Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Xbox One)
From the outside, it might look like Zombie Army 4: Dead War is just another carbon-copy entry in the genre of zombie shoot 'em ups, but what it does, it does extremely well. With punchy combat, an addictive levelling up system and Easter Eggs bursting out of every frame, it's the Left 4 Dead content we never knew existed.
- Xbox Game Pass? No
CrossCode (Xbox One)
We'd never even heard about CrossCode until it hit Xbox Game Pass earlier this year, and now we absolutely love it. Another game which embraces the Zelda formula, CrossCode is filled to the brim with surprises and a nostalgic 16-bit art style that beams off the page. It's also been optimised for the Xbox Series X|S, giving another reason to dive in, solve some puzzles and slash through its exhilarating combat.
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
The Messenger (Xbox One)
The Messenger released on other systems before this year, but finally made the jump to Xbox consoles in 2020, and it's still one of the best indie games out there. Without ruining the main surprise, the game takes players on a nostalgic trip through numerous years of retro gaming, gradually getting more challenging and taking some impressive twists and turns. It's also surprisingly funny with witty back-and-forth between the characters in the game. The less known about The Messenger the better, as its many joys hide within its surprises.
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
Pumpkin Jack (Xbox One)
Pumpkin Jack shares a lot in common with the classic PlayStation game MediEvil, taking that core experience and updating it for a modern audience. Developed by an immensely small team, it's insane the level of detail and polish within Pumpkin Jack that manages to shine throughout its many stages. It's simple, fun platforming fun that feels reminiscent of platformers from the original Xbox era.
- Xbox Game Pass? No
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory (Xbox One)
The Kingdom Hearts series has always had off-beat side titles. Whether that be card-building games or Nintendo DS exclusives that proved integral to the overall narrative, it's a web that becomes more tangled as it moves on. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is so simple in its execution, and that is to deliver engaging, rhythm-based gameplay through the series' long history of beautiful orchestral music. It's both relaxing and addictive in equal measure, providing a soothing love letter to the series, instead of focusing on pushing its convoluted story.
- Xbox Game Pass? No
Hotshot Racing (Xbox One)
We'd been keeping an eye on old-school style arcade racer Hotshot Racing all year before it eventually landed on Xbox with Game Pass this past August, and it didn't disappoint. The blisteringly fast racer features satisfying drift handling, loads of great courses, a plethora of game modes and even online multiplayer support, and recently added even more content with a free Big Boss Bundle expansion, so we definitely recommend checking this one out with Xbox Game Pass over the holidays.
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
Moving Out (Xbox One)
Team17's Overcooked games have enjoyed massive success on the Xbox One over the past few years, and if you enjoyed those titles, we think you're going to love Moving Out. It's basically the same premise and style of gameplay, but this time, instead of cooking food, your goal is to move objects from houses into a moving van, with various obstacles introduced along the way. You might find yourself screaming at your friends in the process of playing this one though!
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
What games would you add to this list? Let us know down in the comments below.
Comments 13
Deliver Us The Moon and CrossCode are just so good! Definitely deserve more love.
I still need to check out Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory and hopefully I'll be doing it as soon as I'm done with KH3!
One game from this year that I've recently bought (but haven't played yet) that could fit in this list is Maneater. Just the idea of playing as a shark in an open world action RPG sounds delightful and unique to me. A lot of people seem to have forgotten about this game though.
I don't like Shantae's music and level design but the others look interesting.
Good call about Two Point Hospital, which was my game of the year.
@LtSarge
Two thumbs up for Deliver Us the Moon! Loved that game and can't recommend it enough. In all honesty, I liked it more than some AAAA games I've played.
Glad to see Shantae gets some love here!
Might have to give crosscode a try, I hear good things about that game.
Great article! With so many games being released these days, games fall through the cracks unfortunately.
It’s good to see these games getting the attention they deserve. 👍🏻
Tried darksiders genesis on game pass and it's surprisingly good. Who knew third person was the wrong camera for the series?
Though 3 was weird. People panned it and claimed it cloned souls, but imo it's still better than souls. It didn't really feel that different from 1.... And you die a lot in 1, too.
Nice list. I don't think Moving Out is underrated though, and would personally replace it for Tell Me Why - an insanely touching story often overlooked.
I want to play Desperados 3 but think it’s overpriced. Waiting for it to either hit GP or drastically reduced in price. Hotshot racing was awesome!
@Kefka2589 I still think the second one was the best. The first has a souls like difficulty curve at times. 3 tried to actually be souls. But 2 had that Zelda charm in a lot of ways.
You're right about puzzles in genesis though. Might end up getting that on switch on the sale. Seems like a very handheld friendly game.
I can't stand Kingdom Hearts games but for some reason, I really love Melody of Memory; it was my go-to game during an otherwise downer of a covid-holiday season and brought me a lot of joy. And Hotshot Racing? So good.
@Kefka2589 ha! Well, as my avatar may give away....i like Zelda games....
So I'n that regard darksiders should really thrill me. I played 2 first. Loved it. I kept hearing though that 1 was better and was even more purely Zelda like. But when i went to finally play 1, while i somewhat enjoy it, i like it less than the second. For one, the second was colorful like a Zelda game. Now,i don't need every game to be colorful, but ds1 was from that ps360 era of everything brown, and that game is no exception. The brown on brown makes navigation and puzzle solving needlessly complicated. And i find the combat repetitive, difficult, and unrewarding. Tiamat was one of the most infuriating bosses ever, and i hear she may actually be the hardest, or second hardest boss in the game... Right at the first dungeon. The battles after that feel needlessly drawn out in ways that make it to easy to die and keep repeating it. Too many rooms become surprise arena battles though there's some good puzzling between. Suffice it to say, as a big Zelda fan since the beginning, i find, contrary to popular opinion, the service darksiders satisfies more and frustrates less than the first.
3 is for sadists and bloodborne fans.
Genesis so far is cool, but I'm only just done the first area.
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