Thought Game Pass was done for the year? Eh, not so much. Even if two games are leaving the service today in the form of Football Manager 2022 (PC) and Football Manager 2022 Xbox Edition (Cloud, Console), we are very much in the presence of an upgrade. Today sees the day one arrival of Return to Monkey Island (Cloud, Console and PC), Football Manager 2023 (PC) and Football Manager 2023 Console (Cloud, Console and PC).
We’re rubbing our hands with glee, mainly as we’re the ones who get to review Return to Monkey Island. Originator Ron Gilbert has returned to the franchise that signaled the start of a whole new genre, Monkey Island. And while we were on the trepidatious side about dusting off Guybrush Threepwood and giving him another run, we needn’t have been. The reviews when it launched on PC earlier this year were nothing short of stellar, and we can’t be more excited to skewer a few more dairy farmers.
The Return to Monkey Island sees Guybrush experiencing a kind of ennui. He never did find the Secret of Monkey Island, and he’s feeling unfulfilled. Elaine Marley has moved away from governorship, the various pirate captains have been replaced by young upstarts, and everything seems to be getting away from him. But on the winds come the smell of adventure, and Guybrush is off again. Has LeChuck returned?
No less exciting is Football Manager 2023, in both its PC and console guises. If the football season hasn’t been going the way you hoped it would (as a Liverpool fan, we can definitely lay claim to that), then Football Manager 2023 gives you the ability to right the wrong. Buy Haaland, retire Jordan Henderson and make your way to the top of the footballing tree in time for Christmas. Or not, depending on your managerial ability.
The headline changes this time round include the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League, all officially licensed, although we’re not sure you get the “Chaaaampioooons” booming out of your speaker whenever a match starts. There’s a new supporter confidence system, too, so you can be alerted to when the banners are out calling for you to Hassenhutl out of there.
If point-and-clicks and football management aren’t your thing, then worry not. More games are on the way on Game Pass. You can expect Somerville (Console) on November 10th, 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. More games should be announced as we near the 15th of the month.
There are leavers too. Art of Rally (Cloud, Console, and PC), Fae Tactics (Cloud, Console, and PC) Next Space Rebel (Cloud, Console, and PC), One Step from Eden (Cloud, Console, and PC) and Supraland (Cloud, Console, and PC) are all being exiled from the service on 15th November. Get playing them before they go.
So, are you more Threepwood or Messi? Let us know in the comments or on our social channels.
