Not sure what to play on Game Pass? With literally hundreds of games in just about every genre you can think of, it can be hard to know where to start. But we’ve got you covered with these Game Pass recommendations for all the old school gamers out there. The games that follow aren’t just based on nostalgia; instead they take a classic game design and give it a good dusting to make it shine again. These Game Pass titles prove once and for all that great games never really die.
Battletoads
Watch the trailer on YouTube
This isn’t an old game – in fact it’s quite new, released in August 2020 – but gamers who fondly remember Rare’s Battletoads franchise from the 8- and 16-bit days will no doubt fall head over heels in love with it all over again in restart it. (Gamers with an Xbox Game Pass membership will also be treated to more Battletoads in the 2015 compilation Rare Replay). The game offers co-operative play for up to four players and a hand-drawn, cartoon-like visual style.
black
Released for both PS2 and Xbox, this 2006 first-person shooter was Bodycount’s spiritual predecessor. It was listed at No. 99 in IGN’s Top 100 Shooters in 2013. During development of the game, Criterion stated that they wanted to “do for shooting what Burnout did for racing – taking it apart.” Indeed, Black made a lasting impression and is remembered today as one of the best shooters of its console generation.
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
Watch the trailer on YouTube
A remaster of the first two Command & Conquer games with sound and graphics improvements and bonus content. Otherwise, the games are pretty much the same real-time strategy classics with only minor tweaks. It includes The Covert Operations, Counterstrike, and The Aftermath expansions, as well as additional missions from the PlayStation and N64 ports.
Double Dragon Neon
Watch the trailer on YouTube
Double Dragon Neon is both a reboot of the classic beat ’em up franchise and a tribute to it. It is described as “a very western adaptation” of Double Dragon, although it strives to keep the personality of the classic entries. Series creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto was an advisor during the game’s development. The core gameplay features familiar mechanics, with some refinements, of course. The 2012 release of Double Dragon Neon coincided with the 25th anniversary of the series.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
This massive open world roleplaying phenomenon was something of a game changer when it hit the original Xbox scene in 2002. With its completely free gameplay philosophy and almost unprecedented scope, few gamers – and even fewer console gamers in particular – had ever seen anything like it. While the game isn’t perfect to say the least (it is a Bethesda game), it was a genre-redefining title in its day, and one of the greatest classics of the original Xbox.
precipitation
Watch the trailer on YouTube
Set in a post-apocalyptic, retro-futuristic world, the original Fallout is remembered today as a PC role-playing classic and a spiritual successor to the 1988 sci-fi open-world role-playing game Wasteland. first games that explored the idea of giving the player moral ambiguity in how they choose to interact with the world and its NPCs. Which of course plays a role in shaping the impact the player makes on the game world with his/her decisions. This is something that Bethesda carried over to more recent installments of the Fallout franchise.
Grim Fandango Remastered
Watch the trailer on YouTube
This 1998 adventure game has been hailed as a place among the best video games of all time. It comes as no surprise when you look at the game’s development tree. It was published by Lucas Arts – those who brought us such adventure game classics as Maniac Mansion, Full Throttle, and the Monkey Island series – in association with Tim Shafer and Double Fine Productions (think Psychonauts).
The game is often seen as representative of video games as an art form, so much so that in 2012, it was included in the Smithsonian Institution’s “The Art of Video Games” exhibit.
Rare Recurrence
You could think of this as a “Rare’s Greatest Hits” compilation, and that’s saying something for one of the most storied game development studios in history. The 30 games in this great collection span many generations of hardware from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox 360. The games have largely been preserved in their original glory with only minor edits in some cases. Some of the standouts in this compilation are: RC Pro Am, Battletoads, Killer Instinct Gold, Banjo Kazooieand Perfect Dark.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
Watch the trailer on YouTube
Here we have another modern reboot of a much-loved classic fighter, and old-school gamers who experienced the TMNT games of the NES days will love it. Shredder’s Revenge is an excellent throwback to those beat ’em ups of yesteryear with its side-scrolling action and pixel art graphics, not to mention co-op for up to six players.
Packing up
We hope you enjoyed that little trip down memory lane. Although the games featured here were really a mix of old and new. Are any of your favorites featured here? Be sure to let us know about your experiences with these games in the comments.
It’s good to see games being offered to everyone on Game Pass, and it’s one of the things that makes Game Pass the best gaming service out there right now. If you don’t already have an Xbox Game Pass subscription, you can sign up here. At the moment you can get your first month for only $1. Visit the Game Pass FAQ page for more information. And don’t forget to check out our other “What to Play on Game Pass” posts for more Game Pass recommendations.
Featured image courtesy of mixed-news.com.
0 Comments