It expertly balances the deep mechanics of any fighting title worth its salt with the ease of entry needed to entice newcomers to the genre to stick around. It’s hard to nail down exactly what makes a good fighting game, but if we had to point to one of the best examples currently on Game Pass, it would be Guilty Gear Strive.

We can’t wait to see Valheim in all its fully realized glory. And the most exciting thing about Valheim thus far is that its current state of immense entertainment is still a work in progress. It’s the sort of title that rewards you with player moments rather than shuttling you toward cinematic fights that play out the same way for everyone. As with any sandbox survival game, there’s a lot to discover in Valheim. You and friends can not only build your very own Viking homestead in this eternal realm, but you can pit yourself against the different bosses of this procedurally generated world. Iron Gate takes the cooperative nature of what makes Minecraft so engrossing and couples it with thrilling combat encounters in the form of several boss fights. It’s still in early access, appearing in Game Pass’ library tiles as a Game Preview, but what is there is a lot of fun, and many have been waiting for Valheim’s console debut for a long time. We’re pumping our fists in the air for the arrival of Valheim. No, we’re not talking about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

The Viking game that everyone has long been waiting for has made its way to Xbox Game Pass. But once you’ve gotten into the groove, and your cities start to take on the better sides of their characteristics and you know what trees you’re going to invest in, Civilization VI hits its stride, and man, does it keep a good pace. Maintaining your burgeoning civilization is just the tip of the iceberg, and keeping track of the various systems needed to do so is a monumental task. It’s not the friendliest game a beginner of the genre could turn to, not by a long shot.īut mastering its mechanics is just part of the appeal. And that’s the constant, neverending pressure to play one more turn.Yes, as a turn-based strategy game, there's a rather steep learning curve if you decide to try your hand at Civilization VI. It captures the essence of what makes a Civilization game a Civilization game.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is a culmination of a decades-long series.

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