In my continued exploration of the game pass library I have taken a trip down memory lane with my some of my choices this time around. These titles are the most recent version of games that I simply haven’t kept up with in a couple years. Meanwhile there are some that I haven’t played at all but are successful in their own right. So let’s get started!
NBA 2K20
If you were to look at my standard catalogue of games you’ll notice that I don’t play too many sports games. I have fallen into a comfortable niche playing either FPS games like Call of Duty or open world RPGs. Lately though I have expanded into the realm of racing games but when I saw that NBA 2K20 was available I knew I had to hop back on that horse.
The last time I had played an NBA 2K game was back in 2013 when the Miami Heat were dominating the basketball scene (oh how times have changed). In those days my cousin and I were inspired not only to play the game in real life but we also played it virtually. This came in handy when the weather was not on our side. Back then we would play together on the same tv but these days we find ourselves playing online.
We found a few drawbacks to this online co-op, like not being able to switch between players and not being able to pause is quite annoying as it is with any other online game. Besides that, co-op mode has been fun because we find ourselves playing our own version of the NBA Finals. When not playing co-op I have gravitated towards MyCareer mode which allows you to create multiple players that can play with different styles. I myself haven’t gone too crazy with that mechanic and have only chosen to make a single player as I go through the season with him.
You embark on a journey to the draft in this mode which builds a backstory to your character and features cameos from well known celebrities. Additionally, there is a feature where you’re given multiple options that you are able to choose from but as far as I can tell they did not negatively affect my draft position. Once drafted you start your first season with your NBA team and in my experience the whole season has been a grind.
My player came in rated at a high 60s, low 70s score and only saw playing time off the bench. The minutes that I did play were not that great and the team suffered from that. In between games however you are given the option to practice with the team or individually. I found this to be incredibly helpful and motivating as I wanted my player and the team to play better. I also took advantage of this practice mode to learn how to perform basic basketball moves like an alley-oop or bounce pass.
There are two other modes that are included in this game which are MyTeam and MyLeague. MyTeam features a card collecting system, where you are able to open different packs that contain players from throughout NBA history. On the other side, MyLeague is a mode stacked with a plethora of options to choose from. As for me though I’m just going to stick with co-op and MyCareer, don’t have much time for everything else. But hey don’t let me stop you, play this game however you want its worth the time.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
When I first started getting into video games I was obsessed with any game that would let you fly. Naturally I gravitated towards Ace Combat, playing games 5 & 6 on the PS2 and Xbox 360 respectively. However, as time went on I moved onto other games and completely forgot about the series, until now. Ace Combat 7: Unknown Skies breaks a twelve year Ace Combat drought. I didn’t even realize it had been that long!
With the game having an original release date of 2017, it ultimately got pushed back until the beginning of 2019. The game looks pretty amazing both while playing and in the cutscenes. I have been enjoying the campaign and watching the after mission replays because it just looks so cool to watch these jets blow stuff up. For gameplay I have to say its very solid and it allows you to be very acrobatic however there are times when the AI planes tend to stick to your blind side forcing you to just fly in circles until you can get behind them again.
Meanwhile when it comes to the story, it seems a bit shallow. It takes place in the same world as the previous titles and even the bad guys seem to be the same if my memory serves me correctly. Whenever I’m in a mission, the story and its characters don’t really make an impact on me as other games do. I suppose it has something to do with the distance I have with the other players that really does keep me from getting attached to anyone but the character I’m playing as. In reality however I don’t really play this game for the story, I just play to blow things up, and this game does a good job at that.
Outside of the single player campaign, there is a multiplayer mode that features battle royale and team death match modes. I decided to give team death match mode a spin and I will say it was not what I expected. Firstly, it was only a 4v4 match which seems a bit on the small side. The good thing though was that the game felt evenly matched. By no means am I an expert at this game but I felt that I stayed competitive throughout. However I feel that there should be a mode that allows for offensive and defensive operations similar to seek and destroy in Call of Duty. This type of advice might not come to life until the next installment in the series, as I imagine the amount of players in the online community might be a bit low at this point.
Overall, I can see this game getting a bit more traction now that it is available through the game pass subscription. I definitely recommend anyone looking to expand their horizons to dive into this game.
F1 2018
It was sometime during the summer of last year that the Formula 1: Drive to Survive series debuted on Netflix and had my fiancé and I hooked. I turned to Forza Motorsport to satisfy my need for speed (side note: the last NFS I played was actually quite terrible and probably won’t go back to the series because of it). Anyway, after beating Forza 7 I needed another game to fill the void and that’s where F1 2018 comes in.
Now F1 2018 focuses solely on Formula 1 where Forza allows for diversity in the type of cars you’re able to race. Yet since I was already immersed in the F1 culture thanks to the Netflix series I was down to give this game a test drive. And from what I have played, I can say that I am definitely going to be on the lookout for the next game in the series. Obviously this game is two- three years old by now resulting in different rosters from the current race teams of the 2020 season however the graphics still hold up pretty well.
The main mode that I delved into was the career mode where you can select which team you would want to be a part of. I would find it interesting to see which teams people who are unfamiliar with the sport would pick. With that said there are some big names such as Mercedes and Ferrari but at the same time those names might drive people away. As for myself, I always found myself rooting for team Red Bull so that was the team I had chosen.
Since I knew that Red Bull was a top contender in the real world I did get a little nervous driving under that name for the first time because I didn’t want to look like a bad driver. However there are assists that you can enable to help if you’re not experienced with racing games. I find using the drive line helps a lot especially with cornering.
There are some aspects of the gameplay that are similar to Forza. Although I found that there is a heavy emphasis on wear and tear on the vehicle that I was not used to before. Ahead of each race, as in real life, there are days for practice that you can go through that helps you get a feel for the track as well as the car. The simulations run you through various scenarios, grading your performance and rewarding you with points for upgrades. I find this extremely helpful because when it comes to race day you want to be familiar with both the car and the track.
Overall, this game is very realistic and does Formula 1 in the right way. I would suggest this game for others who have played racing games before, or for those who are fans of the sport as I am.