One of the great gifts of this Christmas has been the Xbox. Whether it’s the Series X or the Series S, this has been a year where, thanks to the offers and a catalog that is settling, it begins to shine on its own. But let’s not fool ourselves. A good reason to switch to Xbox is GamePass. But it can be intimidating. There are many games. Too much to choose from. Where to start? Well, here we make a selection of the best games to jump into right now so you don’t have to navigate for hours without knowing what to play.
A Short Hike
Sometimes you feel like playing a simple, sweet game that makes you feel comfortable and warm. A Short Hike is exactly that. An adventure of reaching the top of a mountain by the route that seems most suitable to us. With a simple open world, many possibilities, and never forcing us to go on a specific path or even reach the top, it is a game that encourages us to simply live in the moment.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Sometimes you feel like playing a simple game, sometimes you feel like embarking on a dozens of hours epic where you can get lost and feel like you will never get out of there if you don’t want to. That’s what Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offers you, a huge game, full of collectibles, mysteries and most importantly: a great story and even better characters. The best Assasin’s Creed to get into today, and it’s even available on GamePass.
Cocoon
During this year that is ending in Xbox Game Pass, some great games have appeared. One of them has been Cocoon. An excellent third-person puzzle game created by the designer of Limbo and Inside. It lasts only five or six hours, but it is designed with an absolutely insane finesse. And if you want more, you also have Limbo and Inside on the platform.
GoldenEye 007
Although nostalgia is a trap, sometimes you can make a burrow in the trap. That happens with GoldenEye007. The version available on Xbox Game Pass not only serves to check how shooters have evolved in the last twenty-five years, but also to enjoy a game that you may have enjoyed during your childhood. The first shooter that, for many, was the excuse to get together with friends and shoot each other.
Hi-Fi Rush
Although surprise releases are becoming more common, surprise announcements and releases are still extremely rare. Even more so in a game the size of Hi-Fi Rush. But it turns out that this game from Tango Gameworks, a mix of action and rhythm game, is an absolute delight. Fun, clever, and very dynamic, it’s the perfect game to spend a weekend laughing and rocking out.
Jusant
Sometimes all you need is a game with excellent mechanics and a carefully crafted environmental narrative. Although we could be talking about a game from From Software, we are actually talking about a game from Don’t Nod. Because Jusant perfectly accomplishes both things: introducing perfect climbing mechanics that make you want to keep going forever, and a delicate and well-thought-out narrative that rewards paying attention and taking your time with the game. A delight that you shouldn’t miss.
Lies of P
Talking about From Software games, this year there has finally been a studio capable of making a Soulslike that can satisfy us. And its name is Lies of P. With an extravagant reinterpretation of Pinocchio’s story, it builds a very satisfying Dark Souls-style game that has its own twist based on those foundations. Adjusted through patches, it is still not as good as From Software’s games, but it is almost as good as them. And that’s not saying little.
Starfield
Although it hasn’t turned out as we expected, Starfield is a very interesting game if you are a fan of Bethesda games. Although “Skyrim in space” is a title that is too big for it, it is true that, after 40 hours of story, a universe of very interesting possibilities opens up in a game that is somewhat lacking in all its aspects. Bad? Not exactly. But even more than Skyrim, it is a game that you have to discover how to find fun in it. And if you are capable, it can be fun like no other.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
We live in a problematic world in certain aspects, so it’s okay to be able to immerse ourselves in power fantasies that allow us to do what we can’t in reality. For example, Wolfenstein: The New Order. A game where we embody a soldier who faces the Nazis after they have won the Second World War. In this game, MachineGames managed to perfect a heavy and brutal shooter style that, even today, remains extremely satisfying. That, and killing Nazis, is clearly the ultimate power fantasy for 2024.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
The Yakuza saga has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. The problem is that knowing where to start can be very complex. We’ll make it easy for you: play Yakuza: Like A Dragon. That will leave you ready to play the next installment of the saga, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and jump into the previous titles of the franchise. All of them available on GamePass, so you can immerse yourself in literally 200 or 300 hours of an epic yakuza epic, if that’s what you want. Or just stick with the new ones, because they are semi-independent.
