PC & Video Games

Xbox Game Pass: What you're playing, what you recommend, and games you're looking forward to!

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Deal Fanatic
Dec 12, 2006
6673 posts
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calgary
Hi-Fi Rush looks awesome. Like a Cadence of Hyrule/Jet Set Radio mashup.
Minecraft Legends looked looked really good too, reminds me a bit of Warcraft 3 actually where you simultaneously control a hero and build an army
Redfall continues to impress me, they showed off a lot of really neat things today and should be a blast to play with friends.

Q1/Q2 roadmap looking pretty good so far:

Jan: HiFi Rush/Goldeneye/Age of Empires II
Feb: Atomic Hearts
Mar:: Ghostwire: Tokyo
Apr: Minecraft Legends
May: Redfall

TBD: Forza and Starfield.
Deal Guru
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Dec 1, 2004
12038 posts
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@Caerus
I use the Xbox app to start my downloads before I get home.
Redfall definitely has my attention and the kids are excited for Minecraft Legends.
There is no release date for FM but it looks pretty done to me. Too busy with God of War and Batman Arkham Knight right now to care. Unlike how they managed to drop a game on the spot during the event Face With Stuck-out Tongue And Winking Eye
Deal Addict
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Nov 2, 2012
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CFRTim wrote: @Caerus
I use the Xbox app to start my downloads before I get home.
Redfall definitely has my attention and the kids are excited for Minecraft Legends.
There is no release date for FM but it looks pretty done to me. Too busy with God of War and Batman Arkham Knight right now to care. Unlike how they managed to drop a game on the spot during the event Face With Stuck-out Tongue And Winking Eye
Since I've been so busy lately, I fully shut down my consoles when I'm not using them. I probably go a couple of weeks at a time now before I can play anything these days...

I did play through the first level of Hi-Fi rush last night though. It was heavily tutorial driven, but I loved it! The art style is fantastic and it's probably got some of the cleanest looking cell shading I've seen. Running around, fighting, and making combos to the beat is such a simple concept, but Tango has nailed it so far. The platforming is kind of basic, but that doesn't really seem to be the focus of the game, and it was just the first level.

Looking forward to getting more time with it. It feels like a game that would have come out on a modern Dreamcast!

Yeah, Forza looks polished already. I'm guessing the lack of release date isn't because there is a dev problem. This is Turn 10. Maybe they're figuring out timing around Starfield and something else unannounced. Hi-Fi Rush came out of nowhere as simultaneously an announcement and a stealth drop.

I'm liking these passion project games from their dev teams. If Game Pass didn't exist it's likely they wouldn't have taken a chance on creating a title like this.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 12, 2006
6673 posts
2688 upvotes
calgary
Caerus wrote: Since I've been so busy lately, I fully shut down my consoles when I'm not using them. I probably go a couple of weeks at a time now before I can play anything these days...

I did play through the first level of Hi-Fi rush last night though. It was heavily tutorial driven, but I loved it! The art style is fantastic and it's probably got some of the cleanest looking cell shading I've seen. Running around, fighting, and making combos to the beat is such a simple concept, but Tango has nailed it so far. The platforming is kind of basic, but that doesn't really seem to be the focus of the game, and it was just the first level.

Looking forward to getting more time with it. It feels like a game that would have come out on a modern Dreamcast!

Yeah, Forza looks polished already. I'm guessing the lack of release date isn't because there is a dev problem. This is Turn 10. Maybe they're figuring out timing around Starfield and something else unannounced. Hi-Fi Rush came out of nowhere as simultaneously an announcement and a stealth drop.

I'm liking these passion project games from their dev teams. If Game Pass didn't exist it's likely they wouldn't have taken a chance on creating a title like this.
Yeah I downloaded it to try it last night and ended up playing all the way through the first two bossess.

Honestly I'm completely wowed by this game.
The presentation and graphics are maybe some of the best I've seen, the transitions between cut scenes and gameplay are completely seamless.
I thought the characters/story/tone might be a bit grating when the lead off with the "you must be wondering what I'm doing here" trope in the trailer but I'm actually loving it all. You mentioned Dreamcast and that is absolutely 100% correct, visually it's like Jet Set Radio and Sunset Overdrive had a baby.
The worlds they created are so vibrant and colorful. The game some supremely polished, it runs incredibly well and just feels like a really well made videogame.
The gameplay is sublime, I was a little worried when I started playing it because I was struggling timing my attacks with the beat (which was something I could never really overcome in both Metal: Hellslinger and Cadence of Hyrule) but by the time the end of the tutorial mission rolled around I was stringing together dashes and attacks and managing "S" ranks in the battles.
Honestly this type of gameplay is absolutely the perfect match for the hybrid rytyhm genre and I'm surprised is hasn't been successfully tackled before. Most beat-em-up/fighting games rely on time and timing between button presses to chain attacks together so this is such a natural blend of genres and it works so well here.
I also love in the inclusion of licensed music in the boss bottles. The whole game just looks ripe for replayability.

I'm only through the first couple of bosses but I'm incredibly impressed, I can't believe this thing just shadow dropped out of nowhere. They seem to be giving these teams the freedom to go off and make these small side projects and IMO this is some of the best stuff from Xbox 1P in a long long time.
Deal Guru
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Dec 1, 2004
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Very impressive
Surprise Xbox Release ‘Hi-Fi Rush’ Attracts Stellar Scores, And Solid Sales

First, the game has attracted a 99% “extremely positive” review score on Steam with 400+ reviews in. Exceptional numbers, and ones that could have been influenced by some negative console war bombing, which does not appear to be happening, thankfully.
Second, the game is actually a top seller on Steam right now, despite being a high profile Xbox Game Pass release. On Steam’s revenue charts, the $30 title is currently in fifth place, actually the highest, currently released game on the list. Number one is the Steam deck (I never know why they even put this on the list), Two and four are pre-sales for Hogwarts Legacy and Dead Space. Three is CSGO which is there because of microtransctions. But there’s Hi-Fi Rush in fifth place. Very impressive.
Deal Addict
Jul 31, 2007
1689 posts
1543 upvotes
its a double whammy really,

sony fanboys have to pay 90$ for a game rated 68, while gamepass subscribers get a great game as a nice "free" surprise the same week Face With Tears Of Joy
Member
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Jun 4, 2007
484 posts
402 upvotes
Rural Alberta
ReeGee wrote: A few recent discoveries on Game Pass for me

GRID Legends - Not sure how long this has been on Game Pass but it's a fairly recent early 2022 release and seems to be a significant improvement over GRID 2019 which was a big dud. I was a huge fan of GRID Autosport 2014 and this seems like a better return to form with good handling, sharp visuals running at 120fps, cool damage model and a uniquely produced style of story mode I've never seen in a racing game before which I'll probably see through. The biggest problem with GRID 2019 was the career mode felt mostly pointless with lifeless presentation while this game seems to have addressed both issues even if the story mode has a sort of hokey production quality to it, at least it exists and there's effort. Not sure how career mode will hold up but in any case this is absolutely worth checking out on game pass if you're a fan of racing games.

Star Wars Squadrons - I'm probably late to playing this compared to others here but didn't even notice it was on Game Pass until the other day. Great visuals and sound and I can see myself maybe playing through the story mode but I can only imagine how sweaty and meta this is for multiplayer so I'll be skipping that part entirely. Cool to fly around and pew pew for a while

Star Wars Jedi Fall Order - I'm sure everyone here has played this already on last gen as I did on my old PC but figured this may be worth checking out with the Series X optimizations and it sure is. Looks and plays incredibly with updated visuals and rock solid 60fps. Not sure what the resolution its running at but it looks really sharp, as good if not better than GOTG performance mode. Much better than it played on my aging PC and definitely far better than it played on last gen consoles. I already finished the game on PC but will enjoy revisiting this in short bursts between other games on Series X.
Thanks for sharing bud. I like reading your posts because you give these games a descent play-through.
johncraven wrote: its a double whammy really,

sony fanboys have to pay 90$ for a game rated 68, while gamepass subscribers get a great game as a nice "free" surprise the same week Face With Tears Of Joy
Yeah but what about the ps5 sales in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan bro and that God of War Ragnarok game? Microsoft is such an evil company man, here's a link to some random biased website that agrees with my way of thinking:
Deal Guru
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Dec 1, 2004
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I had a bit of time to play HiFi Rush and what a treat it has been. From the presentation to art style to the soundtrack and game style it's nice to see something fresh like this. The fact that this was kept under wraps and not hyped it amazing. Just wow
Deal Addict
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Nov 2, 2012
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Well there you go. Freedom given for devs to make what they like, and Bethesda chose to have it shadow dropped. I'm surprised it isn't a full price game. If it was coming from anyone else it likely would have been $70USD.

I've played the 2nd level and it just keeps getting better and better. It doesn't look like it's going to be a short game either.

Deal Fanatic
Dec 12, 2006
6673 posts
2688 upvotes
calgary
Caerus wrote: Well there you go. Freedom given for devs to make what they like, and Bethesda chose to have it shadow dropped. I'm surprised it isn't a full price game. If it was coming from anyone else it likely would have been $70USD.

I've played the 2nd level and it just keeps getting better and better. It doesn't look like it's going to be a short game either.

Yeah it's crazy this game is only 40$ (especially in light of High on Life launching at 80$)

The Campaign is apparently ~12 hours to beat and it sounds like there is multiple challenge modes and stuff that unlock at the end.

I played some more last night and I still remain supremely impressed,
I was a little worried the gameplay could get stale fairly quickly but they keep slowly layering mechanics onto your character and adding to your arsenal to constantly evolve the gameplay and flow of combat.
Deal Fanatic
Oct 23, 2004
9850 posts
7803 upvotes
Toronto
Bro where the hell did this HI-FI Rush game even come from? I'm late to the party here but WTF? You're telling me it's possible to just be completely quiet, not advertise or overhype anything, just drop a quality game at an affordable price in addition to game pass and have it be this high quality and well received out the gate?!

Straight up all these other game companies and publisher who hype games for years with fake promises and doctored trailers just for it be more of the same shit I already played with a $90 price tag can get out of my face forever
Deal Guru
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Dec 1, 2004
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@ReeGee but is it organic enough and sustainable. Are you sure those developers are not starving.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to playing it some more when I have time. Definitely a console game over PC, especially with a proper home theater setup. That soundtrack.....
Deal Fanatic
Feb 21, 2013
5897 posts
2950 upvotes
Toronto
ReeGee wrote: Bro where the hell did this HI-FI Rush game even come from? I'm late to the party here but WTF? You're telling me it's possible to just be completely quiet, not advertise or overhype anything, just drop a quality game at an affordable price in addition to game pass and have it be this high quality and well received out the gate?!

Straight up all these other game companies and publisher who hype games for years with fake promises and doctored trailers just for it be more of the same shit I already played with a $90 price tag can get out of my face forever
I think the beauty of GamePass is that it allows some internal studios to quietly work on stuff like this and not have to overhype it ahead of schedule to sell preorders, because they've already secured the bag from Microsoft. And as long as they deliver something that can cater to audiences subscribed to the service, then it's a win. Obviously, it doesn't always work out where smaller games don't find their footing - like what we saw with Bleeding Edge by Ninja Theory for example. But that was a different beast that was multiplayer only, and for those games, you need a dedicated fanbase to keep it alive.

That said, I hope this encourages MS to continue to put money into studios that have new ideas, and allow them to test the market with games that are wildly different from what those studios have put out before. Who would've thought the folks who made The Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo had it in them to do something like this?
Gear: Fujifilm X-Pro2 | Canon A-1
Deal Addict
Jul 14, 2014
3347 posts
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Toronto, ON
ReeGee wrote:
Straight up all these other game companies and publisher who hype games for years with fake promises and doctored trailers just for it be more of the same shit I already played with a $90 price tag can get out of my face forever
I'm getting "the day before" vibes here...
Deal Guru
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Jan 30, 2006
14641 posts
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Vancouver
My ultimate lapsed but upped for 3 months. Now It looks like I can’t play or launch cloud games. Whats the trick?
Deal Fanatic
Oct 23, 2004
9850 posts
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Toronto
Niklasky wrote: I'm getting "the day before" vibes here...
Never heard of this game before right now but "The Day Before is an open-world MMO survival set in a deadly, post-pandemic America overrun by flesh-hungry infected and survivors killing each other for food, weapons, and cars." Sleeping FaceSleeping FaceSleeping Face. Don't think I'd play this even if it came to Game Pass lmao
Deal Addict
Jul 14, 2014
3347 posts
2475 upvotes
Toronto, ON
ReeGee wrote: Never heard of this game before right now but "The Day Before is an open-world MMO survival set in a deadly, post-pandemic America overrun by flesh-hungry infected and survivors killing each other for food, weapons, and cars." Sleeping FaceSleeping FaceSleeping Face. Don't think I'd play this even if it came to Game Pass lmao
It's this game everyone is talking about right now. It's been hyped for two years, with doctored gameplay videos posted on youtube with assets ripped from other games, the most wishlisted game on Steam, delayed multiple time, it was supposed to be released in just over a month, was de-listed from Steam 2 days ago... and now people are thinking the game doesn't really exist...
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Aug 20, 2009
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Niklasky wrote: I'm getting "the day before" vibes here...
I don't really understand the internet being upset about this game. It looks like they didn't crowdfund or presell any copies, it's just a developer working with a publisher and the game got delayed? Maybe I'm missing context here or something. Do they have a Gamepass deal?

With all of this praise for Hi-Fi Rush I will definitely have to check it out this weekend.

Going to stump for Chained Echoes which I am just wrapping up. It's a love letter to classic JRPGs but with enough modernization to keep it engaging. There's a lot of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy and even Xenogears in there. The story is really layered, the characterization is solid and it's refreshing to play a JRPG with some swearing in the script. The turn based combat is pretty fun, though I would recommend people use the larger Overdrive bar option as the default is really unforgiving. Very solid 25-30 hour game, enough side content to dig into but doesn't overstay its welcome. Can't recommend it enough.
Sr. Member
Feb 24, 2018
967 posts
687 upvotes
Wondering what are the best AAA GamePass/EA Play games that actually came out during this generation since 2020?

I see a good selection of sports/racing games but what about campaign mode types? So far on there I see:

Deathloop
Guardians of The Galaxy
Yakuza Like A Dragon
Gears 5

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