It’s been one of those extended weekends where all of us have been sick. I’ve spent probably 85% of the last three days in bed reading, sleeping, watching TV, and playing Xbox One.
For this reason, I randomly decided to check out Game Pass. I didn’t realize how big of a catalogue you have to choose from. I thought there were like 5 games a month that would change.
So, some of these titles I’ve played longer than others. Some got removed from my library very quickly, like Jurassic World Evolution 2 (I don’t like games where you build cities or parks). Others show a lot of promise. Let’s take a look:
The Quarry – I have played this one the longest, I think. Clearly, it was not meant for my Xbox One because the graphics get choppy a lot. But I think it’s very cool I know almost every actor on a screen. This is a game that more resembles an interactive movie than anything (at least, so far — I have mostly just walked characters around in between cinematics), which I have little experience with playing. I’m curious how much the story differs by your choices and if it will be worth playing this game more than once. I hope it has some good death scenes.
Diablo IV – I haven’t played this type of game since I was a teenager with Baldur’s Gate and Goblin Commander (I might have those titles wrong). I also don’t think I’ve played Diablo before, any of them. The opening movie was fucking awesome. The game itself has been entertaining enough but I started getting bored after an hour or so. These kind of games don’t usually hold me for long.
Soma – This Game Pass has been a lot of “testing the waters” for me because I’ve chosen a lot of game styles I don’t usually touch. In this one, you can interact with just about everything as you walk around in the first person. This means pulling open drawers and turning on lights, picking up random objects and throwing them, opening doors and pulling levers, etc. So far, I’ve been intrigued by what I’ve seen in the first hour or two. I might need it to quicken it’s pace a bit, though, to get me all the way through it.
HellBlade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Gorgeous graphics, for the most part (remember, I’m playing on an Xbox One). The narration is superb, the story unsettling and moody, the landscapes bloody and gorgeous, but I’ve begun tiring of the gameplay two hours in. I need more action and less puzzles that require me to line up objects to create symbols. Still, I’m curious about the upcoming sequel, which is looking cool.
007 Goldeneye – That’s right, they have the N64 OG port on Game Pass. I have only played the first two levels but the nostalgia is there and the controls are better now.
Atomic Heart – I remember there being controversy about this game but I don’t remember the details. It’s an alternate universe with the Soviet Union being very technologically advanced with robots and floating cities and shit. The gameplay videos and trailers I watched for its release made me very excited to play it but my actual experience with the game has been clunky. Some of the controls are annoying to me and the movements can be janky. Still gonna play it a little more, though, before throwing in the towel. But seriously…the bodies chilling everywhere are not convincing at all. Did everyone seriously just sit at their desks and wait for the robots to kill them without putting up a fight?
I have some more titles I’m going to check out over the next few weeks of this pass I paid for — like Dead Island 2, Fallout 4, The Evil Within, Prey, Watchdogs 2, Lies of P, Gotham Knights, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla — so maybe I’ll do another blog post later about those games, too.
Wintry Monsters Press 
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