@-taco I totally agree, achievements themselves are a great addition to games - especially those with hidden content, replayability or particularly those with vast open worlds, it's often a handy reminder that I missed something and the game still has more to offer.
But the whole obsession with playing games that essentially play themselves just so you can have an extra 1000 gamer score really does annoy me. Almost as much as the idea that "a perfect game pass title" is something that's good enough to play but not good enough to pay for... its as if people don't even want quality games anymore. As someone whose grown up over all Xbox generations - the state of the games filling the store these days is laughable, every day it looks more and more like browsing a mobile games store.
As soon as I read that difficulty was the "divisive" factor I knew it was going to be about the completionists wanting to pump their pointless gamerscores. Don't get me wrong, I like to complete a game as much as the next guy - but not every game pass entry needs to be a journalist sleep-through title that people would never pay for or play if you removed the achievements from it.
Each to their own and all that - every month there's a new handful of forgettable completionist games, can we not just welcome a challenge for a change? All the absolute nonsense that plagues modern gaming and this writer really couldn't find anything better to complain about besides a slightly more difficult (potential) game pass addition?
As someone who often plays CS1 on Xbox series X, I've become very used to hearing the console scream in pain unlike any other game. I can play Red Dead 2 in full 4K for an entire day and it won't come close to screaming fans like it does just 10/15 minutes into loading CS1. Even on a relatively new and empty save, so I genuinely dread to think how it would handle CS2 under any circumstances, especially after seeing the state of its PC version too.
Console release should be the least of their concerns really. I'd like to play it some day but no part of me is looking forward to seeing it run on a console, and every time I revisit CS1 it's just a clear reminder of how poorly optimized it's going to be anyway.
Sounds to me like a small team of modders pitched an impossibly ambitious idea that they certainly couldn't do themselves, and simply hoped "the community" would be able to make it for them.
It's a fun idea and all, but they clearly had no idea how much work that would involve. This feels more akin to some casual, naive players coming up with a pipe dream than a team of modders with a genuine ambition to make something.
Anyone can come up with an idea, let's create the entire Jurassic park universe and put it on a distant planet.. and if I don't get a large enough team of volunteers right away then it's the communities fault for not supporting me more. Has nothing to do with the fact that I'm severely unqualified and have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, it's the communities job to put my ideas into fruition not mine.
Lego Drive is quite literally the easiest single player racing game I've ever played, effortlessly first in every race, never seem to get hit by any of the weapons like you would in Mario Kart, and the difficulty between licenses doesn't seem to change much at all either.
Obviously it's a game primarily for kids, but so is Mario kart and at least that game provides some level of challenge to it, and a noticable difference in difficulty as you progress. It's a reasonably fun game for what it is, but it feels more like a leisurely driving game than a racing title due to that significant lack of difficulty. You'll find yourself relaxed, just driving around with very few reminders that it's supposed to be competitive or there's supposed to be a challenge involved. It's very much a game of just press accelerate and enjoy.
My nephew is a die hard fan of lego, but even he has very little to no interest in the game. I imagine that's because even he would find it difficult to enjoy a game that more or less just plays itself for you.
@JayJ Very much how I feel too, there was that window where ubi games really nailed the formula, but since then they've just been too complacent and too reliant on that previous success to really innovate on any of the titles they made since.
It would have to be Farcry 3 for me, although I did enjoy a lot of the other titles too.
It seemed only fair to judge them based on the time they released, rather than comparing 2 games with an entire generation between them.. My main concerns with any ubi title are usually story, and environment - as they usually make the difference between enjoying the whole game as opposed to only enjoying the first half (AC Odyssey for example)
From what I remember Farcry 3 had a compelling story that hadn't yet been done to death, and with the addition of Vas (probably my favourite voice actor/antagonist in any game) this stands out as a clear favourite of mine. Though it doesn't hold up as well to more modern titles, at the time of its release it was a very strong entry for me, whilst ubi games since then have felt more par for the course, less impressive, and more of a repeat of what we've already had before it.
Not gonna lie, I find it hard to get excited by this type of game. It seems to be the new trend, with a large portion of the new generation being side-scrolling, text based stories. Which would be fine, if it wasn't for such a lackluster start to the new consoles. Funny how none of these games are ever showcased when selling people on the "Next Gen of Gaming" The last year of releases and gamepass titles have been almost entirely this genre of game, which could probably run fine on an xbox 360 instead.
Don't get me wrong though, I do enjoy this type of game from time to time. its a nice change in pace.. but whenever I check out the store for something new it seems like all we have are dozens of games doing the same thing, in the same style, and there's a reason you don't see these games feature in adverts for the new consoles - Because it wouldn't sell them.
@EliSweetG and the walking dead series was fantastic, I didn't mean to bash all games like that, some really stand out for their story telling. I was thinking more along the lines of The Artful Escape, which was one of those easy achievement games, but i found it extremely dull and tedious after the first 20 minutes and just decided it wasn't worth the time haha.
P.S. sorry about the other comments, I like to think this is usually a respectful place for all gamers. You shouldn't have to deal with that here!
@EliSweetG I had no idea, I always assumed the rewards points were a universal thing. That's a real shame to be honest. Like everyone else said, it might not be a significant amount but they add up over time and it's nice to redeem them for a game or two every few months.
Personally I've tried these games from time to time just to rack up some extra points, but usually the games are so dull and boring that I often decide it's not worth the time either. Though every once in a while I might enjoy one more than I expected to. A lot of them are stretching a bit by considering themselves as actual games though, more like interactive stories that only involve a few buttons.
Even on sale it's extortionate. The cost of these is completely unjustifiable and how anyone could buy one with a straight face is beyond me. Seagate and Microsoft are straight up robbing people with these.
Was looking forward to giving this a go yesterday, but every time I loaded it up it failed to log me in and just bounced me around the title screen instead.
Hopefully it'll work next time though, I noticed another commenter said the servers were down so hopefully that issues been fixed.
You can't really expect much criticism from IGN these days, a lot of the time they get paid to say good things. The world looks dead, the few things like rails that are dotted around the place look so jarring to the rest of the environment, and they havnt showcased anything remotely interesting yet. Being this late into development they should atleast have something compelling to show, instead it looks like a fan made mod running in an unfinished level editor of another game.
@Xiovanni that's the best way to be. Just because something isn't right for you doesn't mean it's not perfect for someone else.
I wouldn't buy a series S myself, but plenty of people have and you really can't argue with that pricetag either. Some people just want something casual, they don't care which performs better, they care which is the most affordable option and the series S is probably the right choice for the less serious gamers.
In my experience the only people who ever criticize console selection are those who were disappointed with what they chose. Playstation players almost constantly pipe up whenever game pass news comes out, Xbox players usually pipe up when a playstation exclusive is announced.. it's always people trying to trash the opposition to reassure themselves that they still have "the better console".. Gamers who are happy with their purchase don't usually waste much time complaining about the one they didn't buy. You'll never stop it though, it's like buying a new car, there's always someone to talk ***** about the make you bought, and it's usually because they're still driving a 10 year old pile of rust.
A lot of hate for the flimsy game cases in here, but I'm pretty confident that's due to using recycled/recyclable plastics not necessarily just to cut costs. I remember a lot of plastic bottles being changed to a thinner, flimsier plastic around the same time so I assume that's the main reason behind it.
We need more of this really, when you look at the quality of the games on store now compared to previous generations it's pretty shocking whats available to buy on there. Looking through the online stores these days often reminds me of the sort of stuff you'd see on old flash websites. I'm glad to see things like indie games getting the support they need, but quality control feels virtually non existent now and there needs to be a line there somewhere. It's pretty depressing to turn on a £500 console only to be met with an extensive library that's probably more than half junk right now.
So what exactly have they learned? They blamed consumer expectation for the failure of 2042, and are already working on abandoning that project so they can start another... They haven't learned anything.
For me it's obvious that the higher value games will be given away through the gamepass rather than the gold service, that's just business. The games for gold service is inevitably going to come second to the subscription service and that means it's unlikely to be as good as it was before that became an option.
I don't particularly care what the games for gold are anymore, but it's a nice surprise when something comes up that I can look forward to. That being said, I feel like games for gold should be used to help lesser known titles and developers get a wider audience instead, while larger developers can benefit from the gamepass give aways, smaller developers can achieve those same benefits through games with gold.
It would be naive to sit around complaining because you didn't receive a free triple A title this month, or every month for that matter. These comments are always full of people who just expect the best free hand outs, and if that was the case it wouldn't be long before both gold and gamepass are reduced to sub par services with very little to offer anyway. Be realistic in your expectations at least.
@Alduin what third party developers are avoiding Xbox? You do realize that third party developers are paid and funded for Sony's exclusive titles. None of them are narrowing their market out of choice or avoidance of Microsoft... and I don't see Sony offering up all of their exclusives for free indefinitely either. You sound super desperate to criticize Microsoft even though they're doing a lot more than Sony in the first place. Perhaps that's what you're really mad about?
@UltimateOtaku91 nope, because an FPS is involved no one will be interested in their game. People are getting tired of studios spewing out generic fps games to try and make bank from microtransactions and low effort development.
Any time a studio comes forward to say "we are working on a new fps" what they're really saying is "we're working on a new cash cow". I'm so tired of hearing every other studio trying to jump on a bandwagon. If you havnt any ideas of your own, you're simply in the wrong business. It's almost never about bringing forward an original concept and I have no doubt that whatever they create will be a direct copy of a game we already have. Perhaps they'll mix it up by adding portals to Halo, or overwatch heroes to counterstrike, maybe they'll even include a battlepass? Whatever they do, I can already guarantee it won't be anything interesting. FPS games are just being milked for microtransactions and used to fund the rest of their dull development ideas. Honestly hope it flops, that markets already been oversaturated to death.
My favorite console as far as performance and capability is concerned would obviously be the newest - series X, but to solely judge it off that would only ever favour the latest hardware.
If I was to judge it by playability and library size though, it would have to be the 360. That to me was the golden era of gaming where the quality of releases was still achievable by small time developers, giving us much more selection when it comes to games. These days only major studios can afford to develop on console and most the game selection are just recycling each other's ideas anyway. I find it hard to imagine consoles ever having the variety of games that they used to and I miss the days when there was almost always a new game to get stuck into.
I specifically started using gamepass because I couldn't afford to keep buying the newest titles, especially at 60-70 a pop. So it's been a great solution for me, and luckily I've still been able to enjoy new releases like Forza 5, Halo, and Back 4 Blood without having to find £150 to update my library.
I gave it a D, with the best month being February for resident evil as it was relatively new at the time.. The reason I gave a D though is because in comparison to previous years, it felt like most titles were pretty weak and low value anyway. I'm always happy to receive a free game and try something new, but would say this year felt much less excitable than others for Games with Gold.
The Gamepass however, that's a whole different story and most likely the reason why Games for Gold fell behind a little bit too. With money being invested in creating a better value subscription model rather than the free rewards for its lower package.
I don't think it's fair to say that the whole thing is pointless though as many commenters may suggest. Just because the titles arnt to your liking, doesn't mean the whole giveaway is worthless. These people would only ever be satisfied if they could pick their own each month, even then they would probably find something to dislike about it. Even if I'm not particularly keen on the games myself, I'm still grateful to receive them for free every month and often discover games I wouldn't have played otherwise without this service. It would still be nice to have some more excitable games included though, atleast some that I would have heard about before hand. It feels more rewarding than just another game to try when it's something I've been meaning to play anyway.
So that's what the D is for, as previous years contained more recognisable games that were exciting to receive and play through, rather than this year which I probably only cared to claim around a third of them. That still averages out to about one a month which I did enjoy though so I'm okay with that.
Comments 29
Re: Opinion: Crash Bandicoot 4 Will Be A Divisive Addition To Xbox Game Pass
@-taco I totally agree, achievements themselves are a great addition to games - especially those with hidden content, replayability or particularly those with vast open worlds, it's often a handy reminder that I missed something and the game still has more to offer.
But the whole obsession with playing games that essentially play themselves just so you can have an extra 1000 gamer score really does annoy me. Almost as much as the idea that "a perfect game pass title" is something that's good enough to play but not good enough to pay for... its as if people don't even want quality games anymore. As someone whose grown up over all Xbox generations - the state of the games filling the store these days is laughable, every day it looks more and more like browsing a mobile games store.
Re: Opinion: Crash Bandicoot 4 Will Be A Divisive Addition To Xbox Game Pass
As soon as I read that difficulty was the "divisive" factor I knew it was going to be about the completionists wanting to pump their pointless gamerscores.
Don't get me wrong, I like to complete a game as much as the next guy - but not every game pass entry needs to be a journalist sleep-through title that people would never pay for or play if you removed the achievements from it.
Each to their own and all that - every month there's a new handful of forgettable completionist games, can we not just welcome a challenge for a change? All the absolute nonsense that plagues modern gaming and this writer really couldn't find anything better to complain about besides a slightly more difficult (potential) game pass addition?
Re: Cities: Skylines 2's Xbox Release Delayed Again, Dev Blames 'Unresolved Issues'
As someone who often plays CS1 on Xbox series X, I've become very used to hearing the console scream in pain unlike any other game. I can play Red Dead 2 in full 4K for an entire day and it won't come close to screaming fans like it does just 10/15 minutes into loading CS1. Even on a relatively new and empty save, so I genuinely dread to think how it would handle CS2 under any circumstances, especially after seeing the state of its PC version too.
Console release should be the least of their concerns really. I'd like to play it some day but no part of me is looking forward to seeing it run on a console, and every time I revisit CS1 it's just a clear reminder of how poorly optimized it's going to be anyway.
Re: Starfield Modder Blames Lack Of Support As Elder Scrolls Project Gets Cancelled
Sounds to me like a small team of modders pitched an impossibly ambitious idea that they certainly couldn't do themselves, and simply hoped "the community" would be able to make it for them.
It's a fun idea and all, but they clearly had no idea how much work that would involve. This feels more akin to some casual, naive players coming up with a pipe dream than a team of modders with a genuine ambition to make something.
Anyone can come up with an idea, let's create the entire Jurassic park universe and put it on a distant planet.. and if I don't get a large enough team of volunteers right away then it's the communities fault for not supporting me more. Has nothing to do with the fact that I'm severely unqualified and have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, it's the communities job to put my ideas into fruition not mine.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 6-7)
Lego Drive is quite literally the easiest single player racing game I've ever played, effortlessly first in every race, never seem to get hit by any of the weapons like you would in Mario Kart, and the difficulty between licenses doesn't seem to change much at all either.
Obviously it's a game primarily for kids, but so is Mario kart and at least that game provides some level of challenge to it, and a noticable difference in difficulty as you progress. It's a reasonably fun game for what it is, but it feels more like a leisurely driving game than a racing title due to that significant lack of difficulty. You'll find yourself relaxed, just driving around with very few reminders that it's supposed to be competitive or there's supposed to be a challenge involved. It's very much a game of just press accelerate and enjoy.
My nephew is a die hard fan of lego, but even he has very little to no interest in the game. I imagine that's because even he would find it difficult to enjoy a game that more or less just plays itself for you.
Re: Pick One: Which Of These Ubisoft Xbox Games Is Your Favourite?
@JayJ Very much how I feel too, there was that window where ubi games really nailed the formula, but since then they've just been too complacent and too reliant on that previous success to really innovate on any of the titles they made since.
Re: Pick One: Which Of These Ubisoft Xbox Games Is Your Favourite?
It would have to be Farcry 3 for me, although I did enjoy a lot of the other titles too.
It seemed only fair to judge them based on the time they released, rather than comparing 2 games with an entire generation between them.. My main concerns with any ubi title are usually story, and environment - as they usually make the difference between enjoying the whole game as opposed to only enjoying the first half (AC Odyssey for example)
From what I remember Farcry 3 had a compelling story that hadn't yet been done to death, and with the addition of Vas (probably my favourite voice actor/antagonist in any game) this stands out as a clear favourite of mine. Though it doesn't hold up as well to more modern titles, at the time of its release it was a very strong entry for me, whilst ubi games since then have felt more par for the course, less impressive, and more of a repeat of what we've already had before it.
Re: Dead Island 2 Full Game Length Revealed Ahead Of Xbox Launch This April
@rustyduck you'll be waiting another 10 years then
Re: Review: Pentiment - Obsidian's Medieval Murder Mystery Is A Game Pass Delight
Not gonna lie, I find it hard to get excited by this type of game. It seems to be the new trend, with a large portion of the new generation being side-scrolling, text based stories. Which would be fine, if it wasn't for such a lackluster start to the new consoles. Funny how none of these games are ever showcased when selling people on the "Next Gen of Gaming" The last year of releases and gamepass titles have been almost entirely this genre of game, which could probably run fine on an xbox 360 instead.
Don't get me wrong though, I do enjoy this type of game from time to time. its a nice change in pace.. but whenever I check out the store for something new it seems like all we have are dozens of games doing the same thing, in the same style, and there's a reason you don't see these games feature in adverts for the new consoles - Because it wouldn't sell them.
Re: There's A Free New Kart Racer On Xbox, Complete With Achievements (1000G)
@EliSweetG and the walking dead series was fantastic, I didn't mean to bash all games like that, some really stand out for their story telling. I was thinking more along the lines of The Artful Escape, which was one of those easy achievement games, but i found it extremely dull and tedious after the first 20 minutes and just decided it wasn't worth the time haha.
P.S. sorry about the other comments, I like to think this is usually a respectful place for all gamers. You shouldn't have to deal with that here!
Re: There's A Free New Kart Racer On Xbox, Complete With Achievements (1000G)
@EliSweetG I had no idea, I always assumed the rewards points were a universal thing. That's a real shame to be honest. Like everyone else said, it might not be a significant amount but they add up over time and it's nice to redeem them for a game or two every few months.
Re: 'Let's Build A Zoo' Is Selling Great On Nintendo Switch, Partly Thanks To Xbox Game Pass
Havnt tried this game yet, but any time DLC releases the same day as the game itself - I can't help but get put off by it.
Re: There's A Free New Kart Racer On Xbox, Complete With Achievements (1000G)
@EliSweetG you don't have reward points in Japan?
Personally I've tried these games from time to time just to rack up some extra points, but usually the games are so dull and boring that I often decide it's not worth the time either. Though every once in a while I might enjoy one more than I expected to. A lot of them are stretching a bit by considering themselves as actual games though, more like interactive stories that only involve a few buttons.
Re: Xbox Seagate Expansion Cards Heavily Discounted At Amazon (UK)
Even on sale it's extortionate. The cost of these is completely unjustifiable and how anyone could buy one with a straight face is beyond me. Seagate and Microsoft are straight up robbing people with these.
Re: Review: Fall Guys - A Great Addition To The Free-To-Play Xbox Lineup
Was looking forward to giving this a go yesterday, but every time I loaded it up it failed to log me in and just bounced me around the title screen instead.
Hopefully it'll work next time though, I noticed another commenter said the servers were down so hopefully that issues been fixed.
Re: Sonic Frontiers: The First Hands-On Impressions Have Arrived
You can't really expect much criticism from IGN these days, a lot of the time they get paid to say good things. The world looks dead, the few things like rails that are dotted around the place look so jarring to the rest of the environment, and they havnt showcased anything remotely interesting yet. Being this late into development they should atleast have something compelling to show, instead it looks like a fan made mod running in an unfinished level editor of another game.
Re: Xbox UK Marketing Lead Calls Out Console War 'Abuse' On Twitter
@Xiovanni that's the best way to be. Just because something isn't right for you doesn't mean it's not perfect for someone else.
I wouldn't buy a series S myself, but plenty of people have and you really can't argue with that pricetag either. Some people just want something casual, they don't care which performs better, they care which is the most affordable option and the series S is probably the right choice for the less serious gamers.
Re: Xbox UK Marketing Lead Calls Out Console War 'Abuse' On Twitter
In my experience the only people who ever criticize console selection are those who were disappointed with what they chose. Playstation players almost constantly pipe up whenever game pass news comes out, Xbox players usually pipe up when a playstation exclusive is announced.. it's always people trying to trash the opposition to reassure themselves that they still have "the better console".. Gamers who are happy with their purchase don't usually waste much time complaining about the one they didn't buy. You'll never stop it though, it's like buying a new car, there's always someone to talk ***** about the make you bought, and it's usually because they're still driving a 10 year old pile of rust.
Re: Random: GTA 5 For Xbox Series X Has A Weird Physical Case Design
A lot of hate for the flimsy game cases in here, but I'm pretty confident that's due to using recycled/recyclable plastics not necessarily just to cut costs. I remember a lot of plastic bottles being changed to a thinner, flimsier plastic around the same time so I assume that's the main reason behind it.
Re: Fast & Furious Crossroads Is Getting Delisted On Xbox This April
We need more of this really, when you look at the quality of the games on store now compared to previous generations it's pretty shocking whats available to buy on there.
Looking through the online stores these days often reminds me of the sort of stuff you'd see on old flash websites.
I'm glad to see things like indie games getting the support they need, but quality control feels virtually non existent now and there needs to be a line there somewhere.
It's pretty depressing to turn on a £500 console only to be met with an extensive library that's probably more than half junk right now.
Re: 'Valuable Lessons' Have Been Learned For The Next Battlefield, Says Report
So what exactly have they learned? They blamed consumer expectation for the failure of 2042, and are already working on abandoning that project so they can start another... They haven't learned anything.
Re: Poll: Are You Happy With February 2022's Xbox Games With Gold?
For me it's obvious that the higher value games will be given away through the gamepass rather than the gold service, that's just business. The games for gold service is inevitably going to come second to the subscription service and that means it's unlikely to be as good as it was before that became an option.
I don't particularly care what the games for gold are anymore, but it's a nice surprise when something comes up that I can look forward to. That being said, I feel like games for gold should be used to help lesser known titles and developers get a wider audience instead, while larger developers can benefit from the gamepass give aways, smaller developers can achieve those same benefits through games with gold.
It would be naive to sit around complaining because you didn't receive a free triple A title this month, or every month for that matter. These comments are always full of people who just expect the best free hand outs, and if that was the case it wouldn't be long before both gold and gamepass are reduced to sub par services with very little to offer anyway. Be realistic in your expectations at least.
Re: The First Two Of January 2022's Xbox Games With Gold Are Now Available
@Toner1984 except gwg are free for you to keep, PS+ games are free for a limited time only.
Re: The First Two Of January 2022's Xbox Games With Gold Are Now Available
@Alduin what third party developers are avoiding Xbox? You do realize that third party developers are paid and funded for Sony's exclusive titles. None of them are narrowing their market out of choice or avoidance of Microsoft... and I don't see Sony offering up all of their exclusives for free indefinitely either. You sound super desperate to criticize Microsoft even though they're doing a lot more than Sony in the first place. Perhaps that's what you're really mad about?
Re: Remedy Partners With Tencent For New Free-To-Play Shooter, 'Vanguard'
@UltimateOtaku91 nope, because an FPS is involved no one will be interested in their game. People are getting tired of studios spewing out generic fps games to try and make bank from microtransactions and low effort development.
Re: Remedy Partners With Tencent For New Free-To-Play Shooter, 'Vanguard'
Any time a studio comes forward to say "we are working on a new fps" what they're really saying is "we're working on a new cash cow". I'm so tired of hearing every other studio trying to jump on a bandwagon. If you havnt any ideas of your own, you're simply in the wrong business. It's almost never about bringing forward an original concept and I have no doubt that whatever they create will be a direct copy of a game we already have. Perhaps they'll mix it up by adding portals to Halo, or overwatch heroes to counterstrike, maybe they'll even include a battlepass? Whatever they do, I can already guarantee it won't be anything interesting. FPS games are just being milked for microtransactions and used to fund the rest of their dull development ideas. Honestly hope it flops, that markets already been oversaturated to death.
Re: Pick One: Which Is Your Favourite Xbox Console To Date?
My favorite console as far as performance and capability is concerned would obviously be the newest - series X, but to solely judge it off that would only ever favour the latest hardware.
If I was to judge it by playability and library size though, it would have to be the 360. That to me was the golden era of gaming where the quality of releases was still achievable by small time developers, giving us much more selection when it comes to games. These days only major studios can afford to develop on console and most the game selection are just recycling each other's ideas anyway. I find it hard to imagine consoles ever having the variety of games that they used to and I miss the days when there was almost always a new game to get stuck into.
Re: Poll: Of All The Xbox Games You Play, What Percentage Are Game Pass Titles?
I specifically started using gamepass because I couldn't afford to keep buying the newest titles, especially at 60-70 a pop. So it's been a great solution for me, and luckily I've still been able to enjoy new releases like Forza 5, Halo, and Back 4 Blood without having to find £150 to update my library.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade Xbox Games With Gold In 2021?
I gave it a D, with the best month being February for resident evil as it was relatively new at the time.. The reason I gave a D though is because in comparison to previous years, it felt like most titles were pretty weak and low value anyway. I'm always happy to receive a free game and try something new, but would say this year felt much less excitable than others for Games with Gold.
The Gamepass however, that's a whole different story and most likely the reason why Games for Gold fell behind a little bit too. With money being invested in creating a better value subscription model rather than the free rewards for its lower package.
I don't think it's fair to say that the whole thing is pointless though as many commenters may suggest. Just because the titles arnt to your liking, doesn't mean the whole giveaway is worthless. These people would only ever be satisfied if they could pick their own each month, even then they would probably find something to dislike about it. Even if I'm not particularly keen on the games myself, I'm still grateful to receive them for free every month and often discover games I wouldn't have played otherwise without this service. It would still be nice to have some more excitable games included though, atleast some that I would have heard about before hand. It feels more rewarding than just another game to try when it's something I've been meaning to play anyway.
So that's what the D is for, as previous years contained more recognisable games that were exciting to receive and play through, rather than this year which I probably only cared to claim around a third of them. That still averages out to about one a month which I did enjoy though so I'm okay with that.