Completexbox

“Ra Ra Boom is a by number beat’em up. Go from point A to B, beat up everything in your path, beat the boss, rinse, repeat. The upgrades are pretty fun and allows some (or little) combat depth. However, the game is riddled with cheap enemies, regular enemies that hit harder than bosses; and I’ve also had a few issues of game crashing during the first hour. If you love the genre, this is a no brainer. If you’re looking to jump in the genre, there are better options out there such as Fight N’ Rage.”

“A Dream About Parking Lots is a truly unique game that is one of the shortest experiences I’ve played, one that you can finish in under an hour. I can’t describe this as a video game if I’m honest, it is more of an interactive process of thought with minimal gameplay. That said, I admire that the development team at Interactive Dreams has pushed out something that is a little out of the ordinary in the gaming space. At just £4.19, it isn’t going to break the bank, and if you fancy a casual walking sim that brings thoughts and feelings lost to the forefront, then it may be worth having a short blast with this.”

“Cook, Serve, Forever is a fresh experience that I wouldn’t personally classify as a direct sequel to the others. For me, it came across as a far more accessible title in comparison with some great storytelling with incredibly vibrant and polished visuals. Essentially, what you’re getting here is more of a rhythm-based button-pressing game than a dash attempt to serve several food items at once in a successive order. For those who loved the formula of the Cook, Serve, Delicious titles, you may not enjoy this one as much. But I admire the way Vertigo Games has attempted to try something new. I do think the game is a little pricey for £24.99 on Xbox, especially since there is probably only around 5-10 hours of gameplay involved. It’s a short but wonderfully illustrated and crafted journey, though one that even casual players may love.”

“Achilles Survivor is an exceptionally polished and moreish title that nestles in with the likes of Vampire Survivors and other popular roguelikes in the genre. This one has some unique aspects, including building structures that assist you in the heat of battle. It blends tower defence strategy with fighting hordes, which I haven’t yet seen with any other similar experiences. For the same price as the average pint of beer here in the UK, it is well worth a punt for several hours of fun.”

“Griffin is a fun little shmup. Decent and limited diversity of weaponry, challenging bosses and overall well designed levels. It’s also a rare case of where a game from 1990s still holds up pretty in 2025.”

“I was pleasantly surprised by Rally Arcade Classics, and I’ve had a ton of fun dipping into the huge feast of content on offer. If you’re a fan of older rally games such as V Rally or Colin McRae, then, like me, you’ll enjoy your time with this.”

“Irem Collection Volume 3 is just another partial collection of games that I feel should be released as a bigger package; more games for a slightly higher price or let players pick and choose what they want to buy.”

“Spirit Of The North 2 builds upon the goodness of the first outing, improving the experience by offering a larger world and extended playthrough. If you played the original and loved its calm nature, the compelling storyline, and the gorgeous worlds, then you’re in for a treat and will love this adventure”

“Heaven Dust is a great homage to early Resident Evil games and solid enough to stand on its own. Plenty of puzzles, exploring, shooting zombies and even three endings for players to enjoy.”

“The Lost Cube is a fun, addicitive and fairly challenging platformer that plays perfectly in short bursts. Each level makes you think as to how you can get through it; although the game’s pacing feels a bit unbalanced in terms of level complexity, it won’t dether the overall experience.”

“Submersed 2 The Hive definitely gets an A for effort, but F for execution. I forced myself to play this; I *really* wanted to enjoy it, but how the character moves made it impossible and mostly frustrating as some sequences require precise movement.”

“Sir Lovelot reminds me of a bit of Super Meat Boy, but easier and less hair pulling challenging. It’s a fun addictive little platformer that will have players go “one just more level” until they reach the end.”

“Next of Kin is an enjoyable, albeit short, gaming experiences that touches on some tough subjects. While it does feel a tad predictable, the soothing score adds a layer of dread of what’s about to happen. The lack of hand holding is fine, but can feel tedious at times as you try to figure out which item you need to investigate. If you’re looking for something short to juggle between longer AAA experiences, Next of Kin is an enjoyable experience that might make you think.”

“Cookie Clicker works well with a controller on the Xbox family of consoles and becomes a moreish experience if you’re into your idle clicking titles. It’s the perfect title to leave running in the background whilst listening to a podcast or doing something else. The majority of my playtime with this one was dipping into it every half hour and expanding everything whilst writing other game reviews. You can go and play this for free at any time from anywhere in the world in any internet browser. But playing it on the Xbox family of consoles gives you access to those precious achievements and the ability to save the game and pick it up later. For that reason alone, I’d recommend it at its low price of £4.29, which wouldn’t even grab you a decent cold pint in the UK.”

“For its reasonable price point of just £14.99, Cattle Country is worth every penny in the return you’ll get from it. There is tons to do and I’ve invested a good 20+ hours just sifting through the first year of the game and I’ve loved exploring every nook and cranny and ticking off as much as I can, making friends, protecting the community, and just losing hours gathering resources and taking in the gorgeous graphics. Not only does it bear many similarities to indie greats like Stardew Valley and Graveyard Keeper, but it puts its cowboy hat on and goes down as a must buy for 2025.”

“Spray Paint Simulator provides tens of hours of content if you’re happy with the repetitive nature. For Power Wash Sim fans out there, this scratches the same itch with the same satisfaction. I’ve exhausted all the campaign missions now, and there are options for co-operative play, but sadly, they are limited to the free-spray mode for now. I’m sure as time passes by, the development will add more content and future updates to the game. I’d love to be able to run through the campaign with a friend eventually, but it’s great that the foundations are there for even more. I spent nearly 30 hours with this one, and it is well worth checking out with your wallet or even through Xbox Game Pass.”

“Blazing Strike is a highly enjoyable and surprisingly decent fighter jam packed with content to keep fans entertained for some time; only once you’ve adapted to the slower movement. Also releasing this so close to Capcom Fighting Collection 2 won’t do this game any favors. Thanks to its slow movement, it’s a great entry point for those looking to dip their toes in the genre; while hardcore fans of the genre might find the lack of speed boring.”

“Clearly inspired by the Half-Life series, Kvark is a great FPS with a perfect old school feel; fairly balanced, interesting story, creepy ambiance. There’s also a decent variety of weapons to pick up and have fun with. It is also surprisingly lenghty and there’s quite a bit of areas to explore. However it does become a bit annoying constantly seeing the same enemies over and over; and the trailway section kinda slows the game down a bit. If you’re looking something substantial that feels different than common FPS, Kvark is a must-play; whether you’re an old veteran FPS player or tempted to dive into the genre.”

“I had a fantastic time with Peglin, and there is a potential for plenty of hours of gameplay if you want to achieve everything the game has to offer. It is indeed a game of luck in some respects, as you can only really project the direction of your shots, but you do influence how the game plays out with your choices throughout the game. Some runs take persistence, and you’re destined to fail many times, but I found this where the fun factor was. Working my way to the final bosses in the hope that how I played would either take them down quickly or chip away at them was intriguing. If you enjoyed the Peggle games and also like your roguelikes, then this is a mash-up that simply works well. For the amount of hours you get in return, it’s a worthy investment of just over £16. With a huge whack of user reviews being in the very positive category over on Steam on PC, that speaks volumes. Whilst this was released back in 2024 on PC and Nintendo Switch, it is one of the best indie titles I’ve had the pleasure of playing on an Xbox in 2025.”

“Stratogun is an overall enjoyable, highly challenging shmup experience with a minimalist approach. There’s a decent variety of perks and weaponry with RPG lite mechanics making this game a bit addictive. However, the limited usage of perks and constant weapon overheating takes a fair challenge and turns it into cheap hits/deaths. Fans of the genre will revel in this unique challenge, whereas newcomers of the genre should look into a different shmup.”