Psychonauts 2 - Surprised how much I loved this as I don’t typically like this genre nor did I like the original. Gameplay was serviceable but everything else was top shelf. Writing , story, characters, art, level design. One of the most memorable game experiences I’ve ever had.
Halo Infinite - Best Halo I’ve ever played. Played the MP every day for a month which is rare for me these days. I’ve always been more of a CoD guy but I think this is the first Halo that matches if not exceeds the game feel of those titles.
Hitman 3 - A great conclusion to arguably the best trilogy of recent times. This series epitomises everything that is great about gaming.
Lake - A really warm and cosy game where you play as a middle aged woman delivering mail to the residents of a small town. There’s really nothing that stands out from a gameplay or story perspective but I really enjoyed my 6 or so hours in this world.
Forza Horizon 5 - I was a little disappointed with the lack of polish at launch, but overall I’ve had a great time with this one.
Ongoing game
Fallout 76 - I played the snot out of this in the first half of the year, reaching level 140 odd. If you like the Bethesda formula of exploring, looting and crafting you really should give this a go.
State of Decay 2 - Downloaded this recently on the Series X and was pleasantly surprised to see how far this game has come. It really feels like a remaster of the Xbox One version. Better lighting, textures, loading and just all round polish. They’ve also added new maps, outfits and weapons and made some tweaks to the gameplay. This series feels like a sleeping giant for Xbox.
Halo Infinite
The most fun I’ve had in any multiplayer/arena game. Forge can’t come soon enough.
The Ascent
I feel like this one just launched with some fanfare but never really did anything too big or so. Soundtrack, setting and some of the plot was really enjoyable.
Forza Horizon 5
Playground just keeps upping their own games and I’m not sure how they keep doing this. My favourite racer of all time got dethroned after more than a decade and I’m happy it’s this game that did it. Amazing setting as well.
Psychonauts 2
A pleasant surprise although I did expect something really good out of Double Fine.
Scarlet Nexus
Really tight gameplay and hopefully the start of a cool new Bamco series.
The themes this game chose to tackle was approached in a far more thoughtful way than I would typically expect from the Xbox brand. Microsoft is lucky to have them on their team and I hope their talents are not wasted.