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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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    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Streets of Rage 4
    Taking a franchise as treasured as Streets of Rage and updating it was never going to be an easy task, but we can't imagine that any self-respecting fan of the series will be displeased with what has been achieved here. Streets of Rage 4 walks that fine line between paying tribute to its predecessors and forging its own unique path and feels like an evolution and a revolution at the same time. The gameplay is unmistakably faithful to the originals, but the addictive combo-heavy mechanics, gorgeous presentation and robust multiplayer options add a whole new layer of complexity, resulting in a game that fans and newcomers alike will enjoy no end. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 26 years for a sequel.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Alan Wake II: Night Springs Expansion
    Late last year, Alan Wake 2 surprised us by how different a take it was from the first Alan Wake, and Remedy's venture into the true unknowns of the universe is carried on here with Night Springs. You'll have to wade through some of the team's weird multiverse stuff, which isn't always the easiest to understand, but that hasn't hampered our enjoyment of recent Remedy titles - and it doesn't here, either. Buckle up Alan Wake 2 fans, you're in for yet another wild wide with Expansion 1: Night Springs.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Alan Wake II
    Where Alan Wake was a very good idea executed with a few too many flaws, its sequel serves up a survival horror masterclass. Yes, the combat is still not 100% there, but this one slight misstep aside, what we've got with Alan Wake 2 is superlative stuff. This is an incredibly clever, refreshingly grown-up and wonderfully well-made slice of psychological horror. The acting, writing, sound design, graphics... every aspect has been nailed in a game that makes for another addition to 2023's incredibly long list of absolute bangers.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Ori and the Blind Forest
    Ori and the Blind Forest isn’t just a magnificent video game with impeccable mechanics and brilliant design, it’s a work of art. What could’ve easily been a journey so wrapped up in delivering its poignant narrative that it squandered away its gameplay potential, ends up being a Metroidvania that can hang with the greatest the genre has to offer.
    • 93 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Resident Evil Requiem
    Resident Evil Requiem is another supremely confident survival horror experience from the folks over at Capcom. Whether you like the slower, more puzzle-focused elements of RE2 or the bombastic set pieces of RE4 (or both, if you're like me), you're going to be well-served by this new entry in the franchise. Whilst not the strongest narrative in series history, Requiem does enough to build intrigue throughout its roughly 10-12 hour experience, and the Grace and Leon sections are masterfully intertwined. Capcom really knows what it's doing with Resident Evil nowadays, and that shows in one of the best AAA survival horror games you can play on Xbox Series X|S.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone
    Hearts of Stone is a full-fledged add-on for a game that probably didn't need to be any longer.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Pinball FX 2: The Walking Dead
    The Walking Dead is an excellent piece of fan service and a tightly-crafted pinball table that’s sure to be especially pleasing to those looking to further advance their skills. It’s not just very well-rounded when it comes to gameplay diversity, but it also teaches players to learn the intricacies/fundamentals of the game and forces them to practice if they want to survive long enough to bite into any high scores.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Vampire Survivors
    Vampire Survivors might not seem like all that much to get excited about at a glance, but what it does, it does incredibly well, making it an absolute must-play game, especially for fans of similar titles. It’s ideal for short and longer sessions, is incredibly accessible with simple controls, and there’s plenty of depth once you get familar with each character - with skill combos and weapon evolution that allows you to enhance your character's power in all sorts of exciting ways. Vampire Survivors just might be the indie game of the year and is easily one of the best games you can play on Xbox and Game Pass in 2022 and beyond.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Rise of the Tomb Raider
    The switch to a style of play that doesn't rely solely on raw firepower is the absolute key to the game's success and that, mixed with a plethora of action-packed adrenaline-boosting scenes, makes Lara's second return an absolute blast to play.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition
    The structure of the new adventure mode, overly easy leveling and accessibility of overpowered weapons have removed some of the sense of wonder and exploration from the game, but the Ultimate Evil edition is undoubtedly an improvement on Diablo III and earns a well deserved bump in score. Highly recommended.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
    Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions plays the best game of Quidditch we've ever seen in video game form. There's good fun to be had both solo and with other people online, and the customisation aspects are pretty cool too - especially considering there are no paid microtransactions to be found. We have concerns about longevity considering the limited campaign and singular 3v3 multiplayer mode, but the quality of the gameplay should be enough to keep our brooms from getting too dusty in the immediate future.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
    Guacamelee is a fusion of intense platforming and beat-em-up combat, framed in Metroidvania conventions and topped off with a memorable cast, distinct setting, a stellar soundtrack, and zesty humor. These ingredients combine to make for a flavor that’s genuinely fresh and incredibly satisfying.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
    Armored Core 6 serves up the series' signature mech action and deep customisation gameplay in the slickest and most exciting entry in this long-running franchise thus far. This is easily the best mech shooter we've played, an immediately engaging, complex and highly replayable game that gives you all the tools required to build the machines you'll need to overcome some fantastically challenging boss encounters. Yes, there are one or two niggles with the camera and some flaky lock-on here and there, but the core action here, alongside a surprisingly engaging narrative and multiple endings to experience, make for a game we highly recommend digging into. FromSoftware's hot streak continues.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Lost Judgment
    Yakuza games have been arriving thick and fast over the years, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio still hasn't lost its touch. It's hard to think of another series with such regular entries that manages to constantly evolve at this level. While most don't add too much to alter the formula, Lost Judgment throws just about everything it can into its world without feeling over-saturated. With the main story, side quests, school stories, mini-games, exploration and other distractions, it's hard not to be impressed with what's on display. There's still an element of hold handing in the detective sections we'd love to see worked on and the lip-syncing may not be the best, but the team's first attempt at delivering a simultaneous worldwide release for the series is a gamble that has paid off and perhaps offers the best entry in the franchise so far.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Road 96
    Road 96 is a masterpiece in storytelling and depending on your own experience, you may even be moved by its through line of hope, loss, and the ultimate goal of personal freedom. Many of the game's themes haven't directly applied to my life, but Road 96 is an education in empathy and it really makes you feel for the folks out there who are scrambling to get their lives in order because of other people's actions. It's not a perfect game — mechanically things could be improved at times — but its story is about as close to perfect as you could ask for, and for that, we recommend it without a shadow of a doubt.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    As Dusk Falls
    As Dusk Falls is a cracking crime thriller and feels like the exact thing we should be seeing on a regular basis from Xbox Game Studios on Game Pass. Its 6-8 hour length feels just right for a game of this nature, and that also makes it feel right at home on Xbox's subscription service. Oh, and the fantastic storyline that never let us wriggle free of its grip? Yeah, that's not a bad reason to play it on Game Pass either.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Beyond Eyes
    Beyond Eyes is an breathtaking accomplishment. It's a game that not only entertains, but that also gets across some of the difficulties that a differently abled person would need to contend with, in a way that is entirely understandable by everyone.
    • 92 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Forza Horizon 6
    Forza Horizon 6 delivers what is easily the series' most complete experience to date. The Japanese map is amazing; a joy to explore - and the location's visuals are off the charts too, across the board. Whilst I'd have liked to see a bit more in terms of new races and event types, particularly in the Tokyo region, there's still so much fun to be had here that it's more of a nitpick than anything else. Forza Horizon fans are going to have so much fun with this sixth iteration, and that's not to mention how much the game will change and evolve over time as Playground Games keeps adding to it. Horizon Japan is officially here, and I feel like I'm going to be playing this game for years to come.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Pinball FX 2: Star Wars Rebels
    This is the table you're looking for – Star Wars Rebels mixes excellent design, addictive action, and a flashy presentation, making it an essential purchase for fans of pinball.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Hi-Fi Rush
    There's an infectious, easy-going joy to this whole adventure and it's backed up by addictive melee gameplay that strikes a masterful balance between having enough depth to challenge rhythm game aficionados whilst also making sure there's enough flexibility that, even if you're not particularly great at sticking to the beat, you'll still have a great time. It doesn't take itself too seriously, in short, and it's all the better for it.
    • 95 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Balatro
    Balatro is an incredibly clever indie gem that uses the bones of regular poker to build an incredibly approachable and fiendishly addictive new experience. There's a wonderfully slick core to this one, building decks and taking on dealers as you add wild special cards and variables to your pack is trance-inducing stuff and, backed by a fantastically understated soundtrack and perfect visuals, it makes for one of the first proper, actual, absolute must-play games of 2024.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Infernax
    Infernax just oozes class and style, there's a good deal of the likes of Blasphemous in how it carries itself in combat, with satisfyingly tight controls and a real heft given to your attacks through some delightfully detailed death animations. Its seemingly simple old school trappings belie a surprising amount of depth and longevity too, with multiple endings based on decisions made during your playthrough, some superb - and properly challenging - castle dungeons, and plenty of choice in where you decide to wander off to next. This really is one of our favourite old-school indie titles to hit Game Pass in the last few months and we urge retro fans to nab it at the earliest possible opportunity, as it's a super-satisfying love letter to the glory days of Castlevania and an excellent and addictive little game in its own right.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Halo Infinite
    Halo Infinite feels like a big step forward for the franchise, a slick shift into the open world arena that manages to strike a fine balance between the traditional narrative-driven Halo of old and all-new levels of freedom and emergent gameplay. It's not all perfect, the story fizzles out a little as it goes on and Zeta Halo isn't the most technically proficient open world we've experienced, but the amazing combat here smooths over most of these minor cracks. Halo's action has truly never felt better, and with an almost endless supply of enemies to engage with in the campaign and a stellar multiplayer package to get stuck into, this is one super-satisfying return for the Master Chief.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Diablo IV
    You can see why it’s taken Blizzard over six years to get this one out the gate when you look at the end product. Diablo 4 is a natural evolution of the series with its new open-world design and gameplay, enhanced social and multiplayer experience, and a live service that promises to keep players returning to the world of Sanctuary for years to come. These strong foundations and scale of the whole experience, combined with the five unique classes and seemingly limitless customisation options for builds, should keep even the most diehard demon slayers busy for a very long time. With all of this in consideration, Diablo 4 is a must-play if you’re a veteran of the series and it's a great starting point for newcomers.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Weird West
    Weird West is a fantastic debut from Wolfeye Studios, a slick and addictive action-RPG that delivers a top-notch narrative alongside some delightfully chaotic combat in a world that absolutely oozes atmosphere. The Arkane DNA is evident here in the slick selection of powers and abilities, the choice-driven storylines and combat that gives you the tools to experiment, to toy with your enemies and approach problems from multiple angles. Side missions are delightfully well-written, there's a ton of dungeons, looting and crafting to dig into and, beyond a handful of buggy enemy encounters, the whole thing looks, sounds and plays like a dream.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
    Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 builds on the original brilliantly.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    ScreamRide
    ScreamRide is thrilling, addictive, fun, enjoyable, well-crafted, rewarding, challenging, and has the potential to go on to be a long and successful franchise.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
    Cyberpunk 2077 in its 2.0 form and with Phantom Liberty finally in place, feels like a game reborn. This is every bit the experience we wanted back in 2020, a deep and addictive action RPG that can now sit alongside The Witcher 3 as one of the greats. We've had our ups and downs with this one, oh boy it's been a rollercoaster, but entirely reworked skills and perks, refined and refreshed combat, retooled loot and menu systems and a cracking new slice of CDPR narrative magic makes for a game that we're finally able to recommend wholeheartedly. They've only gone and bloody done it.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
    Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is a delicious slice of DLC that serves up more of the same high standard survival horror action we got in the main game. Smart changes have been made here, this is a more believable and fully fleshed out Ada Wong, and she's thrown into a seven chapter adventure that dishes out some excellent boss fights, explosive set-pieces and fun surprises for new players and returning diehard fans. If you enjoyed Resident Evil 4 Remake, this is unmissable stuff.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones
    Curve Digital has developed a near perfect game that should be experienced by all gamers.
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These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

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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