While the slow transition to the next gen continues that is still practically nowhere, Xbox Game Pass also continues with a great career, which comes to update its catalog also for February 2021, so let's take a look at the first batch of games free coming soon for Microsoft service subscribers. After last month's thriller about the Xbox Live Gold price increase, then returned in less than 24 hours, the Game Pass continues its journey without particular jolts, beyond the rumors that continue to follow one another on possible service evolutions. We continue to talk about the possibility of extending the Xbox Game Pass to include additional sections dedicated to individual publishers, in a similar way to what has been seen with the arrival of EA Play, with rumors that speak of the introduction of Ubisoft + and others, perhaps more concrete and likely, who instead want the Sega games to arrive in the catalog with a dedicated section.
This last hypothesis, in particular, seems to be supported by some testimonials in videos that show how the store is ready for the eventuality, but it is still rumor. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass is flying the Microsoft Xbox division in terms of profits, with the subscription service reaching 18 million subscribers, with 100 million Xbox Live users. So let's see how everything goes on in February 2021.
Monster Hunter World - Mobile, February 4th
Appeared practically by surprise in the first batch of February, Monster Hunter World is now also playable on mobile platforms through xCloud. The record game for Capcom was born as a sort of gamble and proved to be an overwhelming success, capable of affirming the popularity of the brand all over the world. It was not obvious, considering the historical link with the Japanese public and with portable consoles, but the public agreed with the risky idea of the producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and Monster Hunter: World has spread easily all over the world. The ingredients are the classic ones, that is the exploration, the preparation of the characters and above all the hunting and the fight against huge monsters. The sense of challenge is constant in this strange world created by Capcom, where success is achieved with the ability to dominate threats far more powerful than our character, with a wise use of the available moves, weapons and armor. If you haven't played it yet, now you have no more excuses.
Ghost of a Tale - PC, February 4th
Starting as an indie project financed through crowdfunding on Indiegogo, Ghost of a Tale has finally found the full realization in 2018, with the release on the market in PC version and then on console. DreamWorks and Universal Pictures veteran Lionel "Seith" Gallat is the lead author of this particular project, which stages a kind of cinematic, fairy tale-like adventure starring a minstrel mouse. The game takes place within a medieval world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, divided into various kingdoms each inhabited by its own "species" and with an attitude resulting from an ancient war that has revived the traditional rivalry between cats and mice. As a new threat looms on the horizon, protagonist Tilo will first have to find a way to escape from the prison he's in and then maybe even save the world around him, in what looks to all intents and purposes an animated film in style. fantasy-fairytale but built directly in the form of a video game.
Project Winter - Mobile, Xbox and PC, February 4th
With the worldwide success of Among Us, see dynamics of "social deception" introduced in survival games will become more and more common, probably. Project Winter is another example of these characteristics applied to a video game, in this case a survival, with a rather well structured and profound result, which owes something to the new trend of multiplayer video games with social grafts even if on PC it was released before the explosion of these. It's about playing in a group of 8 players who are committed to survival in a cold and inhospitable environment. The typical survival dynamics centered on the collection of resources and the fight against various environmental threats is also joined by the twist given by the presence of traitors in the group, who, like the famous impostors, will also try to eliminate others without being seen. Also in this case, communication is fundamental, as is the ability to mask one's actions and intentions so as not to arouse suspicion for the traitors, while the others will have to investigate and deduce who the internal enemies are.
The Falconeer - Mobile, Xbox and PC, February 4th
Observed special as belonging to the Xbox Series X | S launch lineup, The Falconeer has managed to largely deliver on its promises despite being a title indie from a very small production, having been developed by practically one person, or almost. The game is based on a particular idea, which is to control a hawk capable of fighting and completing various quests in a fascinating fantasy world. The Falconeer is based above all on the feeling of freedom and power given by the flight of the bird, reproduced through an intuitive but also quite deep control system, with the possibility of attacking targets on the ground or engaging in highly spectacular fights. In short, it is a title to try also because it represents a somewhat different experience from most other games, with a well-developed and interesting narrative base.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - Xbox and PC, February 11
15 years after its original release on PS2, Final Fantasy 12 finally arrives on other platforms in its remastered version with Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, which offers an adaptation of the is original with improved graphics and gameplay optimized with the introduction of new features. Scenarios, polygonal models, cutscenes and effects have all been adapted for high definition and the added potential of the new hardware, making it a perfectly enjoyable game even after all these years. This is above all thanks to the power of the story, the scenario and the characters that characterize the twelfth chapter of the famous Square Enix saga, considered one of the best ever. Ivalice, on the other hand, is arguably one of the most fascinating worlds that have hosted the series, staged here through a pressing narrative and varied settings that stimulate exploration, as well as a good combat system.
Jurassic World Evolution - Mobile and Xbox, February 11
Jurassic World Evolution is a management software based on the construction of a theme park based on dinosaurs, which is the basic concept of the famous series: in the shoes of good old Hammond and take on the responsibility of recreating, within an island, a complete prehistoric ecosystem to make about 40 different dinosaur species live at their best, obviously with all the appropriate technological security systems. The potential of this Frontier game is immense, because the very concept of Jurassic World Evolution focuses on certain aspects characteristic of the innate fascination of dinosaurs: the game allows you to control them, manage them, collect them and see them in action, halfway between wonder, curiosity and terror. Although it is not without flaws, the game can be a real cult for fans of the series or dinosaurs in general, in addition of course to the various sci-fi grafts given by bioengineering, elements that represent an edge over many other titles of the genre.
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones - Mobile and Xbox, February 11
The classic platform-based hybrid could not be missing even in this release, and in fact here is Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones, the second chapter of the particular Curve Studios series that pushes more on the puzzle elements of this particular mixed title. It is about controlling a clone, which is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Minions of Universal Studios especially for the giant goggles, while trying to get out of the mysterious factory in which it was created. This is composed of a labyrinth of 60 levels connected to each other, which test with the continuous presence of traps and mechanisms to be studied and avoided or exploited in a constructive way to solve the numerous puzzles. A puzzle with platform and stealth elements, basically, characterized by the constant death threat and the need to match intuition and timing to get to the bottom of each level.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Mobile, February 11
Spin-off of the id Software series reborn under the control of Machine Games, Wolfenstein: Youngblood stages the adventures of the daughters of protagonist BJ Blazkowicz, engaged in a recovery mission in an alternative Paris of the 80s in the Wolfenstein universe, offering some digressions from the standard formula. These were interesting but also objects of discussion: many found the new open world style setting and the RPG style grafts stimulating, but others considered the repetitive level design, uninteresting story and characters and an imbalance of the difficulty that points to the grinding in some stages. Now that it is also playable on mobile devices, you just have to try it also in portability to evaluate which side to take. What everyone agreed, however, is the fact that when played in cooperative multiplayer the game really gets a noticeable boost of fun.
