Pure Xbox's Scores

  • Games
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. Negative: 46 out of 631
635 game reviews
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a super-slick boomer shooter that serves up one of the best Warhammer-themed games we've played thus far. The oppressive vibes and stompy violent silliness of space marines has been recreated faithfully here in a FPS that's every bit as perfectly pitched and polished as the very best recent examples of this rejuvenated genre. We'd have loved to see some multiplayer or different modes to muck around with, yes, but there's no knocking how fast and fun this retro shooter's campaign is. For old-school FPS fans, this is the good stuff.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Is Back 4 Blood the Left 4 Dead 3 we've been waiting for? Yes! It's a worthy spiritual successor to Valve's classic zombie-slaying series of multiplayer games, and offers a well-designed Campaign mode with some impressive new features such as its strategic Card system. The difficulty perhaps needs balancing a little more, and the lack of meaningful progression when playing Solo Campaign needs addressing sharpish, but otherwise we've had a blast with Back 4 Blood so far, and we look forward to many more Campaign runs in the weeks, months and years to come.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    For the younger players especially, bouncing around as a Jedi or flying the landspeeder around the desert is unlikely to get old anytime soon.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty definitely shows its age in spots, but it is absolutely the best way to experience the first Oddworld game.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Despite these missteps, Xuan Yuan Sword 7 surprised us with just how fun it was. It harkens back to classic adventure games from the early '00s, filled with all the charm of that era. Sometimes it's refreshing to play a game that knows exactly what it wants to be and accomplishes it with very little getting in the way. While there are some localisation issues, some presentation problems and a lack of challenge in its combat, we do hope Xuan Yuan Sword 7 finds an audience in the west, as it would be a shame not to see how the next entry can build upon these solid foundations.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Rogue Legacy is one of the best indies available on Xbox One, and you should do what you can to become a part of its family tree – its zany, amusing, dysfunctional family tree.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you liked Horizon Chase Turbo as much as us, then this speedy sequel is an easy recommendation. We'd have liked a bit more meat on Horizon Chase 2's bones, but what's here is undeniably fantastic fun, and we've loved experiencing the series' sense of arcade racing wonder once again. The graphics are gorgeous, the gameplay is slick and satisfying, and despite a relatively short runtime you just can't go wrong with this one. Horizon Chase 2 is a virtual world tour that's well worth heading out on.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Little Nightmares II is bigger and bolder, which builds upon the foundations from the first game. The game is host to a disgusting, decaying world that opens up as you progress through each chapter. Its inhabitants will haunt your dreams for days and the emotional connection it draws between Mono and Six with absolutely no dialogue is powerful. It's a shame that frustrating chase sequences and clunky combat scenarios consistently break the immersion, as the game is just shy of being something truly special. As it stands, Little Nightmares II is a thrill ride filled with visual striking moments of pure nightmare fuel, which may invite you to leave your lamp on for the foreseeable future.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Battlefield 6 is a fantastic first-person shooter, and the team at Battlefield Studios — now led by FPS veteran Vince Zampella — has done an amazing job at building this new foundation, especially after the dip in form with Battlefield 2042. The gunplay feels ace, the game looks and runs beautifully, and all of the core ingredients that make a proper Battlefield game are here. Some of those ingredients do need some extra seasoning though; the campaign is fun but bland and I want to see more large scale, Conquest-focused maps in future - but all-in-all, this is a great effort. In this day and age, the day one multiplayer experience is simply a base to be built upon, and that base is rock solid. I can't wait to see where Battlefield 6 ends up in a few years' time.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Star Wars Outlaws has been a thoroughly welcome surprise. We expected a great big open world dullard of a thing, but instead we've got clever stealth systems, excellent level design, fun combat and a wise refining of the usual collectathon and busywork mechanics. Kay Vess and Nix make a highly competent stealth/death squad, the whole thing looks and sounds great and you even get to take off from planets, fly into space and blow stuff up. What it lacks in new mechanics or originality in gameplay, it makes up for with vibes. It's got it where it counts, kid.
    • 87 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Warts and all, this is well worth the investment.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Escapists is not a game for those who get frustrated easily.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ultimately, the main impression we've taken away from Golf Club: Wasteland is that it's an alright golf game on its own, but it's really not about the golf. You'll want to settle in with a nice pair of headphones when playing this one, let the game suck you into its unique concept and narrative, and we think you'll have a really good time with it. At a standard price of £8.29 / $9.99, it's a definitely a reasonable fee for an other-worldly round of golf.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a solid soulslike experience that serves up top-notch combat in a hugely atmospheric setting which incorporates real-life historical events, Chinese mythology and dark fantasy elements. There's a clever battle system at the heart of proceedings here with deflections, ripostes and screen-shaking fatal attacks the order of the day, whilst an innovative morale rank and recruitment system makes for action that's flexible enough to cater for newcomers to the genre. The narrative isn't particularly cohesive, and a handful of the missions on offer are a little too short for their own good, but overall this is Team Ninja's finest soulslike experience to date and a must-play for action fans.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    If you like the sound of a challenging platformer that will push you to the edge of frustration when things are going badly but make you feel like a gaming god when things are going well, Electronic Super Joy may be just the game you're looking for.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Forgotten City has surprised us with how engaging it is. The time loop mechanic is used to great effect and works much more than a simple gimmick, and the standout is the writing, which keeps you invested line after line. It's not a home run, with some overall clunkiness to the game and certain segments that could easily have been stripped out, but it's definitely a 10-12 hour adventure worth taking, with many paths and possibilities to uncover.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    A great introduction to either series and well worth the asking price.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It always felt like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga would struggle to live up to its lofty promise of delivering essentially the most expansive Star Wars game to date, but the team at TT Games really have done an amazing job on it. We've still got a few nitpicks, and we also wish it included online co-op support, but there's no denying that it's a stunningly beautiful and brilliantly ambitious take on the world of Star Wars complete with endlessly enjoyable gameplay and enough side-content to keep you busy for many, many hours to come. We've been waiting so long for this game to arrive, and we're pleased to report the Force is definitely strong with this one.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Star Wars: Squadrons combines a solid campaign with a truly fantastic multiplayer element that throws players into an immaculately rendered vision of classic Star Wars action that contains enough depth and detail to satisfy hardcore pilots while still remaining accessible and fun for more casual players. There's not too much in the way of modes as things stand right now, and some players may be put off by the rather bare-bones upgrades and cosmetics on offer, but what is here packs a mighty fine punch, enabling fans of the franchise to live out their fantasies in epic dogfights full of truly iconic moments ripped straight from the classic movies. This is the best Star Wars space-battling action currently available on consoles and a must-play for Force freaks everywhere.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Football Manager 2023 Console is a great experience on Xbox once again this year. A meaningfully improved UI helps with navigation and overall accessibility, while the addition of Team Talks along with UEFA Champions League and Europa League branding are welcome new features. It's still missing a few things from the main PC game, but if you can look past that, the console version is great way to get your FM fix this season.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Silent Hill F is a great survival horror title, and a true return to the classic series from Konami. It mixes things up well throughout its roughly 10-hour runtime, and I enjoyed both what the more grounded and the more hellish areas of the game had to offer. As a relative newbie to Silent Hill I can't wait to see where things go from here, and I really think developer NeoBards has what it takes to learn from F and improve on it for what's next. Silent Hill is finally back on Xbox, and it was worth the wait.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    All in all, then, Twelve Minutes is definitely worth a download with Xbox Game Pass if you're even the least bit interested in the premise, as both its story and gameplay combine to create a memorable thriller. There are a couple of downsides if you look for them, and the replayability factor will be pretty low after you've discovered everything, but we think you'll really enjoy your main playthrough regardless, even if you're not the biggest fan of point-and-click games.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Minecraft Dungeons does an excellent job of taking the blocky world and characters that we all know and love from Minecraft and transplanting them into a light and breezy, kid-friendly action-RPG. The streamlined systems of character building and upgrading here are delightfully easy to engage with, levels are beautifully realised, and randomly generated slices of the overworld and the various mobs and bosses you come up against provide a fun challenge for up to four players to get stuck into. It may not be the most dark or difficult action RPG out there, but for newcomers to the genre, young kids or massive Minecraft fans, this one is an easy recommendation.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    NBA 2K22 is an excellent next-gen addition to the franchise on Xbox Series X, delivering revamped gameplay that feels better than ever before on the court, smoother transitions between modes and all manner of graphical bells and whistles to boot. My Career's new City area has been well implemented and could well be a huge timesink for those who are into that mode and, although there's no other major changes to speak of, what's here is undoubtedly still the slickest basketball ticket in town right now.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a unique strategy experience that draws from traditional Japanese culture to give us an incredibly detailed world to work through, one bite-sized level at a time. The strategy here is tight, the animations and combat look and feel great, and the dancing, music and base-building ensure that there's always something to do in the downtime between Seethe-destroying sorties. Capcom are still on that hot streak, and we are here for it.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Chernobylite is a fascinating survival horror RPG that serves up an enthralling and impressively detailed exclusion zone for players to run a series of dangerous raids in. There may be a few too many gameplay elements chucked into the mix here but strong writing, well designed missions, great support characters and some incredible visual and audio work smooth over most of the rough patches. If you can deal with a some clunkiness with regards to combat and are prepared to work a little to get the most out of it, you'll find a deep and addictive indie gem awaits that does a fantastic job of scratching that S.T.A.L.K.E.R itch.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Shadow's latest chapter is arguably his best video game outing yet and easily the definitive experience in Sonic X Shadow Generations. The remaster of Sonic's existing campaign tops it all off, even if it has aged a bit in 2024. Fans of the ultimate lifeform (and the blue blur) should have a blast with this one.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    There is enough variety in Leo's adventure to keep it fresh as the game progresses and the overall length, while shorter than we may have come to expect from modern games, will leave you wanting more.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Gotham Knights is a dark, dense and surprisingly gripping action adventure that almost manages to step up to the level of the very best of the Arkham series. There's a cracking story to dive into here, a huge and wonderfully detailed city, tons of lore for Bat fans, brutally crunchy combat, four cool superheroes to get a handle on and some of Gotham's most infamous villains to take down as you fight to prevent an all-out turf war. We were slightly concerned going into this one but, as it turns out, we needn't have been. If you can ignore some messy menus and a few too many upgradeable bits and bobs, you'll have a great time.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    All in all, while EA Sports FC 26 isn't perfect by any means, I commend the development team for providing a more "authentic" style of gameplay compared to what Ultimate Team offers. Combine that with the fantastic suite of modes and excellent presentation as always, and we've got a great and memorable entry in the series this year.
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This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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    • 50 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    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
    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
    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 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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