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For 631 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 41% higher than the average critic
  • 6% same as the average critic
  • 53% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.5 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Death's Door
Lowest review score: 10 Rugby World Cup 2015
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 308 out of 631
  2. Mixed: 277 out of 631
  3. Negative: 46 out of 631
635 game reviews
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    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DOOM: The Dark Ages
    DOOM: The Dark Ages is another absolutely stellar offering from id Software. It may bring far more narrative aspects to the table, whilst also slowing the flow down with larger levels, but in action it's the same old pulse-pounding core combat; highly strategic, hugely challenging (at higher difficulties) and as clever, colourful and cool a shooter as you'll likely play this year. DOOM asked you to sweat your bullet count. Eternal made movement more meaningful. For this latest lesson, the Slayer brings defensive options, more space and time, and the perspective of a god-killer as he drops into battle. A slightly different death-dance, then, but still a gloriously great one.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed Syndicate
    The focus is back on single player stealth and freedom, with the final game giving us the feeling that the franchise is absolutely back on track. Excellent fun.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Persona 3 Reload
    Persona 3 Reload is a stunner. This is how you do remakes, folks, keeping the heart and soul intact whilst adding all the slick graphics, cutscenes, new mechanics, dialogue and voice-acting fans can handle. Everything that's been changed has been done so with the upmost care, every new addition sings and newcomers and diehards alike should find themselves absolutely glued to this one when it hits Game Pass. Yes, we'd have loved to see the option for a female protagonist added, but beyond this one niggle, what we've got here is very hard to find fault with.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Hitman 3
    Hitman 3 is a superb final entry in what must now be regarded as one of gaming's truly great trilogies. This is a fittingly slick and satisfying send off for Agent 47, a succession of expertly crafted and endlessly replayable missions - omitting that final level dud - that sees our favourite assassin wind up his story in triumphantly fine form. IO Interactive really has brought all of their mission crafting expertise to bear here, resulting in a handful of levels that rank with the very best Hitman has to offer, and all while throwing in a couple of genuine curveballs and surprises as they go. This is essential stuff.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Braid Anniversary Edition
    If you were a fan of Braid during the Xbox Live Arcade era, the Anniversary Edition is worth a look for the commentary alone. The additional content and visual improvements only add to this remaster. As for newcomers, this updated version is a great way to experience this important piece of video game history.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
    Overall, then, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a massive success for Xbox. This year's COD is packed with content across its three main modes, and Game Pass players will be able to enjoy this one for months - especially when additional seasonal content starts to release. Raven Software's campaign mode is a blast, multiplayer is the best it's been in years, and while Zombies isn't what it once was in our book, it's still a fun third mode to mess around with. If Call of Duty can continue to remain this high-quality each year, Microsoft has a winner on its hands, but for now let's just enjoy Black Ops 6 for what it is - a cracking COD game and a fine example of a console FPS.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    DOOM Eternal
    DOOM Eternal takes the hugely solid foundations laid down in 2016's excellent franchise reboot and adds more of absolutely everything. This is a bigger, faster, funnier, more relentless and endlessly replayable game than its predecessor and it's one that gives you a ton more variety in how you go about dishing out death to the hordes of hell that await you across its meaty single player campaign. It looks stunning, plays beautifully and is quite simply one of the most strategic, intense and hugely satisfying first-person shooters we've ever played.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Rogue Legacy 2
    What you're left with is a sequel that players are more likely to stick with, which makes them more likely to appreciate all the other bells and whistles, story aspects, cool bosses and upgrades that have also been packed in here. Yes, Rogue Legacy 2 doesn't fully escape from the repetition and inherently grindy nature of its genre but, in giving players more agency and control over how difficult things are, it's evolved from a somewhat frustrating - and very often rage-inducing - experience into a far more chilled and, in turn, addictive roguelite that we're genuinely having quite a lot of trouble putting down. This one's up there with the very best we've played so far this year.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Batman: Arkham Knight
    By incorporating the Batmobile into the mix and tastefully building on established mechanics, Rocksteady Studios have simultaneously freshened up and rounded out the open-world formula of Arkham City, making Arkham Knight the most complete Batman experience to date.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    A Plague Tale: Requiem
    Neither of these nit-picks detract much at all from what a Plague Tale: Requiem achieves though, and that's providing an incredibly evocative adventure through 14th century Europe during The Black Death. Asobo's sophomore effort is seriously impressive, delivering a balanced adventure that knows exactly when to mix things up, whether that be a introducing new story beat, a fresh location to explore, or a different combat option to make use of. Requiem is exactly the kind of new AAA narrative adventure we've been craving for a while on Xbox Game Pass, and we can't wait to see what this developer does next. Asobo Studio is really hitting its stride.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
    Age of Empires 2 might be showing its age a little, even with the Definitive makeover, but it is still – and always will be – a timeless classic in the history book of video games, and remains as addictive as ever. It’s amazing to see Microsoft giving Xbox users some much-needed RTS love and going the extra mile with full controller support, despite the fact a few extra things are missing. This release does seem to be just the start of Microsoft’s plans – with Age of Empires IV up next for Xbox. Here’s to the return of the king!
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
    If you never had the chance to experience the game a year ago, then the Definitive Edition is an absolute no-brainer. In fact, we’re even slightly envious of those people that waited, because Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is one of the Xbox One's best games.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Hades
    As expected, Hades knocks it out of the park, offering a stellar experience to Xbox players for the first time. It's every bit as incredible as it was a year ago, with punchy combat, an addictive gameplay loop and a cast of characters that prove to be charming and terrifying in the same breath. It's a shame a few frame rate issues sour the experience occasionally, but make no mistake, Hades is absolutely worth your time whether you're a fan of the genre or not.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Tunic
    Tunic is a fantastically clever adventure that kicks off in familiar Zelda-esque fashion before branching out to become its own thing entirely. There's an exquisitely designed world to explore here, a great big puzzle-box to probe and prod at as you progress through a story that's got just the right amount of mystery and intrigue about it to keep you hooked in. Combat can be a little clumsy at points early on but it improves as new powers are introduced and the game develops and grows into a surprisingly big, surprisingly challenging experience that's absolutely one of our favourite games of 2022 so far.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon 2
    Was it not for what feels like an overly-long period of hand-holding when you first start out and some other noted minor issues, a perfect ten would have been on the cards here. Forza Horizon 2 is easily the Xbox One’s best driving game and also easily one of the finest, expansive, and most enjoyable racing games of all time.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Street Fighter 6
    Street Fighter 6 feels like a direct and hugely effective response to criticisms over the anaemic state of its predecessor at launch. Capcom has fully loaded three huge modes here, giving wannabe world warriors a veritable feast of fisticuffs to get engage with. World Tour is a great big cheesefest that revels in its madcap style whilst providing a fun story, engaging RPG elements and a great way to learn the ropes all rolled into one. Arcade Mode offers up a solid roster of 18 excellent fighters to choose from at launch, and the all new Battle Hub already looks and feels as though it's gonna be a great place to hang out and challenge other players once multiplayer kicks off properly. It's been a minute since we've had a new Street Fighter on Xbox, and this one's been more than worth the wait.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dragon Age: The Veilguard
    Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a triumphant return to form for BioWare. This is a top-class action-RPG that lives up to the Dragon-Age name whilst laying to rest the ghosts of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. With a roster of amazing companions to recruit, a mind-bending world full of exquisite regions to explore, and combat that raises the bar in every possible way for the franchise, this is the good stuff, thank you very much. We were worried, for sure — it's been a long time since the glory of Inquisition — but we've been served a follow-up here that improves on 2014's game in every way - and that's really saying something. How very exciting.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Shovel Knight
    Shovel Knight is magnificent, and even though it's technically less than a year old, it already feels like a classic.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Sunset Overdrive
    If you own an Xbox One, this is a must-have game.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
    The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an excellent expansion of a bonafide classic interactive adventure. We'll admit we were slightly concerned that returning to something so masterful, expanding and adding to such a carefully constructed experience, could somehow dilute the magic, but we needn't have worried. All of the new content here simply embellishes what came before, resulting in a wonderful piece of art that's now better, more ultra and, you might even say, deluxe than ever before. Whether you're coming to this one for the first time or returning to see what's changed, you'll be handsomely rewarded for your curiosity.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Persona 4 Golden
    It's the best version of an already fantastic game, a game that's aged superbly well for the most part, and one that arrives on Xbox Game Pass with high resolution visuals, a quick save function, gallery mode and the ability to select your difficulty from the get-go. If you've yet to sample the deep delights of Persona 4, we really can't recommend it enough - it's perhaps our favourite entry in the franchise, doing so much that Persona 5 does but without that game's sometimes unnecessary bloat. This is a richly crafted and utterly absorbing RPG, and a game that cemented this series as one of the truly great JRPG franchises.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    SteamWorld Build
    SteamWorld Build is yet another triumph from the maestros at Thunderful. Here we have a slick and addictive addition to a wonderful steampunk franchise that manages to meld elements from across the entire series into one cohesive whole. You've got wonderfully detailed city-building, addictive mining action and intense tower-defense aspects all in the mix here, and it tells you everything you need to know about this one that all of these elements work in harmony. Xbox Game Pass just netted itself another banger.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Dark Souls III
    Should this truly be the last time we seek respite in the warm glow of a bonfire, we can rest easy knowing Dark Souls III is a deserving and satisfying end to a phenomenal series.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Marvel's Midnight Suns
    Marvel's Midnight Suns takes the delightfully deep turn-based tactics of Firaxis' sublime XCOM franchise and adds a slick card battling system to fantastic effect. This is a highly satisfying slice of strategy action, a love letter to all things Marvel that's absolutely dripping in personality, and an adventure that we can see ourselves blasting through multiple times in the months ahead. With a generous main campaign, unlockable NG+ mode and tons of collectibles and customisation to boot, this one's arrived right at the tail end of 2022 and jumped straight to the upper echelons of our list of the very best games of the year.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Kalimba
    It's a surprisingly fresh experience that can be incredibly rewarding and despite it being seemingly impossible at times, players who love a sizable - but fair - challenge will find a lot to love within Kalimba.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Neon White
    Neon White is a welcome addition to the Xbox Game Pass library, serving up a unique and exhilarating indie experience. Its gameplay has a great sense of flow and it does a fantastic job depicting the afterlife. The game does have slower moments in-between levels, but it's primarily about speedrunning and perfecting your runs. As long as you can keep up, Heaven awaits.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ori and the Will of the Wisps
    Ori and the Will of the Wisps is another excellent entry in the series that manages to build successfully on everything that made the original such a standout experience. With satisfying platforming, a handful of amazing boss encounters, expanded combat options and a story every bit as tear-inducing as its predecessor's, this is another outstanding effort from Moon Studios – as well as being one of the most beautiful games we've ever laid eyes on and easily one of the best platformers currently available on Xbox One.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    OlliOlli2: XL Edition
    OlliOlli2: XL Edition is the best version of Roll7's stellar skateboarding game, although just by a smidge. The addition of manuals to the core game is a huge boost to the trick system, and makes it possible to combo every single level from start to finish.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Aaero2
    Aaero was a fun surprise on Xbox Games With Gold a few years ago, but it definitely still had room for improvement. The sequel takes all the best bits of the original title while also enhancing the weak areas, delivering improved combat, another fantastic soundtrack, the debut of local and online multiplayer, and various other quality-of-life tweaks. If you're a fan of rhythm games, we think you're going to have a great time with Aaero 2.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Two Point Campus
    If you enjoyed Two Point Hospital on Xbox Game Pass, you're going to love Two Point Campus as well. It's a great sequel in a superb simulation series, and the college/university setting feels like the perfect next step for Two Point Studios' brand of silly, strategic fun. It's also one of the most enjoyable Xbox simulation games out there thanks to its well-designed control scheme, complete with a single-player campaign you'll almost certainly get invested in.
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In Progress & Unscored

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    • 50 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection
    On Xbox, there is definitely going to be some debate about whether or not fans should consider checking out the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. If you’re not in it for online play, and only want to participate in solo and local play, we would argue the affordably priced backward compatibility versions offer more than enough. If you do want to relive the glorious online battles of yesteryear in a fresh package though, the extra credits of the Classic Collection may be worth the asking price. [Review in Progress]
    • 94 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
    Revisiting The Witcher 3 after all the drama with CP2077 takes us back to a time when CD Projekt Red was an unstoppable force. Although we've experienced some minor technical issues with the quality mode on Xbox Series X|S prior to release, overall this free update for Witcher 3 is a fantastic package that makes what was already an excellent experience (with two wonderful expansions) an even better one. If you haven’t played The Witcher 3 already and love action RPGs, now is the perfect time to check it out. It's without a doubt one of the greatest games of all time, and if you’ve already fallen in love with it before, you’ll still have a blast reuniting with the White Wolf in this latest update. Note: This review of The Witcher 3: Next Gen is still "in-progress" as we've suffered a few minor technical issues as part of our review build. As mentioned above, a patch is expected to address these issues in the coming days (potentially before the update's public release), so we'll hopefully be able to return to this review later in the week and provide a final score.
    • 70 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Undisputed
    After 14 extremely long years, we're so glad to finally be playing a major new boxing game on Xbox. Undisputed isn't necessarily the perfect follow-up to Fight Night Champion, but it's a more realistic take on the sport that delivers a good amount of entertainment inside the squared circle, and we're impressed by what the Steel City Interactive team have created with their first video game ever. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 14 years for a sequel! [Review in Progress]
    • 90 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Monster Hunter Wilds
    Monster Hunter Wilds is another step in the evolution of this growing series featuring updates to the combat, world design, equipment and upgrades, and comes loaded with all sorts of quality-of-life adjustments, making it probably the most accessible entry to date. For veterans, it throws more monsters at you to slay and gear to upgrade beyond the story, and after hours and hours of hunts, the gameplay loop remains addictive. Let the hunt begin!

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