Xbox Tavern's Scores

  • Games
For 2,226 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:
2230 game reviews
    • 79 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    Wax Heads was a unique experience that definitely lived up to the cozy promise. It may not be difficult, and it may not be my style, but I enjoyed the actual gameplay elements. I believe this one is a see it and you’ll know type of game.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 66 Critic Score
    Basketball Classics is a solidly made blast of fun in short bursts, but is missing the depth I’d hoped for a modern re-imagining of retro sports game.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    A game that isn’t afraid to let players muddle through it on their own is an idea to be lauded, and here there is a core mystery that will provide a compelling enough reason to continue if you can get into the rhythm of the puzzling.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 62 Critic Score
    Crimson Capes is an interesting experiment, where every fight could be a chance for meaty combat, instead it feels like too close to Prince of Persia combat – flailing and anachronistic.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    In my opinion, it’s a real shame that Messy Up falls short, as there are the makings of a good game here. It just needs a little more care to optimize the menus for consoles and to fix some gameplay mechanics. I just can’t recommend this game when there are other games that do it much better.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    While the base gameplay may be simple and of the time, Jaws Retro Edition proves that can still be fun even today. The Enhanced edition is great and offers more meat on the bones to the original, and while it may not be my favourite retro game ever, I have still enjoyed taking it to Bruce and his aquatic cohorts all the same.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    Torii is an interesting little game with some good visuals and solid puzzles. The stealth elements don’t need to be here, and it will entirely depend on your frame of mind as to whether the story hits.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Cats Around Us: Giant Cat isn’t going to win any game of the year awards, but it does offer gamers a good time for just a few dollars. Older gamers can expect an hour of relaxing gameplay while younger gamers may spend more time with the simpler puzzles and the ability to color screenshots.
    • 57 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    In short bursts there is fun to be had with Rightfully, Beary Arms, and once we nab a few permanent upgrades some of the issues are less pronounced. But we simply didn’t find it all that engaging enough to want to repeatedly play and progress, with one-note combat and occasionally cheap deaths.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    All in all, God Bless, or Goddess is an odd curiosity. On the one hand it has some decent special effects, some interesting characters and some added gameplay elements you wouldn’t normally see in an FMV title, as well as some tongue-in-cheek humour. On the other, it’s clearly aimed at a certain (mostly male) audience for certain, obvious reasons, and the plot and characters can become a tangled mess of names and proper nouns that are hard to keep track of, especially with the rapid pace of the subtitles going by.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Vambrace: Dungeon Monarch is a really interesting attempt at doing something different with the deck-building genre. Frustrating, absorbing, annoying, engrossing, very fiddly, but also not as complex as it seems. Fascinating game, that I hope gets a refined sequel.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Overall, it’s been good to play these classic racers again. Nostalgia is doing some heavy lifting though, and if you’re not familiar with Street Racer then I would hazard a guess that you won’t quite see what the fuss is about. A lack of archival content, as well as some other versions of the game, is a shame but if you’re into retro gaming and fancy a fun – if challenging – racer, then this collection is worth a look.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    This type of game may not be for everyone, but for anyone who misses the era of “gameplay only possible in an arcade cabinet” you might want to check out Neon Inferno.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Despite not fully delivering on its promise of a mystery to crack, I still enjoyed my time with Detective Rainy Night. A sequel with a bit more mystery and production value could be great, but for now this is recommended if you’re in the mood for a short thriller to spend an evening with.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Strong multiplayer props up an otherwise poor showing from Call of Duty this year. The combat and movement is a good as ever, but a woefully dire co-op campaign drags the experience to one of the lowest points in years, and is only mildly mitigated by the End Game extraction mode that has some good to it, albeit marred by not being the main focus of the release of Black Ops 7.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    I tried out Cat God Ranch on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. It quickly became one of those games I just needed to get one more round in. There are a lot of different animals in the world and in Cat God Ranch which is where I ultimately fell off. Even when you don’t use most of them in a round, I felt the need to try and mix and match and I was doing more reading and thinking than just playing, which for me, took me out of it a bit. That said, in this newish genre of seeing crazy numbers appear through crazy combos, Cat God Ranch has earned a spot at that table.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    I think that the active-reload healing mechanic in 9 Years of Shadows had potential to make them stand out in a crowd of other action platformers. Unfortunately, the difficulty spikes, lack of signposting, and frequent dropping of button presses wore me out and I would not recommend this game to anyone but the most hardcore fans that must absolutely play every game in this genre.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Last Mind Standing is a fun little throwback, that I think has potential for those that like their challenges retro and offbeat. Those are the people that will persevere with the game’s peculiarities, probably even thrive in them. For most others, the onboarding is too punishing that they will not get past the open levels to be able to find the fun.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 73 Critic Score
    After jumping back into the Plants vs. Zombies world, I can safely say this is my favorite way to play the franchise, classic tower-defense style gameplay loop. Not third person shooting or open worlds, just six lanes, some plants and some zombies. An argue can be had to whether we needed this as there are older GOTY editions, but I can’t lie and say I wasn’t excited to earn new achievements for it again. There is a little bit of new content but all in all this is just another repackaging of PvZ which if you’ve never played before … I definitely recommend it.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 55 Critic Score
    This is an arcade-perfect port that is fast, flashy and furious. Sadly, this also has no extra frills and struggles to justify an afternoon of play.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Here we are again, an absolute gorgeous game taken down a point or two by gameplay. If not for the bugs I encountered and the slowness that the game just seemed to me, this game could have been great. That said, I can realize when a game isn’t meant for me and ultimately, I don’t think this is a game I’d go in for myself after really thinking about it. But with visuals and audio like this, at least the ride was nice to look at it. I’d welcome a sequel even if we can just do without the sneaky, hide and seek bits.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    9 Lives to Defend is a great game to have installed and play now and then. The shortest round is 12 minutes, and it is fun to try and survive the level to earn the kibble to try and maybe complete a harder round next time. The game is cute enough to be enjoyed by kids, but it is tricky enough to be enjoyed by hardened gamers. So, if you prefer a more innocent-looking Vampire Survivors-style game, then this could be the one for you.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 65 Critic Score
    Hidden Cats in Tokyo is everything you need it to be. For older gamers familiar with Where’s Wally or Waldo, depending on where you are from, it’s just a fun challenge to find everything. I find the game something you can play with younger kids, as they also enjoy the hunt. You can get a little extra knowledge about Japan and Tokyo, too, so learn whilst you hunt for cats.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 63 Critic Score
    If you enjoy arcade-style open-wheel racing, Formula Legends has something to offer you thanks to its retro presentation and its accessibility, along with some strategic nuance with regards to tires and fuel. There’s plenty of content to get stuck into, which is quite surprising for an indie title, but Formula Legends is well stocked to keep you racing on and on. The question of whether you’ll want to continue racing on and on is questionable due to the lack of a damage model and fairly non-dramatic races, but the straightforward arcade pleasures and those playful name spins of drivers, teams and tracks do give you reasons to keep your foot on the accelerator. Formula Legends is therefore competent and fine, though it is overlapped by its stern competition and some of its less-endearing archaic design choices.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    As much a victim of greater survival horror games as it is an oasis in a desert of unique survival horror experiences, Cronos: The New Dawn tries its best to evoke the atmosphere and dread that put the genre on the map. However, what lingers is the stench of a lack of effort, as there are various instances where you’ll be reminded of the greatness of the survival horror classics that came before, while you discover the myriad of ways Cronos falters in its attempts to shock and scare you. There are decent boss fights, excellent presentation, and decent weapons, but its workmanlike protagonist and weak conventional enemies keep this promising double A horror on a leash, when it really should’ve broken the chains and unleashed itself impressively upon every genre fan. Cronos is good enough, but it really should’ve been so much more.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    It takes something special for me to love a walking sim and trust me there are some really good ones out there. Arctic Awakening does fine, and I’d hear an argument to include it within top contenders. For me though, what holds it back is the length and the slowness that comes with it. Technical bugs aside, Arctic Awakening is worthy title in the genre however and fans should keep an eye out.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 71 Critic Score
    A lot should be forgiven when it comes to Bad Cheese. At only an hour or two in length it’s a comfortably brief experience, and it deserves kudos for the imagination lavished upon it, the cool gadgets, and for the aesthetics as well. For a one-person game it is very impressive and that can’t be denied. However, Bad Cheese enslaves you into performing chores and the mechanics could be improved. Overall, Bad Cheese is definitely a solid effort despite the sense it could be tightened up and improved in terms of gameplay.
    • tbd Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    A bit of style over substance, with Zoe Begone!’s controls proving too big a hurdle in getting to the fun for my tastes.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 68 Critic Score
    Overall happy to see TMNT cross yet another genre, but Tactical Takedown just barely makes a good grade. It’s not bad but it does nothing for the genre to make me want more of it. I can, for sure, recommend this for those wanting a more toned down turn-based strategy experience, especially if you love the Turtles, however. Veterans to these games will likely find Tactical Takedown a bit slow and too simple.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 72 Critic Score
    If you’re up for a fantastic yarn and gorgeous sights, Mafia: The Old Country is outstanding, meaning you’ll be totally sold by its presentation. The moments, the story and the characters are top-notch, and there’s not much to criticize on that front. However, The Old Country is old-fashioned with forced and bland stealth sections, predictable gunplay, and a lack of newness when it comes to the game’s mechanics—also the knife fights are unexciting and rote. You can have a blast with The Old Country if gameplay isn’t your utmost concern, but if it is, you may need to absolve it of its sins, because while the gunplay is functional and enjoyable enough, it lacks nuance and weapon variety. Altogether, The Old Country is definitely worth taking in, but when gameplay is king, you may feel underwhelmed that it spends more time focusing on its visual and storytelling qualities than it does on crafting a sophisticated playable experience.

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