An Interlude to Updates

 Just a quick heads up, the site will be on a quick hiatus for the next couple weeks while I revise and finish up some of the already published reviews. My full-time job as an overnight stocker is really wearing me out and been having trouble keeping up with the load. I'll return in mid-July with fresh updates. Thanks for visiting and have a nice day!

ACA NeoGeo: Samurai Shodown (Xbox One, 2017)

ACA NeoGeo: Samurai Shodown

Developed by SNK/Hamster

Published by Hamster

Released for Xbox One (5/2/2017)

Also on Arcade/NeoGeo/PC/PS4/Switch

PREFACE
While there were a few SNK titles released during the Xbox 360 era, I was always disappointed that SNK decided to release Samurai Showdown II on the Xbox Live Arcade while skipping the original game. Fast-forward to the next console generation and thanks to Hamster and the Arcade Classics Archive series, the original Samurai Showdown has now seen a release on just about everything out there.

CrushBorgs (Xbox One, 2022)

CrushBorgs

Developed/Published by Xitilon

Released for Xbox One (4/19/2022)

Also on PC

 

 

INTRO 

These retro-styled throwback games seem to be a dime a dozen these days, which can make it tough to pick out which ones are worth your time and money. Today we'll be delving into CrushBorgs, a run 'n gun developed by Xitilon using GameMaker Studio 2. Brought to us by Ukraine-based indie developer Xitilon, CrushBorgs pays homage and plays very similarly to the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) ports of Contra. Let's drop in and start blasting!

PRESENTATION

CrushBorgs does a decent job emulating the 8-bit aesthetic of the games it was inspired by, both in the graphics and sound departments. The graphics are composed of pixels that look just like something you would've seen on your NES just without the sprite flicker. While the graphics look true to 8-bit, the enemy designs are rather unimaginative, consisting mostly of boring robots and turrets. Stages suffer a similar fate of just being uninspired and forgettable. The music, much like the graphics, does a good job sounding true to the time period but fails to stand out in any way other than being background noise. The game looks true to its 8-bit inspirations, but lacks too much in originality to really stand out amongst the sea of retro-styled shooters that have come out in recent years.

Golf Peaks (Xbox One, 2021)

Golf Peaks

Developed by Afterburn

Published by 7Levels

Released for Xbox One (9/21/2021)

Also on iOS/Mac/PC/Switch

 

INTRO

Developed by small Poland-based studio Afterburn, Golf Peaks was originally released for the Nintendo Switch back in March 2019. Two years later the game would make its way onto the Xbox One thanks to publisher 7Levels. Don't be fooled by the name of the game, Golf Peaks is not your standard golf game. The goal is still to guide the ball into the hole, but it's done in a turn-based format using cards that represent the moves rather than hitting the ball with a club. Billing itself as a relaxing puzzler, let's take a look at Golf Peaks and see what it's all about...

PRESENTATION

Golf Peaks takes a minimalist approach, both when it comes to the menu layouts and the graphical presentation. While simple in design, everything looks nice and the game is easily accessible to players of all age and experiences ranges. The music does a good job staying in the background and what's hear does a good job matching the simple, laid-back pace of the game. The in-game graphics are well-drawn and easy to look at, making it easy to select which direction you'd like to launch the ball. Overall, Golf Peaks does a good job in the presentation department.

Many Faces: Console Edition (Xbox One, 2020)

Many Faces: Console Edition

Developed by WANZUNGDEV/EastAsiaSoft Limited

Published by EastAsiaSoft Limited

Released for Xbox One (5/26/2020)

Also on Linux/PC/PS4/PS5/Switch

 

INTRO

Developed using GameMaker Studio 2, Many Faces was originally created by Chicago-based WANZUNGDEV, which on his Twitter page states that he's just "an ordinary IT guy with a passion for retro and indie video games." It's hard not to admire games that were developed by a single person that manage to make it onto the storefronts of potentially millions of video game consoles. Many Faces was ported and published to home consoles thanks to EastAsiaSoft, a company which has released a steady stream of ports on the Xbox One over the last several years. Many Faces is a multi-directional shooter inspired by arcade classics, so right away this one had my interest on that alone. Let's take a look at the game and see if it's something worth investing your dollar & time into...

PRESENTATION

Let's just get it right out of the way: Many Faces is not easy on the eyes. The graphics attempt to mimic the look of an early 80's arcade game, but with this simplicity comes an appearance devoid of much charm, detail or personality. The menus are easy to use but bare-bones, but the option to turn on a cross hair to make aiming easier is appreciated. To accompany the retro graphic design, there is a chiptune soundtrack that sounds like something of the era. While the music works well enough with the graphic style, none of the compositions are memorable or stand out in any way. 

 

The main character design is uninspired to say the least: he's just simply a white circle with a basic face drawn on it. There's some decent variety when it comes to the enemy designs, the problem is that most of them are boring, coming in the form of simple shapes that are difficult to tell if they're supposed to represent something. There are nods to 80's culture, with one enemy looking like a Tie-Fighter ship from Star Wars and another that looks like Evil Otto from the arcade classic Berzerk. While the nostalgic throwbacks are cool, the majority of the enemy designs are just as immediately forgettable as the lackluster stage designs, which we'll get to shortly...

Eight Dragons (Xbox One, 2021)

Eight Dragons

Developed by Extend Mode

Published by JanduSoft

Released for Xbox One (5/27/2021)

Also on Linux/PC/PS5/Switch

 

Preface

Eight Dragons is a 2D beat 'em up that shoots for an old-school look and play style, paying homage to Technos arcade classics Renegade and Double Dragon. Brought to us by British-based developer Extend Mode, Eight Dragons was published by JanduSoft for the Xbox One in late May 2021. Advertising itself as a throwback to simpler times, let's hit the streets and bash some heads!

 

Gameplay

Eight Dragons features what is possibly the simplest control scheme in a brawler released on the Xbox One. The A button attacks, X jumps and B will pick up objects. That's all there is to it, making this an easy one for anybody to pick up and play, though it may take some time getting used to X jumping instead of A. There's no button configuration in the options menu, so you'll just have to get used to the default control scheme. 

Mighty Goose (Xbox Series, 2021)

Mighty Goose

Developed by Blastmode/MP2 Games

Published by PLAYISM

Released for Xbox One/Series (6/5/2021)

Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/PS5/Switch

INTRO

Just from taking a quick glance at the preview screenshots for Mighty Goose, it's obvious from the artwork of the tank vehicle that it was paying tribute to the run & gun classic series Metal Slug. Immediately intrigued and always on the lookout for a good new run & gun action experience, this one had been on my radar for some time now. Finally, close to a year after its release and after missing it's run on Game Pass, I finally got around to dedicating some time to play through Mighty Goose (brought to us from Netherlands-based developer Blastmode), so without further ado let's get right into it and see if it's worth your dollars & time...

PRESENTATION

Right off the bat, Mighty Goose impresses with some very colorful & detailed pixel graphics. The menus are simple and easy to navigate. The explosions look awesome and are quite the spectacle. The soundtrack, composed by Dominic Ninmark (Blazing Chrome), is a blend of rock/jazz music and is easily one of the highlights of the overall package. There's a decent variety of enemy designs and they're all fun to blow to smithereens. Unless you just really dislike pixel-art, there's little to complain about with Mighty Goose in regards to the overall presentation...everything looks and sounds good.

Iro Hero (Xbox One, 2019)

Iro Hero

Developed by Artax Games

Published by Eastasiasoft Limited

Released for Xbox One (12/18/2019)

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

 

 

Preface

Developed by Artax Games, a small indie studio based out of Madrid, Iro Hero is the first of many shmups that would be published to the Xbox One via Eastasiasoft Limited. Iro Hero takes heavy inspiration from genre classic Ikaruga, featuring a 2-color (blue/red) shot system which you'll have to alternate between on the fly to kill enemies of the respective color. Similar to the classic it was inspired by, Iro Hero plays like a mix of  the puzzle and shoot 'em up genres, which can be a tough duo to mix while maintaining a good fun-factor. Without further ado, let's take a look at the strangely named Iro Hero and see if it's worth your time and money...

Presentation

Iro Hero is a shmup of the vertical-scroller variety, featuring some nice-looking 2D sprites. The enemy projectiles all clearly stand out amidst the backgrounds. While the sprites are well-drawn, the ship design tends to be a bit bland and forgettable. The opening stage, which takes place over a sprawling city, looks promising but is easily the coolest of all the backgrounds featured in the game (at least out of the ones I witnessed, more on that in a bit...). The player ship is quite large, making it difficult to dodge enemy bullets, though you can switch the color of your ship to match the bullets and absorb them. This takes some quick timing and gets tough on some of the more crowded screens later in the game. Another positive aspect to note regarding the presentation is the excellent soundtrack, featuring some groovy upbeat techno music that helps make the game more enjoyable. There is some weird volume adjustment that happens with the in-game music, where it suddenly gets louder or quieter for some reason. It's not a game-breaking issue by any means, though it is slightly annoying.

Stellatum (Xbox One, 2019)

Stellatum

Developed by Satur Entertainment

Published by Sometimes You

Released for Xbox One (10/9/2019)

Also on PC/PS4/PS5/Switch

 

Prelude

Stellatum combines the control-layout of a twin-stick shooter with the level format of a standard vertically-scrolling shmup. It's a novel idea and a refreshing change from the constant arena-style approach that twin-stick shooters tend to use. Developed by Satur Entertainment and published by Sometimes You in October 2019, Stellatum promises to deliver an "exciting scroll shooter" so let's delve in and see if it can live up to the hype...

Presentation

While navigating the ship upgrade menu can be cumbersome, once you get into the actual shoot 'em up gameplay Stellatum makes a solid first impression. The visuals are super-detailed and initially the space backdrops look great, but once you realize that this is basically the same backdrop for every stage (of which there are 80!) the once impressive backgrounds start to become tedious. The sound design fails to make much of an impression, featuring standard sound effects that all sound stock and a soundtrack that didn't leave any mark. Overall, while Stellatum looks nice in the graphics department, the presentation is lacking when you put together all of the pieces.

Retro Highway (Xbox One, 2021)

Retro Highway

Developed/Published by Gearhead Games

Released for Xbox One (10/22/2021)

Also on Android/iOS/Switch

 

 

Intro

Originally released for Android mobile platforms back in April 2018, Retro Highway received a port to both the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in late 2021. There are lots of gamers that instantly frown upon console ports of mobile games, but we're going into this one with an open mind so without using any more excess words let's get right into the review for Retro Highway...

Gameplay

Retro Highway draws heavy inspiration from classic clock-racing arcade-style driving games like Super Hang-On, Outrun and Rad Racer. While the time element has been removed in Retro Highway, much of what made those old games so great has made it into this game as well, mainly in the handling and dodging of obstacles and traffic. The game is basically an endless runner mixed with an old-school arcade motorcycle racer. As you progress through the game you'll unlock new stages, with a total of 6 different levels to see in the end. 

Xbox Overview Site Update | April 2022

Xbox Overview Site Update | April 2022

Xbox Overview has now officially been switched back to active status. Starting next week, a new review will now be posted on the main site every Friday. Setting a schedule will be necessary to ensure consistent updates on my part (which has been a struggle over the last year) and there may be weeks where I get several reviews up, but at the very least I'm shooting to get at least one new review up every week. There will also be 2 "sub-sites", one which will consist of games released in the arcades and the other will cover games released for consoles outside the Xbox platform. More on those in the near future as I work to put them together. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the game reviews and articles!

2022 Site Update | Xbox Overview

 2022 Site Update

Greetings. The site has been dormant for several months now and was actually on the verge of being shut down at a few points, but is now with the new year there will be an effort to bring the site back into action. Life isn't the same as it was when the site began back in 2017 and I don't have near as much time to game and post about it here, so I can't make any promises about how frequent the updates will come, but I'll go out of my way to make sure I post at least a few reviews a month. Expect to see the reviews branch out to the new Series systems as well, since I was finally able to score one of those a few months back. If you're one of the select few who has found this site and is reading this, thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy the site.

 

A new section of reviews will be added as well, consisting of select old-school arcade games that are relevant to the site through the fact that they've been ported over to an Xbox platform at some point or another. There's been enough coverage in the past and more to come that fit this category, so expect to see this section expand quite fast as we begin to delve into the vast arcade and Neo-Geo offerings out there. The future will be fun as we expand the content here on Xbox Overview, so hopefully you'll come back periodically and check it out!

Shenmue II (Xbox, 2002 | Xbox One, 2018)

Shenmue II

Developed by Sega AM2/d3t Ltd.

Published by Sega

Released for Xbox (10/29/2002) | Xbox One (8/21/2018)
Also on Dreamcast/PC/PS4

Xbox Version Backwards Compatible with Xbox 360/Xbox One

 

 

Shenmue II picks up right where the first game left off, (minor spoiler alert) starting off with Ryo arriving in Hong Kong. Originally a Japan-only release in 2001 for the Dreamcast, Shenmue II was large enough to warrant 4 GD-ROMS (the disc format used for the Dreamcast). English-speaking audiences wouldn't get to experience the game until 2002 when it received a release for the Xbox and, thanks to the size of the DVD format, the whole game would now fit on a single disc. A bonus disc was included which contained Shenmue: The Movie, a 90-minute feature that showcased the plot from the original game. The game would remain locked to the Dreamcast and Xbox platforms all the way up until 2018 when Shenmue I & II were released for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The port boasts some nice upgrades, but these are still the classic Shenmue games for better or worse. Has the sequel aged gracefully or is it one of those better left in the past? Let's get into it and explore the world of Shenmue II...

Visually, Shenmue II is very much in line with the original game but there are larger and more diverse environments to explore. The environments you'll explore are impressive and detailed for the most part, though towards the end of the game you'll spend lots of time inside buildings that tend to feel empty and boring. The characters look about the same as the first game and it is still one of the aspects that could really use an overhaul as the characters come off looking a bit stiff and doll-like at times. The music is another department where Shenmue II saw some improvements, featuring a soundtrack with some nice tunes that I found more memorable than the songs in the original. The quality of the voice samples is also much better this time. Overall it's a more polished presentation than the first entry on all fronts.

What is the Xbox Creators Program? | Xbox Overview

What is the Xbox Creators Program?
Published July 2021

The Launch
The Xbox Live Creators Program went live in August 2017. Not to be confused with the ID@Xbox program, which spotlights more high-profile indie games, the Creators Program will allow potentially anybody to publish a title in the store and allowing for more small-scale titles to hit the market. Games released through the Creators Program lack many features in standard Xbox titles, including no achievements and lack of online support. Even if a developer uses a workaround to allow for online play, it's going to be difficult to find populated games in such obscure titles. If it sounds similar to the Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG) section on the Xbox 360, that's because it is...

There was a sense of déjà vu when the Creators Program launched, bringing back memories of how the XBLIG were buried within the storefront, making them difficult to stumble upon by accident. The Creators Program storefront was only accessible from the front page of the store, which sounds good at first until you realize that this isn't necessarily a frequently navigated page. Most users will check the new games and the deals, neither of which feature Creators Program games. With the Creators Program service being so similar to what XBLIG was offering, it's a bit of a bummer that they didn't just carry those games over to the Xbox One rather than just close that storefront and ditch the thousands of games that had been submitted on the service.

Shenmue (Xbox One, 2018)

Shenmue

Developed by Sega/d3t Ltd.

Published by Sega

Released for Xbox One (8/21/2018)

Also on PC/PS4

 

Originally released for the Dreamcast in 1999 (2000 in the US) and was a landmark title that was created with the biggest budget Sega had ever used for a video game at the time of its release. Shenmue was created with Yu Suzuki at the helm as director (Outrun, Hang-On, Virtua Fighter) and is considered by many to be one of the most important releases for the short-lived Sega Dreamcast console. In this review we'll take a look at the Xbox One 2018 release of Shenmue, which also came out for the PC and PlayStation 4. 

Shenmue was quite the ambitious project back in the 90's when it came out, featuring a decent size open-world to explore with detail that had been unrivaled at the time. The game tells the story of Ryo Hazuki, who witnesses his father beaten to death in their dojo at the start of the game. The rest of the game is spent trying to identify the man who killed your father and get revenge for his murder. Taking place in Yokosuka, Japan, you'll have access to explore several areas which are linked by brief loading screens. The town is called Dobuita, which is where the majority of the interesting stuff will occur. There are a large number of shops you can enter, NPCs to interact with (though most don't have time to talk to you) and other various activities. Shenmue really excels at making the environments feel immersive and alive, with NPCs that operate on a schedule and will actually go about doing their own thing. In addition to a day and night cycle, there are also varying states of weather including rain and snow. At the end of the day you'll have to go home and sleep, but thankfully the developers spared us from having to eat and use the bathroom. 

Brutal Chase (Xbox One, 2018)

Brutal Chase 

Developed/Published by Gamer Bear

Released for Xbox One (12/15/2018)

 

Brutal Chase was developed by Gamer Bear (the same ones that brought us Coconut Farm 3D) and was released under the Creators Collection program in December 2018. If you've ever played any of the arcade classic Chase HQ games then you'll know what to expect from Brutal Chase. The gameplay involves taking to the streets in a police car and ramming your vehicle into criminals as a means of apprehending them. We haven't had the best experience with these Creators Collection games thus far, but with such a cool premise and cheap price tag, I was more than willing to take a chance on this one. Without further ado, let's get into it and see if this one is worth ninety-nine cents that it cost to play it....

In Brutal Chase you'll smash up the cars of criminals in 9 different locations scattered across the globe. The game starts off in New York, but also features stages in San Francisco, Vancouver, Mexico, Isle of Man, Hamburg, Barcelona and Agra. As you smash up the criminals, you'll accumulate credits which can be spent between missions in order to upgrade your current car or purchase a new vehicle. There are a total of 5 vehicles to purchase, with each featuring more stats to grind your way towards upgrading. While pursuing the criminals you'll also have to watch out for civilian traffic, since colliding with innocent cars will deduct credits from your wallet. 

Smash TV (XBLA, 2005)

Smash TV

Developed by Midway/Digital Eclipse

Published by Midway

Released for XBLA (11/24/2005)

Also on Arcade

 

Around a year after Xbox Live Arcade launched, Midway dropped a bunch of arcade classics as download-only titles onto the service and Smash TV was one such title. An arcade fondly remembered by those who played it back in the day, Smash TV is a twin-stick shooter with a game show theme heavily inspired by the Running Man. We'll go into a brief overview of the game to see if it's still worth playing all these years later... 

Smash TV is the textbook definition of an arcade quarter muncher, meaning that the game is excessively difficult and designed to empty out all of the quarters from your pockets. Death will come quick and frequently in Smash TV as you are constantly being swarmed from enemies in all directions. There are only 3 levels, but there are many screens within each. You'll get to choose your own path as you go, making for some nice replay value should you decide to come back for more. Each room is a screen where you'll have to fend off an onslaught of enemies while powerups and bonus prizes appear at random during the action. There's a nice array of weaponry to find here, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Renegade (Xbox One, 2020)

Renegade

Developed by Technos Japan/I.T.L.

Published by Arc System Works

Released for Xbox One (4/16/2020)

Also on PS4/Switch

Renegade holds an important place in gaming history, so before we delve into the Xbox One port I'd like to at least graze over this. Originally released in the arcades back in 1986, Renegade is the first beat 'em up game to add a plane that allows your character to move 8-ways. Kung Fu Master is technically the first beat 'em up, but Renegade is the original belt-scroller of the genre. Renegade was ported to the Famicom/NES in 1988 and for some reason this is the version that Arc System Works felt like bringing to us in this port. Right off the bat, I question why include the 8-bit port and not the arcade original, which looks and plays much better. Why not include both? Let's take a look into the Xbox port of the NES port of Renegade and see if it's still worth playing after all these years...

Considering that this is one of the first beat 'em ups ever made, there's an impressive array of fighting maneuvers at your disposal. You can punch, kick, run and jump kick. Running can be combined with kick or punch. Getting close to an enemy will allow you to grab them and from there you can either knee them or throw them over your shoulder. You can also sit on top of a downed opponent and punch them while down for some extra brutality. While it's cool that there's so many different moves, there's an issue with the control scheme which we'll get into next...

Freakout: Calamity TV Show (Xbox One, 2020)

Freakout: Calamity TV Show

Developed by Immaterial Studio

Published by JanduSoft

Released for Xbox One (4/17/2020)

Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

 

Freakout: Calamity TV Show was developed by Immaterial Studio and would be their only release on the Xbox One (and the only game they've created as far as I can tell). Published in April 2020 for the Xbox One by JanduSoft, Freakout immediately gave me hopes for a Smash TV-style twin-stick shooter with its game show theme. In the game description, the developer promises "a juicy top-down dual-stick shooter inspired by old arcade games and more recent die & retry shooters." Basically, the game aspires to be a mix of Smash TV and Hotline Miami. It's a premise with a lot of promise, so let's look at Freakout and see how it fares...

Freakout starts off with you taking the place of a game-show contestant where you must fight for your life with a firearm, similar to the movie the Running Man or the game Smash TV. This premise alone is enough to build a game off of, but Freakout decided to take it a step further with the plot revolving around our contestant escaping from the game show with the assistance of an off-screen helper. You'll play a total of 3 stages with the game-show theme, at which point our character escapes out onto the city streets. It all sounds cool and it's a solid concept, but unfortunately it's all downhill from here...

Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Developed by Klabater

Published by Punch Punk Games

Released for Xbox One (9/6/2019)

Also on PC/PS4

 

Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (could you have possibly made a longer title?) was released for the Xbox One in early September 2019. Brought to us by Poland-based developer and publisher Klabater, this version of Apocalipsis contains the bonus "One Night in the Woods" episode that was released as DLC for the original PC release. Featuring visuals inspired by 15th century engravings, Apocalipsis is a point & click adventure featuring several dark themes including heartbreak, redemption and the end of the world as we know it...

The story in Apocalipsis is heavily inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and starts off showing our character, a young man named Harry, grieving as his girlfriend has been hung after being accused of witchcraft. Harry is desperate to bring his love back and will do whatever it takes to accomplish this. It won't take but a screen or two in before you realize that Harry is prepared to make a deal with the devil in order to be reunited with his lost love. Those offended by dark and occult imagery will probably want to avoid this game, as it obviously delves heavily into this subject matter.