Has some high points, but soon gave way to glaring faults. Not the worst game, but is difficult to recommend.

As one of the last remaining humans, forge friendships with courageous robot companions and lead them on an epic adventure through a mysterious, dynamic world.

Microsoft's latest "Windows 10 and Xbox One" exclusive, ReCore , is a title that not only showed promise, but one that had gamers salivating when it first appeared at E3 2015. The final product is anything but a steaming pile of garbage.

The main premise of Comcept's new game, ReCore , is that its protagonist, a terraforming specialist named Joule, is stranded on the desert planet of Far Eden as part of a recolonization effort to escape a now-biohazardous Earth.

Every now and again, there comes a game with such incredible potential to be something truly extraordinary. ReCore is one such game, but unfortunately its potential is squandered by its implementation, bugs and most of all insecurity about itself.

Fun gameplay | Decent platforming | Surprisingly big sandbox world | Not bad-looking

Horrific Loading screens | Poorly executed metroidvania system | Boring backtracking | Did I mention the loading times

On time delivery. The game is just fine not that good as expected.

ReCore has been a highly anticipated Xbox One release ever since its initial unveiling at E3. The game looked great, with a cinematic trailer that promised

Interesting and enjoyable characters; Engaging world; Old school gameplay

Abysmal loading times; Assorted technical issues; Roadblocks galore

ReCore feels like a game grappling with insecurity over its length. Clocking in at around eight hours, it's a modest action game in which players, along with robotic companions called CoreBots, explore dungeons to find power-ups and progress through the story.

Shooting feels fast; frenetic; and satisfying; CoreBots are charming characters; Lots of small touches of environmental storytelling

Crashes and UI bugs; Long loading times; Fetch quest detracts from the whole experience

'ReCore' is set in a lonesome future where humanity has managed to kill off the Earth. The remnants of our species head out to another planet and go into cryosleep in orbit while robots terraform the surface below, a process expected to take two centuries.

A shame, as there's much to enjoy about Recore, an unpretentious throwback to a different age that's got a spark and character that's entirely its own. Scratch away at its slightly flakey surface and you can see all that enviable legacy of its developers crashing together in surprising, often...