Xbox Tavern

• XSX/S
• 4.7 / 10
• États-Unis

Artistic expression is what will strike the biggest chord in Strayed Lights. There are lovely moments of beauty to unearth, and you will no doubt find a game ignited with a love for tranquillity and colour. However, empty spaces make Strayed Lights world feel uncomfortably abandoned at times, and the combat is based too heavily on precision and colour matching to engross. Thankfully, Strayed Lights is short, but it runs out of momentum too soon despite some impressive boss encounters and some gorgeous skies. Give it a whirl then, but you won’t feel like Strayed Lights is anything but a shallowly gentle gust that will blow by without the force it needed to stick in the mind.

• XONE
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• XSX/S
• 8.9 / 10
• États-Unis

I am impressed with Dead Island 2. The first Dead Island didn’t grab me as much and it was only when I tried the demo at the recent WASD event that it piqued my interest. There is a lot to enjoy about Dead Island 2. It looks stunning graphically, the story – although surreal – is gripping enough and the skill card level progression is refreshing. The combat is the feature that feels familiar and could have been quite dull over time, but Dambuster have introduced many things (such as curveballs) to keep things interesting. Fun solo, but even more enjoyable with a few friends, this long awaited zombie slasher comes recommended.

• XONE
• 6.7 / 10
• États-Unis

Itorah is a wonderful world, with great level design and characters, hindered by one small mechanic that blemishes what should be a great game. Instead, it is just a good one.

• XSX/S
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

Warm, inviting and pleasant, Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus And Butterfly is a wonderfully accessible and gentle graphic novel game with a beautifully well-meaning heart. Changes from its predecessor are minimal, but Hibiscus And Butterfly encourages you to discover an array of comforting drinks, while the cast of fantastical and not-so fantastical characters tell you about their life predicaments, their perils and their successes. Much like a good pick-me-up, Coffee Talk Episode 2 is as easy as you’d like but has space for you to master the fine art of being a top-tier barista in a busy bustling café. The addition of Hibiscus And Butterfly Pea brings a classiness and a radiance that will lighten your day, and there are reasons to replay the story several times through to see everything it has to show for itself. There’s still plenty of room for Coffee Talk to grow and flourish, but this sequel is well-worth diving into if you just want to take a pew, grab an eye-opener and relish in a bevvy of stories.

• XONE
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

The visuals are amazing, the game is simple and it has a heart, that I can say about Minecraft Legends. There are things that could’ve been done better and it’s not as complex as the Civilization games – or any strategy game for that matter – but Mojang and Blackbird Interactive get my respect for venturing off into the unknown and finding a treasure like this.

• XSX/S
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

While the idea is novel and decent on paper, God of Rock left us wanting thanks to a tricky learning curve and music that fails to inspire replayability.

• XSX/S
• 9.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Not For Broadcast is unlike anything I’ve played before. The tv-editing simulator gameplay presses all the right buttons, keeping you engaged in a well-written story packed with humor. The writing really clicks with many elements, riffing on real-world events over the past few years. I don’t know how well the story will age, but the gameplay is so unique that I have no doubt it will stand the test of time. I give Not For Broadcast my full recommendation. I know some of the games I get behind can be somewhat niche and might not be for everyone, but I really believe Not For Broadcast has mass appeal, scoring high in all demographics.

• XSX/S
• 6.6 / 10
• États-Unis

Mile 0 is something of a pleasant surprise. The inclusion of Rides makes storytelling and decision-making riveting and fresh, underpinned by an insatiably likeable arcade hook. Mile 0 also boasts a greater focus on characters and relationships than the original, helped along by a pleasantly bite-sized price tag. The big dinger though, is that Rides can feel too on-rails for its own good despite its novel use in storytelling and decision-making. Mile 0 also fails to transmit the fervour of Rides to the rest of the experience-this despite some flashes of playful subversiveness and youthful hijinks present throughout. Ultimately Mile 0 can be softly recommended for what it does offer, but it is a lightweight entrée more than a transcendent main course-this one’s lacking the protein and bulk required to truly satisfy over the long haul.

• XONE
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

Backbeat is a Sokoban like puzzle game with a heavy focus on building a funky 90’s band. It looks and sounds great but it is not shy to lay on the mechanics in a hot and heavy manner. It definitely got the best of me but puzzle fans should give it a look.

• XSX/S
• 9.2 / 10
• États-Unis

Flat screen or not, The Last Worker had us hooked from start to finish thanks to excellent writing, a charming art style, and constantly changing gameplay and mechanics that rarely outstay their welcome.

• XSX/S
• 8.8 / 10
• États-Unis

• XSX/S
• 7.8 / 10
• États-Unis

A short and sweet puzzler that wows with its aesthetic while keeping us entertained with some simple but effective challenges. It’s all over a bit too soon, but don’t let that put you off checking it out.

• XONE
• 9.3 / 10
• États-Unis

There’s no shortage of 2D puzzle platformers out there, but few are done with such style, pacing, and intuitiveness as DARQ. A thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours of play that knows not to try and artificially pad the runtime and dilute the experience. The fantastic audio/visual work helps suck us into the atmosphere, and combined with smart puzzle mechanics and movement these add up to make DARQ an easily recommended play.

• XSX/S
• 5.5 / 10
• États-Unis

Leap is the very definition of a mid-tier game, not bad, not great – a few iterations from finding itself and its audience.

• XSX/S
• 8 / 10
• États-Unis

• XSX/S
• 7.5 / 10
• États-Unis

A throwback to the early days of arcade gaming wrapped up in more modern presentation, Akka Arrh is a fun, albeit head-spinning, title.

• XSX/S
• 8.1 / 10
• États-Unis

The pop culture references combined with the solid and unique gameplay are just the ticket for those looking for a fun first-person shooter experience. Some people might not like the pixelated art style, but it works extremely well here. All too often, the retro-inspired shooters that I play feel outdated, just like the games they are emulating, but Fashion Police Squad provides a fresh take on the genre by combining plenty of humor, fun mechanics, and level design variety.