Ken Barnes

Push Square

Ken Barnes·Sep 27, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

The mentioned faults do knock NHL 17 down a little, but it would be harsh to do anything other than praise what is a very different and much improved game to last year. New modes, impressive tweaks to the AI to make things more competitive, and that stellar in-game presentation that does a darned good job of simulating the real thing mean that there's more than ever for the puck nuts to get their teeth into this time around.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Jun 8, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Neon Chrome is an admirable blend of genres that provides a stiff challenge and potentially massive amounts of playing time. There a feeling of repetition to be found for sure and the need to die, die, and die again won't be for everyone. Those with the mettle though, will find a fun and enjoyable shooter that has the potential to be both strangely compelling and unrelentingly addictive.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Jun 4, 2016

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Dangerous Golf is a bit of a letdown. There may be patches along the way that improve things, but as it stands, the game doesn't do justice to the premise and is ultimately frustrating and disappointing as a result. The addiction factor is in full effect relatively early on, but the number of problems it displays will soon put paid to that for most players.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·May 23, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Not A Hero is an enjoyable 2D shooter that will provide a decent challenge to the majority of gamers. There are failings to be found here and there, but they're relatively rare and the comedic presentation generally provides enough coverage to paper over those cracks. It probably isn't a game that you'll blast through in a single sitting and it certainly won't be for everybody, but Not A Hero is definitely a good deal of fun.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·May 16, 2016

Critic30/100

Agreement—

Super Night Riders undoubtedly started out as a good idea. 80s and 90s racing games were cool, of that there is no doubt. But when you compare the visuals here to what's on display in upcoming projects such as 90s Super GT or Racing Apex – which aren't even finished yet - and then throw in super-repetitive gameplay and framerate issues, it all runs out of fuel rather quickly.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·May 14, 2016

Critic20/100

Agreement—

Grand Prix Rock N Racing is an interesting proposition, but it tries every possible way to make you fail and you can tell that most of the time, it isn't doing it on purpose. Poor handling, archaic AI, no online play and a distinct lack of depth even in the game's Championship mode means that this is one that got stuck on the grid.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·May 5, 2016

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Coffin Dodgers is a classic example of a good idea backed up by poor execution. The gameplay feels dated before it starts as it doesn't progress things from the karting pretenders that have come before, and the visuals sort of fittingly feel like they're from an older generation. The premise has lashings of potential and there's a chuckle or two to be found, but the game is far too easy and brief for single players. Multiplayer is limited to offline play only and is as enjoyable as in every other non-Mario and non-Crash Bandicoot-based kart game, which is to say that it won't be one that you'll be trotting out at your gaming parties for very long.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·May 2, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

There are many words that could be used to describe SUPERHOT. Cool, addictive, stylish, fun, enjoyable…take your pick. What the development team have done is take a game mechanic that sounds like an excellent idea on paper and turned it into something special by fleshing out a game around it that does it justice and then layering on different ways of playing in the post-game. It flat out tells you to say this but we'd be saying it anyway: SUPERHOT is one of the most innovative shooters that we've played in years. Absolutely essential.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Apr 20, 2016

Critic50/100

Agreement—

Despite TRON RUN/r's relatively simple running nature, there's a fair amount to like here. There's a slight control issue with control when riding a lightcycle that you'll need to get used to, and we're confused as to why you'd be riding in the brightest game world ever when the movies almost entirely take place at night or in dark arenas, but those things can be overlooked. What we can't get past are the money-gouging tactics that end up detracting from the experience, the botched launch, and the missing season pass content.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Apr 7, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

With DiRT Rally, Codemasters have thrown the conventional way of looking at the sport of rallying in videogames out of the window and done it with such aplomb that the end product is all but irresistible. It could be said that the learning curve could do with being flattened just a little. We say that the harder the climb is, the greater the feeling of success is when you finally put in that perfect run, but it's understandable that not all players will feel that way in an age where going into a menu is considered to be achievement-worthy. For our money, this is easily the best rally game ever released. Not only that, it's transcended the scope of that admittedly small genre and is surprisingly close to the top of the general racing game category, too.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Mar 29, 2016

Critic30/100

Agreement—

Active Soccer 2 DX has its moments as it tries to recreate football games of old. However, even if it did that perfectly, that's all it would be doing since there's no attempt at innovation or anything that would push the genre forward. It's more or less a carbon copy of Sensible World of Soccer that doesn't play as well, has no online features whatsoever, has a wretched frontend and which features a comparatively large amount of bugs and oversights. It's also three times the price of the practically identical mobile version. Pass.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Mar 25, 2016

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Casey Powell Lacrosse 16 won't be a game for everybody. Of course it won't. But as well as giving fans of the sport a good deal of fun, it might convert a few non-lacrosse fans who are looking for a change from the usual multi-million dollar soccer/hockey/gridiron/basketball titles that are sent out onto the playing surface every year, as well. As an almost full-price title, things had to be pretty much on point here and though it isn't perfect, the development team have done well to provide a game that does the sport proud.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Mar 23, 2016

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Trackmania Turbo is a triumph. It nods back to console racers of yesteryear, provides speed, action, addictive gameplay, more than a few "wow!" moments and beyond the bundled 200 campaign courses, provides a potentially endless supply of content in the form of a robust track creation system. Should you clear the solo mode, you can take your car out into online play and you'll find a whole new world of fun and enjoyable events that all work flawlessly. Every corner has been rounded off and every surface has been polished here, and that's much to the developer's credit. Excellent stuff.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Mar 21, 2016

Critic40/100

Agreement—

Blast 'Em Bunnies is a strange one. Don't get us wrong, there are the makings of a good game here. Undoubtedly, it's a solidly-made product and the development team clearly have a good deal of talent. Sadly, there are also hints to suggest that they've misjudged this and were banking on it becoming a runaway success like Fruit Ninja or even Angry Birds. It won't. Whatever the original concept was has been distilled down to "player shoots bunnies lots and then does it again" and as such, it just isn't fun enough for the repeated plays that led to the levels of addiction that propelled those games into the stratosphere.

Pure Xbox

Ken Barnes·Mar 3, 2016

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Action Henk is enjoyable and challenging, of that there is no doubt. It isn't going to win any awards for visuals – despite looking good enough to get the job done – and we'd like to have seen the comedy brand placement from the initial playroom area be used more in the levels themselves. With that said, neither of these things is going to interrupt your entertainment and the enjoyment and exquisite frustration that the game provides is more than enough for it to get our recommendation. Good stuff.