In all my 16 years of playing video games, I’ve somehow managed to maintain a rather sheltered existence when it comes to the kind of titles I’ve played. Until this year I hadn’t actually experienced anything but the (mostly) colorful and friendly realms of Nintendo, which I know is a sin in itself.
Buying a PS5 changed things for me – the days when I only had Mario, Link, Kirby and the like to deal with were over, Aloy, Ellie and Kratos are now in town. And broadening my horizons gave me a newfound curiosity about what lived on the other side – what treasures did Xbox hold? There was only one way to find out.
But before we get into it, check out this super satisfying Xbox 360 restoration below.
And that way I didn’t keep buying Xbox because holy moly I could not now put another console chungus next to my TV if I tried – that PS5 mentioned above already caused me to unplug my Wii U, I couldn’t take any more loss. Instead, I took on a laptop built for the sole purpose of being an Xbox Game Pass machine – reviewed and then generously donated by James Daly of GAMINGbible (thanks, James).
With this, I finally have the power of Game Pass in my hands, and oh my, what puts PS Plus to shame. Even though the laptop is built for cloud streaming, so I’m limited to the titles that can be played over the cloud, there’s still an incredible amount of choice – it amazes me how quickly subscribers can access massive new titles, and that Microsoft is doing the same. don’t lose too much money. No, this is not an advertisement, I am really impressed.
I decided to start with the most Xbox game I could think of and started my journey with a classic. I started with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and my first thoughts? “Oh my god, it’s the music.”
After giving the title screen the time and respect it deserves, I was thrown into the action and thoroughly enjoyed how unstoppable Master Chief feels. A cool, stoic hero, respected by his comrades, and a hero to all. Powerful, courageous and fearless in the face of danger. And then I drove off a cliff.
Yeah, I’m not quite sure how that happened. As soon as I got the Warthog, blinded by the power that came with being able to drive a vehicle, things started to go a bit wrong. I made my way through the tunnels of the Halo Terminal, bumping into pretty much every wall in my way, finally coming to what I soon discovered was a steep drop. After poor Master Chief brushed himself off, I activated the bridge as you should, and continued on my way, and started bumping into everything again. It was a good time, and even my short playing time makes me understand why people enjoy this series so much.
Hungry to catch up on more of Xbox’s two-decade history, I decided to move on to something more recent, then found myself bumping into more things I shouldn’t have been into. forza Horizon 5. Despite losing some visual clarity due to streaming the game, holy moly, the environments in this lovely. It’s a shame I accidentally destroyed so much of it by plowing into it with my car.
Despite that, however, this one So satisfying to play. For starters, the soundtrack seems to be full of non-stop bangers, and I was pleasantly surprised that there is a real world to explore here in your car, rather than being limited to defined tracks – for some reason there was that detail eluded me in everything else I’d heard about the game. TL;DR, I now understand how people put hundreds of hours into this title.
After proving enough that I should never be trusted behind the wheel of a vehicle again, I decided to slow down a bit and found myself in a different shooter, albeit of a very different kind to Halo. I took pictures of dogs in Pupperazziwho wins the award for the best punny game name of 2022.
This one does exactly what it says on the tin – see the dogs, pet the dogs, take pictures of the dogs, repeat. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, or somehow on par with Forza, but does that matter? Absolutely not. Seeing low-poly dogs in hats was all I needed for a serotonin rush, and I love that Game Pass is just as full of simple feel-good titles like this one, as well as the massive AAA titles. That, and I love that it completely contradicts any idea of an Xbox game my older relatives had when I was growing up. No big guns or screaming, cursing characters here.
I ended up landing on the title screen of what was fast in the running for my game of the year – Tunic. This wonderful indie action adventure is one I’ve had my eye on since its release, but until now I didn’t have the platform to play it. Until now.
This little gem is so much more than a Zelda clone with a cute fox on the front (although the fox terribly cute) – it’s such a fantastically thought out treasure trove of a game. With hidden paths tucked away in pretty much every corner of the globe, and pages of an oh-so-nostalgic game guide scattered around for you to discover, the whole thing exudes charm and had me hooked in a way I didn’t expect at all.
I think, all in all, that’s probably my biggest takeaway from my first steps into the world of Xbox, or more accurately, Game Pass specifically. There’s such a variety of things to discover here, including titles you might never have thought you’d try if they weren’t just sitting there, or something that you’ll end up loving way more than you ever expected. It really is like having a whole mix of games at your fingertips – maybe the cloud gaming experience here helped as I didn’t have to download anything but it’s so easy to jump in, give it a try, and if you like it, great, and if not, it’s just one of many things available as part of a subscription service that you’ve already paid for.
And look, I know I’m late to the party, and the vast majority of people were already on board with that, but I’m really having a great time, and I’m just glad my introduction to this corner of gaming happened sooner than never.
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