Xbox x McDonald’s menu. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
As part of Xbox’s 25th anniversary, the console maker has teamed up with McDonald’s to bring gamers a brand new menu. With five new items to try, and a sixth in new packaging, it’s available right now as of August 25.
As Tuesday evening was set to be a celebration of gaming with Gamescom Opening Night Live, I thought I’d pair my watch-along with samples of McDonald’s latest gaming themed food items. For the most part, each item was a hit – and my favourite of the bunch was not what I was expecting.
Halo McNuggets. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
First up on the menu was the Black Pepper and Garlic McNuggets, which are inspired by the moa dishes of Halo. I’m not going to lie, I think the food connection to Halo here is very loose – as an avid Halo fan, I had to look up what on earth the moa creatures are.
While I doubt that the average McDonald’s goer is going to understand the moa reference, I can’t deny that these McNugget variants are extremely tasty. They retain that succulent chicken taste with a crisp batter that pops in the mouth thanks to those garlic and black pepper spices.
I’d be quite happy to swap these McNuggets out for the normal ones in my typical order.
Fallout Blamco Cheese Bites. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
Next up was the Blamco Cheesy Potato Bites, inspired by Blamco Mac and Cheese from Fallout. They’re rings of potato with a cheesy filling, and in terms of food items, these came a very close second behind the new McNuggets.
This is an inspiration that really works, as although there’s no actual macaroni in these mac and cheese inspired bites, they do give off a mightily familiar flavour to the boxed food you’d likely end up eating in a nuclear fallout.
That might not sound appetising, but trust me – they’re tasty.
World of Warcraft dip. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
I paired both the McNuggets and the Potato Bites with the new Fiery Buffalo dip, inspired by World of Warcraft. Of everything on the menu, this was sadly an item that wasn’t for me.
It’s spicy, and has the potential to elevate what you dip into it. However, both me and my partner detected an overwhelming vinegar flavour which we just couldn’t shake.
Upon checking the ingredients, vinegar is indeed a primary flavour in this sauce. I think if this were to be toned down slightly, it has the potential to be an all-timer sauce favourite. However, you’d need to be a big vinegar fan if you were to pick this up in its current form.
Candy Crush McFlurry. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
Moving on to pudding, we have the Candy Crush Choco McFlurry. Compared to the rest of the menu items, this one is pretty basic – but you don’t always need complexity for a food item to taste great.
This is your basic McFlurry whip ice cream paired with a rich chocolate sauce and mixed with crunchy chocolate biscuit balls. It’s a combination that works well, especially as the biscuit balls remind me strongly of those tasty little numbers that you find in a Muller Corner yoghurt.
I think McDonald’s have done better McFlurry combos in the past, but if this were your only option, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
There’s also the Kiriko-themed sugar donut from Overwatch listed on the new menu. However, this isn’t actually a brand new food item and instead uses the existing sugar donut in rebranded packaging.
As such, I gave it a miss for this review.
Forza Horizon 6 Sour Cherry Fizz drink. (Image: Joshua Boyles)
To wash all of this down, we have what turned out to be my favourite item of them all – something I sincerely wish would stay on the menu permanently.
The new Sour Cherry Fizz is a drink inspired by Forza Horizon 6 and its Japan setting. It’s Sprite Zero mixed with a sour cherry flavoured syrup, and when served over ice it’s like an explosion in your mouth.
The sharp, tangy taste is incredibly refreshing. It’s almost as if you’re drinking the sour cherries in Haribo Tangfastic’s in liquid form. We enjoyed the taste of the drink so much that my partner expressed that she “wished they sold that in a bottle”.
Our only caveat with the Sour Cherry Fizz was that it tasted so nice we assumed it must be absolutely loaded with sugar. To our surprise, the thing is actually sugar free with it using both Sprite Zero and a sugar-free syrup.
So, what’s the verdict on the Xbox x McDonald’s menu?
Personally, I’d absolutely be ordering both the Halo McNuggets and the Fallout Blamco Cheese Bites again. They’re extremely tasty, and different enough from McDonald’s usual menu to feel like you’re pushing the boat out a bit.
The desserts aren’t anything too special to write home about, and I found the sauce to be overpowering with its vinegar flavour.
However, the Sour Cherry Fizz drink from Forza Horizon 6 makes the whole menu worth it. It’s something I genuinely wish I could order every time I went to McDonald’s, and I’ll miss it when it’s gone.
The Xbox x McDonald’s menu is running from August 25 for an unspecified limited time. Our order was provided by PR for review purposes.
