Best games on Game Pass that aren't famous?

[Sex Festival Organizer]

So, Unto the End is basically a combination of Limbo and Dark Souls with a Viking flavour. It looks quite good, but I'm struggling a bit with the controls, which are quite fiddly and make combat hard, and it's got crafting, which I hate. It's also a pretty dark game, as in I sometimes can barely see a fucking thing, even with a torch, but I'm persevering for now.

[bgmnts]

I have become addicted to Mount & Blade: Warband on gamepass the past two days.

[Sex Festival Organizer]

Gave up on Unto the End. I agree with this review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/12/08/unto-the-end-review/.

Also gave up on Call of the Sea after two hours or so. It looks great, and it's supposedly Lovecraftian (which I'm a sucker for, but didn't get far enough into the game to notice any examples of), but its puzzles and story just didn't grab me. I've since watched a longplay on YouTube instead, and am convinced I made the right decision. (The game also made my reasonably powerful gaming rig sound like an asthmatic at death's door, which was quite annoying.)

[bgmnts]

Yeah so many games pass games have strong ideas but don't hold up. Those two being good examples, as well as Observation. Trying to get into Maid of Sker but that's a bit blegh. Think I need the flashing lights and constant gratification of the big games nowadays.

[Blue Jam]

Yeah so many games pass games have strong ideas but don't hold up. Those two being good examples, as well as Observation.

I struggled with Observation as well, I like drone mechanics in games and it's an interesting idea but ultimately it's a pain in the arse to play.

Supraland is another one, glowing reviews calling it a worthy spiritual successor to Portal but the puzzles are somehow simple but confusing at the same time (what, you mean you weren't giving me a hint there? I just climb up here and find a lever? Is that it?) and the movement is clunky as fuck. Maybe I'm just spoiled as I've been playing a lot of Crackdown 3 lately and enjoying parkouring about the gaff with ease, but having my player character emit a cute little grunt while trying and failing to jump onto a rock that is 2cm high gets a lot less cute after an hour of doing this repeatedly, then getting the double jump upgrade and finding it makes fuck-all difference. Also it made my Xbone overheat and the game crashed twice in an hour, which is astonishing for something so small and lo-fi. I never got that once with RDR2 and I sank an embarrassing number of hours into that.

So yeah, not that one. Do get Crackdown 3 though if you want a mindless shooter that is a lot of fun. It's essentially Just Cause done right and the parkouring is even better than all the jumping around you get to do in the Titanfall games. I don't get the bad reviews Crackdown 3 got- alright, maybe there were problems at launch but they all seem to have been patched now, and who cares if Terry Crews isn't actually in it that much?

[Neomod]

Downloaded and played Crackdown 3 this evening and it is fun. I would say for me it's more reminiscent of Saints Row the Third than Just Cause, even down to the similar propaganda towers.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Crackdown 1 is still the best Crackdown.

It's not on Gamepass, but you can "buy" it (and the excellent DLC) from the Xbox store for free;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/Crackdown/C3VNJHHD7MM4

Crackdown 2 is also free;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/crackdown-2/c0mkh58nbhrg

[Blue Jam]

Oh wonderful, thanks HB.

Neomod- I've not played Saints Row The Third, I guess Crackdown 3 reminds me of Just Cause because of the wingsuit, the carjacking and the destruction. It seems I don't really get on with wingsuit mechanics though. I was also surprised to read the negative reviews of Crackdown 3 and the criticism of the artstyle, with the world being stylised rather than photorealistic. Fuck it, I think it's cute. It works better than Just Cause 4's world which is less stylised but looks like it's from an earlier console gen.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Crackdown 3 was massively hyped, so the backlash was sadly inevitable. It was being pushed by Microsoft as a demonstration of the limitless power of the cloud, an experience you couldn't dream to have on any other platform. It was released about two years late as well.

It was a huge disappointment if you've played either of the first two games. It uses Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to handle a lot of the physics calculations, but that all feels rather inconsequential. At no point does it ever really feel like much more than a warmed over retread of Crackdown 2. In terms of visuals it feels, stylistically, a downgrade over the first two as well. The multiplayer's apparently not much cop either, but I can't say I've bothered to try it myself.

If it's your first visit to that world, I can imagine you'd have a hoot, but for series veterans it's a step down from Crackdown 2 which couldn't hold a candle to Crackdown 1 itself.

[Timothy]

Wasteland 3 was amazing. Buggy but a really good game.

[beanheadmcginty]

Crackdown 1 is still the best Crackdown.

It's not on Gamepass, but you can "buy" it (and the excellent DLC) from the Xbox store for free;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/Crackdown/C3VNJHHD7MM4

Crackdown 2 is also free;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/crackdown-2/c0mkh58nbhrg

This is great, cheers. Although I've completed them both before, I sold the discs long ago so think it's time for another playthrough. Especially as all the DLC is free too.

[Blue Jam]

Will give the original Crackdown a go next time I need an orb fix. Thanks again HB.

[Timothy]

I started Cross Code on a whim on PC and it's really really solid. Fun 2d dual analogue action JRPG kinda thing set in an alt-future MMO world. Around you are a mixture of NPCs within the game as well as other 'players' who join your party, discuss elements of the game or sometimes just race past you through a zone getting to another area. It kinda has it's cake and eats it with the whole 'things are a bit tropey and gameified because you're in a game' stuff, but the writing is really charming and fun, and there's a wider level of intrigue as you put together what's happening outside of the game, why you're in there etc.

Absolutely worth playing, and it's a big bastard too. Lengthy with lots to do, deep systems regarding gear, skills, combat etc, fun upgrades, good side quests, the lot.

Highly recommended if you're at a loose end.

Thanks for this. Started it today and absolutely love it. Reminds me of the old Zelda games.

[Neomod]

Thanks HB. I gave Crackdown 1 a bash and think I prefer 3. That maybe because that's the first one I played and I don't have the nostalgia for 1.

For me 3 has better more varied weapons, locations and missions. Oh and Blue Jam, I see what you mean with the Just Cause comparison. I hadn't done any of the destucto missions until yesterday.

[garbed_attic]

Pathologic 2 is necessary lockdown playing. It's grimly funny and you can always upset the developers by using the sliders and thus making it before playable (undermining the spirit of the game somewhat... but probably not the experience!)

[Pink Gregory]

Pathologic 2 is necessary lockdown playing. It's grimly funny and you can always upset the developers by using the sliders and thus making it before playable (undermining the spirit of the game somewhat... but probably not the experience!)

Oh wow, didn't expect that to be on game pass.  That's great.

[Timothy]

Oh wow, didn't expect that to be on game pass.  That's great.

PC only I think. Just checked and its not on Xbox Gamepass.

[garbed_attic]

PC only I think. Just checked and its not on Xbox Gamepass.

Damn. It definitely used to be last year :( Sorry

[Timothy]

I absolutely love Game Pass but if there's one thing they could add is a date when the game will be off Gamepass. PS Now has the add date and ''PS Now Expiry Date'' both in the game menu. It's utterly confusing when a game leaves Game Pass. There seems to be no warning whatsoever.

Or am I missing something in the menu?

[BeardFaceMan]

I'm not sure about xbox, I haven't used the pass too much on there, but the xbox app on the pc sends me regular notifications to let me know when a game is leaving. You usually get a months notice, something like that.

[bgmnts]

Pretty sure I linked this before but Eurogamer have an extensive list:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/xbox-game-pass-games-list-this-month-price-6400

[bgmnts]

Spend 30 quid on Desperados and a week later they put it on fucking Game Pass.

In game pass news, there has been another price hike with Xbox Live Gold. Can only imagine this is to push any remaining customers to opt for Game Pass, what happens then fuck knows. Game Pass prices to skyrocket within a year?

[peanutbutter]

If you've got someone to play with A Way Out is a really fun evening or two, pretty sure it's on Game Pass

[Timothy]

Spend 30 quid on Desperados and a week later they put it on fucking Game Pass.

In game pass news, there has been another price hike with Xbox Live Gold. Can only imagine this is to push any remaining customers to opt for Game Pass, what happens then fuck knows. Game Pass prices to skyrocket within a year?

After all the backlash they decided not to do it so Gold price will stay the same for now.

Desperados was my GOTY 2020. Really good game.

[Ludicrous Display]

That's one of the worst PR farts in recent memory, up there with the glory days of Microsoft hubris back in 2013.

[bgmnts]

If you've got someone to play with A Way Out is a really fun evening or two, pretty sure it's on Game Pass

It's one of the EA Access games I think, yeah. 

After all the backlash they decided not to do it so Gold price will stay the same for now.

It's weird where gamers will drww the line, considering how much anti-consumer milk they slurp up daily. Good news though.

[lazarou]

It's weird where gamers will drww the line, considering how much anti-consumer milk they slurp up daily. Good news though.

Feels like if they'd been even a little more subtle about it they'd have gotten away with it, maybe with more gradual price hikes over the long term. Basically anything aside from the blatant sudden push to get everyone on game pass that it was. There's also an added shock factor there in that the general murmurs around gold was that there was a possibility it was being phased out entirely at some point in the future in favor of free multiplayer, with the focus being pushed entirely to game pass. Not sure how likely that actually is (seem pretty fucking unlikely now for sure) but it did seem to be a common opinion going around in the last six months or so.

[bgmnts]

Heads up: I think a game called The Medium is hitting game pass tomorrow, its available for pre download now. It has a 'patented gameplay' dual reality mechanic (I think Dishonoured 2 had a level that had a very similar sounding gameplay mechanic so fuck knows), buuuut interestingly it has survival horror demigod Akira Yamaoka doing the music (along with some cunt who did some kusic for modern horror games that nobody cares about).

A psychological horror game with a soundtrack involving Yamaoka? In 2021? Yes please.

[Blue Jam]

Installed Desperados III today. Only had a quick go at it but it looks like a cracking little stealth game so far so thanks for the recommendations everyone.

[bgmnts]

For anyone who likes Desperados I'd check out Shadow Tactics as it's basically the exact same game but set in feudal Japan. It's really good.