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For 630 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 3.6 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Grand Theft Auto V
Lowest review score: 10 Rugby World Cup 2015
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 307 out of 630
  2. Mixed: 277 out of 630
  3. Negative: 46 out of 630
635 game reviews
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    • 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.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sonic Superstars
    Sonic Superstars may not keep up with certain other Sonic side-scrollers of the past, and level design and boss battles can be frustrating at times, but it’s arguably the best 3D take on the 2D Sonic series to date. Even if some of the new ideas could use extra polish, it's still a fun adventure for Sonic and friends from start to finish.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    NHL 24
    NHL 24 feels like a positive step in a new direction, but there's more work to be done. The gameplay this year is really good, bolstered by the inventive new Exhaust Engine feature, and we're also liking a lot of the new presentation improvements. Because of all this, we're willing to overlook some of the new features that haven't worked so well, and now it's up to EA to listen to the community and shape their feedback into something truly special with next year's entry. This is a good game that will keep us entertained far longer than NHL 23 ever did, and we're very intrigued as to what the future holds for NHL 25 and beyond.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Assassin's Creed Mirage
    Assassin's Creed Mirage is a successfully stripped back return to the roots of this long-running franchise that ditches the bloat and enormous scale of Odyssey and Valhalla in favour of a very manageable romp that doesn't waste any of your time. Baghdad makes for a fantastic setting, Basim is a likeable protagonist, and the pure stealth gameplay has been tweaked and refined to provide the slickest sneaking experience this series has seen to date. There are a few niggling issues regarding repetition and some sticky parkour controls, but overall this is a fine adventure that more or less gives us the game we'd hoped for when we took our first leap of faith back in 2007.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Forza Motorsport
    Forza Motorsport feels like a game that's set up for the future. The technical underpinnings on show in Turn 10's Xbox Series X|S debut are remarkable, and this sort of solid foundation is always a good start. While there's still hours and hours of fun to be had with what is here, genre fans will quickly be reminded of what's missing - making the new FM feel like a launch pad for what's to come rather than a complete experience at launch. When Turn 10 gets around to adding more unique career events, tracks and bonus features, this could become one of the very best sim racers ever to grace Xbox. For now, it's a brilliant effort.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Lamplighters League
    The Lamplighters League is a stylish and smart turn-based adventure from a team that absolutely knows its way around this sort of tactical action affair. There's plenty to like about this game's melding of XCOM-styled combat with a tarot card system that gives you lots of variables to play with as you build out your team of misfits and rogues. However, as things currently stand on Xbox, there are some fairly notable performance issues here that drag the experience down from one we'd love to recommend to something that's a harder proposition in its current form. With a few patches in place you're looking at another decent addition to Xbox Game Pass, but for now we recommend hanging back and waiting for these Lamplighters to receive a little more polish post-launch.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    EA Sports FC 24
    EA Sports FC 24 isn't the big overhaul that some might have expected, but it doesn't need to be. Instead, it makes subtle but impressive upgrades to most areas of the game, especially in terms of presentation, Ultimate Team and the actual action on the pitch. There's an argument to say that FIFA 23 is worth sticking with for another year, but if you're a big fan of the series (and Ultimate Team in particular), we'd say it's worth your hard-earned money.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Party Animals
    Party Animals takes the Gang Beasts formula and turns the cuteness up to 11, and its well-designed maps encourage plenty of strategy, fun and hysterical laughter. In our opinion, it's one of the best party games available on Xbox Game Pass in 2023, especially if you've got a bunch of friends to enjoy it with in local or online multiplayer, and its pick-up-and-play nature means its accessible to gamers of all ages and skill levels. We've been waiting for this game for years now, and we're glad to report Party Animals lives up to the hype.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Crew Motorfest
    The Crew Motorfest has really surprised us. Not since the Test Drive Unlimited days have we had this much fun with an open world racer outside of the industry-leading Forza Horizon series, and that can only be good for competition going forward. The jury is still out on whether Motorfest, and any potential sequels, will have the stopping power that FH does, but Ubisoft's history with updating and adding to The Crew 2 bodes well for this title's future. Motorfest isn't fully refined just yet but the game feels like a hugely successful reset button for The Crew series, and we're now totally invested in where things go next.
    • 84 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Mortal Kombat 1
    Mortal Kombat 1 might not necessarily be the evolution some were hoping for, but it's still an incredibly polished production. The 'Kombat' is perhaps the most refined it’s ever been in the series' history, Kameo Fighters add a new level of strategy, and reuniting with classic characters in Liu Kang’s reborn universe is an absolute blast. It’s a promising refresh for this legendary series that’s arrived at the perfect time. Here’s to another 30 years of blood, guts and Fatalities.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lies of P
    This dystopian tale of Pinocchio does a lot to stand on its own two feet, but when you strip all the set dressing away, it is simply a terrific love letter to Bloodborne. It is rough around the edges with some balancing issues and environment clipping causing you to get stuck in corners too easily, but with enough persistence (and skill), Lies of P is one of the best non-FromSoftware soulslikes yet.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Starfield
    Starfield is Bethesda's best RPG to date, an enormous space odyssey that serves up some incredibly evocative and engaging exploration, satisfying combat, and a narrative that had us hooked right to the end. Yes there are issues here with the usual jank, and some very messy and fiddly menus and interactions, but all of these problems feel minor when compared to everything this game gets right. In a year that's been packed full of absolutely essential games, Starfield manages to sit right up top with some of the best of them. After all the hype and bluster, this is just a very, very good RPG and a game we'll be playing and replaying for a long time to come.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Sea of Stars
    Sea of Stars is an exhilarating and absorbing indie gem that serves up delightfully clever turn-based RPG action in a world that's packed full of great characters, fun puzzles and genuine emotional heft. Sabotage Studios served up a bonafide banger with 2018's The Messenger, but this time around they've gone a step further, crafting an RPG adventure that's every bit the equal of the stone-cold classics it takes inspiration from. Don't spoil this one for yourself, dive in as blind as you can and enjoy a truly magical journey that's easily one of the best games you'll play this year and an absolutely essential addition to Xbox Game Pass.
    • 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.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Immortals of Aveum
    In many ways, Immortals of Aveum feels like an old school FPS. It may be modern in how it lays on dozens of systems, skill tree options and character abilities, but fast-paced combat in a bright & colourful alien world is definitely the order of the day here. The game's story is a huge miss admittedly, and a more cohesive narrative would have surely bumped our score up a notch, but as it stands Immortals of Aveum is still a slick first-person shooter that's definitely worth a playthrough. Its $70 price point is questionable, but we still recommend playing this one, especially when it eventually drops onto Xbox Game Pass via EA Play.
    • 90 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Quake II - Enhanced Edition
    Quake II's remastered release arrives on Xbox consoles in a fantastic package that's been put together masterfully by Nightdive Studios. You've got enhanced graphics and audio, refined AI, brand new enemy animations, the iD Vault, Quake 2 64, a brand new episode from MachineGames and all previously released DLC in the mix here. Add in crossplay support and lots of co-op and competitive ways to play and you've got an absolutely outstanding release that's almost impossible to find fault with. Operation Evil Overlord has never looked, felt or sounded better.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Atlas Fallen
    Atlas Fallen sees Deck13 make a mostly successful leap to a bright and bold semi-open world that's jam-packed full of excellent combat and some surprisingly slick platforming action. Yes the story is bland, the voice-acting is poor, there are some lock-on niggles and sand-surfing needs work, but ferocious battles, tons of swappable skills and well-designed Metroidvania and platforming elements more than make up for most of the failings here. This is the studio's best game to date for our money, and if you've played The Surge series you'll know that's saying something.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Expanse: A Telltale Series - Episode 1
    So, is The Expanse worth picking up? Well, based on Episode 1 we think so, especially if you like the sound of traditional Telltale meeting a third-person adventure with plenty of optional exploration mixed in. We can't speak for the whole season right now of course, we'll have to wait for it all to wrap up in September for that, but Episode 1 has us invested and we're more than ready to find out what happens next.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    AEW: Fight Forever
    AEW Fight Forever is an enjoyable and competent wrestling game that we've been having a good time with so far. The Road to Elite career mode is fun, and the wild match types with their huge varieties of weapons are a blast to play with friends. There are definitely some downsides such as the barebones creation suite along with a general lack of game modes, but if you're an AEW fan or you're simply looking for a decent alternative to WWE 2K23, Fight Forever is well worth adding to your wishlist this summer.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Bramble: The Mountain King
    Bramble: The Mountain King is a dark and brooding slice of Nordic folklore that's well worth digging into, despite some notable technical shortcomings. There's an inherent jankiness to the gameplay here that permeates its platforming, boss battles and exploration. However, if you can make peace with these rough edges, you'll find a tale that's still dripping in atmosphere, packed full of wonderful details and a menagerie of foul fairy-tale beasties that draw you in and keep the short campaign well and truly interesting.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Crash Team Rumble
    Crash Team Rumble is a slick and addictive online arena battler that looks and sounds great and offers up some properly addictive team-based action that's easy to pick up but with plenty of depth to master. Focusing on collecting fruit rather than killing foes keeps things feeling fun and frustration-free, the various roles available to play as add a sense of skill and strategy, and there's a strong lineup of colourful characters and three decent maps to play on at launch. We're suitably impressed so far and with new seasons adding more maps and characters in the near future, things are looking bright for this one starting out.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 30 Critic Score
    Crime Boss: Rockay City
    Crime Boss: Rockay City is a star-studded shambles, a dull and basic co-op shooter that's the very definition of all mouth and no trousers. Desperate attempts to dazzle with Hollywood movie stars, and an admittedly sweet soundtrack, they can't long hide the fact that the actual gameplay here; the shooting, the heists, the campaign and co-op action are janky, dated and bland beyond belief. If you're looking for a co-op shooter, we suggest you play literally any other game you can get your hands on, because what's here is a cynical and almost staggeringly poor mess.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Aliens: Dark Descent
    Aliens: Dark Descent sees Tindalos serve up a cracking RTS that manages to capture the essence of this terrifying sci-fi series whilst giving players plenty of sweet strategy to sink their teeth into. Tweaking the established XCOM setup to better suit the nature of the enemy at hand, this is an Aliens adventure that leans into stealth, studious preparation, consideration of resources and slow-burn exploration as you manoeuvre through evocative environments whilst attempting not to disturb the deadly xenomorph hordes. There are a few rough edges here and there, and some strategy fans may mourn the loss of individual unit control, but overall this is one express elevator to hell we absolutely recommend taking.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Layers of Fear
    Layers of Fear 2023 is an odd remake and is ultimately one we don't really recommend. This new package is beautiful no doubt, but the first game just doesn't really hold up these days, and while the sequel marks a decent improvement in our eyes, the 2019 version is a much better looking game than 2016's Layers of Fear anyway - making the remake feel a bit pointless. If you've never played the series and are interested in a couple of one-time trippy horror experiences this package could be worth a shot once it enters your ideal price range, but the Xbox One versions often go dirt cheap on sale and remain an ideal way to face your fears - especially when you have the option to just grab the superior sequel on its own.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dordogne
    Dordogne is a delightful indie trip down memory lane that's packed full of emotion, alongside a surprising number of ways in which to interact with its watercolour world. Mimi's story may be a slight one, but the short running time and simplicity of the narrative add to the charm here. This is a game about reconnecting with your childhood, rediscovering long-lost memories and re-engaging with the things that make you who you are. If you've got a Game Pass subscription and a handful of hours to spare, this is one heartfelt little journey that's well worth taking.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Amnesia: The Bunker
    Amnesia: The Bunker is Frictional Games' scariest title since the team made a name for itself with 2010's Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The game's new approach to an 'open world' style environment is welcome in enabling player freedom, even if we'd have liked the team to push that design principle even further. You don't get as direct of a storyline told here as you do in Amnesia: Rebirth, but the game is certainly spookier as a result of its new setting and its move to free the player of any linear shackles. We reckon fans of the original — or horror game aficionados in general — will very much enjoy exploring this monster-filled bunker on Xbox Game Pass.
    • 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.
    • 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.
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