What's here is great, it's just that there isn't enough of it.
Without a doubt, Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink is a good quality product overall, made by a developer that really seems to know what they're doing when it comes to point and click titles. The deviations from the standard hidden object pathways mix things up nicely and the only real flaws we can find are with the voiceovers and the game's length. It isn't the most difficult game in the world to beat and doesn't stick around long enough, but there's a nice couple of hours of decent entertainment here for those who like to get their brain working.
At face value, Rebel Galaxy is an entertaining arcade slugging match with controls simple enough to be picked up by newer players and customisation options appealing to the completionist. With its bombastic cowboy rock soundtrack and Wild West aesthetic, it's certain to provide a few hours of interesting content. However, the longer you play, the more the cracks appear, with the whole thing eventually becoming a grind with more than a fair share of bugs helping the game to feel overly unforgiving and unfair. Time will tell if these issues get fixed but for the moment, Rebel Galaxy is several light years from where it truly wants to be.
Level 22: Gary's Misadventures is a fun puzzler that doesn't take itself too seriously. Even with that in mind, the developer has obviously lavished love and attention on the game and produced a product that, while not the longest or most challenging game in the world, is enjoyable enough.
Hyper Void is a stellar shoot 'em up experience that passes the time in a fun and exciting way, with gorgeous high resolution graphics and an action-pumping soundtrack. All for a price tag that, in our opinion, is worth an adrenaline-fuelled romp, even if it the whole thing doesn't last as long as we may have liked.
As a package, The Banner Saga is addictive, attractive, compelling, enjoyable, and truly challenging on the higher difficulty level. Some will find fault with the price, given that the Xbox One version is £15.99 and the PC and iOS editions have been available for a third of that in their time, but we say that the price is fair for what you get here. It's been a long wait, but there's nothing like kicking back and overseeing your merry band of fantastically animated fighters trekking across a frozen wasteland on a big-screen TV, or hearing the roaring clank of metal on metal as you fire in a battle-winning series of attacks.
Despite its flawed interface, Unepic is a very enjoyable title with a ton of content. There's easily twenty hours of gameplay available and the intricacies of the crafting and customisation options allow for a character perfectly honed to the player's taste. The retro art style and music will not appeal to everyone, but beneath that lies an interesting game with humorous dialogue, for sure.
Resident Evil 0 is a worthy entry in the Resident Evil franchise even though it lacks the scares and originality. It's often overshadowed by the first game, but not giving it a spin would be a grave mistake. RE 0 makes some notable changes to the core gameplay like controlling and swapping between the two main leads at any time, as well as a complete revamp of managing items. The systems can feel archaic and occasionally cumbersome, but various new challenges and puzzles make it worth the effort. RE 0 is a stunning looking game and the new HD visuals ensure that it looks better than ever. Whether you're playing for the first time or looking for an excuse to replay it, Resident Evil 0 is absolutely worth your time and investment.
Oxenfree is truly unlike any other experience that you can pick up for the Xbox One right now. While it isn't heavy on gameplay, the narrative and aesthetics really build a superb atmosphere and give a great sense of weight to proceedings. It doesn't necessarily score a direct hit with every story beat and we could definitely live without the crashes. There's also an argument to be made that around four or five hours, the game is a tad short in the grand scheme of things. It feels shorter still when you pick up the controller to make a quick bit of progress late in the evening, then find yourself staring at the rolling credits at 3am with all the lights on because something just doesn't feel right.As we said, Oxenfree is an unsettling game.
This, then, is the whole experience of Cubot. Move cubes, solve puzzles and unlock the next chapter. Rinse, repeat, and then rinse again. With 80 levels to complete, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there would be an element of longevity to the game, but sadly that is not the case. We completed the 80 levels comfortably inside three hours, and even for the low, low price of £1.59, that isn't a long time. Looking at it from a different angle, three hours for 1000 Gamerscore is a bit of a bargain for players who hunt achievements. There could be more to it, but Cubot is a relatively fun experience overall, with a nice mix of difficulty and frustration.
Even if you can only beat the first set of twenty levels, Lovely Planet is a first-person shooter that is worth your time. It's beyond challenging, but when you finally put together the perfect run there isn't anything more satisfying. While it's too bad that the game hasn't seen an easy mode (or crosshair support) added in the console release, it's still a refreshing take on a genre that often feels way too stuck in its ways.
If you liked Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, then there's a decent chance that you'll have a good time in India, in spite of the problems outlined above. There's enjoyment to be had, but the main worry is that almost everything new that has been thrown in is flawed to the point of not being a worthy addition. With the Russian entry just around the corner, we're hoping that this is a missed step in the journey, rather than an inevitable and unalterable course.