DayOne's Reviews
If a true voyage of discovery appeals to you, you will be in your element exploring Midden and it’s many mysteries, and with Day One Availablity on Xbox Game Pass, it should probably be at the top of your download queue. I ended up as a Trader by the way – which Mask will you choose at your journeys end?
This is a game that came close to greatness for me, but in the end the combat held it back. I still quite enjoyed my time with it thanks to the story, and I am very interested to see what developer Zoink is working on next. As it is not a full-priced title I think it’s worth taking a chance on if what you’ve seen here sounds interesting to you.
I know I sound like a broken record here, but I can’t say enough how refreshing The Artful Escape is. In a sea of third-person open-world collect-a-thons, first-person shooters, and free-to-play action games, it’s nice to be able to just rock out and chill to something that doesn’t require lightning reflexes or demand intense attention from you.
Madden NFL 22 definitely tries to get things right, but the lack of competition turns it into its own worst enemy. The rush to release a new game every year during a period in which game development takes more time than ever results in an incomplete and bug-filled launch. EA Vancouver skipped a next-gen version of NHL 20 to try to knock things out of the park with NHL 21 — maybe EA Tiburon should have done the same with Madden. If they do not learn from their mistakes, they might stumble into the same fate they have with their own NBA Live series.
because SkyDrift excels at being a fun flying-themed arcade racer, I am happy to have it in my collection of co-op racers on my Xbox. What was once a genre with so many kinds of racers has died off in the years of the Xbox One, so even if SkyDrift Infinity is a remaster of a ten-year-old game, I think it is worth flying for.
Golf Club: Wasteland is visually arresting with a simple control style that suits it very well. The game is challenging and has some difficulty spikes, but you can avoid unnecessary frustration. The soundtrack is amazing and there are lots of nice touches that give the game a far deeper meaning if you choose to read the signs. This is a round of Golf that will be hard to forget.
The general presentation remains fairly dated, however, and the lack of depth and event variety don't allow it to compete with titles such as the DIRT franchise, which offers even derivates of rally such as rallycross or gymkhana. It's a fun and respectful title that deserves to hold the WRC license, but there are still things to iron out.
Criminality has never been so much fun, and thankfully, in The Big Con, no one really gets hurt. Available on day one via Xbox Game Pass and with a roughly six-hour completion time this is a title well worth checking out.
There were many times while playing this game that I felt it simply wasn’t that fun, but time and time again I ooh’ed and ahh’ed at the graphics and music. As it’s a very short 2 or 3-hour experience if that and the promise of a very interesting ending is enough to entice you then there are worse ways to spend your time.
The story kept me interested to a great extent and I am really curious to see what will happen in the sequel. While some players who are familiar with Metroidvania games will enjoy Axiom Verge, those who are not as familiar with the genre will have a difficult time enjoying the game.
Psychonauts 2 shines by delivering an absurd amount of creativity to the player. The story is filled with heart. The gameplay is smooth and fun. The character cast and the environments show incredible diversity throughout the entire experience. The next brain you’ll visit will always be more even more creative than the last, and the game does all that while also being absolutely gorgeous to look at. Psychonauts 2 is the best game Double Fine has ever created and the best release by Xbox first-party in many years.
mechanics that could go back even further it feels like a relic. There is nothing egregiously wrong with it, and if the battle system looks interesting to you, it could be worth getting on sale. Launching at $49.99 US though I can’t recommend it in good conscience to anyone.
RiMS Racing has a heart in the right place, wanting to offer a solid biking simulation that offers an in-depth look into every last piece of the bike and how they all come together on the asphalt. Unfortunately, an unimpressive driving model, various undercooked game features, and a severe lack of content don’t allow Nacon’s newest title to quite compete with the competition, but it does work as a statement of intent if not else: there’s a new player in town, and if the developers manage to iron out the issues, there’ll be plenty of fun to have for bike enthusiasts. As of now, however, there are much better options around, even just on Xbox.
This game is not a simple proposition, although it may look like a typical 3D platforming game at heart it is a technically complex and at times very challenging addition to the Metroidvania genre. If you are a fan of these types of games it is well worth checking out but be wary if you are not a fan of Metroidvania games. Advertised as featuring intense combat, tight 3D platforming, super-powered abilities, and an environmental logic-based hacking mechanic it certainly lives up to those claims. I would recommend being aware of this before you take the game on.
It's an incredible achievement for a solo developer, and thanks to its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass, something that plenty of players should at least try – you may find the performances, mystery and intrigue of this small urban apartment are some you just have to experience. Perhaps you can break the loop and discover what's happening to you – and why.
Xbox fans of strategic horde smashing will find a perfect home with Robot Entertainment’s latest game in the series. There are plenty of maps, challenges, and a variety of ways to defend your tower from the orcs. There are not any glaring flaws as far as the eye can see, and for what it is worth, I think that is what makes Orcs Must Die! 3 an easy recommendation for the strategy fan.
Though not that deep the game is quite a bit of fun. It's an easy recommendation if you can find it on sale.
Greak: Memories of Azur could have been something special. Unfortunately, a large number of questionable design decisions pull down every positive aspect in a way the game simply cannot overcome. The core design of how you control your two to three characters is simply not enjoyable, but the quality is there in every other aspect and I hope that either through further patches for this game, or in their next title that Navegante Entertainment gets the gameplay part of things right.
Its puzzles are nowhere near challenging and the exploration is limited to small areas, but they are still enjoyable thanks to the heartwarming story that unfolds after each section. When combining it all with the vivid visuals and remarkable voice work, you cannot help but feel right at home.
Hades has perfected several elements of the rogue-like genre and does a banging job on the rest. It is, by far, the best game of its type that I’ve played. But don’t let the words “rogue-like” scare you off – it is made in such a way that it is appealing to both fans and non-fans of the genre alike. Hades is a game I firmly believe anyone even remotely interested should play. I guarantee that you won’t regret your time in The Underworld.