Coffin Dodgers (Xbox One, 2016)

Coffin Dodgers
Developed by Milky Tea Studios
Published by Wales Interactive Ltd.
Released for Xbox One (5/6/2016)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Coffin Dodgers was developed by UK-based Milky Tea Studios and was released for the Xbox One in May 2016. Coffin Dodgers features a bunch of senior citizens racing on their mobility scooters. The retirement village residents are in a competition hosted by Death and the winner gets to keep their soul. It's definitely a quirky concept with some potential, so let's delve in and see how it plays...

The story in Coffin Dodgers involves 7 residents of a retirement village, racing it out against the Grim Reaper and each other and the winner gets to keep their soul. The single-player mode involves 13 races which are separated into 4 themes. The themes are the village, town, farm and graveyard, with the final race against the Grim Reaper taking place on a track that mixes all 4 themes together. The themes themselves aren't particularly imaginative and none of them are very memorable, though they do at least function okay as far as tracks go. There are a few cool parts, like one of the town tracks that has the street blown out and you'll drive down onto the subway tracks, but these moments are few and far between. While most kart racers will have you race for the standard 3 laps, this game has you run 4 laps, which was likely a result of the tracks feeling too short. The characters look decent, sporting a cartoon look in sync with the rest of the game, but like the tracks none of them are particularly memorable except for the Grim Reaper. While Coffin Dodgers features an interesting story, the graphics and track designs lean more toward mediocrity than being good.

Coffin Dodgers is a budget kart racer, this will become evident quickly when you see the simple nature of the graphics. The characters and environments and made up of blocky polygons that look like something that could've been on the original Xbox. While the graphics are simple, the game has a cartoon-like style to it and the bright colors help complete the look. The characters themselves look decent enough, but the whole presentation comes down a bit in the audio department. The music feels like it could've come straight out of a Tim Burton movie and, while not bad and it does fit the theme of the game well, it felt like there was a lack of variety to the soundtrack as a whole. There's not much going on in the sound fx department, with just the sound of mobile scooters, a few odd collision sounds, weapon noises and ambient sounds of crickets chirping. The characters really could've used some dialogue to help add some personality, because the races tend to feel a bit quiet and uneventful.

No kart racer would be complete without weapon pickups on the track and of course Coffin Dodgers follows this trend. There's your standard boost powerup, an EMP that shocks and slows down anybody near you when activated, oil you can throw behind you to slip up opponents, a shield that blocks incoming projectiles, rockets that home in on targets and an uzi. Some of the powerups are more effective than others, but overall the pickups roster is decent but uninspired. Every character also has a default melee attack they can use at any point, allowing you to swing when close to an opponent Road Rash style. It'll take several hits, but you can eventually drop them if you land enough blows. You can also hold the attack button and charge it up, unleashing a super blow that will knock an enemy off their scooter in a single hit if landed. There's some mildly amusing ragdoll physics when the racers fall off their scooters

Between races, you can access an upgrade screen, which allows you to upgrade various aspects of your scooter. It's mostly the type of stuff you'd expect, like better handling, speed and acceleration but there's also upgrades for your melee attack, pickups and paint options. Each category can be upgraded 3 times and can be purchased using credits earned from racing. The first upgrade for the pickups allows you to carry 2 pickups, the second will let you swap between pickups and the third will lock the pickups, allowing you to keep them when hit where you'd normally lose them. The upgrade system is nice, but when the game is as easy as Coffin Dodgers these upgrades are far from necessary.

In addition to the story mode, the main menu offers a few additional modes. There's quick race where you can select a single track to race on, time trial and an open world option. The open world has 2 modes, explore which allows you to drive around the tracks at your leisure (not sure why you'd want to) and crazy granddad mode which tasks you to retrieve and deliver items within a given time. The open world modes were a nice gesture from the developers, but outside of getting the single achievement affiliated with crazy granddad mode I doubt anybody is going to spend much time in these modes. Coffin Dodgers offers up local split-screen multiplayer for 2-4 players. There are only 2 modes: explore and race. Playing with friends always helps the enjoyment factor on these types of games, but it's a bit of a bummer there's no online multiplayer support.

Now we get to the part of the review where I get to really delve into what I didn't like and Coffin Dodgers gives you a lot to talk about in the department. The gameplay is simple to a fault, even for a kart racer. You can simply hold down the accelerator the entire race since your mobility scooter turns sharp enough that you never have to let it go. This makes for a very boring racing game and it really could have done with a drift system at the very least. The weapons pickups are unbalanced since the EMT that shocks everybody in proximity is easily the best pickup while the uzi borders on being completely worthless (and seems to pop-up more frequently than other powerups). After starting a race in single player mode, you can't restart the race, so if you mess up the game forces you to finish that particular race or exit out to the menu. It's not a huge deal, but a big oversight from the developers and gives you a good idea how much testing/tuning didn't go into this game. Despite the game having 4 different themes for the tracks, the levels overall feel too similar and as a result none of them really stand out. The sound design could've helped add some excitement, but it's about as generic as it could be. At the main menu, it's easy to accidentally select new campaign instead of continue campaign and the game doesn't ask for confirmation, making it easy to erase your progress if you're not careful.

Coffin Dodgers is a budget kart racer that has a cool concept but is lacking in execution. The cons outweigh the pros and there's not much reason to play this game when there are better alternatives available in the same genre. Those looking for some easy achievements may get something out of this one, but even then I'd still recommend waiting for a sale due to how quick you'll be done with it.

Final Verdict: Coffin Dodgers is a budget kart racer with an interesting, quirky concept of old folks racing against the Grim Reaper to retain their souls, but the game is lacking in execution with uninspired track design and a lack of any challenge.

Related Links:
Buy Coffin Dodgers - Microsoft Store
Milky Tea Studios - Official Site
Wales Interactive Ltd. - Official Site
Coffin Dodgers - Metacritic
Coffin Dodgers - GameFAQs
Coffin Dodgers - True Achievements

Rememoried (Xbox One, 2017)

Rememoried
Developed by Vladimir Kudelka
Published by Hangonit Studio
Released for Xbox One (12/6/2017)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

Rememoried is about as psychedelic as they come, with gameplay being a combination of a walking sim and abstract puzzle. The concept is that you are roaming within a virtual place where memories change to dreams and forgetting becomes a mechanism you'll have to use to solve the puzzles. The forgetting mechanic occurs by looking away and when turning back around things will be a bit different. Taking place from a first-person perspective, you'll use this technique to solve many of the game's platform-like puzzles.

There are 20 chapters in Rememoried, and if a guide is used while playing the game can easily be completed in under an hour. Even without a guide, the game will not likely last beyond 2 hours, but the short length is not necessarily a reason to dismiss this one. If you want a simulation of some kind of crazy psychedelic trip, this game is going to be of interest to you. While the visuals are mostly in black and white, the developer has done a fantastic job creating surreal landscapes and some of the levels are a real sight to behold. One standout level has you standing within a kaleidoscope, using the analog sticks to move about and rotate the image. I can't say I recall ever having experienced something like that in a game before.

The puzzles in Rememoried have a decent variety to them, with some definitely more challenging than others but overall they are rather easy to figure out and they heavily utilize the "forget" mechaninc. The controls use only the sticks for navigation and RB for jumping which all work well enough. The music isn't overbearing, but does a good job supplementing the surreal visuals you'll see. There's some narration that goes on as you play, but to be honest I was so wrapped up in the visuals I hardly even noticed the dialogue let alone paid attention to it. Those looking for some easy gamerscore and achievements will find something to like in Rememoried, as this is yet another one of those super-quick and easy completions. Rememoried is worth a look if you're into the psychedelic, but due to the incredibly short length I'd reccommend waiting for a sale before picking it up. The game has a tendency to induce motion sickness in those prone to it, so if that's you I'd advise staying away from this one.

Final Verdict: If you're looking for one of the most trippy and psychedelic games on the Xbox One, Rememoried definitely ranks high on that list. A surreal walking sim with puzzles that can be completed in only an hour or two, so wait for a sale first before picking it up.

Related Links:
Buy Rememoried - Microsoft Store
Vladimir Kudelka Interview - Keen Gamer
Rememoried - Metacritic
Rememoried - GameFAQs
Rememoried - True Achievements
Rememoried Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

One Leaves (Xbox One, 2019)

One Leaves
Developed by Wahoo Studios
Published by Oath Inc
Released for Xbox One (2/28/2019)

One Leaves is an anti-tobacco game sponsored by the non-profit organization Oath Inc and developed by Wahoo Studios. The game was released for Xbox One in February 2019 and is a free download. It's rare to see a free game that's not riddled with micro-transactions and when I saw this in the store, I thought it was some sort of horror game. It should go without saying that I was disappointed when I found it what it was, but I've already gone so far as to download and play it so I might as well post a review for it too.

Upon booting up One Leaves for the first time, you're greeted with that box that asks for permissions (click here for more on that). Once you start the game proper, you find yourself in a room with 3 other kids, each of you behind their own fence. An announcer speaks over the intercom, informing you that only 1 of you will leave while the others are doomed to stay. After the mysterious voice tells you to begin, a door opens up and the race begins. The objective is to simply make it through each area as quick as possible. It's all supposed to be some sort of metaphor for smokers, where some stat said that 1 of 4 smokers successfully quit.

There are 3 levels to complete, starting out at the school, then to the hospital and ending up with the sewers. There are red wires on the floor, with one that leads to the exit and any others will lead to that level's objective. The school level requires you to escape from a maze of bookshelves in the library and make it through a never-ending hallway. Both sound much cooler than they are in play and the hallway can easily be completed using a glitch in the doorway. The hospital level starts off with a switch puzzle that grants you a flashlight, but if you turn the brightness up a few notches the flashlight is irrelevant. After this you will enter the morgue, where there are 4 drawers where the bodies are stored. 1 of these 4 contains a path to the room which has the switch that opens the exit while the other 3 lead you to another part of the hospital, where you'll have to re-enter the morgue and guess again. This is randomized each playthrough, so you'll never know which one the switch could be hiding behind.

The 3rd and final level in One Leaves takes place in the sewers. This level is more like a giant maze, with lots of 2-ways that split off with one end leading nowhere. This is by far the most confusing level, but with that there's still not much to it. Make it through the maze by following the exit signs and if you've completed the game fast enough then you are the one to escape. If you took too long it shows the smokers lounge, stating that you're doomed to stay there forever.

The levels are detailed and grimy-looking but the use of the graphics engine is just not very good, with lots of half-assed lighting and textures up close look awful.. I was quite surprised when I saw this ran on the Unreal engine and was released in 2019; it's easily among the worst looking games I've seen on the engine. That said there are some rather grotesque things to see, including some charred, coughing lungs in the hospital and all kinds of nasty teeth in the walls of the sewers. It's the kind of stuff that wouldn't feel out of place in a Silent Hill game, unfortunately the game fancies itself as more of a race than horror experience so these nasty areas are just sort of there to make you not want to smoke. Personally I think the message would have been more effective if they just dropped the racing thing altogether and made it a straight-up horror game depicting the struggles of addiction and consequences of smoking. I'm sure with this being a free title, the developers were certainly limited in time and resources which definitely shows in the finished product.

The only reason I could see anybody delving into One Leaves are those looking for easy gamerscore. While the price tag is free and it is easy, it's going to cost you around 5-6 hours of your time. A single run of the game takes around 10 minutes, but the achievement to play through the game 20 times will really test your patience, as can be seen from that particular achievements completion ratio of 0.66% (as of April 2020 at least), which is super-low for a free game with easy achievements.

One Leaves had an admirable message to convey as there's doubt smoking is bad and children should be made aware of that. That message got lost somewhere in the process of creating this game and rather than an anti-smoking game it feels more like a Z-grade horror effort. The other children are only seen briefly running around in upcoming passages, but once you round the corner they're mysteriously gone. Being unable to actually see who you''re racing against makes it a bit hard to determine if you're actually in the lead, making this a race in the loosest sense of the word. After playing One Leaves, you'll probably want to light up a stogie just in defiance of how stupid the whole thing is. If you want a good laugh, check out some of the user reviews in the Microsoft Store.

Final Verdict: One Leaves ties to convey an anti-tobacco message and while it has few creepy areas to see, the whole thing is ultimately a waste of your time. Those looking for free gamerscore only need apply, but even with that beware this game will cost you 4-6 hours of your life to complete.

Related Links:
Get One Leaves - Microsoft Store
Wahoo Studios - Official Site
Oath Inc - Official Site
One Leaves - Metacritic
One Leaves - GameFAQs
One Leaves - True Achievements
One Leaves Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Toybox Turbos (Xbox 360, 2014)

Toybox Turbos
Developed/Published by Codemasters
Released for Xbox 360 (11/14/2014)
Also on PC/PS3
Backwards Compatible on Xbox One

Toybox Turbos comes to us from Codemasters and is the spiritual successor to the classic Micro Machines series. Released in November 2014, this is one of those titles that would have been an XBLA release, but Microsoft stopped using that label around the time the Xbox One came out. Toybox Turbos contains 1000 gamerscore available like most retail titles, as opposed to the 200 or 400 points the old XBLA titles were allotted. Toybox Turbos certainly looks nice, featuring colorful cartoon-like graphics that fit the toy theme perfectly, but let's delve in and see how the gameplay fares.

Toybox Turbos offers up a decent-sized single-player campaign, featuring 7 cups, each of which feature several different types of events. Each cup also uses its own set of cars, which is a good way to make sure the player tries out many of the various vehicles. There are 35 vehicles to collect, with most of them requiring coins that you'll unlock after completing events. The final car in each cup can only be unlocked by defeating the boss in an elimination race, which will be the final event for that cup. The elimination races will be familiar to those who remember the Micro Machines games, where each player starts off with 4 points. When one player overtakes another, the winner gains a point while the loser goes minus one. The 1st one to fill the meter wins the event and in the instance that it drags on too long, it goes into playoff mode where the loser no longer gets points deducted, giving a decent chance for a comeback.

Adam's Venture: Origins (Xbox One, 2016)

Adam's Venture: Origins
Developed by Vertigo Interactive
Published by SOEDESCO
Released for Xbox One (4/1/2016)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

Adam's Venture is a third-person puzzle/adventure series that originally started on PC back in 2009. There was a trilogy of games released for PC between 2009 to 2012, which were eventually ported to the PlayStation 3 in 2014 as Adam's Venture Chronicles. In 2016, we received Adam's Venture: Origins, which released for all of the big systems this time around. Initially I thought Origins was a prequel to Chronicles, but after watching CGR Undertow's review of Chronicles it looks like it might just be a remake, as I saw several parts in the video that also occurred within Origins, just with a slightly better presentation. Having never played the original games, it's all a bit confusing and I had a bit of trouble finding info on these titles as they just don't seem to be that popular. Let's delve into Adam's Venture: Origins and see if there's a reason not many are talking about this series...

Adam's Venture: Origins takes place in 1920's and you take control of Adam Venture, one of the cheesiest names I believe I've ever encountered. You have set forth on a journey to discover the secret of Eden. In addition to the cliched action hero, you also have the stereotypical attractive companion, who goes by the name of Evelyn. As you explore ancient ruins, you'll be tasked with solving several puzzles along the way while unraveling the mystery. There's also some sort of evil corporation that wants in on the action and plans to use whatever knowledge is gained for bad intentions. The game is chock full of tropes, but the writing is so self-aware of how dumb it is that it can actually be amusing at times. The story actually isn't bad and helps provide the player with some incentive to push along to see what happens next.

Gameplay involves exploring and solving puzzles, with the occasional stealth section thrown in. The exploring aspect is actually not bad, with the ability to run, jump and use a grappling hook with the X button. There are certain spots you can use your hook, which will be designated by an X symbol that pops up when you're within grappling range. These mostly involve swinging from one point to the next, but at some points you'll have to use the hook to pull down bridges or activate levers. Since you can only use the grappling hook on designated spots, it works much better than I initially expected. Navigation works well for the most part, with the ability to climb up ledges and shimmy across at certain points. It's all stuff you've seen in other games and while it's been done better, it's at least functional here. Sometimes the game is really picky where you stand when trying to climb up ledges, but other than that I didn't run into any issues.

Along the way you'll encounter several puzzles and the game does a decent job providing a variety between them. None of the puzzles are too taxing and this can either be a good or bad thing. If you're a puzzle vet, it'll probably be easy to the point of boring but for more novice players it'll be refreshing to be able to complete one of these types of games without consulting a guide. The game stumbles a bit when it comes to the stealth sections, of which there are two in the game. These feel half-baked, allowing to run right behind guards so long as the enemy doesn't flash their light in your general direction. It really fails to give any kind of impression that you're actually sneaking around.

Adam's Venture: Origins can actually look quite impressive at times, featuring a mostly smooth frame rate, detailed environments and good use of colors but unfortunately there are several issues when it comes to the graphics. Throughout my play of the game, I encountered numerous graphic artifacts, strange lack of clipping with many objects and tons of highly noticeable graphic pop-in. The voice acting is also pretty bad, but it wasn't as glaring of an issue as the graphical problems. The Adam's Venture games feature a Christian theme in them, but this one never came across as preachy and other than a few Biblical themes, completely forgot this was a Christian game while playing it.

Adam's Venture: Origins certainly isn't a good game, but it's not entirely bad either. The exploration and some of the puzzles were actually fun, but the graphics issues and stealth segments bring the overall experience down a few notches. There's a decent game hiding somewhere in here if the developers could clean up the visuals and make the stealth sections a bit more enjoyable. If a Tomb Raider game without guns sounds like your thing, give Adam's Venture: Origins a shot, but I'd advise to wait for a sale because this one is by no means worth the suggested retail price.

Final Verdict: Adam's Venture: Origins has some enjoyable exploration and puzzle segments, but the numerous graphical issues and subpar stealth segments drag it down a bit.

Purchase Links:
Buy Adam's Venture: Origins (Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Adam's Venture: Origins (Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
SOEDESCO - Official Site
Adam's Venture: Origins - Metacritic
Adam's Venture: Origins - GameFAQs
Adam's Venture: Origins - True Achievements
Adam's Venture: Origins Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Desert Child (Xbox One, 2018)

Desert Child
Developed by Oscar Brittain
Published by Akupara Games
Released for Xbox One (12/12/2018)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Desert Child was made by a single developer by the name of Oscar Brittain and released for the Xbox One in December 2018. The gameplay in Desert Child involves racing on hoverbikes and exploring the town area in between races. The races play out from a 2D perspective, where your weapon can be fired with the trigger and boost with the A button. Scattered across the race course are TV sets and shooting some of these will restore your boost meter (which will also build up over time) while others will drop money to pick up. In addition to the TV sets, there are also various obstacles scattered across the tracks which will slow you down and cause to damage to your bike when hit. There's a handful or so different locations for the races, but the difference is mostly cosmetic and they tend to feel the same regardless of the location. You'll only face off against one opponent at a time and upon completing a race you'll get a grade for your performance with a bigger bonus for getting a higher grade.

During a race, shooting at your opponent will slow them down, but you'll want to be a bit conservative with your ammo as it is limited. Boosting through TV sets rather than shooting them will grant a little extra ammo, but when you've completely run out a supply vehicle will show up at the bottom of the screen. Boosting into this vehicle will replenish your ammunition. There are a couple different weapon types to choose from and this can be changed at anytime between races. The races are decent but start to feel a bit repetitive rather quick, so the game is best enjoyed in quick sessions so as to not get bored. My biggest complaint in regards to the racing aspect is the way that the hoverbikes just sort of go through each other, rather than having a nice collision sound and smashing into the opponent.

The first chapter in Desert Child starts off on Earth, with just a few shops to navigate in between races. There's a shop where you can sell power cells (awarded for winning races), one where you can purchase food and another where you can repair the damage on your bike. While on Earth you'll also meet a mysterious blonde-haired lady, who tells you about going to race on Mars.

After you get a few races under your belt, the game moves onto the second chapter on Mars. The races are basically exactly the same, but the town you can explore between races is much larger, composed of several screens that are inter-connected. There's a lot to see and do, including food shops, a record store, bank, pizza parlor, bean market, nightlife district and more. There are a few various jobs you can take on to earn some extra cash, like bounty hunting and pizza delivery. The town is detailed and exploring it is cool at first, but the slow movement speed of your character will inevitably start to make these sequences feel tedious before long. You'll quickly learn the few key locations to hit between races to avoid unnecessary walking, which will usually be somewhere to grab some food and/or fix your bike and then engage in a race or activity to earn money. You'll also want to put your spare money in the bank as the interest will add up over time.

Desert Child can be completed once you win the grand prix, which will require you to save up $10,000 in order to enter. Once you have the cash, you sign up for the tournament at the billboard. The tournament is setup into brackets and you'll have to win 3 different races. If you fail to finish first you'll have to pay up the entry free again, but it's not that big of a deal since you'll earn quite a bit of money from the tournament even if you lose. The tournament races are basically the same as the previous races you've encountered, but with some added difficulty. I regularly kicked the computer's butt on the average races, but once I got to the tournament I started losing in the 2nd or 3rd round. After doing a quick look on the True Achievement forums, a player suggested to just simply let the controller sit there for all of the races and you'll somehow win. Putting this to the test, I can confirm that this does indeed work. This is either an oversight from the developer or just some kind of secret way to win, but regardless I feel no shame for using the exploit as I was getting pretty burnt out on the game by that point. Upon finishing the grand prix, you'll get a brief ending and then you're granted the option to start a new game +. Other than starting it up to get the associated achievement for doing so, I can't really see many players going in for seconds on this game.

There were 3 chapters, the 1st on Earth, the 2nd on Mars and then the 3rd starts when you purchase entry to the grand prix. The game is a bit lopsided, with chapter 2 taking up the majority of the game. It really feels like there could have been a few more chapters and maybe some different areas to explore, but perhaps the developer just didn't have the time or motivation to add anything else. While you can do a little customizing on your bike by adding parts, the ability to purchase new bikes would have been nice. Desert Child is a fun game, especially at the beginning, but you'll quickly see everything it has to offer, making it feel a bit repetitive as you keep playing. It's definitely a case of style over substance; the game does excel in the visuals and soundtrack department, feeling like something Adult Swim would have published. Desert Child's a bit of a mixed bag, but if you don't mind the game's repetitive nature there's some fun to be had here.

Final Verdict: Desert Child is simple, short and repetitive, but packs a lot of style and an awesome soundtrack. Worth picking up on a sale if you can overlook the flaws and dig the pixelized presentation.

Related Links:
Buy Desert Child - Microsoft Store
Oscar Brittain - Official Site
Akupara Games - Official Site 
Desert Child - Metacritic
Desert Child - GameFAQs
Desert Child - True Achievements
Desert Child - Xbox Achievements

Fractured Minds (Xbox One, 2019)

Fractured Minds
Developed by Emily Mitchell
Published by Wired Productions
Released for Xbox One (11/14/2019)
Also on Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

Official description from Microsoft Store:

Fractured Minds is an immersive artistic short game, exploring anxiety and mental health issues.

Winner of the BAFTA Young Game Designers Award, Fractured Minds is a game created by Emily Mitchell, then 17-years-old, with the hope of aiding understanding and awareness of mental illness.

Embark on a  journey through the human psyche and experience six atmospheric and thought-provoking chapters, each symbolising a different aspect or challenge associated with mental health issues; from isolation to anxiety, with everyday situations being distorted beyond recognition.

Raw, emotive and earnest, Fractured Minds demonstrates that video games are capable of communicating vital messages in imaginative ways. It is a game that seeks to encourage empathy and champion support for the millions living with mental health issues.

Wired Productions is proud to support Safe In Our World, a gaming industry charity striving for mental health awareness. 80% of the proceeds will help fund Emily's career as well as future initiatives from Safe In Our World.

Xbox Overview Review:

Fractured Minds is a short game; one that you'll likely finish in under an hour. The $1.99 price point should be taken into account but to be honest I didn't mind the short length. The game's 6 chapters each provide a decent amount of variety and while the graphics are simple, they look nice enough. Each stage has a sort of puzzle you'll need to figure out in order to progress, but the solution is never too difficult after a little exploration. No two puzzles are alike; one stage will have you in a bedroom searching through drawers filled with keys trying to find the single right key, while another will take you out to the city streets where you trying to match symbols on the backs of strangers. Each puzzle serves as a way to open the door to the next area, showing how difficult something as simple as opening a door can be to one with anxiety.

One has to admire the fact that this is an award-winning indie title from a 17-year-old. Emily Mitchell, the game's creator, suffers from severe anxiety and wanted to express this affliction in video game form. While she created it under the influence of anxiety, the scenarios are general enough that those suffering from other illnesses will be able to relate as well. Fractured Minds is short, but conveys a powerful message and is well worth a look, especially for the super-cheap asking price. The game also contains a ridiculously easy achievement set that can be unlocked in under an hour, so achievement hunters will find something to like here as well.

Final Verdict: Fractured Minds is a short walking sim that tries to demonstrate what it's like living with anxiety and other mental illnesses. A very reasonable price point and a profound message make this one easy to recommend, and as a plus there's easy gamerscore too.

Related Links:
Buy Fractured Minds - Microsoft Store
Walking Simulators - Xbox Overview
Interview with Emily Mitchell - IGN
Safe in Our World - Official Site
Wired Productions - Official Site
Fractured Minds - Metacritic
Fractured Minds - GameFAQs
Fractured Minds - True Achievements

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince (Xbox One, 2017)

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince
Developed by Gamera Interactive
Published by SOEDESCO
Released for Xbox One (12/12/2017)
Also on PC

Fearful Symmetry & the Cursed Prince comes from Italy-based developer Gamera Interactive and was released for the Xbox One in December 2017. Fearful Symmetry is a puzzle game where you control multiple characters at the same time, with each being in different dimensions. When you move one, the other character moves as well, but in the opposite direction. Controlling both characters, you'll have to navigate them through treacherous puzzles filled with traps.

Fearful Symmetry is presented with pixel-art, looking like something between 16-bit and 32-bit graphics. Puzzles are viewed from an overhead perspective with the entire puzzle visible on-screen. The sound design is quite minimal as there's no music during the levels, just the ambience of the forest with birds chirping.  There are also key sound effects, such as when traps are activated or your character dies. The quiet nature of the game had me often listening to something else while playing. Overall, the retro graphics look nice but the sound design is a bit lacking, making the presentation a bit of a mixed bag.

The main story in Fearful Symmetry features 25 levels and 3 characters that you'll have to run through each level in order to get the true ending. The story involves each of the characters having their own reason for seeking out the legendary Symmetry Scrolls. You'll only start with the basic character named Hero, but the other characters you'll unlock come with a special ability. Nulan, the 2nd character you'll unlock can use her sorceress powers to burn any bushes or enemies in adjacent tiles. The 3rd character, Haim, has the ability to warp ahead one space, allowing him to dash over traps and obstacles. The levels are slightly tweaked for the characters with skills, setting up ways for you to utilize your new powers. As you play through the story mode levels, you'll unlock bonus levels that you can access at any point from the main menu. There are a total of 10 bonus levels and these are easily the most challenging puzzles you'll encounter in the game.

Fearful Symmetry will probably last you somewhere between 5-10 hours, much less if you end up using a walkthrough for assistance. Considering the game's $5 asking price, you'll easily get your money's worth out of this one and I've also seen it go on sale for something like $1 several times as well. If you're a fan of logic puzzles, give Fearful Symmetry a look. There's a free trial for the game, so if you're on the fence give that a shot first.

Final Verdict: Fearful Symmetry is a challenging puzzle game where you control 2 characters simultaneously moving in opposite directions on opposing screens. Recommended for fans of logic puzzles.

Related Links:
Buy Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - Microsoft Store
Gamera Interactive - Official Site
SOEDESCO - Official Site
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - Metacritic
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince - GameFAQs
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince -True Achievements
Fearful Symmetry & The Cursed Prince Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

Null Drifter (Xbox One, 2020)

Null Drifter
Developed by Panda Indie Studio
Published by Eastasiasoft Limited
Released for Xbox One (4/8/2020)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

Null Drifter bills itself as a "1-bit lo-fi simulation," which seems fitting considering the graphics are composted of 2-tones of color and rather basic, but decent pixel-art. The game plays like your average twin-stick shooter, starting off easy but picking up in difficulty quite fast. Several of the waves will feature a boss at the end to fight. As you destroy enemies, they'll drop coins and sometimes power-ups. There's also a dash maneuver that can be used to evade or damage enemies, which requires a short time to recharge after use. Upon dying, you can spend your collected credits purchasing upgrades that allow you to start out powered-up a bit. That's really about all there is to Null Drifter, it's a minimalist twin-stick with some frenetic action; nothing more and nothing less.

Pins on the Xbox One | Xbox Overview

Pins on the Xbox One
Published April 16, 2020

The ability to create and modify lists of pins might not sound like much, but it's easily one of the better aspects of the Xbox One's user-interface. It makes it easy to quickly navigate through lists of games, particularly handy for getting to those games or apps you use the most frequently. The pins are made so much better due to the fact that navigating your library under "My Games & Apps" can be quite tedious if you have a large collection installed.

The pins tab can be accessed by pressing the Guide button and selecting "My Games & Apps." An additional menu will pop up, offering the option to "See All" games at the top and your lists of pins will be displayed right below. Up to 40 titles can be displayed at a time on each set of pins and the list can be collapsed by pressing the A button on the list name. In order to reorganize games within the list, highlight the game you wish to move, press the Menu button and then select move. An even simpler way to reorganize your list can be found under "My Games & Apps." Scroll down to "Groups," highlight the game you wish to move and press the View button (formerly known as the Back button on the 360 pad). This same method can be used to reorganize the groups as well, making it easy to sort out your lists to your liking.

The pins are a nice feature that can save you some time having to dig around in the clunky games menus. If you game on an Xbox One and haven't used the pins feature yet, give it a look!

Elea (Xbox One, 2018)

Elea
Developed by Kyodai
Published by SODESCO
Released for Xbox One (9/6/2018)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

Elea is a walking simulator with a sci-fi theme which was first released on PC in April 2018. In September that same year the game would release for the Xbox One, followed by a PlayStation 4 release in July 2019 and a Switch release in February 2020. The Switch version was released as Elea: Paradigm Shift, but from what I can tell is the same game with a new title.

Elea takes place in the future, where a pandemic has hit Earth and made it uninhabitable. A new planet with features similar to Earth has been located and an expedition has been launched via the ship named Pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage arrived on the foreign planet but shortly after landing all contact with the ship was lost. You take the role of space scientist River Elea Catherine Jones, one decade after contact with the Pilgrimage was lost. Your husband, Ethan, was among the crew on the Pilgrimage, and it's up to you to piece together the events of what happened.

Most of your time with Elea will be spent on the research ship named Recovery, though there are some virtual reality segments that will take you to other locations. At the start of the game you'll start off in some sort of virtual machine that messes with your memories, which will be seen several times throughout the game. You'll navigate the game from a first-person perspective and gameplay involves walking, interacting with objects and listening to the dialogue as you discover more about your missing husband. There are documents and PDA devices you can pick up along the way to read up on the lore if you so wish.

Elea is a good looking game in the visuals department, with some stand-out scenes that look great. The environments are detailed and some of the virtual reality segments are very psychedelic. There's lots of flashing lights and colors, so those prone to epilepsy from such things may want to avoid this one. While the graphics look nice, the voice acting leaves a bit to be desired. The low-budget aspect of the game shines through here, and while the voice actors read the lines competently they just didn't really seem all that into it.

Like any game in the walking simulator genre, Elea is not going to appeal to everybody. Those who like the laid-back style of these games may find something to enjoy, as well as those who just enjoy sci-fi in general. It's likely only going to last 3-5 hours, so if you decide to take the plunge you may want to hold out for a sale (I got it for under $2). It's not a bad game by any means, but certainly not really good either, just a bit above average. Those looking for some easy gamerscore will appreciate the fact that all achievements can be unlocked in such a short period of time, though beware that the achievement for getting out of the labyrinth in 15 seconds is very iffy and will likely require many, many attempts before you finally get it to unlock. Other than that one problematic achievement, unlocking everything else is incredibly easy.

Elea was billed as being the first episode in a series, but seeing as the 1st episode came out well over a year ago at the time of this writing and the 2nd episode still hasn't been announced, I wouldn't be surprised if it never sees the light of day. Elea was ported to the Switch in 2020 however, so perhaps if that version sells enough copies we'll see the next entry in the series.

Final Verdict: Elea is a provides some nice visuals and decent gameplay for those who enjoy sci-fi, walking sims or easy achievements.

Related Links:
Buy Elea - Microsoft Store
Project Elea - Official Site
SODESCO - Official Site
Elea - Metacritic
Elea - GameFAQs
Elea - True Achievements
Elea - Xbox Achievements

Super Weekend Mode (Xbox One, 2019)

Super Weekend Mode
Developed by Pixelteriyaki
Published by Ratalaika Games
Released for Xbox One (4/10/2019)
Also on Mac/PC/Switch/PS4/Vita

Super Weekend Mode is a title from developer Pixelteriyaki and brought to the Xbox One thanks to publisher Ratalaika Games. Just by the name of the game alone you can tell this is gonna be a strange one. Super Weekend Mode features pixelated graphics and an overall short but challenging game.

The actual gameplay in Super Weekend Mode is a bit strange, featuring two little paddle-looking things at the bottom of the screen. Each paddle is mapped to a bumper by default, but this can be customized in the options menu (personally I like mapping these to the triggers). The paddles have 2 positions, left or right, and pressing the bumper will alternate the bumper to its other position. Hearts will come dropping from the top of the screen and you'll need to line up your paddles to catch them before they touch the bottom of the screen. Missing a heart will cause the screen to shrink a bit and if you miss too many hearts then you'll lose a life. As you progress, you'll encounter hearts that fall different, making it harder to predict where you need to be.

In addition to hearts, there are other objects that will fall from the top of the screen. The bunnies (at least I think that's what they are) that come down can't be collected like the hearts, instead requiring you to bash it with the paddle by switching over right as it passes by. This requires some precise timing and is definitely one of the more difficult aspects of the game. If you accidentally collect a bunny, this will shrink the screen the same way it does when you miss hearts and if you let one pass this will cost you a life. There are also skulls that rain down and these will cause instant death if collected. The challenge ramps up quick and by the time you reach the 3rd stage you'll need some pretty fast reflexes to make it through. There's a combo chain meter that builds up as you collect hearts and bash bunnies. Filling the combo chain after taking a hit can restore the screen. It's an interesting mechanic and feels unique, though some will struggle more than others when it comes to controlling the 2 paddles.

Collecting the hearts, bashing the bunnies and avoiding the skulls isn't the only objective in Super Weekend Mode. At the upper part of the screen, you'll see that level's boss. When either paddle is in the center position, it will be lined up to hit the boss. Your paddle will auto-fire by default, but if you want more buttons to push during the game this can be disabled in the options menu. Ideally, you want to keep both paddles in the center position to take the boss down as fast as possible, but due to the falling objects you won't be able to continuously fire at them. The boss characters themselves are simple single-color sprites with only a few frames of animation, though while playing you'll hardly have time to notice due to everything going on at the same time. Once you get the boss close to defeat, they'll enter into a second state, complete with some new pixel-art to make them look a bit more threatening than their first form.

Super Weekend Mode contains 9 levels, which is a bit on the short side but the difficulty will ensure that you don't just blast right through the game. There are 3 difficulty levels and you can also select between a variety of princess characters, some of which will make the game more challenging and others that will make it a bit easier. The options menu allows you to customize the controls and toggle autofire.

Super Weekend Mode can be a fun game, particularly for those who enjoy those Guitar Hero-style rhythm games and folks who just like old-arcade style games. Those looking for easy achievements or gamerscore will like this one due to its incredibly short completion time. Publisher Ratalaika Games has developed a reputation for putting out games with super easy achievements and Super Weekend Mode is no exception. All of the game's achievements can be unlocked within 20 minutes, only requiring the player to get as far as stage 3.

In regards to the strange title of the game, the developer commented on a YouTube review (link below) stating the title of the game was a mis-translation of "caravan mode" from shmup games. Then the developer states something about the Star For Super Weekend Competition cartridge, so it's all a bit confusing but boils down to some type of mis-translation that the developer decided to just roll with.

Final Verdict: Super Weekend Mode will appeal to fans of rhythm games or those looking for easy achievements.

Related Links:
Buy Super Weekend Mode - Microsoft Store
Ratalaika Games - Xbox Overview
Pixelteriyaki - Official Site
Ratalaika Games - Official Site
Cornshaq Reviews Super Weekend Mode - YouTube
Super Weekend Mode - Metacritic
Super Weekend Mode - GameFAQs
Super Weekend Mode - True Achievements

XBLIG De-Listed Games

XBLIG De-Listed Games

Technically, all XBLIG are de-listed at this point, but back when the service was live there were several titles that were taken down. While sifting through and trying to find some gems there were a few titles I was very interested in checking out, only to later find out that they no longer exist in the game marketplace. For some reason or another, the developer felt the need to remove these games. Others were removed at the request of Microsoft. This is by no means a complete list, just a few titles I noticed firsthand during the years XBLIG was still a service. If you happen to know of any other games that were de-listed from XBLIG, leave a comment or send me a message and I'll update the list.

Shutshimi
Developed by awppy
Released for XBLIG (5/7/2014)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Vita/WiiU

Shutshimi just kind of vanished from the marketplace at some point with little notice, presumably around August of 2015 when the game was ported over to several platforms by Neon Deity Games, while the original on the 360 was just credited to awppy, so it was possibly some sort of licensing issue that caused its removal. The game has wound up on several other platforms, with ports released for the Vita, Linux, Macintosh, PC, PlayStation 4 and the Wii U. The game was a 2D horizontal shmup with some pretty cool aquatic themed graphics.

Tobe's Vertical Adventure
Developed by rayteoactive
Released for XBLIG (1/5/2010)
Also on PC

Tobe's Vertical Adventure was a nice looking 2D platformer that was developed by rayteoactive and released for XBLIG in January 2010. The game was ported to PC later the following year and I'm not really sure why this one was removed from XBLIG at this point.

Ninja Chop
Developed by zerozerozero
Released for XBLIG (3/2010)

I'm not proud to admit it, but out of the de-listed titles we've covered here, Ninja Chop is the only one I actually owned and had the opportunity to play. It's quite obvious why this one was removed from XBLIG, as the game features female ninjas chopping milk bottles and getting soaked in the milk afterwards. The graphics aren't good enough for it to really be that offensive, but it's still a game you'll no doubt feel ashamed playing if somebody walks in on you. Check out the review here.

Skate or Die (Xbox, Cancelled)

Skate or Die
Developed by Criterion Studios
Published by Electronic Arts
Planned for Xbox/PS2
Announced 2002
Cancelled 2003

Skate or Die was a skateboarding game, originally developed by Electronic Arts and released for the Commodore 64 back in 1987. In 1988, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System and the following year was released onto the Amstrad CPC, Spectrum and PC formats. I've heard quite a few of the younger folks trash the Skate or Die series, but this game was quite a big deal back in the day. At least in my household, this was one of the few NES carts we had so it got a lot of play and I have nothing but fond memories of the game. The series would get a few sequels in the following years with the final game in the franchise released for the Game Boy in 1991.

In 2002, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series was still going strong for Activision and Electronic Arts wanted something to compete with that series. They commissioned developer Criterion Games to develop a new Skate or Die game, set to be released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Criterion Games was mostly known for the Burnout games, but they had developed a few hover-board games with TrickStyle for the Dreamcast and AirBlade for the PS2, so developing a skateboarding game wasn't out of the question for these guys.

Criterion had proposed some cool ideas for the game, one of which was to allow the player to hop off the board and walk around on foot. There were going to be shops where you could purchase new boards/equipment and NPCs that you could interact with. This was all well before the Tony Hawk series was doing any of this, so Skate or Die had some very unique concepts for the time. As ambitious as all this was, Electronic Arts wanted even more from the game., requesting that Criterion create a full-blown open world title that could compete with the Grand Theft Auto series. Criterion Games knew EA was asking for too much out of the project and eventually quit. There were also rumors that EA considered trying to make this a Jackass or Dogtown and Z-Boys tie-in.

As you would expect, EA was not happy with Criterion walking out on the project. It looked bad for Criterion and a developer mentioned in an interview that the Need for Speed team told the guys they couldn't work with or talk to them anymore. Criterion and EA eventually worked things out and before long Criterion would go back to work on their Burnout series, with Burnout 3: Takedown coming out for Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2004. It's great to see that this wasn't the end of the line for Criterion Games, but one can't help but wonder what could have been if Skate or Die made it to store shelves. A lone screenshot has surfaced which came from a UK-based video games magazine by the name of GamesTM, which ran a preview for Skate or Die in issue 100.

Related Links:
Skate or Die Reboot - Unseen64
Criterion's Lost Skate or Die Sequel - Game Informer
Skate or Die! - Wikipedia
Skate or Die Game Franchise - GameFAQs