Xbox Tavern

While it’s not a perfect remake thanks to a few niggles (and a distinct lack of PvP), there’s no denying that Halo: Campaign Evolved takes what was so beloved about the original and improves on it in many ways. It looks incredible, the quality of life improvements and reworked levels are welcome, and whether you’re back after 25 years or brand new, this is still a standout FPS that needs to be played.

If you’ve got a co-op buddy to get on Brave Escape, it comes highly recommended from us here at the Tavern. Tight controls allow for some truly tricky challenges, and with each set of levels mixing it up for Colin, there’s constantly something to learn. It’s a shame Floyd remains static throughout in terms of abilities, but that doesn’t diminish the fun to be had with a good friend.

Fun, bright, packed with challenges and with one of the year’s best soundtracks, Denshattack! is a joy to behold at all times.

Gunboat God is a fun, challenging arcade game with a twin stick shooting mechanic. It’s not the type of game I imagine most people sitting down and playing from cover to cover. I think that it works best as a game you return to and slowly chip away at by completing new nodes or returning to master older nodes after you’ve upgraded your weapons and abilities.

Overall though, there’s a lot of charm to Fixforce. It can be frustrating, and the RNG can feel like it’s working against us at times, but get a few friends in for an evening and the co-op building/collecting can be a blast once we get into the swing of things.

If you’re looking for a pool simulation that nails the basics – physics, game types, controls – then Pure Pool Pro fits the bill. The on table action is great, I’ve had fun going up against the AI in competitive matches and I look forward to jumping online once there are others to play against. But a dull presentation – full of AI generated guff – lets the side down.

Overall, D-topia has been a refreshing and enjoyable experience. The puzzle difficulty is pitched well for the most part, erring on the easier side to keep things flowing, and interacting with the people of D-topia is rewarding as we get to know and help them. Being able to use items we purchased in any way would have been nice, but it’s a small blemish on what was otherwise a well paced take on AI, and the future of humanity alongside it.

Tilt It! Golf is simple to pick up and play, and in short bursts is a fun little game to dabble in. The timers and levels are far too easy to blitz through though, and as such it can get a bit too repetitive after even a short session. One for those times where you have five minutes and need something quick and easy to fill the time.

N.E.R.D does deliver a thick creepy atmosphere. You’ve been captured and punished into play a survival game in a style of the Saw movies with impending doom. You get locked in to the drama and want to solve the puzzles. But clunky repetitive FMV clips begin to chip away at the atmosphere and overly tricky puzzles with little logic and more trial and error may leave you feeling that death by gas is happy ending after all.

Perhaps one of the best DLCs (at least for a smaller “indie” game) I’ve played. Not only do you get more of an already great game, but they also give you multiple new gameplay elements. Honestly this could have been a good base for a sequel game with the amount of content you get. It’s priced accordingly, give you more than a handful of missions like other smaller DLCs and it’s fun. Highly recommend once you beat the base game.