William Caruana

"What makes a good RPG?". The answer to this seemingly simple question will vary wildly from person to person. For some, its all about the dialogue options. For others, its about statistical balance and min-maxing. For me, the hallmarks of a good RPG are immersion and strong storytelling. However, if there is one thing I think RPGs can do away with the most, it's length.

The Bard's Tale ARPG: Remastered and Resnarkled on Xbox One is a rather delightful experience. The dialogue is hysterical, the characters memorable, the RPG mechanics solid as a rock and the combat decent. There are definite performance issues, and it is not as Remastered as it could have been, but when the core game has held up this well, does that really matter?

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a blast from the past, and mostly in a good way. The dialogue is entertaining, the visuals splendid, the music catchy and the gameplay rock solid. However, some not insignificant technical issues and a fear of deviating from the source material hold it back from reaching its full potential.

over the past few years, Rare has been seeing something of a renaissance - or Rarenaissance - and the future of the studio is looking the brightest it has been this century. But what exactly can be done with their old IP? Will we ever get a Banjo game again?

Minecraft Dungeons on Xbox One is a fun but flawed dungeon crawler. Mojang has done a pretty good job adapting the franchise to the dungeon-crawler style. However, in their attempt to streamline the more niche genre to reach the broader Minecraft fandom, they have somewhat lost sight of some of what makes those titles so endearing.

On Thursday May 7th 2020, Xbox finally showed some third-party Series X games in action and needless to say, the response was not the most positive.

Telling Lies on Xbox One is not going to be for everyone. It is very much a cinematic, interactive story first and a game second. However, the brilliant performances and top-notch writing that stands among some of Hollywood's best easily makes this a must-play for fans of FMV games or cinema in general.

Ninja Theory's first game as part of Xbox Game Studios - Bleeding Edge - was unleashed onto the world, and needless to say it was not for everyone. While I was personally a big fan of the game overall, many critics and gamers were not. All of this made it abundantly clear that the game wasn't everything players were hoping for from a studio with a reputation as solid as Ninja Theory's, particularly in the single-player community. Honestly, that's totally okay.

SiNKR on Xbox One is a thoroughly satisfying experience, and one definitely worth the play. It may frustrate at times, but the satisfaction that comes from completing a difficult level is rather euphoric. Also, given the easy 1000 Gamerscore on offer, and the low asking price, it's not hard to recommend you spend time with the game. If sinking pucks sounds up your alley, or you just love puzzle games, SiNKR is definitely for you.

Bleeding Edge on Xbox One is just pure fun. It's a tight, fast thrill-ride that keeps me playing which, as someone who predominantly plays single-player, is not easy to do. While it certainly isn't what some fans of Ninja Theory may be expecting, it is still a great first collaboration from what will likely be one of Xbox Game Studios' finest teams.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Xbox One is an amazing work of art that happens to double as a truly fantastic game. Moon Studios have outdone themselves here with an emotional, engaging, difficult but above all enjoyable game that should delight gamers everywhere.

Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection on Xbox One is a rock(man)-solid compilation of some classic GBA and DS titles. The presentation is great, the games are incredibly polished and fun, and the value is undeniable.

There are some great ideas, and an admirable aesthetic, but when you can pick up better fighters such as SoulCalibur 6, Mortal Kombat X, Tekken 7 and even Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite for far less, it's hard to really justify the price.

Foxyland 2 on Xbox One is not a good challenge, as the majority of the difficult moments are due to off controls, poor hit detection and the 1-hit deaths. The aesthetics are great, but the core gameplay is incredibly frustrating

Ping Redux is a radical blast from the past with great visuals, music and levels. The value is superb and the gameplay is truly addicting.