Xbox: My Current Playlist

Xbox's Game Pass Ultimate brings subscription based gaming to the peak with over 100+ high quality games including automatic EA play & Xbox Live Gold membership. For as little as R149pm you can play or download directly to your console or PC plus have access to all the latest titles including the "Play Day One" option allowing gamers the thrill of being the first to experience just-released games. 

With Game Pass, there's really something for everyone from your shooters to your action and adventure style games, sport and racing games, open world explorers and the tournament style MMOs that are at the height of popularity right now. So, whether you're a serious, casual or mid-level gamer, solo gamer or multiplayer - be sure to check out Xbox's Game Pass Ultimate. 

These are the games I am currently playing through on my Xbox Series S console:

1. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Developer: Respawn Entertainment

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Released: November 2019

A galaxy-spanning adventure awaits in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a 3rd person action-adventure title from Respawn. An abandoned Padawan must complete his training, develop new powerful Force abilities, and master the art of the lightsaber - all while staying one step ahead of the Empire.

I'm about 8 hours into Fallen Order and I'm in my element. A Star Wars game that's totally cannon with an original story, open world setting, with tomb exploration and puzzles, fantastic lightsaber battle sequences and tons of Easter eggs and references - Fallen Order is my go-to game right now. It's single player but don't let that deter you - this game has echoes of Dark Souls and even Uncharted going for it but set in galaxy far far away.

Score: 9/10

2. The Ascent

Developer: Neon Giant

Publisher: Curve Digital

Released: July 2021

The Ascent is a solo and co-op Action-shooter RPG set in a cyberpunk world. The mega corporation that owns you and everyone, The Ascent Group, has just collapsed. Can you survive without it?

Imagine if you took the top-down RPG mechanics of Diablo 2, added a multiplayer option for online co-op or split screen co-op and instead of the usual 'hack & slash', threw in tons of firepower with a twin-stick shooter in a gorgeous cyberpunk setting and you would have the Ascent. Man, this game ticks ALL of my boxes. Visually, this is without a doubt the most amazing cyberpunk city I have ever seen in a game. It has all of the references from the grimy city streets of Bladerunner to the booming neon-lit Neo Tokyo from Akira, the Arcology is THE cyberpunk city to rule 'em all. Gameplay is fantastic as well although the twin-stick aiming + shooting can get a bit sticky at times. The story could do with a teensy bit more RPG depth (what can I say, I'm a sticker for good dialogue!) but the lore and game mechanics are spot on. Definitely worth checking out.
Score: 8/10

3. Dark Alliance

Developer: Tuque Games

Publisher: Wizards of the Coast

Released: June 2021

The world of Dungeons & Dragons comes to life in an explosive action brawler filled with real-time combat and dynamic co-op. Play as iconic D&D heroes and join up to three other friends to battle legendary monsters, earn powerful gear, and unlock new abilities to take on even bigger challenges.

Look, if you've been following my blog you'd know by now that I'm a huge D&D nut. So a D&D multiplayer game featuring the Companions of the Hall was always going to be on my gaming pull-list. That said, I did find this game to be a bit...underwhelming. First off, it's helluva buggy with some common bugs such as Monsters just standing around and allowing themselves to get pulverized. Then there's the slow response times on attacks and parrying to even just not being able to properly interact with the environment. It's like the game was designed by the world's most annoying DM. Look, visually it's absolutely gorgeous and if you play it on co-op it will probably reduce the same-old-been-there-killed-that hack and slash mundaness. It is altogether not a bad game. It's not particularly perfect but if you can overlook the bugs it makes for a fun multiplayer romp.

Score: 6/10

4. Aragami 2

Developer: Lince Works

Publisher: Lince Works, Yooreka Studio

Released: September 2021
Aragami 2 is a third person stealth game where you play as an assassin with the power to control the shadows. Join the shadow clan and fight the invader armies to protect your people.

I picked this game up on a whim. It just piqued my interest as it features two things I really dig in a game: Ninjas and Stealth. I'm about 3 hours in and hardly enough for a review but there are things I really like about this game and a few things I really dislike as well. The combat is a bit off - I'm a freakin ninja for crying out loud! I should be able to jump out of the shadows when I like and slice through my enemies with my kitana but instead I find the game is bit too stealth-heavy. I will keep playing so watch this space for a score soon!

5. Hades

Developer: Supergiant Games

Publisher: Supergiant Games

Released: September 2021

Defy the god of the dead as you hack and slash out of the Underworld in this rogue-like dungeon crawler from the creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre.

This game came as a recommendation from a friend. With loads of accolades including 5 nominations as Game of the Year and after just 1 hour of gaming, it is so easy to see why. I had no idea what a 'rogue-like' or 'rogue-lite' dungeon crawler was until I started playing this and holy hordes of Hercules, this game is freaking amazing! I'm only just getting into it but so far, I'm loving every second of it - visually it's amazing and real story-heavy which is a huge plus for me.