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Halo Infinite - 343 has finally made a Halo game that fires on all cylinders! I was so hyped for this the moment it was announced and despite that awful campaign demo in 2020, the delay gave us the polish we deserved from this game. I have about 50 hours in the game split evenly across campaign and multiplayer, and the open world Halo ring was pretty cool, even if the zones felt very repetitive. And I’m never touching vehicles again, i have the Grappleshot! This is also the first game I’ve cried in during a major story development.
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Forza Horizon 5 - I like cars, ok? I’m not a huge automobile nut, but Forza has taught me more and more about cars as I’ve grown up, and it’ll always be one of my favorite series for that. FH5 doesn’t beat FH2 for me (that game is perfect and that is the hill I will die on), but it is a worthy successor to the underwhelming FH4.
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Hitman 3 - I finally have a chance to replay the Hitman collection on one platform. My progress is split between Hitman 1 on PC and Hitman 2 and 3 on Xbox. I’ve enjoyed the Hitman games a lot since I first played them and now I really want the stealth genre to reappear. Ubisoft, take notes!
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Metroid Dread - I love Metroid Prime, and I’ve never played a 2D Metroid game prior to Dread. My friend loaned me his copy for a weekend, and that was literally the most I’ve played my Switch in years. I gave his copy back after beating the game, and then bought my own copy just to beat it again. Here’s hoping we get Metroid Prime 4 before I have to repay my student loans.
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MLB The Show 21 - Objectively speaking, The Show is about as good as Madden or 2K, but this was the first baseball game I’d ever played on console, and I greatly enjoyed playing as my Red Sox homies and working through the Career mode. That being said, I probably won’t pick up this year’s installment.
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Psychonauts 2 - I tried the first game on Game Pass, but the platforming and level design felt so dated to me that I just had to put it down until the 2nd game came out. I played the sequel and was immediately hooked. This game was just so brilliant in everything from story to gameplay to music and art design, and Jack Black’s character was awesome. Great game, would definitely recommend.
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Back 4 Blood - This game was the devil game this year. There is always one game that releases every year that you hate so much but just have to keep playing, and Back 4 Blood took that crown. The enemy variety is unmatched, the Director system made each run different (much to my friends’ chagrin), and the weapons were responsive and tight. That being said, the voice recording was sus and we made sure to only talk through secure channels while playing. The game also had a steep difficulty curve midway through the second act. I’m not a wuss (I’ve beaten Dark Souls and Halo 3’s Cortana mission), but that curve was uncalled for imo.
Honorable Mentions (don’t count these): Fallout 4 - felt great to replay this gem. Skyrim - mods, need I say more? Tales of Arise - I’ve only played the demo but am waiting to get this when it is on sale. I have a rule of no anime games on the Xbox but the gameplay was so engaging I just have to get it.
Ongoing Titles:
- Destiny 2 - Season of the Splicer and Season of the Lost have given me amazing times in Destiny 2, and have reinvigorated my love for the franchise. I did way too many Overrides in Season of the Splicer to get the Triumph Seal, but it was worth it. The 30th Anniversary Pack also added a lot of cool weapons, the most infuriating pinnacle activity in the Grasp of Avarice dungeon, and the wily escapades of Xur and the cosmic equine. Triumphant neigh of conquest, indeed.
- Sea of Thieves - Affectionately known as Thea of Sieves by my comrades and I, this game provided many hours of enjoyment during some temporary COVID-related lockdowns. I’ve enjoyed searching the seas for treasure and hunting Chris Hansen, Skel of Skels in the meantime.
- Fortnite - Boba Fett go brrrrrrr