Xbox One Black Friday Sales Digital Game Deals Guide
Microsoft announced the Xbox One Digital Games Deals that will be available next week during their annual Black Friday sales. The deals are already live for Gold Members who …
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Hue review: Colour scheming
The humble platformer is one of the oldest and probably still one of the most prolific genres of video games on consoles today. So for one to stand out from …
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Inside review: They are coming
They are coming. They are coming to take you away, and they remain ever vigilant as they endeavor towards that end. I cannot tell you who “they” are, where they …
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Opinion: Microsoft took back the indie crown from Sony at E3, and no one noticed
If you read XBLA Fans with any regularity — or even any irregularity, for that matter — then you’ve probably noticed something about us: we cover indie games. A lot. …
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Inside receives release date and trailer at E3
During today’s Microsoft E3 press conference Playdead, the developer of Limbo, came on stage during the ID@Xbox segment to showcase a new trailer and announce the release date for their new …
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The 25 biggest Xbox games of 2016
Another year has come and gone, and with 2015 now firmly in the rearview, it’s time to look forward to the biggest Xbox One game releases of 2016. Well, the …
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Albert and Otto is coming to Xbox One in early 2016
The previously PC-only first episode of Albert and Otto is now coming to Xbox One early next year, according to the game’s creator, Nikola Kostic.
“I guess the port is …
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Playdead’s Inside delayed
Inside, the much-anticipated Limbo follow-up from developer Playdead, has officially been delayed. Originally announced at E3 2014 and slated for release in early 2015, the game’s launch has now been pushed …
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Nero review (Xbox One)
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.
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones review (Xbox One)
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones was developed by Carbon and published by Curve Digital. It was released on April 3, 2015 for $14.99. A copy was provided by Curve Digital for review purposes.
One of the most unique things about XBLA Fans is our rating system, which encourages reviewers like me to rate games based on a simple “Buy, Try or Skip” scale. Although this can occasionally make our jobs more difficult, I believe that the system means that the written content of our reviews becomes ever more important in getting the message across about how a game plays.
With this in mind, there has perhaps never been a game more deserving of our “Try It” rating than Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones. This is a game that riffs heavily on other roguelike and metroidvania games (not to mention the extremely popular Portal) but also offers its own brand of gameplay and humour across a very expansive package. Stealth Inc. 2Â is likely to attract a number of diehard stealth fans, but the steep learning curve and a few minor issues might make casual gamers think twice.