Xbox Game Pass has been such an awesome thing since it was introduced! I'm going through a stage in my life where I can't afford to get all the new games and having all these games is so nice. If you don't know what Game Pass is it's a service on Xbox One where you pay $10 a month and get access to over 100 games. You download them directly to your system and you pretty much play them like you own them as long as you keep the service going. Xbox Exclusives are a staple and always on there and all the others get moved in and out. They do a good job of giving you months to play each game and some even stick around forever. Like two of the Metro games have been on there for well over a year now. They also have backwards compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, which is smart so it gives people a lot of options. So I wanted to talk about some of my favorites games/game series on there as of now and show how strong the library is. I want to give an honorable mention to the Dead Island games. I know those games get shit but I thought both were really fun and both remasters are on there. I also want to mention that Crackdown 3 is definitely worth your time to check out. It's not gonna blow you away but it's a really fun podcast game! Alright, on to my top 15!
I mean, there's not much to say about this game at this point! It's an amazing new take on the series and is one of the best feeling FPS games of the past ten years. There's no single player DLC so you get the entire game on Game Pass and it's so worth your time to play this, or play it again if it's been a while. There was an Xbox One X update and it looks amazing in 4K!
14. Darksiders 1 & 2
These are such cool games! I remember falling in love with that art and just how cool everything looked when I first saw the first one. I know these games have been on sale for dirt cheap with pretty much any sale but if you never jumped on them Game Pass has both games! The first one is pretty much Zelda and the second one is like a third-person looter. I love any story that deals with demonic end of the world stuff and both games are drenched in that kind of stuff! These are also the remastered versions of the games so they look great!
These are such cool games! I remember falling in love with that art and just how cool everything looked when I first saw the first one. I know these games have been on sale for dirt cheap with pretty much any sale but if you never jumped on them Game Pass has both games! The first one is pretty much Zelda and the second one is like a third-person looter. I love any story that deals with demonic end of the world stuff and both games are drenched in that kind of stuff! These are also the remastered versions of the games so they look great!
13. Quantum Break
I didn't play this game until this year and I was mad I waited that long! I actually played it two times back-to-back and got all the achievements! I guess the TV show integration was a turn off but I ended up thinking it was solid and added a layer to side characters you normally only get in RPG games. The combat is cool and the time powers are the reason the game works to me. I know that a lot of people didn't care for the story in this game but I got connected with these characters and thought they did an amazing job telling their story. Highly recommend playing it at least once, it does take up a lot of space on your hard drive though if you download the TV episodes.
I didn't play this game until this year and I was mad I waited that long! I actually played it two times back-to-back and got all the achievements! I guess the TV show integration was a turn off but I ended up thinking it was solid and added a layer to side characters you normally only get in RPG games. The combat is cool and the time powers are the reason the game works to me. I know that a lot of people didn't care for the story in this game but I got connected with these characters and thought they did an amazing job telling their story. Highly recommend playing it at least once, it does take up a lot of space on your hard drive though if you download the TV episodes.
12. Hitman: The Complete First Season
I've always respected the Hitman games more than enjoying them but this one has a different feel to it. It came out in episodes over the course of 2016 and this has all of them in it. You can tell they were meant to be played multiple times because of how huge the maps are and all the possibilities you have. It's a great jumping in point if you haven't played one of these games and refreshing for those who are veterans.
I've always respected the Hitman games more than enjoying them but this one has a different feel to it. It came out in episodes over the course of 2016 and this has all of them in it. You can tell they were meant to be played multiple times because of how huge the maps are and all the possibilities you have. It's a great jumping in point if you haven't played one of these games and refreshing for those who are veterans.
11. Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice
This is one of those games that is more important as a stand alone story than a video game. The gameplay is fine and some of the puzzles are clever but the characters and story will be the reason you stick around. This game handles mental illness better than any other game and movie that I have ever seen. It's so dark and depressing but so well acted and written. I highly recommend headphones for this game because all the voices are best experienced that way. I know this game isn't that high on this list but I can't stress enough how important I think this game's story is! It's a short game so there's no big time commitment. And it looks amazing running in 4K on Xbox One X!
This is one of those games that is more important as a stand alone story than a video game. The gameplay is fine and some of the puzzles are clever but the characters and story will be the reason you stick around. This game handles mental illness better than any other game and movie that I have ever seen. It's so dark and depressing but so well acted and written. I highly recommend headphones for this game because all the voices are best experienced that way. I know this game isn't that high on this list but I can't stress enough how important I think this game's story is! It's a short game so there's no big time commitment. And it looks amazing running in 4K on Xbox One X!
10. Saint's Row The Third
This game came out the same year that Skyrim came out, in 2011, but this was my personal game of the year that year! I thought the first two games were fun but this game is when they found their voice and it was loud and in your face! The ridiculous shit you can do in this game, on top of it just being fun to play, makes it a must play to me. It's the total opposite of a GTA game in that nothing is serious and it's more about being a video game than other open-world games. That's not to say that the characters and story don't matter because they actually do and they're well done here. If you haven't played it then now is a good time because it just went up on Game Pass.
This game came out the same year that Skyrim came out, in 2011, but this was my personal game of the year that year! I thought the first two games were fun but this game is when they found their voice and it was loud and in your face! The ridiculous shit you can do in this game, on top of it just being fun to play, makes it a must play to me. It's the total opposite of a GTA game in that nothing is serious and it's more about being a video game than other open-world games. That's not to say that the characters and story don't matter because they actually do and they're well done here. If you haven't played it then now is a good time because it just went up on Game Pass.
9. Sunset Overdrive
A bit like Saint's Row The Third, this game is pure chaos and is so damn fun to play! It came out in 2014 and was an Xbox One exclusive and it was so odd to have the people that made Ratchet & Clank go away from PlayStation for this but I'm glad they did. It has a unique way to play in that everything is centered around momentum. So the more you move, the more damage you. It's a big open-world overrun with zombies made from energy drinks...yes, that's the plot of this game and it's awesome! I want a sequel so bad and hope they surprise us at E3 this year with one!
A bit like Saint's Row The Third, this game is pure chaos and is so damn fun to play! It came out in 2014 and was an Xbox One exclusive and it was so odd to have the people that made Ratchet & Clank go away from PlayStation for this but I'm glad they did. It has a unique way to play in that everything is centered around momentum. So the more you move, the more damage you. It's a big open-world overrun with zombies made from energy drinks...yes, that's the plot of this game and it's awesome! I want a sequel so bad and hope they surprise us at E3 this year with one!
8. Forza Horizon 4
To me, this might be my favorite racing game of all time! I loved FH3 but this game does all that was great with it and added on different seasons. It's cool to see the entire map alter depending on what season it is. A big lake that is frozen in the Winter will be thawed out in the Summer. And I get it's a very video game thing but it's cool to see. There are also different events going on depending on the seasons. And I get that saying a racing game has amazing graphics in 2019 can sound cliché but this game looks so damn good on an Xbox One X!
To me, this might be my favorite racing game of all time! I loved FH3 but this game does all that was great with it and added on different seasons. It's cool to see the entire map alter depending on what season it is. A big lake that is frozen in the Winter will be thawed out in the Summer. And I get it's a very video game thing but it's cool to see. There are also different events going on depending on the seasons. And I get that saying a racing game has amazing graphics in 2019 can sound cliché but this game looks so damn good on an Xbox One X!
7. Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic
So this is the lone original Xbox game on this list and it's a big one! I'm not as hot on the combat in this game as some are but the story/characters are unbelievably good! I might even go as far as to say it's the best singular Star Wars story ever told. And I'll defend Battlefront 2 but having another Star Wars game like this is something that literally everyone wants. It's also Xbox One X enhanced and surprisingly looks really smooth on there!
So this is the lone original Xbox game on this list and it's a big one! I'm not as hot on the combat in this game as some are but the story/characters are unbelievably good! I might even go as far as to say it's the best singular Star Wars story ever told. And I'll defend Battlefront 2 but having another Star Wars game like this is something that literally everyone wants. It's also Xbox One X enhanced and surprisingly looks really smooth on there!
6. Mass Effect
Speaking of big Bioware games, let's roll right into Mass Effect. This isn't my favorite game in the series, Mass Effect 2 is, but it's the one on Game Pass so it gets this spot. I think the Mass Effect trilogy is one of the best Sci-fi stories ever told, and that includes the ending to ME3. This game was unlike any game I'd played before it and one of the few games that I've played and seen every scenario with! The characters are so deep and the places you go are so cool and unique. The combat didn't find it's groove until ME2 but it's fine here. It's just such a great start to the series!
Speaking of big Bioware games, let's roll right into Mass Effect. This isn't my favorite game in the series, Mass Effect 2 is, but it's the one on Game Pass so it gets this spot. I think the Mass Effect trilogy is one of the best Sci-fi stories ever told, and that includes the ending to ME3. This game was unlike any game I'd played before it and one of the few games that I've played and seen every scenario with! The characters are so deep and the places you go are so cool and unique. The combat didn't find it's groove until ME2 but it's fine here. It's just such a great start to the series!
5. Fallout 3
This was the first Fallout game I played and it just so happens to be one of my favorite games of all time! Playing it now you will notice the graphics haven't aged super well with the characters but they still look fine. The open-world is the star of this game and it still looks pretty damn good. The main story isn't amazing but literally everything else about this game is. Most of the side stuff is great and all the DLC is good. There are rumors that a remaster of this is in the works and I'm all in for that if it's true!
This was the first Fallout game I played and it just so happens to be one of my favorite games of all time! Playing it now you will notice the graphics haven't aged super well with the characters but they still look fine. The open-world is the star of this game and it still looks pretty damn good. The main story isn't amazing but literally everything else about this game is. Most of the side stuff is great and all the DLC is good. There are rumors that a remaster of this is in the works and I'm all in for that if it's true!
4. Gear Of War Series
Every single Gears of War game is on Game Pass and it's so smart to have them all. I know that all of them are Xbox Exclusives and maybe that shouldn't be a big thing but it's still impressive. It is interesting that the remaster of Gears of War is on there and Gears 2 and 3 will be the worst looking of them since they are just backwards compatible. And ya know...Judgment is there too...it's ok. There was an Xbox One X update for Gears of War 4 and it looks amazing! It's also worth noting that Gears 5 will be on Game Pass day one as well! The Gears games are so good...except for Judgment...it's ok.
Every single Gears of War game is on Game Pass and it's so smart to have them all. I know that all of them are Xbox Exclusives and maybe that shouldn't be a big thing but it's still impressive. It is interesting that the remaster of Gears of War is on there and Gears 2 and 3 will be the worst looking of them since they are just backwards compatible. And ya know...Judgment is there too...it's ok. There was an Xbox One X update for Gears of War 4 and it looks amazing! It's also worth noting that Gears 5 will be on Game Pass day one as well! The Gears games are so good...except for Judgment...it's ok.
3. Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy
I'll fully admit that until the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot the series wasn't really my thing. I played the first one on PS One and one other on Dreamcast but that's it. I completely fell in love with the reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of my favorite games of all time! I really liked Shadow but it's not as good as the first two. The fact that all three of these games are on Game Pass is awesome cause it seems like I'm in the mood to play one of them at least once a year. All three are great and it's one of my favorite current gen trilogies.
I'll fully admit that until the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot the series wasn't really my thing. I played the first one on PS One and one other on Dreamcast but that's it. I completely fell in love with the reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of my favorite games of all time! I really liked Shadow but it's not as good as the first two. The fact that all three of these games are on Game Pass is awesome cause it seems like I'm in the mood to play one of them at least once a year. All three are great and it's one of my favorite current gen trilogies.
2. Batman: Return To Arkham
I'm a huge Batman fan and have played through Arkham Asylum and Arkham City a few times each. Not only are these games great fan service for people like me but they're awesome action games even if you don't know a ton about the Dark Knight. It's a contained trilogy and you get the first two games with Return to Arkham. These are also Xbox One X enhanced so they cleaned them up pretty well even though it's not a huge difference like with other enhanced games. This is just my opinion but I consider these games to be the best use of the Batman license since the Animated Series!
I'm a huge Batman fan and have played through Arkham Asylum and Arkham City a few times each. Not only are these games great fan service for people like me but they're awesome action games even if you don't know a ton about the Dark Knight. It's a contained trilogy and you get the first two games with Return to Arkham. These are also Xbox One X enhanced so they cleaned them up pretty well even though it's not a huge difference like with other enhanced games. This is just my opinion but I consider these games to be the best use of the Batman license since the Animated Series!
1. Halo Saga
I had to put these games at one because come on, it's Halo! Literally ever single Halo game is on Game Pass and that's damn impressive considering there are a ton of them! Halo 5 is X-Enhanced and looks great and so is the Master Chief Collection and all those games look great as well. Halo 2 especially looks amazing after it got the Anniversary treatment like the first game got. The Halo War games, ODST, Reach, all of them are on here! I consider the Halo games to be one of the greatest sagas in entertainment history. I grew up with Halo multiplayer and would love for it to be the king of multiplayer again but that might just be in the past. Either way, the Halo series takes my top spot as the best game/game series on Game Pass!
I had to put these games at one because come on, it's Halo! Literally ever single Halo game is on Game Pass and that's damn impressive considering there are a ton of them! Halo 5 is X-Enhanced and looks great and so is the Master Chief Collection and all those games look great as well. Halo 2 especially looks amazing after it got the Anniversary treatment like the first game got. The Halo War games, ODST, Reach, all of them are on here! I consider the Halo games to be one of the greatest sagas in entertainment history. I grew up with Halo multiplayer and would love for it to be the king of multiplayer again but that might just be in the past. Either way, the Halo series takes my top spot as the best game/game series on Game Pass!
I want to briefly mention here at the end that this service is coming to Nintendo Switch and that's going to be crazy! I'm not sure how it's going to work but it's nothing but good for the industry in my opinion and a step closer to cross play!
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