We’ve entered the new console generation this week with the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and this generation seems to be one of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now. At the very least, Microsoft seems to be pushing Game Pass hard, especially right now in which Halo Infinite has been delayed and there aren’t really new games for the Xbox Series S/X – which makes it feel like a Game Pass machine right now. I’m sure more games will be released eventually, but for now, the lineup is fairly barren.
I received a three month free trial of Game Pass for PC as a promotional gift when I bought my CPU. I originally planned to just take the free trial, play a couple games, and then cancel my subscription. I was convinced that the subscription services wouldn’t be worth the cost and that it would be cheaper to buy games on sale. It was like the weird reaction I had when switching from iTunes to Spotify. Everything’s subscription on demand these days, but it felt weird dragging video games into this model too.
Well I got won over pretty hard. It’s November and I still have my subscription and will be keeping it, especially since the library keeps getting bigger and better. I definitely know that subscription services still aren’t for everyone, but it’s been working well for me.
A lot of the games I’ve written about since May have actually been games I’ve played via Game Pass such as The Outer Worlds, SteamWorld Dig 2, Spiritfarer, and Dishonored 2.
I started playing Timespinner on Game Pass as well but stupidly didn’t realize that I could use an Xbox controller… on the Xbox app… so I ended up picking it up on a Steam sale. I’m terrible at playing 2D sidescrollers without a controller (though somehow still managed to complete SteamWorld Dig 2 without one), I generally use the Switch Pro Controller, which obviously didn’t work with Xbox. So yeah, that was pretty dumb.
When I first built my PC, I joked about how I built a gaming PC in order to play 2D indie games and 15 year old JRPGs (which I’m still guilty of as I’ve been playing The Messenger and Final Fantasy IX via Game Pass this last week…), mostly because I didn’t buy games that my laptop couldn’t run. Thus, being able to try out The Outer Worlds and Dishonored 2 on a new PC with max graphics settings was a lot of fun. Those are two very pretty games in my opinion.
It’s also given me a chance to try out a good handful of games I wouldn’t have bought otherwise. I somehow managed to convince my boyfriend to play two routes of Hatoful Boyfriend with me. I played a bit of it back in high school with a friend, and it was hilarious, but I don’t know if I would have spent money on that game 😂. Also if you haven’t heard of Hatoful Boyfriend, allow me to enlighten you.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a backlog post, the last one being in February, so I’m also using this opportunity to make an updated one – this time with a whole bunch of games from Game Pass. Thank you Game Pass for making my backlog a giant disaster.
I think I mention this in my other backlog posts – these lists are just for my own reference, but I’m definitely willing to take suggestions!
GAMEPASS
Children of Morta
CrossCode
Eastshade
Enter The Gungeon
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy XV
For The King
Gato Roboto
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Katana Zero
Knights and Bikes
Machinarium
RiME
Tales of Vesperia
The Banner Saga
Wandersong
Yakuza 0
STEAM
Darksiders
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Dragon Quest XI
LISA
Pikuniku
Psychonauts
Shadowrun Returns
Subsurface Circular
SUPERHOT
Tales of Beseria
This Is The Police
The Witness
World of Goo
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
CONSOLE
Castlevania: Mirror of Fate (XB)
Coffee Talk (XB)
Journey (PS4)
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Switch)
Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSV)
Raji (Switch)
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (XB)
Games (and Other Bits) 
Yooo, you gotta get on CrossCode. I promise it is worth your time.
I still haven’t converted over to gamepass by virtue of continuing to pick things up on Steam, but I have a feeling that once I do it’ll dominate a portion of my playtime. It’s a really good value proposition for games that one only has an interest in playing once.
Is the setup easier than before? I know some people complained about that in the past and my caveman brain will latch onto any excuse to avoid change. XD
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Setting up was a pain for me, not because of Xbox but rather because of AMD Rewards being annoying and refusing to give me my freebie 😡
They actually pushed a major update to the app this week (or maybe the update was already there but I just never updated it until it forced me to), presumably because of the Series X? I’m not actually sure what the UI is like on the X. I’m not a huge fan of the new UI but I didn’t like the old UI or the Xbox One UI either. They’re all a bit confusing to traverse, but other than that, I think I just set up the subscription on the Microsoft. IIRC I was already signed into my account in the Xbox app because I’m on a Windows machine and my Microsoft account was already tied to the app store.
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Whoops. Well that’s a bit of a bummer.
Sounds like it should be relatively smooth sailing for me though. I’ve been using my MS account as my Windows account since Win 8 (so like…almost a decade now) so…fingers crossed for when I eventually DO give things a try.
Thanks for sharing your experience so I have a better idea of what to expect. 🙂
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Bit of a bummer but it worked out anyway, I just have a handful of account reset emails from AMD Rewards sitting around in my inbox >.>
Also one thing I just remembered is that my Microsoft account is signed into an Xbox One so it was set up with that already. I’m not sure if there’s any additional setup if it hasn’t been used with Xbox before.
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I have game pass for Xbox and I think it’s the best deal! I like that I get online play and access to cool games!? I played Costume Quest 2 from Game Pass and I loved it! I also downloaded the Edith Finch game, but the story was a little too emotionally heavy for me to keep playing.
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