Xbox Tavern

All in all Forgone has been super fun for me. Sure, I could nit-pick at some very minor changes but what Big Blue Bubble has made is something awesome and that all platforming fans should give it a look. I think it provides the right amount of challenge for all gamers approaching it.

Space Crew is a challenging simulation game at first but with enough practice and time out into it can turn into an enjoyable experience. It’s an in-depth strategy concept will actually take some time to get use too. Dedicate enough time into it and it will pay off.

While it might not be quite the same as the real thing Monster Truck Championship does a pretty good job of replicating the fun. There’s plenty to keep players coming back in the career mode, with loads of challenges to try, and parts and upgrades to unlock. The stunt modes can feel a little too easy to cheese a way to victory but the standard and drag races more than make up for any disappointment here. And plus, who doesn’t love Monster Trucks?

Mafia: Definitive Edition is how a remake should be done. By taking and meticulously remoulding the original game, Mafia: Definitive Edition sings with a deliciously authentic 1930’s gangster shooter experience that’s enriched to no end by a chapter-based story that keeps the focus on the story and its characters.

Fans of JRPG’s might be more willing to put up with it’s nonsense, but even then I suspect many will expect better these days. Mid level saving would have gone a long way to improving the experience, but confusing menus, boring and random-luck based combat and a story that fell straight out of a teenagers sketchbook all add up to an underwhelming finished product.

With a great combination of retro graphics and sound Jet Set Knights makes for a fantastic reminder of the good old days. The gameplay is solid and very fun to play either solo or co-op. There are elements that could do with a little polish but that’s more of a nit pick than anything. I had tonnes of fun with Jet Set Knights and look forward to the developers next title!

All in all Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a stellar game and I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy every minute of it. Despite being tough as nails at times, the brutal challenges are optional so newcomers or those with lesser skills can still enjoy the great storyline and main set of levels.

The combination of different ways to finish levels gives Birthday of Midnight a fair amount of replayability but I’m now starting to find this all little repetitive without a story to keep me immersed in the world. There are 70 plus levels to complete and this will definitely not hold my attention for that long. This is worth a play if you need a palette cleanser, however if you have GamePass you have many, more engaging choices.

Inertial Drift is a fun arcade racer that brings a unique mechanic to drifting that works very well. While the tracks can be a little hard to read at times, after a few plays this becomes much less of an issue. There are plenty of cars to unlock and try, twenty tracks to learn and a decent story mode to help with learning the intricacies of the controls and modes.

Going Under isn’t your standard roguelike, it carries more charisma and playfulness than you’ll find in many of examples of the genre. No, Going Under doesn’t breathe new life into the roguelike nor does it give you anything outside of a rinse and repeat formula of clearing dungeons over and over, but the sense of humour and vibrancy on display makes up for its shortcomings and you will feel as though it’s a worthwhile internship while it lasts.

Nexomon: Extinction is amazing and I have been playing it non-stop. As a big Pokemon fan I was a bit sceptical about trying something different, but oh my God I am so glad I did. It was glorious, so much fun and I can’t wait to dive back into it. For anyone who has been recently let down by Pokemon Shield/Sword like I was, I can’t recommend this enough.

Projection: First Light is a tough one to recommend then. On the one hand it has a lovely visual and audio style that draws us in, and the idea of the core mechanic is great. In practice though it’s too fiddly and unreliable to sustain a several hour+ title, and it likely won’t hold the attention though to its conclusion.

The graphics are just okay but the voice acting is where this game shines. Original actors from the shows were used and it shows. This is noticed as there is a fair amount of dialog for how short the game can take which brings me to my last point. The game can be completed from start to finish in as little as a couple of hours. Granted that was my second run of the game. My first run of the game on hard collecting everything probably took between 4 and 6 hours.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is the safe Fable and Oblivion fusion we remember from all those years ago, but it is a little too familiar, and inexplicably has numerous game-breaking bugs and technical hang-ups, despite the lack of truly awe-inspiring presentation or technical requirements. Nevertheless, it is a fun but safe RPG with wonderful combat, great crafting, and repetitive staple RPG quests and gameplay loops.

While the brick breaker genre is about as old as gaming itself, Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure still brings fresh ideas to the fold, making it an enjoyable, challenging time. That there is so much time and effort invested in the story in commendable, though I didn’t get as invested in that as it seems Colin would like players to be.

Tennis World Tour 2 has a bland career mode, dull presentation aspects, unfair matches thanks to difficulty inconsistencies and it’s largely just a safe but lifeless experience. Big Ant Studios served up better aces with their A.O titles, go and play them and forget about this one.

Crysis Remastered is a strange one. It took me a while to actually start enjoying my journey but the further I got the more I wanted to find out where they were taking the story. They have done a good job on remastering and luckily, I didn’t come across any visual issues. But you can’t overlook that this is still a game from 2007 and the AI is handled poorly with so much randomness that occurs whilst playing.

Exp Parasite lives up to part of it’s promise; it certainly is hardcore, if not wholly unique. Even though it’s tough, it’s fair at the same time, only punishing us for our own mistakes and even then there’s still far more leniency than other titles out there. Aside from some average presentation there’s a lot of fun to be had here, proving you’re up to the challenge.

NBA 2K21 is in the end another basketball simulation game. Nothing here will catch you by surprise and leave you in awe. The biggest thing this game suffers from is the painstaking grind for VC so you can be on par with everyone else, which is not very welcoming to newcomers. It’s an enjoyable game but without any new updates or features it will end up lost in your backlog.

Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry does nothing innovative with the genre or delivers any spectacular story but did we expect it to? Aside from the obvious keyboard and mouse roots and thus not as fun controls at times, the voice acting and art style make up for it. Fans of the franchise will enjoy this crazy trip back in the world with Larry.

All the creative elements of Active Neurons 2 seem to work together in harmony; the music, visuals and sound effects all blend together seamlessly making the puzzle solving a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience overall. Despite a couple of minor frustrations, overall the positive outweighs the negative, especially considering the number of puzzles for the low cost.

There’s a lot to love about GORSD. It’s ugly-beautiful, rewarding and doesn’t put up with any of your crap. But it’s also unintuitive, and pushes the skill ceiling way up as a result. Some might enter a state of zen and master it, making it an indie esporter of the future, but mostly you will be hoping for good results, and that stops it short of being truly joyful.

The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters is a great horror experience. With hand crafted visuals and a passion for the development this title should give the player a couple hours of gruesome entertainment filled with blood, sweat and tears. It’s great to see a 2D side scrolling title like this. It works well and I hope to see more.

Publisher Nacon and developer KT Racing have built a very solid Rally title with WRC 9, even though there aren’t many improvements over the last edition. It’s definitely a worthy investment for Rally fans, especially if you skipped last year’s WRC 8, though I’m not sure it’s worth upgrading straight away if you’re still plugging away at that title. At least not until a good sale comes along.

Golf Zero manages to be an entertaining spin on golfing, adding in extra platforming elements while removing every other aspect if videogame golf to worry about. It offers a good little challenge, especially adding in the extra objectives, though they are only really there for completionists. Aside from the horrendous audio, I had some fun with Golf Zero, and – cheevo hunter or not – it’s worth a look in my book.