Posts

5 Underappreciated Backward Compatible Games

Image
Xbox’s backward compatibility program has been unanimously praised this generation for allowing gamers to play and keep games that would’ve otherwise been lost in time. In an age where game preservation is becoming an issue, this was a big win for the Xbox platform and gamers in general. But with over 600 games from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox available, some gems got lost in the shuffle. Whether these games were overlooked at the time of their release or have lost relevance in the years after, here are the most underappreciated backward compatible games on Xbox One. Spec Ops: The Line Spec Ops: The Line released in an era where cover based shooters were flooding the market. In this lens it’s not hard to see why the game struggled to grab many people’s attention; from a distance it looks like just another Gears of War clone, but 2012’s Spec Ops was anything but that. Even though Spec Ops was criticised for its uninspired gameplay, the more typical shoo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Future of Every Xbox Game Studio

Image
Xbox One’s first-party situation has been heavily criticised this generation. Microsoft’s existing franchises like Halo and Fable haven’t been in the best position in the Xbox One’s early years and the console has largely failed to launch any successful new IP either. But in the lead up to the next generation, team Xbox has been making some serious power plays by adding 8 new development studios to their first-party since E3 2018. It’s going to be a few years before we see what many of these studios are working on, so for now, let’s take a look at the state of every Xbox Game Studio. 343 Industries: 343i had big shoes to fill when they took over the Halo series in 2010 and, disappointingly, they’ve stumbled into controversy at almost every turn. But for every misstep 343i have made, they’ve shown their willingness to listen, learn and improve. From Halo 4’s loadouts in multiplayer, to the myriad of technical problems that plagued Halo: The Master Chief Col...
Post a Comment
Read more

10 Favourite Games of 2018

Image
 Last week I saw my Xbox year in review, showing me my stats from the last 12 months of my gaming life. The amount of hours I spent on Xbox alone is frankly too embarrassing to put on this blog but it made me sentimental about the past year in games. So here's an inconsequential list of my favourite games of the year. Also, this list will definitely change as I catch up on releases that I missed throughout the year. 10) The Gardens Between  There aren't many games like The Gardens Between, it's more about the feelings the game conveys through everyday, domestic imagery and minimal, ambient music. A short ride about lost childhood friendships that'll make almost anyone nostalgic (AKA slightly depressed.) Utilising a cool time control mechanic, The Gardens Between offers simple, creative and increasingly tough puzzles in levels that are essentially abstract recreations of two friend's memories together. It's unlike anything else that came out this ye...
Post a Comment
Read more

6 Xbox Franchises That Need a Comeback

Image
Looking at Microsoft's long list of inactive franchises, I couldn't help but wonder what could've been if we hadn't stopped getting sequels. So here's a list of the 6 franchises Xbox should reboot and why. Also I've decided to omit Fable and Perfect Dark as these reboots have been leaked (and I couldn't be more excited.) Alan Wake Alan Wake was arguably the best action horror game of its generation, with it's moody, foreboding atmosphere and incredibly creative and tense combat mechanics. The game follows the titular character as he goes on a vacation with his wife to help with his writer's block. It doesn't take too long for Alan's wife to go missing as he begins to experience events from his thriller novels. It's surreal in the best way possible, reminding me more of a nightmare than a horror game; and this opens the doors for all sorts of gameplay setpieces that need little explanation. The enemies in the game are covered in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review

Image
After honestly feeling burnt out by the end of the last game, ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’, I wasn’t expecting this entry to grab me in the way that it did. At first glance ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ looks like simply more of the same, and while that isn’t an entirely inaccurate conclusion to jump to, ‘Shadow’ changes the structure enough the third time around to make this entry well worth your attention. ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ begins largely in the same manner as the last two; the iconic Lara Croft crashes in a vehicle due to extreme weather conditions and is consequently left scrambling to survive in the wild. The parallels to the last two games in the series are jarringly apparent in the opening hours, but eventually landslides (literally) into something much more. For once in the series Lara actually has an interesting arc in this entry. She begins her adventure just as obsessed with her father’s unfinished research as she was in the last game. Last time ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Looking Back at the Mass Effect trilogy - Part Three

Image
Mass Effect 3   After being happy to find out ME2 had aged well and is still a masterpiece, I was eager to see how the third act had fared being the black sheep out of the three. Back in 2012 the fan and critical reaction to Mass Effect 3’s ending was extraordinarily controversial. Criticisms were so loud that it actually forced EA and Bioware to add extra cut scenes to the ending (which I had never actually seen until replaying it recently) as free DLC, but nevertheless the controversy has stained ME3’s reputation ever since (more on the ending later though.)   Mass Effect 3 starts of on a drastically urgent note with an army of Reaper dreadnoughts invading Earth, blowing up evacuation shuttles, buildings and people right in front of Shepard. It gets increasingly effective with a solemn piano theme swelling up as an escaping Shepard looks down at a dying child he failed to save. It sets the tone for the entire game, and just like the las...
Post a Comment
Read more