Xbox Game Pass, January 2022: The second wave of games of the month for subscribers

Xbox Game Pass, January 2022

Another great year is expected for Xbox Game Pass and January 2022 is already showing a great pace for new introductions to the catalog, as we also see for this second wave of games added for subscribers to the service. The year opened with a first impressive novelty: the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft (yet to be defined), which could lead to huge news also for the Game Pass, considering the list of games and teams that this would carry with you.

Moreover, it would be an acquisition of fundamental importance also for the PC Game Pass, given the tradition of Blizzard titles, so it is clear how investments in this service are destined to increase. For the moment, however, let's go back to commenting on the specific news of this month that will really be enough to keep us busy for a long time, from what we can see. In the meantime, we've seen the games that will leave the catalog in January 2022, but the balance continues to be heavily in surplus, as the incoming titles once again outnumber the outgoing ones, so let's move on to the overview of the new games added and coming soon. this month in the Xbox Game Pass catalog.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 18th

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary in a game image One of the biggest surprises of this January 2022 is was Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary, which comes with headlights off directly within the Xbox Game Pass catalog without the Xbox version ever being announced previously. This is really a pleasant surprise, given that the title in question is part of a Japanese series that has now become famous for its bizarre stories and charismatic characters. Created by Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft, the title in question is the enriched re-edition of the first chapter, which introduced the strange world in question: the story tells of how the students of the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy find themselves catapulted into a sort of parallel dimension in which a weird and creepy bear called Monokuma forces them to participate in a sadistic (physics) elimination game, in which pupils have to kill each other in order to win. This is a brilliantly written visual novel with notable twists, truly not to be missed.

Nobody Saves the World - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 18th

Nobody Saves the World is a very particular action RPG, as this image demonstrates. indie scene in this period. On the other hand, it was developed by Drinkbox Studio, or the authors of the Guacamelee series, so those who know the previous productions have a very precise idea of ​​the potential value of this strange title. It is a sort of parody of the fantasy RPG genre whose humor oozes from story, characters and representation with its particular caricature characterization, but which also offers well thought out gameplay. The basic elements of this are the constant progression of the protagonist and his continuous transformations, which introduce rather new elements in the context of action RPGs with a view from above. As we also reported in our review, it deals with one of the funniest interpretations of grinding as an actual element of gameplay, varied by the use of the many different forms of the protagonist.

Death's Door - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 20

Death's Door, a screenshot Already considered one of the best indies of 2021, Death's Door also starts 2022 with a surprise arriving on Xbox Game Pass and adding further luster to a landscape already full of independent titles all inside the service. Developed by Acid Nerve for that real forge of ideas that responds to the name of Devolver Digital, the game would be a sort of sequel to Titan Souls but with very original characteristics, placing itself as a sort of meeting point between Zelda and Souls-like, simplifying as much as possible. It is an action adventure that sees us interpret a crow, "reaper" of souls by profession being an employee of the Reaping Commission Headquarters, grappling with a problem in the management of transitions to an afterlife represented as a sort of bureaucratic hell. In the game we find ourselves crossing dungeons full of enemies to take down and puzzles to solve, using the scythe, raven reflexes and even a little gray matter in this splendid action that you can learn more about in our review.

Hitman Trilogy - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 20

Hitman Trilogy, an image from Hitman 3 The entire collection of the new IO Interactive stealth action series trilogy with Hitman Trilogy arrives on Xbox Game Pass , collection containing the three latest Hitmans from the team. We are faced with a package of considerable size, able to offer hours of high-level play, considering how all three games present have been excellently evaluated by critics and the public, consecrating the relaunch of the series as a perfectly successful mission. The new Hitman take the classic characteristics of the series, that is essentially a "professional killer simulation" and place them within wider contexts and with greater freedom of action. Basically, we find ourselves operating in levels characterized by large and open environments, deciding from time to time how to act with a significant amount of different options to complete the missions, which usually require the elimination of a particular subject. The three chapters put together, however, offer a truly impressive quantity and variety of situations.

Pupperazzi - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 20th

A hallucinated dog in an image by Pupperazzi Una of the day one releases on Xbox Game Pass this month is Pupperazzi, whose title is already a whole program: as you can understand from the unlikely name, it is a game that places us in the role of a paparazzo specialized in dogs. The aim is to accomplish various objectives within different settings, which always involve capturing different types of dogs in photos and in various situations. In a world apparently dominated by such animals, but otherwise quite similar to the real one (except for the deliberately cartoonish representation), our mission is to take pictures of dogs chasing particular subjects based on the requests of various characters (dogs also them, of course), catching them in different situations. To learn more about this oddity, we refer you to our review of Pupperazzi, a title definitely suitable for dog lovers and a real paradise for those who suffer the irresistible charm of social photos on the animals in question.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 20

The biggest launch on day one on Xbox Game Pass this January 2022 is definitely Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction, also because it was announced practically by surprise a few days ago and concerns a publisher so far not too tied to Microsoft's subscription service. Things are likely to change with the introduction of the Ubisoft + service on Xbox, and this could be an introduction to what's coming. Extraction modifies a lot of things on the established multiplayer tactical shooter base seen in Siege, featuring cooperative PvE action against truly creepy enemies. Instead of terrorists and human adversaries, in this case the team of operators is dealing with a mysterious and terrible alien threat, within progressive missions that lead us to delve deeper and deeper into the mystery of the "Archaeans", in various modes of game. You can find out more by reading our review of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege: Deluxe Edition - PC, January 20

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, a ' game illustration Ubisoft's tactical shooters offer is completed with the arrival of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege in PC version within the Game Pass this month, practically at the same time as the arrival of the new chapter, Extraction. The dual presence is by no means as redundant as it might seem: the previous chapter offers a rather different gaming experience compared to that of the successor, more set on competitive multiplayer and with a decidedly different development of the matches, considering the setting and the concept. different. In this case we are dealing with two opposing and parallel teams in terms of the amount of forces on the field, each with its own specializations but arranged in a specular way as a unit in battle, which is quite different from what happens in Extraction. For the rest, Siege needs little introduction, still being one of the most played multiplayer tactical shooters ever.

Windjammers 2 - Xbox, PC and Cloud, January 20th

Windjammers 2 takes the classic Data East and modernizes it, as seen in this image Windjammers 2 represents the return of a revisited classic and a confirmation of DotEmu's abilities in this field, given that after Streets of Rage 4 and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap , continues to convince in these operations. Again, the French developers have managed to effectively recover the gameplay and spirit of the original Data East, which was a Neo Geo classic, in a modernized form and with some interesting additions. The 2D graphics, even if drawn by hand, can hardly rival the pixel splendor of the 90s bitmap, but what DotEmu did also to try to recover that particular colorful and summer atmosphere of the original is truly commendable. For the rest, the gameplay takes up the strongly arcade elements, re-proposing that strange mix between Frisbee and tennis in a bizarre mixture that becomes a sport with almost violent connotations. Definitely a game to try, as our Windjammers 2 review demonstrates.

Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master - Xbox and PC, January 27

Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master, a screenshot Another really surprising new release is that of Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master, which also arrived suddenly and without any previous announcement or almost. As in the case of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition, this is also a Japanese production, which gives us hope for the possible progressive introduction of other titles from the Rising Sun, given that at the moment the catalog on this front is still a little lacking. It is a rhythm game focused on the use of taiko, traditional Japanese drums, which must be played in time within various music, following set sequences but open to any reinterpretations and trying to follow the rhythm in the best way. Inside we find 70 backing tracks on which to perform, following the instructions of the two bizarre characters Don and Ka, in a title that has no equal within the vast catalog of Xbox Game Pass.

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