Xbox Tavern's Scores

  • Games
For 2,228 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 52% higher than the average critic
  • 9% same as the average critic
  • 39% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4.3 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
Lowest review score: 6 The Language Of Love
Score distribution:
2232 game reviews
    • 66 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Shikhondo – Soul Eater’s drawback sits not with its steep cost nor its lack of content diversity, but with its lack of gameplay variation. The game’s main mode takes little over ninety minutes to complete, whereas its additional modes are served merely as segments taken from that offering. This game may look great, sound good and perform well, but its lack of basic evolution massively hinders enjoyment.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Now that I think about it I don’t think I’ve ever played a game advertising itself as dark, sexy, and mature that’s actually any good. Demoniaca: Everlasting Night continues that trend. There was a lot I didn’t like about this game, but I have to give them credit for trying something different. I think most players should steer clear of this tower of terror, but if you are looking for a Metroidvania that’s a little different as well as a frustratingly challenging experience then it might be worth checking out. It’s not the worst in the genre, but it’s far from the best.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Without Escape has some great ideas and at times keeps you on your toes, but unfortunately doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement or thrill, at times feeling more like having a read through the family photo album.
    • 56 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Defiance 2050 has all the markings that you would expect to find in a game of this type. There’s an interesting story to soak up, heaps of weaponry and enemy variations to enjoy, a large sprawling map to traverse, and decent gameplay mechanics. The drawback, however, is that it looks very dated and comes with far too many technical issues. If this truly wants to survive, the game’s performance needs to be much better.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Cardaclysm’s deck building and tweaks to the formula are good, but this is weighed down by far too much grinding and not enough excitement.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    It’s lazy, it’s uninteresting, and it’s utterly underwhelming.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    The gameplay lacks finesse and refinement, serving up frustration in place of fluidity. Tennis is a game of endurance, precision and energy, three elements that AO International Tennis fails to deliver. With that in mind, its abundance of content means very little.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Pillar’s drawback is that whatever message it’s trying to relay, is completely undermined by its overly basic puzzle design. I commend the developer for creating something unique and somewhat various, but in the face of its sheer simplicity and its vagueness, boredom strikes far sooner than intrigue. The end result makes for a game that seems as though it has a lot to say, but ends up saying very little at all.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    While the open-world transition was a welcomed concept it wasn’t utilized to the best of its ability. YouTubers Life 2 is exactly what it is. A YouTuber simulator. A constant grind to fame. Day in and day out it’s the same thing only a different trend than yesterday. It’s the smaller things that give this game life while the major elements such as the story end up lacking in the end.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    I Hate Running Backwards’ deep pool of characters, weaponry, power-ups and unlocks will no doubt capture the attention of fans of the genre. Its procedural generated content ensures that subsequent runs, for the most part, remain fresh and engaging. It’s a shame, however, that most of this is almost completely undermined by its repetitive foundation, steep difficulty curve and lack of evolving gameplay functionality.
    • 51 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Time Carnage seems much better suited for VR platforms. Though, nevertheless, even with that support in mind, I dare say that the novelty would be almost instantly chased away by the game’s repetitive structure and its sheer lack of evolving gameplay. The game’s arcade mode and challenge mode offers some fleeting fun, but before that, you’ll need to hit the tiresome campaign to unlock needed features.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Socketeer is fun to begin with, I’ll credit it with that. The problem, however, is that the game is littered with cheap deaths and frustrating elements that punish you for merely being curious or even just slightly careless. This is an unforgivable design choice for a game that incorporates perma-death functionality and boasts hidden secrets. Enjoyable in short doses, yes, but even then you’re likely to leave annoyed.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    There’s moments of beauty to be found in the parallel stories here, but much of that is lost in the midst of its abundance of heavy-handed sorrow. It doesn’t help that The First Tree is far too basic for its own good. Whilst the game’s several worlds seem diverse and interesting at first glance, the lack of any padding makes for a very empty experience, one that, despite its few highs, ultimately succumbs to its many lows.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Too slight to be seriously considered a Ja-copy of Jalopy, Road to Guandong has some adorable visual-novel moments that focus on family. It’s just a shame, then, that the road trip sections to reach them are so lifeless.
    • 47 Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Asemblance does a good job at hooking you during the initial stages of play, yet fails miserably to maintain its creativity. Despite the decent visuals and some interesting moments throughout this confused experience, the game doesn’t quite live up to the quality of other psychological thrillers, such as Layers of Fear. The bottom line here is that if this truly is the beginning of a franchise, the second serving doesn’t have much to live up to. Make of that what you will.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 49 Critic Score
    Straimium Immortaly is a very odd game and a lot of it doesn’t make sense, though the weird designs and colourful layout has some charm about it. However, the game is not very fair and is downright tough when you can’t tell on screen what can or can’t hurt you and what is a power-up. The game has an old-style feel to it that you always strive to do better than your previous attempt. But with such childish writing and busy screens it may put a lot of people off.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Ravensword: Shadowlands is a passably playable RPG considering it is an aged mobile port. If you ever want to play an RPG that you can complete in days rather than months for a fraction of the cost then this could be something to pick up. But stiff NPCs, random hit detection/animation, bland storyline, and vast empty lands really make it challenging to fully immerse yourself into the game.
    • 59 Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Those Who Remain puts on a passable front, but once we get past that there’s nothing here that’s worth getting worked up over. With a dull story, tedious searching of areas using unresponsive inputs, scares that never really come and some technical hiccups that make it feel like a last gen title, you’re best off looking elsewhere for your pulse racing thrills.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    While Mekabolt has some nice, colourful visuals and snappy controls, there simple isn’t really much else going on here that I can recommend. Level design is basic, there’s no real challenge and it all just feels a bit of a slog to get through. As with other Ratalaika games, achievement hunters will likely lap up it up, but anyone looking for a solid platformer is best off looking elsewhere.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    All in all, Orbibot is tough to recommend. For those willing to persevere the physics foibles, there’s a decent puzzle game here. But the issues are so frequent that unless you’re here for the very easy 1000g, then you’re probably best off looking elsewhere.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Casey Powell Lacrosse 18 is a poorly designed sports title at best, despite showing initial promise. This game’s tough difficulty spike and lack of fluid functionality alienates series’ newcomers. Veteran fans will more than likely appreciate what’s on offer, but for those that enjoy quality and quantity, look elsewhere. Copy and paste characters, shoddy visuals, meaningless commentary and much more, awaits those that don’t heed this warning.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Phantom Trigger looks great and plays well for the most part, that much goes without saying. However, the game is far too taxing and fails miserably to fill its interesting world with meaningful content and lacks exploratory structure. It doesn’t help matters that the core loop remains dull and repetitive from the get-go. In a nutshell, this game is sub-par at best.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    EMMA: Lost in Memories simple premise means it is easy to get to grips with, but some vague collision detection and dull visuals/music lead to it all round feeling rather bland and frustrating to play.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    The steep price tag and the inclusion of microtransactions will certainly raise eyebrows, especially for a game that’s as repetitive and as bland as this. There’s heaps of content to get through and no shortage of interesting characters and upgrades to unlock, but due to the lack of evolving functionality, the game fails to maintain its initial allure.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Eternal offers a pretty decent strategy card game at its core. However, the game’s monetary structure greatly holds it back, being that the game is chock-full of paywalls and microtransactions. This is normally acceptable for a free-to-play experience, but there needs to be a fair middle ground between grinding and expenditure. That sadly isn’t present here. You’re either all in or all out, for the most part.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Cyber Protocol is an alright puzzle game, but doesn’t really extend to be anything beyond that. It carries some levels that will keep you busy for a while, but the constant trial and error will soon wear you out and you’ll get bored of it easily. The retro graphics and 80’s synth music creates a great atmosphere, but content wise it’s empty.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    North may indeed offer up some unique design choices, but the overarching plot is messy and underwhelming. Gameplay requires minimal effort, and even the puzzle aspects remain far too simplistic throughout. That being said, the game’s heart is in the right place, it’s just a shame that its structure is far removed.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    World of One is far more frustrating than it is fun. Don’t be fooled by its decent Limbo-esque design, because for the most part, you’re either subject to cheap deaths, sluggish combat, or bugs that are seemingly game-breaking. There’s a few exciting moments and some interesting ideas thrown into the mix later in, but nothing that can be considered particularly redeeming.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Vera Blanc: Ghost of the Castle is the second in the Vera Blanc series. Despite being a port of a 10 year old game there are seemingly zero improvements or additions here. If you’ve played the first you’ll know what to expect; follow the story prompts to progress, earn some quick cheevos, and that’s about that. The story is passable at least, all ghost and murder mysteries, but it won’t last long enough to really get us invested.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 48 Critic Score
    Mages and Treasure is a lovely retro Zelda-inspired game but lacks the punch, depth and storytelling to really make it stand out as something worth checking out.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
    • 84 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Unfortunately, although Hell Let Loose has gone full release, this game is not ready. Using in-game chat is frequently buggy, with it being unclear who can hear who. Getting into the game proved to be very challenging pre-release, and a nightmare during the launch date, with frequent drops, long loading times, and regular crashes and hangs.
    • tbd Metascore
    • Critic Score
    A few sparks of potential is all The Anacrusis has but perhaps when it comes out of early access and gets a full release its litany of issues can be rinsed away. Until then it’s not worth anything more outside of a curious session or few thanks to how forgettable and unexciting the action, the serious lack of urgency and the horrid performance jankiness. The set dressing does offer some appeal, but the entire game needs to revel in the ideas the game clearly has in terms of how it’s presenting itself to players instead of strafing away from its commendable features. Stray Bombay has a fission of what The Anacrusis could be after a serious overhaul, but for now there’s nowhere near enough reason to give it a prolonged time commitment.
    • 89 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    Metroidvania games can often fall short as far as gameplay balance is concerned, typically requiring the player to contently progress and backtrack like a non-stop yo-yo. What makes Hollow Knight particularly special is that it leans on this very design, yet does so without at all wearing thin, thanks largely to its fluid play and its wonderfully dark, intriguing world.
    • 84 Metascore
    • Critic Score
    There is a certain type of player who is going to love this game. That person is not me. I’ve not been this disappointed by a Fromsoftware game in a long time. And I’ve played Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit.

Top Trailers