With no prior announcement, Microsoft surprise-launched the beat ’em up Streets of Rage 4 on Xbox Game Pass. While some may have been concerned that Streets of Rage 4 wouldn’t live up to the legacy of its predecessors, the game has proven any doubters wrong. Streets of Rage 4 reviews have been mostly positive, with fans praising the game’s retro-style local co-op action. Streets of Rage 4 ‘s main story may be a little on the short side, but the game otherwise has a lot of content for fans of the genre to sink their teeth i
A major complaint from many animal-loving gamers is when there are cute animals, but you cannot pet or interact with them. Luckily, Polterpup became available for pets, and he certainly deserves them for being a good
Nintendo proved with Super Mario Odyssey that there is still plenty that the 3D platformer genre has to offer, and it would be nice to see Banjo-Kazooie get a modern update as well. Rare doesn’t even have to be the studio to make the game. Microsoft has plenty of studios under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella that could be given the reigns of Banjo-Kazooie – whatever it takes to see the bird and bear make their long-awaited, and much-deserved, comeb
Not even the most avid fans could defend it. Not only did it signal an end to the franchise for the foreseeable future, but it was also the beginning of the studio’s descent into mediocrity. We’re hoping with all out hearts for BioWare to get back on their f
L.A. Noire has more in common with some of the investigative Stealth Mechanics Improvement in the Yakuza spin-off series Judgement. However, fans of Yakuza love deep character stories and crime dramas filled with twists, turns, and betrayals. This late 1940 set drama is an easy recommendat
The Yakuza series launched in 2005 to great success in Japan and developed a cult following in the West. Yakuza 0 introduced the series to a more mainstream audience. The games feature semi-open and faithfully recreated Japanese settings in famous Tokyo cities and their seedy underbelly. The first seven games in the series center around Kiryu and are self-contained stories in their own right. The eighth title, Yakuza: Like a Dragon , introduces a new protagonist, Ichiban, with unique motivations and a turn-based combat sys
With the large amounts of video games releasing today, both from indie developers and AAA studios, not every game is destined to be a hit. Bad timing, underbaked mechanics, or unfulfilled promises can all result in a forgotten series.
Who said spooky cannot also be cute? Polterpup may be a ghost, but it still has all its dog charm. Also, the name is adorable. Fans were very excited when they learned they could pet Polterpup in Luigi’s Mansion
There are actually a couple of different LEGO games available on Xbox Game Pass at the time of this writing, but LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars is arguably the best of the bunch. The LEGO games have been offering their familiar brand of local co-op action for years now, and while each game is more or less the same, they all have their own little quirks to help them stand apart from one another. Plus, fans can play through LEGO Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars on Xbox Game Pass as a refresher while they wait for the release of the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga video g
Conker’s Bad Fur Day was a cult classic on the Nintendo 64, notable for pushing its M for Mature rating to the limit. The game was vulgar and violent, but also quite good, with a fun story and addicting multiplayer modes. Since then, Conker has largely been relegated to obscurity, getting a graphical update on the original Xbox and being featured in episodic format for the canceled Project Spark . Similarly to Banjo-Kazooie , Microsoft has seemingly refused to take proper advantage of Conker and the popularity of the IP, but hopefully that changes with a proper Conker’s Bad Fur Day sequel on Xbox Serie
This unforgiving turn-based strategy series was adored by its niche audience back in the ’90s. After 2001, the franchise dropped off the map for more than ten years until 2012’s X-COM: Enemy Unknown . The title received more attention than usual for the genre and managed to break into the mainstream audience. A sequel came out in 2016, ratcheting up the difficulty and arsenal of weaponry. Rarely do such difficult games garner such a player base, but this decade has seen intense challenges gain a new appreciation with this series and games like Dark Sou
Despite this flaw, it still manages to be one of the finest action games of the generation. It wasn’t until Metal Gear Survive when the final nail was hammered into the coffin. A comeback is always possible, but Konami shows no signs of pursuing the franchise any furt
Technically, Mortal Kombat never really died, it held on by a thread during the PS2 generation. Titles like Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Armageddon made several changes to the formula, making the series unrecognizable from its roots except for the trademark aesthetic. After Midway closed its doors and the studio was picked up by Warner Bros., Ed Boon and his team became NetherRealm Studios and got to work on a return to form. 2011’s Mortal Kombat brought the battles back to a two-dimensional plane and added a story mode where bouts were divided up by detailed cutscenes showing the game’s soap opera-esque narrat
