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Game of Thrones Episode 4: Sons of Winter was developed and published on Xbox One and Xbox 360 by Telltale Games. It was released May 26, 2015 for $4.99. A copy was provided by Telltale for review purposes.

After the disappointment of Episode 3, I’m incredibly relieved to say that the latest episode of Telltale Games’ Game of Thrones series is something of a return to form, and is arguably the best episode in the series so far. There is more action in this episode than the previous three combined, and most of the featured character storylines progress in more interesting ways as they break free of the TV series’ major characters and plotlines.

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Aperture Science is proud to announce its latest advancement in portal technology: The Aperture Science Heuristic Portal Pinball Device. After lab testing resulted in only minor casualties, the product has been certified to be shipped worldwide. This device comes equipped for fun with all the quality features you’d expect from an Aperture product. It’s got blue portals, orange portals, various cubes, and more robots than you can shake a stick at. Thanks to Aperture’s partnership with Zen Studios, Portal Pinball is available now for $2.99 as an add-on for Pinball FX 2 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Check out the trailer below to see the device in action.

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Capcom will release a remastered version of 2002’s Resident Evil 0 in 2016, the publisher has announced. The game is a prequel to the first Resident Evil game and was originally released on the Nintendo GameCube.

Koji Oda, the original release’s director, has returned to the helm for the remaster and has additional original team members working under him on the project. Oda and Producer Tsukasa Takenaka appeared in the above video to introduce the remaster. The two men don’t really share anything of substance in the video, but they do joke that they could not make it through the project without the help of a green herb. So there’s that. Green herbs, of course, are used as healing items in the Resident Evil series.

A single screenshot, which you can view after the jump, was released alongside the announcement.

This will be the second instance of a recent Resident Evil remaster, as Capcom released an HD version of the GameCube’s Resident Evil earlier this year, itself a remake of the 1996 PlayStation One original. In our review, XBLA Fans awarded the game a “Buy It” rating.

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Fans of Halo and special console colors alike can now get their hands on the Xbox One Special Edition Halo: The Master Chief Collection Bundle. This package includes the “Cirrus …
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Toro was developed and published by Recotechnology on Xbox One. It was released on May 15, 2015 for $19.99. A copy was provided by Recotechnology for review purposes.

Being a video games reviewer has never been more challenging: a single wrong word written in haste may be instantly shared thousands of time across the vast and uncontrolled expanse of the world wide web, often leaving reputations and lives shattered once the dust settles. I might be dramatizing things a little here, but with reviewers being lambasted left, right and centre for their opinions on games like GTA V, The Witcher 3 and so on, I wanted to approach Toro‘s rather sensitive subject matter (bullfighting for those not in the know) with a suitable amount of caution. I needn’t have bothered; Toro is so relentlessly bad that it would be impossible to review it in a positive light even if I was a huge bullfighting fan (which I am most certainly not.)

Although Toro is undoubtedly a game about taunting, jabbing and ultimately killing identical bulls in a multitude of nearly identical locations, I would be overselling it quite considerably if I were to state that Toro simulates or even vaguely represents what happens in an actual bullfight with any level of panache. Each “fight” is split into three timed sections in which the player is expected to hold down the left trigger and press the right bumper (to call the bull) repeatedly, then time one of up to four moves — without being dashed to the floor like some sort of bloodless human-shaped lump who seems to have long since experienced rigor mortis — until the timer runs out. At the end of the first stage, players are expected to press a few buttons in sequence in order to stick flags in the bull, and at the end of the third stage, do the same thing, followed by stabbing the bull just behind its head using a crosshair that the game seems to auto aim at exactly the right spot every time.

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Badland was developed and published by Frogmind on Xbox One. It was released on May 29, 2015 for $9.99. A copy was provided by Frogmind for review purposes.

Badland is one of the most popular mobile phone games ever, so I guess it’s no surprise to see it finally making the long-awaited transition to home consoles. Developer Frogmind have certainly talked a good game and are promising that this Game of the Year Edition features a huge raft of new and upgraded content, including over 100 levels, plus a load of multiplayer features.

For those (like me) who are pretty new to Badland, the game is a side-scrolling, physics-derived puzzle-platformer that features a chasing camera (think the original Mario Bros.) to ensures a frenetic pace. The sumptuous, hand-drawn graphics mask challenging and varied gameplay that is dished out in bite-sized levels. There is an element of trial and error in most games like this, but Badland does well to ease the pain with its generous checkpoint system.

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Nero was developed and published by Storm in a Teacup on Xbox One. It was released May 15, 2015 for $19.99. A copy was provided for review purposes.

If you asked me what I thought of Nero the moment after I finished it, I wouldn’t have been able to say anything. I had just completed a walk through a gorgeous storybook world, and it reduced me to an emotionally exhausted husk. Even as I write this review, I’m not sure if I’ve fully processed my experience with the game. Either this is one powerful game, or my heart is just really weak.

Nero straddles the line between a first person puzzler and a pure storytelling game. You spend half of the game walking around absorbing the game’s text-delivered tale, while the other is spent working on head-scratching brainteasers. It doesn’t take long to realize which half is stronger, as the puzzle gameplay often feels superfluous compared to the sections that are just walking and reading. The story a page-turner, but the game itself may be a harder sell.

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Rogue Legacy was developed and published by Cellar Door Games on Xbox One. It will release on May 27, 2015 for $14.99. A copy was provided by Cellar Door Games for review purposes.

Have you thought to yourself that games have been too easy recently? If you answer yes, Rogue Legacy may be for you. Here is another throwback to the old school era featuring tough enemies with fair tells and many mean and sometimes unforgiving deaths. Levels are randomly generated with death undoing progress made by the player. Heralded as a “rogue-lite,” developer Cellar Door’s game undoes some of the frustrations of rogue-like games by letting players unlock skills and upgrade stats permanently. Many surprises are in-store for players, and you’ll never know what is around the next corner. Through trial and error, you’ll gradually grow stronger and wiser and eventually achieve success. Or not. Welcome to Rogue Legacy.

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Get ready for a week full of new release streams, early looks, game giveaways and much more on the XBLA Fans Twitch Channel!

In addition to our scheduled streams …
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So far Telltale’s Game of Thrones series has had more than its fair share of adventure, intrigue and death – and it’s only at the halfway point. Episode 4: Sons of Winter will be out next week to continue the tragic saga of House Forrester. Whether it be Gared’s journey beyond The Wall, or Asher’s infiltration of Meereen, or Mira’s political workings in a very turbulent King’s Landing, every member is playing their part to prevent their House’s demise. The episode will be out May 27 on Xbox consoles for $4.99, and as always it comes as part of the season pass. Check out the launch trailer after the jump.

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