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Is this Christmas still? Are the elves at Xbox running a little late? Either way, this month has finally seen the haul of games that we should have had a month ago. I didn’t really have much to play over Christmas, so I spent a lot of time playing games with my friends, which I suppose isn’t a bad thing.
I won’t be able to cover all the new titles because there’s too many. Instead, you’ll get my top picks. Let’s get started.
GoldenEye 007
Well, well, well. Doesn’t this bring back some memories. If you’re lucky enough to be a millennial, you’ll know all about the fun us young oldies had playing four-player GoldenEye on a CRT. It was marvellous wasn’t it? Anyway, if you’re not that lucky, now’s your chance to see what you missed out on! Even the screen’s cut off at the sides so you can experience the game as though it was only just released.
Is it a great game? It was. The music is cool, the gameplay fast and the shooting not bad. Even the animation of the bullets tearing through enemies is pretty darn good considering the game is what, 25 years’ old? Those were the days.
Darkest Dungeon
I played Darkest Dungeon a while ago on PC and loved everything about it. The setting, the themes, the gameplay have all been pulled together and thrown into a bubbling cauldron of god knows what.
For those of you who haven’t played the game, Darkest Dungeon is a roguelike dungeon crawler. It’s gothic, it’s brutal and it won’t forgive your mistakes. You don’t chill and play a game like this. You concentrate, study your foe, remain aware of your strengths and try to kick some skeleton bone.
The combat is turn-based, which allows for some time to think. Though the unsettling eldritch backdrop might throw you off if you become overly embroiled. The satisfaction comes from exploration and looking after your party. Heaven forbid you lose anyone…
Hi-Fi RUSH
This is one of those games where you see the cover image and think, yes, I like the look of that. It’s also one of those games that lives up to what you expect from the cover image.
It’s a tight, expertly developed game, with great visuals and a fun light-hearted story that will instantly cheer any sourpuss. You play as Chai, who’s accidentally been fitted with a robotic arm and a portable music player (in his chest of all places). So now, instead of a heartbeat, he get’s a rocking beat.
The aim of the game is to keep the rhythm going by attacking to the beat of the music. Over time, you learn new abilities to enhance your rocking grove. The soundtrack is awesome and keeps you pumping as you whack away at metallic robots. It’s a solid game and perfect for a chilled evening.
Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition
We’re really going back in time this month aren’t we. Age of Empires II, as you may know from my bio, was one of the first games I played on PC. I spent hours playing with a friend in his father’s office as an 11 year old until I eventually bought my own copy.
This was my first foray into the RTS scene. I spent hours after school and at weekends playing through the campaigns. I wasn’t just gaming, I was learning about the past. Those great leaders, generals, armies and civilisations.
They’ve clearly put a lot of thought into the console port. Mouse is king when it comes to RTSs, but they’ve done a grand job of making the game easy to play. It feels natural selecting troops and moving villagers around, and it’s made even better by watching towns grow on a 4K TV in the living room, from the couch. Excellent work.
Inkulinati
I’ve always found it strange how similar games (whether that be genre or setting) release around the same time. Remember all the cyberpunk themed games either side of the Cyberpunk 2077 release? Well, Inkulinati comes off the back of Pentiment, another game set during the Middle Ages.
Inkulinati, however, is slightly different. For a start, it’s a work in progress. It’s an inky strategy game inspired by the Medieval manuscripts of yore. Strange things can happen in Inkulinati: there’s a lot of fun to be had duelling with unassuming animals form your bestiary.
Strategising is what this game is all about. There’s a lot of flexibility to play how you want to play. Inkulinati are a group of people who battle in the margins of Medieval pages. They fight with living ink: a special substance that can turn a mere drawing into a living creature. It’s quite a lot of fun, whilst it also imparts a certain amount of historical accuracy and illuminates just how similar we are to those who penned dogs wielding spears.
What I’m Playing
I’ve been craving a single-player shooter and so I took my friend’s advice and installed Titanfall 2. It’s hard to believe it was released in 2016 because it has stunning visuals that still hold up, and it feels great to shoot and move. It’s like a cross between the twitchy movement of CoD and the original weightiness of the first Killzone. It also has time-travel and mech suits, so…
I’m also playing ReCore, which, you guessed it, was released in 2016. Am I subconsciously living in the past? I must say though, it’s been refreshing playing a game that doesn’t have a map the size of America filled with all sorts of UI refined markers. The story is interesting and the mechanics are something a bit different. You even get a cool AI dog to dress up!
I finally managed to get past the second boss in Gunfire Reborn. It only took us about 50 attempts. We even came close to reaching the third boss, but decided to drop the ball on a mini boss in the final room. Talk about bricking it.
Anyway, I’ve been busy and I’m sure you have. What are you playing on Game Pass and what are you most looking forward to? Reach out to us on our socials and tell us. We always love hearing from you.