Apart from being a great deal for gamers of all stripes, Xbox Game Pass is also a great tool for shining a light on games that didn't get the hype they deserved. Whether they're 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:underrated gems or aging greats that are collecting a worrisome amount of dust, the Xbꦍox cဣatalog is overflowing with titles that would make fantastic inclusions.
While day-one Game Pass arrivals have become almost overwhelmingly prevalent at this point in the service's life, popping open the selection to see an old favorite is always a treat, and there's never a better excuse to check out a game you'd been sitting on the fence for than seeing it added to the collection. Whether it's for a temporary stint or practical omnipresence, the following titles would certainly benefit from making an appearance.
7 🍃 🌱 Portal & Portal 2
Valve's seminal puzzle-platformer was something of an industry landmark at the time of its release — and with good reason. Players must navigate an increasingly complex series of physics puzzles utilizing a Portal Gun that creates... well, portals directly linking two points. It's a deceptively simple gameplay premise at first, but accessible to a degree that broke down barriers and enraptured a truly impressive scope of gamers across the globe.
That said, Portal's presence in the gaming zeitgeist has waned as the years have worn on. Given that a spin-off (Bridge Constructor Portal) is already on the service, it makes sense to give a fresh generation of gamers a swing at outsmarting GLaDOS and learning the truth about the cake.
6 💛 Divinity: Original Sin
Playing like a sort of vibrant, lighthearted take on classics like Baldur's Gate, Divinity: Original Sin is a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:real treat for CRPG enthusiasts. Cast as Source Hunters (essentially the in-universe equivaꦅlent to witch-hunters), players kick off the adventure by investigating a simple mur🏅der mystery but soon wind up uncovering a conspiracy that extends well beyond what they initially bargained for.
Divinity's turn-based combat embraces agency, with tons of potential outcomes owing to environmental factors and a generous suite of customizable skillsets for each character class. But the real cherry on top here is the incredibly well-integrated cooperative multiplayer component, allowing players to partner up locally or online in order to experience the journey in good company. And what better way to spur interest in its outstanding sequel than by releasing the original for Game Pass subscribers?
5 XCOM: Enemy U♛nknown
XCOM: Enemy Unknown practically set the gold standa🍎rd for tactical RPGs with its brutally unrepentant RNG and permadeath mechanics, and is a truly engrossing experience for thinking gamers that need something to sink their teeth into. Placed at the helm of the titular extraterrestrial defense organization, players are tasked with repelling an alien invasion of apocalyptic proportions by equipping and commanding their handpicked squads through perilous combat encounters.
But once a squad member falls, they're usually gone for good — every decision counts, whether it's which alien technology to research or which risky shot to take during a firefight. Given that the franchise has seen a couple of well-celebrated releases since, taking the original (which in itself is a reboot) to Game Pass would be a fantastic move.
4 Left 4 Dead (And Left 4✨ Dead 2) ไ
Talk about a throwback! After more than a decade, Left 4 Dead is still likely the most fun you can have with a multiplayer zombie survival scenario. However, given how long the series (or, ahem, Valve as a developer) has been stagnant, the title's long-faded heyday is absolutely due for a reboot.
Having it available on Game Pass would be just the excuse gamers need to gather up old groups of friends to blow away some zombies. Until that one person in the group startles the Witch on purpose -𓂃 you know who you are. Who knows, maybe a surge in popularity might be exactly what Valve ne🧔eds to actually put together a sequel for... well, any of its franchises, actually.
3 Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First 🅺Sin
Dark Souls III is still fresh enough to maintain a pretty dedicated base of fans, and the original Dark Souls recently saw its re-🦋release as a remꦜastered title. However, that leaves Dark Souls II, the awkward middle child of the trilogy that is often passed over in favor of the other two.
Which, while warranted in some respects, is totally unfair — Dark Souls II features some of the most gorgeously designed locales in the game, maintains the series' legacy of difficulty and accomplishment, and offers an ineffably unique feel inasmuch as gameplay and aesthetics. Doing a turn on Game Pass might help to tack a few more years onto its fading playability with fresh blood.
2 🏅 Torment: Tides of Numenera
Fans of in-depth, hardcore RPGs have it pretty rough with the , which is why this spiritual successor to the♛ seminal 1999 classic Planescape: Torment coming to consoles is such a breath of fresh air. But why add it to the beta run of Game Pass for PC, where the CRPG market is much more hotly contested, while pointedly leavi🍬ng their console audience out of the loop?
It's a puzzling decision, to be sure, especially considering developer inXile's Wasteland 2 is already occupying a spot on the roster. Maybe they didn't want to overburden console players with a selection of classical RPG goodness? Who knows. But it's a mistake we hope they'll remedy soon.
1 ♕ Risk of Rain 2 🍸
Risk of Rain 2 is, shamelessly, a fantastic roguelike shooter that excels in every way that it tries to deliver. After choosing one of eleven distinct classes, players are promptly dropped planetside and expected to fight their way out or die trying — probably the latter, several times over. It's a gameplay loop that's as simple as it is satisfying: load in, fight, stack items with no upper limit as to how overpowered they'll make you, defeat the level's boss, fall in love with the soundtrack, and loop until dead or done.
Being absurdly blunt, it has 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:incurred recommendations from staff around the office 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:more than once for good reason. There's something about the immediacy and gameplay flow that satisfies on a level that video games, as a rule, should strive for. Giving this game a platform to reach more people would be nothing short of doing a favor for everyone involved, whether temporarily or semi-permanently.