Xbox Game Pass, December 2021: The second wave of games of the month for subscribers

Xbox Game Pass, December 2021

We are almost at Christmas and Xbox Game Pass continues with its standard process, apart from the particular initiative of launching this second wave of games of December 2021 practically all in a single day: on December 16, 10 new games were added to the catalog , to which Among Us added to the cloud the day before. This makes it a rather atypical mandate by Microsoft's subscription service standards, which could also pave the way for a third mandate, as it's odd to think that the new catalog ends in the middle of the month without further updates.

For the rest, there is the novelty of the name change for the service on PC, which is now called PC Game Pass, also demonstrating a renewed impetus towards this section which can now also count on some autonomous initiatives and a progressive strengthening of the offer.

Xbox Game Pass, here are the games of the second wave of December 2021 We also remember the Xbox Game Pass games of the first wave of December 2021, to which we must also add the particular Townscaper, a sort of puzzle based on the construction of houses and villages. It should be noted that a peculiarity of this second round of December is the presence of at least 3 games openly dedicated to a very young audience, indicating a certain desire to make the service more suitable for different age groups.

Among Us - Cloud, December 15th

Among Us, one of the heinous deaths in the game There is little new to say about Among Us: the social game based on deduction and deception was one of the major phenomena of 2020 and continues to be so today, reaching a notoriety that was probably unthinkable at the time of the launch, which took place three years ago. We have seen how the push of the streamers has certainly given the greatest impetus to this strange title of Innersloth, which suddenly found itself on the roof of the world, but we also have to evaluate how it is a game that is particularly suited to mobile multiplayer use, which it may have precisely found its place in this period of prolonged social distancing. On the other hand, it is also a particularly nice title and well supported by the development team, which continues to enrich it with new maps, modes and options, as well as the inevitable customizations that help define its particular pseudo-science fiction world.

Ben 10: Power Trip - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16th

Ben 10, an image of the game with one of the transformations available The first of the "family" titles of this new Xbox batch Game Pass features Ben 10, the transformable boy who, in this case, engages in a classic third-person action adventure with 3D platform elements. Ben 10: Power Trip is obviously a game designed for a young audience, fans of the animated series, but if nothing else it can be interesting for the recovery of the classic stylistic features of the tie-in. Some time ago, titles like this regularly invaded the videogame market, hardly reaching decent quality levels and leading to a "shovelware" saturation certainly not very positive. However, they have since disappeared from circulation so much that, nowadays, it cannot be denied that there is a nostalgic pleasure in seeing some examples back around. For this reason, even those who are not exactly a Ben 10 fan kid might find it pleasant to embark on this bizarre adventure with the transforming protagonist grappling with various adventures.

Broken Age - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

Broken Age is a fascinating narrative graphic adventure from Tim Schafer and Double Fine Although it has remained somewhat of an underground game, Broken Age represents an important title in several respects: it represented the official return of Tim Schafer to classic graphic adventures after the golden age of LucasArts and was also one of the first large-scale video game projects to emerge from crowdfunding, at the time with a record collection of money compared to what had been seen up to that point . But beyond these historical characteristics, Broken Age is simply a beautiful adventure, strongly based on narration and characterized by a very particular and fascinating graphic style. To complete the picture, we must also mention a truly stellar cast of voice actors, including Elijah Wood, Jack Black and Masasa Moyo, able to substantially enrich the narrative, the true focal element of the game, telling a story of growth and maturation in parallel. between two characters, intent on breaking the imposed traditions.

Firewatch - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

Firewatch, a scene from the game exploring the woods One of the titles that has contributed most to defining the "walking simulator", so to speak, Firewatch is still one of the best exponents of this sub-genre. The first feature of the Campo Santo team, founded by some industry veterans, the game is a predominantly narrative first-person adventure featuring a dominant natural setting deep in the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming. Also in this case, the story and the narrative prevail over the aspects of the gameplay, with the subjective setting and the wonderful setting that drag us into the events that have as protagonist Henry in his first days of work as a forester of the park in the 1989. What seems to be the normal course of this occupation, namely the control of the landscape and its safety, is gradually transformed into something unexpected, with mysteries to be solved and exciting twists.

The Gunk - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

One of the exclusive debuts on Xbox Game Pass is The Gunk, a game that has attracted attention since its announcement also for the pedigree of the authors: Image & Form are the authors of the SteamWorld series and it is only natural that their new project is a special guard.

As emerged from our review, the game is not without flaws, however it is also a very special adventure that we recommend trying, because it can meet the tastes of those looking for a smaller title in terms of extension and endowed with a strange and strongly characterized atmosphere. The Gunk tells the story of two space explorers who find themselves grappling with a strange sentient matter spread across an unknown alien planet, which seems to represent both a resource of great value but also a terrible threat. This ambiguity is found in the gameplay itself, with puzzles based on the need to eliminate gunk but also use it in your favor.

Lake - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16th

Lake, an image of the game that sees us delivering mail and immersing ourselves in a lakeside town Not far from its release, Lake arrives on Xbox Game Pass, bringing another highly interesting narrative adventure into the catalog of the service, which now has a significant amount of such titles available. Among these, Lake remains a very particular game, however, for the basic concept, the story told and the way in which it unfolds on the screen: in fact, we find ourselves having to do the job of postwoman at the sleepy lakeside town of Providence. Oaks in the 80s, but this temporary occupation of the protagonist Meredith Weiss then becomes a pretext for a return to the atmosphere of her native country, in stark contrast to the city life to which she has been accustomed for years. From here begins his new phase of life between the reconnection of now dormant relationships, the awakening of distant memories and decisions to be made between a career in his new urban reality or a definitive return to the town on the shores of the lake.

Mortal Kombat 11 - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

Mortal Kombat 11, a fight with Raiden Xbox Game Pass to replace the previous chapter, already present for some months among the titles of the service. The new game in the long and famous fighting game series is a rather linear evolution of the previous one, with various refinements and changes applied to the combat system and an even larger cast, as well as technical improvements in terms of graphics, animations and performance. . As an addition to the standard of the series, there is a greater attention to customization here through the new Custom Character Variation System which allows you to change the appearance of the fighters in order to create rather unique characters, even in the standard canon of the series. For the rest, it remains a spectacular and ultraviolent fighting game, which however does not give up several technicalities that make it particularly loved by fans.

PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay puts us in the shoes of super pups in different missions From Mortal Kombat to PAW Patrol, this new batch of Xbox Game Pass games is likely to demonstrate how the service has games available for any taste and age group. PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay by Drakhar Studio falls precisely into the standard of classic tie-ins as they were on the gaming market until a while ago. It is a third-person action game that puts us to grips with different situations and challenges, obviously controlling the super puppies of the PAW Patrol animated series intent on protecting Adventure Bay from various more or less great inconveniences. The impact of a mysterious meteorite has indeed provided special powers to the pups in question, but has also brought chaos to the quiet town, which prompts the special team to take action to try to solve the various problems that have emerged. In the game we have to use the various characters with specific abilities in the best ways in numerous different situations, within a sort of super-dog-themed multi-event.

Race With Ryan - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

Race with Ryan, the starting grid for kart racing with Ryan Another title intended almost exclusively for children, Race With Ryan takes up the Ryan World brand to stage an arcade racing game in kart racing style, obvious emulator of Mario Kart and company, which could have excellent things to offer to children (and not only). Following the classic scheme of the canon in question, also in this case it is a question of competing to finish first by focusing not only on driving skills but also on the ability to make the most of the power-ups scattered on the tracks as well as any shortcuts and environmental traps. which can pose serious dangers but also advantages while running. As per tradition, Race with Ryan also allows you to play in single or multiplayer, online or offline for up to 4 players in split screen, which increases the "family game" factor.

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, an image of the game With a name that cannot evoke fond memories of old fans of manga and anime, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a kind of dream come true for many of these, being a 2D action RPG based on the universe in question and starring the elf Deedlit. Developed as a passion project by Team Ladybug, based on a subject supervised by original author Ryo Mizuno, the game stages events prior to Diadem of the Covenant and is structured as a sort of metroidvania in which Deedlit must work his way through levels intricate, battling various creatures and bosses. Taking up the typical elements of this hybrid genre, the progression involves the collection and use of various power-ups capable of expanding the skills of the protagonist and opening new roads in the map, all represented with fascinating 2D pixel graphics. that takes up the classic style.

Transformers: Battlegrounds - Xbox, PC and Cloud, December 16th

Transformers: Battlegrounds, a strategic version of an urban battle The Transformers find themselves protagonists of a game from rather unexpected structure, given the normal situations in which the famous transformable robots in video games find themselves. Transformers: Battlegrounds is in fact a turn-based strategy, a sort of X-COM which is however fought between the characters of the series in question, composing a team as balanced as possible and exploiting the different abilities, weapons and equipment of each robot to overwhelm the opponents. Despite the cartoonish aspect and the subject in question, Transformers: Battlegrounds is not a simplistic game, demonstrating a certain strategic depth that can interest even the most experienced and not necessarily very young players, like a real turn-based strategy. By fighting from Central City to Cybertron, we will be able to control the most famous Transformers in the fight against Megatron and the Decepticons.

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