Doom 64 on Xbox One is exactly what you have come to expect from the franchise. There's nothing new or surprising here, but it's another solid set of demon slaying levels nonetheless. In all honesty, as Doom II was to Doom, it feels as if it could simply be an expansion to the original game. However, as the old saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Moons of Madness on Xbox One offers some fascinating slow-burn horror and nostalgic Alien-esque visuals, but it lets that down by bogging down playtime with arbitrary objectives and attempts to go much bigger than the story should be. If you are a fan of cosmic or slow-burn horror, Moons of Madness is certainly worth checking out, but it won't be forging any new fans for the genre.
Super Destronaut: Land Wars feels like a love letter to the game it so inspires to be, but loses everything that made it well-loved in translation. The concept is solid, but fails to ever reach the heights to create an addictive gameplay loop.
Thunder Paw on Xbox One looks like a game from the mid-90s. Unfortunately, it plays like one too. At its core, it’s a run-and-gun platformer that doesn’t succeed at either. The platforming is too simple to be fun and the combat is horrible. When it isn’t mind-numbingly easy, it’s ridiculously frustrating.
I expected Mecho Tales on Xbox One to be a bad take on a good formula, but it proved me wrong. Instead, it provided a fun couple of hours of an unimpactful yet joyous action platformer which should attract anybody looking for a unique art style. It is an indie game which has the self-awareness to know what to accomplish from a gameplay point of view, but not perhaps from a storytelling perspective.
With a deep career that will enable you the chance to plough in many an hour, a fun little open-world challenge arena and plenty of chances to indulge yourself in quick races, the solo bike fan looking for replication of the real-world event will be utterly enthralled. It’s a shame that the multiplayer side of things doesn’t replicate that, but if you can look past that and are ready for a hardcore biking experience then Ride on the Edge 2 will be for you.
For those who like to build stories of their own, want to work with interesting and unique structures, and are ready to use their mind to create new creative ideas, Memories of Mars certainly works. But on the flipside, it really could do with a few more markers and a ton more help for potential newbies struggling through the early stages.
With a few extras and a bit more attention to player movements and graphics this could be a homerun. But then again this is a licenced sports game at half the price of a regular game, which at least makes it a two-base hit.
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.
Ritual: Crown of Horns deserves your time. It’s an engaging experience that’ll find you wanting to quickly run through a bite-sized level yet straining to put the controller back down. It’s unique Grindhouse aesthetic can’t lift it up enough to stand beside the best of the genre yet it should be lauded for being such a strong package that accomplishes what it set out to achieve.
The last venture in the gaming sector, My Hero One’s Justice, delivered a fast and exciting fighting experience that did remarkably well to capture the ‘quirky’ powers on display. There was room for improvement though and now Bandai Namco have returned with a sequel – My Hero One’s Justice 2. Will it build upon the previous offering to present us an almighty 3D arena fighting game full of smashing new features, or is it just more of the same?
Younger gamers will no doubt find a slight amount of fun in the experience, but it will fail to push their skills any further or demand a large amount of attention. Gigantosaurus: The Game on Xbox One is a gigantic flop.
With its handcrafted aesthetic and unique combat offering a new spin on traditional tabletop battles, Wartile on Xbox One offers up something quite refreshing. Despite the maps not being the biggest there is a lot crammed into them and exploring offers plenty of rewards.
Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox One takes the best – and occasionally the worst – from its own history and mixes it with the knowledge gained from its contemporaries to make an excellent experience that players can easily spend hours joyfully fighting in.
Pikuniku on Xbox One is a tiny little game. It tries to do a whole lot with its short campaign, yet it only does half of it well. Its writing bounces back and forth between being endearingly random and just plain unfunny. The puzzles featured within the campaign and co-operative modes are easily the best part of playing, so it is odd that the game does not focus entirely on those two things.
