Episodes

Curse of the Dead Gods is a roguelike that has some twists and turns along the way that makes it stand out in the now very prominent run based roguelike genre. You would think a game that curses you every time traverse to a new area would be one that would turn off many people. But due to strong design it ends up being a pivotal part of the experience. Filled with tons of upgrades and different weapon types, is there enough content to make Curse of the Dead Gods stand up with some of the bigger ...

The Ascent looks to mix up Twin Stick action with RPG mechanics in a Cyberpunk world that is far more realized than a certain other now infamous game with the name Cyberpunk in the title. Combing elements of long time favorite action RPG franchises like Diablo with these elements is a risky venture. The Ascent takes place is a world that feels like it was carefully crafted to fit into the Cyberpunk aesthetic but perhaps spent a bit too much time looking pretty rather than playing well. Also tun...

Steep is a Ubisoft game through and through. That means that the vomiting of icons and activities all over a map screen is here with all of pros and cons. But in a game like Steep, which tasks the player with conquering a mountain on snowboards skis and other extreme winter sports activities, it actually makes sense to give the players hundreds of activities to keep them engaged. The problem then becomes if the missions at play are engaging enough to keep the player going as they level. Does Ste...

The Evil Within 2 was a title that is just as divisive as the original Evil Within. The original launched with a ton of issues and bugs combined with a weird aspect ratio that was originally rectified. But the original game felt like a Miakmi game through and through. The Evil Within 2 shares the name with the original but is a more focused action game with horror roots. With very different mechanics and design philosophy, does the Evil Within 2 have enough to make it a recommendation on Xbox Ga...

Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean come together for as crossover even known as A Pirate's Life. Combining these two franchises seems like an easy win but somehow A Pirate's Life ends up being a total miss. Filled with elongated quests that never seem to end and activities that rarely see you interacting with characters like Jack Sparrow, A Pirate's Life ends up being a shipwreck that is a weak addition to Sea of Thieves. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod...

Dungeons and Dragons Dark Alliance is a game that should be fun. It has all of the ingredients to be a fun beat em up with loot and progression that keeps the player going. Instead, players are met with a game that doesn't feel play tested filled with half baked or missing mechanics. The lack of things like a proper soft lock or explanation of systems creates are frustrating game that simply isn't fun to play. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pa...

Knockout City comes from a new studio founded by the team behind Vicarious Visions. Velan Studios sought out to make a game that was easy to pick up but hard to master. Thus the theme of dodgeball was settled on and Knockout City was born. Filled with stylized characters and special powered up balls to do you bidding, Knockout City a surprise in just how fun and chaotic it can be. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcas...

Microsoft had dozens of games to show off at E3 2021. Games like Battlefield 2042, Forza Horizon 5 and Starfield finally got their game play debut. But the real story is just how manty games are coming to Xbox Game Pass Day 1 such as Back 4 Blood and Stalker 2. Was this E3 2021 showcase enough to please Xbox fans? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/support

Psychonauts was the first game created by the now Microsoft owned Double Fine. It's a platformer that captured many people who originally played it in 2005 and over the years fans have continued to sing its praise while they eagerly await the sequel that will finally hit consoles and PC on 2021. With over 15 years since the game released, first timers Cory and Basher are diving into Psychonauts to see if it holds up to the modern day platformers along with trying to understand the praise this ga...

Outlast 2 is in the first person horror genre and attempts to engage the player with atmosphere and a sense of uneasiness. Rather than relying on game play that is crucial to the story and progression, Outlast 2 wants you to experience its characters and world first. Which begs the question, can it be engaging without having a deep game play loop? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/...

Destroy All Humans originally released in 2005 to decent critical reception but it was a game that players really enjoyed. With its over the top story and unique perspective of playing as the alien, its' wackiness and fun stayed with people for years to come. Fast forward to now and we have the remake of Destroy All Humans for modern platforms and modern players. With game play systems and progression that somehow still feel modern today, Destroy All Humans looks to rekindle that fun players ha...

Just wanted to give everyone an update on why episodes are not releasing like they used to be. That is not the plan and this is not our recording schedule. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/support

People Can Fly are some really talented developers. The Makers of the criminally under rated Bulletstorm are now back with Outriders. A sci-fi action class based shooter that looks to take the things that work in third person shooters like Gears of War and combined it with elements such as Diablo and other loot based games. But with Outriders the question of if you should play it isn't coming from a perspective of if the game is good or not. This time the debate comes in the form of how a game ...

Ghost of a Tale is a game that isnt trying to do anything special or gimmicky. Its a straight forward semi open world adventure that has a strong art style and world that hopes to win you over with its style and characters. But when it comes to actually playing and exploring the world of Ghost of a Tale that the concern starts to creep in. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show...

Drake Hollow is a game that takes a lot of elements from popular games like Viva Piñata and tasks the player with surviving in a world that has been taken over by darkness. But at the same time wants you to juggle caring for creatures know as Drake. Its an open world that can be explored and saved but is it asking too much of the player to follow its precise loop? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcas...

Dirt 5 from Codemasters is a weird game that seems to be stuck in a generation that started over a decade ago. With cars that don't feel different, tracks that are repeated constantly and events that never seem to change, it's weird to see a game that once defined the genre feel so stale. But at least it looks good at times? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-p...

Game Pass or Pass tried out Sea of Thieves last year but ran into some glaring issues. Shortly after that episode content and patches were released that addressed some of our main concerns so we decided to finally jump back into Sea of Thieves in 2021. Now with more content such as Tall Tales and adorable pets you can buy, new seasons of content and more sea shanties added, has Sea of Thieves fully redeemed itself? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-...

UnderMine is a rougelike that looks to combine a Zelda dungeon system with mining for gold to keep your character alive and fighting what lurks in the mines below. Combined with secrets and unique perks, UnderMine is a fun rougelike that will keep you playing but it comes with some faults that might turn new players from entering the mine. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show...

The Falconeer is an accomplishment in many regards. It shows how passion from a single person can go a long way to creating something thats majestic and compelling to look at. But, The Falconeer is a video game at the end of the day and unfortunately when it comes to the "game" aspect its not nearly as much fun. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/support

Cyber Shadow comes from a one man studio, Mechanical Head Studios. It's a game that pays homage to many different games like Ninja Gaiden and Mega Man. But when a designer pulls inspiration from such a wide variety of games it can sometimes leave a lot to be desired in terms of new and exciting challenge. The question is, does Cyber Shadow lack originality to a point it overshadows the game play? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Sup...

The Medium comes from Team Bloober, creators of popular games like Observer and Layers of Fear. The Medium is a psychological horror adventure game that takes players on a journey with Marianne.She is a Medium who can see a spirit world that reflects to our own but as she is grieving over the loss of a loved one a mystery begins to unfold that goes deep into her past and why she has the abilities she posses. Through controlling Marianne in different worlds at the same time, The Medium looks to ...

Xeno Crisis is a throwback to a time when games were not only more simplistic but also ridiculously difficult. Xeno Crisis is kind of a twin stick shooter mixed with a Sega Genesis era soundtrack that will beat you down over and over to the point you want to give up. But theres something about that will keep pushing your forward as well. Its an old school game that will have you feeling old school thoughts. Like breaking controllers and not letting the game get the best of you. --- Send in a v...

Monster Train is a card based roguelike which tasks the player with conquering monsters and diving deeper in hell. With addicting and smart progression that keeps the player engaged from run to run, Monster Train looks to take the card based crown from games like Slay the Spire. The question is, does this trail get derailed or stay on track? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/game-pass-or-pass/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...

Another year is coming to a close that means it is time to pick the Game Pass or Pass Game of the Year for 2020. Our list is a bit different in that we don't play only games that release in 2020 or even games that were released on Game Pass in 2020. Any game we have made an episode on this year and suggested to our listeners is up for consideration for Game of the Year. The Following games will be debated for Game of the Year. Call of the Sea Tetris Effect Katana Zero Spiritfarer Wasteland ...