The end of the month is often a sad time, as it means some of the best Game Pass entries leave the service. This month is no different, with no less than eight games being exorcised from the subscription.
They are, in alphabetical order, Alan Wake: American Nightmare (Console and PC), Backbone (Cloud, Console, and PC), Bassmaster Fishing 2022 (Cloud, Console, and PC), Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC), Project Wingman (Cloud, Console, and PC), Second Extinction (Cloud, Console, and PC), Sniper Elite 4 (Console and Cloud) and The Forgotten City (Cloud, Console, and PC).
Allow us some time to eulogise the dead. Our favourites from that list are undoubtedly The Forgotten City and Sniper Elite 4. If you’ve not played those two, or not even heard of them, we’d encourage you to search them out.
If you’re a fan of narrative games, or like your games with a hefty dollop of innovation, then The Forgotten City should be sought out. Originally conceived as a Skyrim mod, it was fleshed out to become its own game by Australian developer Modern Storyteller. It’s set against a time loop, as you are sent into mysterious ruins to search for a lost friend, only to be transported back to Ancient Rome. It’s here that the ‘Golden Rule’ is being enacted, where it seems that the Gods are turning everyone into gold for sinful transgressions. But all is not as it seems, as you piece together the truth of the speight of golden statues.
On the other end of the scale is Sniper Elite 4. Why do we like it so much? Well, it’s just astounding entertainment. It might be creaky and old now, with five years of play behind it, but it’s still one of the most satisfying multiplayer shooters out there. “Have we seen the year’s best shooter? Quite possibly”, we said in our 2017 review, and so it proved. Now just wait for its ballistic, head-shotty thrills to return in an Xbox sale. You won’t regret it.
And so we come to the end of October, and the end of the official Game Pass releases. The slate of releases for November are due to be announced in the next couple of days, but there are a few that are nailed-on, absolutely-coming releases. You can be sure of The Legend of Tianding (Console, PC) on November 1st, Ghost Song (Console, PC, Cloud) on November 3rd,
Football Manager 2023 (Console, PC, Cloud) on November 8th, Pentiment (Console, PC, Cloud) on November 15th, Gungrave G.O.R.E (Console, PC, Cloud) on November 22nd and Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (PC) on November 30th. Not bad already.
So, have a truly horror-filled Halloween, and check back in a couple of days’ time to find out what Xbox has in store for November.
Are you groaning about any of October’s removals? Let us know in the comments or on our social channels.
