XboxEra's Reviews
I stated that I think Apex Legends is the best battle royal game on the market. I do still stand by this in terms of its gameplay. Apex Legends feels great to play, the characters are diverse, the lore and story is amazing. The maps Olympus and Worlds Edge are great and provide players with amazing encounters. However Apex suffers from technical issues and a lack of cross progression. Apex knows what it wants to be, it just needs to overcome its technical hurdles to be even better.
I really love Halo Wars 2. It’s not the deepest RTS, and it really is best for fans of the Halo universe. As it is available for Game Pass there is no harm in trying things solo or even better, with a friend in co-op. Add in the excellent expansion Awakening the Nightmare and you have yourself a genuinely awesome game.
I purchased Remnant for $40 when it was new, and I really enjoyed it. It’s tough, a bit slow, and kinda ugly; but now that it is on Game Pass for both Console and PC it’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking to murder a bunch of creepy-looking monsters either alone or with their friends.
For either $25 or played through Game Pass on PC, Console, and Mobile this one is a no-brainer for almost anyone. If you have any family member that likes to mobile game and has access to this through any means tell them to give it a try. It’s deep, fun, fair, and I absolutely love it.
This is one of the best racing games of all time. Both offline solo play and online co-op and competitive are at the top of the genre.
Subnautica: Below Zero is a very fun survival game. In my time, I had had little happen in the way of bugs and some minor inconveniences in resource gathering. The story can sometimes feel odds and ends with the way its presented and the gameplay mechanics, and I admittedly had more fun building facilities and exploring Planet 4546b over finding out what happened to Robin’s sister. Though for the story-curious, hardcore maniac, or creative, the game offers modes for everyone. I could not say if this is better than the first Subnautica, but it is certainly a strong game in its own right.
The story is good, most of the time the gameplay is fun, but the constant loss of control over things can be grating.
If you’re looking for something different that can also be enjoyed with friends, and you can’t decide between watching Netflix or playing video games, get a bit of both with “Dark Nights”. Enjoy it in small bursts. Sip, don’t binge.
Dead Cells is an all-time classic. As part of Xbox Game Pass it is one of the easiest recommendations I’ve ever made on this site/channel. It is tough but fair. It finds that perfect balance of teaching you as you fail, and you will find yourself thinking “Just one more run” time and time again as the hours pass by.
At $50 US if Sherlock Lovecraft Private Assassin sounds like a good time to you then this one is an easy call. The story is solid, the acting is surprisingly good, the detective part of the game is intriguing, and the combat gets the job done.
Outside of the gameplay itself, the game feels like a sometimes-ugly, disorganized collection of menus that wants you to pay extra money to really enjoy the most engaging content without falling victim to an endless grind.
I have very little to complain about Milestone’s latest attempt to emulate the world of MotoGP and its feeder series. Last year’s already great game has been further improved, with vastly improved graphics and performance on the new consoles, several gameplay and UI tweaks and a handful of brand new additions. The much hyped manual control over a rider after a fall is not quite as exciting as we hoped, but it doesn’t really matter; MotoGP 21 is an excellent rendition of one of the fastest and most exhilarating sports on the planet, proving not only to be one of Milestone’s all-time greats, but also one of the finest biking games in several years. MotoGP videogames are definitely in the right hands, and it’s available now on the Xbox One family of consoles and on Xbox Series X|S.
Dishonored is still a great game nearly a decade later. This stealth-action game will go down in the history books as one of the best games in the genre and put Arkane Studios on the map as one of the world's best developers.
Few things in the world of video games are as fun as killing Nazis and shooting Zombies. Zombie Army 4: Dead War does a damned fine job of combining the two.
Rain on Your Parade is a wonderful little puzzle game with a lot of heart, imagination and some occasionally laugh out loud moments. While it won’t last forever, there’s more than enough here to enjoy on a rainy day and would certainly bring its own kind of sunshine.
I had hoped that the time spent in Game Preview would lead to Darkflow fixing the movement and aiming systems. I never had much hope for how the squad system would work with the free-to-play nature of the title, but if the gameplay were solid then I could still recommend giving it a shot. In the end though this is a bad playing, poorly set up, mediocre-looking game that you should avoid unless you’re desperate to go murder a bunch of poorly scripted AI with some friends. Though only since it’ll be free to play.
It Takes Two is a game that deserves to be played. Bearing in mind that we’re only just into April, it would not surprise me to see the game sitting on plenty of Game of The Year lists come the year end, including my own. It Takes Two is like the David Bowie of the Action-Adventure gaming world – flitting from style to style while hitting all of the marks and remaking them all in its own way.
Overwatch is a special game, and as Overwatch 2 is essentially a complete rework that will carry your progress over there is no reason to not give it a try if you haven’t already. It goes on sale for $20 in the US quite often and solo or especially with friends it will be well worth it. The mix of frenetic PvP and PvE content, wide variety of modes, and excellent roster of heroes have made this one of my favorite games of all time.
*Updated 4/28/2021: Constant nerfs to the power fantasy in some weird attempt to force in unneeded longevity has killed the game for me. Instead of buffing they are nerfing and it's a terrible choice. Never before has there been such a marriage of great gameplay and truly terrible dialogue. Despite the latter Outriders is a blast to play and a no-brainer on Xbox Game Pass.
If you can look past the scarcity of modes and the anemic nature of the ones on offer, Samurai Showdown Special Edition is a fantastic return of a beloved fighting game franchise. It's a refreshing option for those who might want a break or palate cleanser from the combo heavy and more bombastic fighting games that are more prevalent in the scene today.