Xbox Game Pass continues its unstoppable run, with November 2020 destined to remain probably one of the most important months of this service, not only for the launch of the
Xbox Series X and Series S accompanied by the arrival of several new games but also for the huge enlargement of the catalog made in these days with the arrival of EA Play. As scheduled, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers from November 10 can also access the entire catalog of games in the EA Play Vault, as well as all other EA subscription benefits such as discounts, extended early demos and more. exclusive elements. It would take a separate study specifically dedicated to the EA Play chapter, if we consider that the addition of the service involves the beauty of over 60 additional games available for subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but among these we limit ourselves to mentioning the presence of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order made available with the launch of Xbox Series X and S. EA Play will soon also be available for Xbox Game Pass users on PC, with the integration that will take place starting from December 15, 2020, while we remember that, for the occasion, some games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, The Sims 4 and others are also available on Android through xCloud, with more games to be added later.
Gears Tactics (Android and Console) - November 9
One of the most interesting games also in terms of Xbox Series X and Series S, Gears Tactics is one of the biggest news of this autumn by from
Microsoft, although it has already been released in PC format for some time. Adapting Gears of War to the normally staid pace of a turn-based strategy is a bold idea, but Splash Damage and The Coalition still managed to put together a truly superlative experience, keeping the spirit of the series intact but also building a real one. strategic in the style of XCOM, with the variations that best fit the world of Gears of War. The adaptation to the controller works well and the game, despite the genre perhaps not indicated, is truly enjoyable even on consoles, representing one of the titles to be tried absolutely first on next gen consoles.
Destiny 2: Beyond the Light (Android and Console) - November 10
There is something symbolic in this return of Bungie close to Microsoft, after the historic departure from Halo, the start of the collaboration with Activision and then the exit from the latter also in search of creative independence. The rapprochement is sealed by the launch of Destiny 2: Beyond the Light, which is the new version of the game including all the various expansions released so far, directly on Xbox Game Pass. It is not certain that this is a sign of a return to collaborations with Microsoft, indeed it probably is not, but seeing Bungie return to the fold after even the period of strong partnership with the competition has a particular value, however, for every Xbox enthusiast. But aside from the ruminations about the hidden meanings, Destiny 2 has now reached a remarkable maturity and wealth as one of the modern cornerstones of cooperative multiplayer.
Planet Coaster: Console Edition (Android and Console) - November 10
Planet Coaster: Console Edition takes up the historical tradition of Theme Park and the various RollerCoaster Tycoons, offering the opportunity to indulge in a playground to manage in every single aspect. After the first launch on PC years ago, the game has been progressively enriched and expanded so much that it has led to a real new version with this Console Edition, which offers the complete experience with the original contents and all those added in following. Planet Coaster: Console Edition includes several game modes including Career, Sandbox and scenarios with particular objectives to complete, as well as a truly huge amount of attractions that can now be built and managed by players / amusement park managers.
Tetris Effect: Connected (Console and PC) - November 10
It took a while but in the end Tetris Effect also arrived on Xbox, in a highly evolved form . In fact, Tetris Effect: Connected presents exclusively (temporal) an addition of fundamental importance to the gaming experience, namely multiplayer. Although in its original form the title in question is characterized by a gameplay that stimulates the action in solitude and the relaxation given by its particular atmospheres, the Japanese studios Monstars and Resonair have managed to integrate a multiplayer game mode that is perfectly suited to the style used and the particular interpretation of the classic gameplay that made this title a great success also on other platforms. Even if you have never been a big fan of Tetris, the advice is to try this version anyway.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (Console and PC) - November 12
The recovery of the classic chapters of the Square Enix series continues with Final Fantasy VIII, which at the time solidified the success achieved by the previous chapter although probably not reaching the same level of appreciation. The less incisive story and the charismatic characters not on the same level as Cloud and his companions have always made it a minor chapter compared to Final Fantasy VII, but that does not mean that it is not a big game to enjoy, even more now that it presents itself in remastered and improved form. There is a unique combat and character progression system to discover, as well as a vast, varied world to explore, as per the tradition of the series.
Gonner 2 (Android ) ID @ Xbox - November 12
Gonner 2 seems to be quite in line with the original: also in this case we find ourselves in a frantic action to guide the hero Ikk again, this time in action to help out to death himself, or something like that. Death's lair has been occupied by a mysterious presence and it's up to Ikk to solve the problem, venturing into the dark meanders of the strange place and defeating various enemies and hallucinating bosses. Like the first chapter, Gonner 2 also features levels built entirely in a procedural way, which allows each game to be different from the others. All this involves a mixture of platform action and 2D shooter, with procedural levels that make up a strange surreal world to be explored in various directions, within a non-linear level structure.
Streets of Rogue (PC) ID @ Xbox - November 12
Let's go back to the now classic "rogue-lite" with Streets of Rogue, centered around the old concept of elimination involving character changes, however without the total loss of progress. In this case, the setting is the particular element: we find ourselves visiting cities and various open and procedurally generated environments, between streets, buildings, premises and outdoor and indoor areas, making our way with total destruction. Between RPG, twin-stick shooter and adventure, Streets of Rogue makes hybridization their play style: "It's like Nuclear Throne meets Deus Ex, mixed with GTA anarchy," says developer Matt Dabrowski, "The Rogue-lite meets the immersive sim and completely freaks out ", that's more or less about us.
Ark: Survival Evolved: Explorer's Edition (Android, Console and PC) ID @ Xbox - November 17
Ark: Survival Evolved is a strange story, which starts from its bizarre basic concept and reaches the way in which the game was proposed to the public, up to the results exceptional collected on the market. The base game has been a regular presence on Xbox Game Pass for a couple of years, but Ark Survival Evolved: Explorer's Edition represents the complete experience for the particular first person survival shooter with dinosaurs. In addition to the original content, the pack includes three high-caliber expansions such as Scorched Earth, Aberration and Extinction, which dramatically increase the amount of elements within the game, reaching a significant extension to the gameplay.
Halo The Master Chief Collection: Halo 4 (PC) - November 17
Finally, the Master Chief Collection on PC is completed with the arrival of Halo 4, a chapter that has marked a turning point in the history of the series, also due to the handover from Bungie to 343 Industries. The turning point has never been taken well, both by the press and the community, but Halo 4 has been punished far beyond its actual faults. In truth, it is a shooter that is still perfectly enjoyable: technically sumptuous, with a rich and eventful campaign and with a multiplayer perhaps not up to the previous in terms of maps and mechanics but still wide and multifaceted. The advice is therefore to immerse yourself above all in the single player to start, and experience the epic campaign that distinguishes this chapter, and then experience the other aspects.
River City Girls (Android , Console and PC) ID @ Xbox - November 19
River City Ransom, or Street Gangs (or Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, for the more exotic) was a historical fighting game characterized by particular almost RPG grafts, within that which was a real saga known as "Kunio-Kun". River City Girls brings it back to the scene by modernizing it not only in graphics but also in some elements of the gameplay as well as in the basic concept, much more inclined to female emancipation even in the fighting game. The historical protagonists have been kidnapped and it's up to their girlfriends, Kyoko and Misako, to sow blows and destruction around River City to go and save the unfortunates, in a total overturning of the typical situations of the sliding beat 'em up of the 80s and 90. The structure is the classic one, with some grafts linked to the progression of the characters and a really colorful graphics.
Star Renegades (Android and Console) ID @ Xbox - November 19th
A great touch of style arrives this month with Star Renegades, a new strategy RPG from Massive Damage and Raw Fury, a game that is beautiful even to look at. It is a strategic one with a sci-fi setting that brings together several peculiar characteristics, starting from the strange graphic style that mixes 2D pixel art with three-dimensional elements and unprecedented camera movements for a setting of this type. The gameplay is not far behind: it can be defined as a roguelite for some characteristics, but the procedural generation takes on considerable depth by building the evolution of the story in an always different way and adapting the behavior of the enemies and their very essence to the action in course by the player, making the whole game always new and surprising.
