You can simulate three very different hobbies today, with Game Pass offering you the opportunity of a spot of tennis, DJing and road-tripping.
If you have a current Game Pass subscription, you get the privilege of playing Matchpoint: Tennis Championships (Cloud, Console, PC), DJMax Respect V (Cloud, Console, PC) and Road 96 (Cloud, Console, PC). All are available now (we’ve booted up the console and they’re staring at us), so go git.
Matchpoint: Tennis Championships has clearly been timed to arrive with the peak of Wimbledon, and it will undeniably get a lot of attention because of it. Arriving day-one on Game Pass only multiplies that exposure, so why not dip in and start shouting at your opponent like you’re Nick Kyrgios?
Matchpoint:Tennis Championships is a new tennis franchise that’s hoping to bring tennis to the gaming mainstream in a manner that hasn’t been seen since Virtua Tennis. You can pick and customise your own tennis player, before climbing up the ATP ranks according to a merit-based scoring system. There’s a natty little rivalry system, so you can choose to find a nemesis in 16 real-life players, while the sink has been thrown at making the animations as realistic as possible. It’s an unseeded challenger for the gaming tennis crown, but we’ve seen those win Wimbledon before.
DJMax Respect 2 is a continuation of the cult rhythm action DJMax series, but it’s the first to be exposed to the hordes of Game Pass players. Perhaps this is its chance to hit the big time. This time round, it comes loaded with tracks from Marshmello, Porter Robinson, and Yukika, and it’s upped its game to include full HD Music Videos, online multiplayer and new game modes. We’re most sold on being able to play the Get Jinxed theme tune from Riot’s Arcane TV series.
Finally, the previously released but no-less satisfying Road 96 is also available to play. We had the chance to review this personally, and can give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up. It’s a Telltale-like narrative adventure that’s got a bit of the roguelike about it. You are a runaway teen, looking to escape a fictional authoritarian regime that is looking to round up people like you. Can you make it to the border before you’re taken to the mines? Several characters can be met along the way, increasing your relationship with them as you get wrapped up in their plotting.
That’s all for today, but there’s more to come imminently. You can expect Escape Academy (Console, PC), My Friend Peppa Pig (Cloud, Console, PC), Overwhelm (PC), PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls (Cloud, Console, PC) and PowerWash Simulator on July 14th, and As Dusk Falls (Console, PC) is coming on July 19th.
What do you fancy most? A spot of tennis, disk jockeying or a road trip? Let us know in the comments or on our social channels.