The Turing Test (Xbox One)

Coming off of a recent playthough of Portal I remembered hearing about "The Turing Test" which has a definite portal vibe, both in presentation and gameplay.  This is a first person puzzler but where Portal succeeds in it's playtime, humour, and story, The Turing Test feels like it's trying too hard.  I wanted to see the story though, it did have me engaged enough to want to see how it turns out, but the gameplay itself, likely the most important quality, had me YouTubing the home stretch like a madman.  I JUST WANTED THIS GAME TO END.  I was proud of myself initially for my brilliant puzzle solving, but by stage 50 I was done.  The game does have neat alternate endings, I played the last level twice to see them both through and while I did enjoy myself for the bulk of this game, I can't say I enjoyed it enough to recommend.  Pass.

The Messenger (Xbox One)

Another retro side scrolling adventure, let's be honest, this is a Ninja Gaiden clone.  I was really enjoying my time with this game, specifically part one.  By the time I got to part two, the game shifted from a traditional side scrolling point a to point b action platformer to a metroidvania complete with back tracking which, for me, is an instant turn off.  I then quit playing.  The game is good, I just wish it wouldn't have changed genre's or I would have seen it through.  If metroidvania's are your thing, by all means, play this game.  If you hate traversing levels trying to figure out where to go and what to do next, skip this one.  Pass.

Streets of Rage 4 (Xbox One)

Continuing my quest to play some "smaller, less graphic intensive" games on Game Pass before the launch of the Series X I decided to give Streets of Rage 4 a shot.  Coming off of Battle Toads this is a lot of beat-em-ups.  Streets of Rage 4 is a more traditional take on the genre and the actual "beating upping" feels better, is a little deeper and allows for more variety.  It lacks in level variety compared to Battle Toads, but that's not a fault.  Streets of Rage 4 was a fun romp, and while I played it on "easy" I'd recommend bumping that up to normal as it didn't present any challenge ... at all.  While I regret not playing it on a more difficult setting, there wasn't enough there to make me want to go back and play it again ... yet.  A second play through may be in my future as I quite enjoyed my time with this game.  Recommend.

Battletoads (Xbox One)

I've been trying to play some games on game pass that are not graphically intensive as I wait for the new Series X to come out.  I want to play some of the better games at the best possible frame rate and resolution.  Battletoads is a side scrolling beat 'em up, or so I thought.

An hour or so in,  I didn't know if I had it in me to complete this game, it felt very repetitive, but after some time the game radically changes things up and it become a very weird mashup of genre's including twin stick shooter, puzzle platformer, and my favorite, a wario ware style mini game collection.  It's funny, fresh and should be played if you have game pass.  Recommend.

Hotshot Racing (Xbox One)

A gamepass game I gave a few hours and had exactly a few hours worth of fun.  I used to buy these game on Xbox Live Arcade and stress about high scores, fastest laps etc.  This game has all those options, I'm just "over" competing like that.  This is what I love about GamePass, I can enjoy a game for a few hours and call it complete with no real investment of money or time.  I did complete every track and got a gold on every championship on the standard difficulty.  Recommend for a few hours.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 (PS4)

I received a $50 PlayStation gift card for Fathers Day and it just kinda sat there for a few months.  This game wasn't on my radar, but I was hearing great things.  When the hype didn't die down after a week or 2 I decided to give the game a try.  I'm glad I did.

This remaster improves the graphics immensely, it also updates the gameplay, which, in your head, you're likely thinking is a bad thing.  These games are known for their incredible gameplay, tight controls etc.  What they've done here though is make the game play like a modern game, and it plays like you remember the old ones do.  Do your research though and you'll see that the old games are missing some key tricks and features that make this such a perfect package.  You can't "manual" in the original Tony Hawk, that's one of the biggest tricks in the game to keep a combo going.  

I've put a large amount of time into this game and can only see the hours keep counting.  My 6 year old's have been enjoying it as well.  I have a healthy competition online with one friend and I look forward to playing more.  If you hold any nostalgia for this series, I highly recommend you scoop this up.  I still hold that THPS 3 is the best in the series, and I'm hopeful that one sees the light.  Recommend.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection: Halo: Reach (Xbox One)

I subscribed to Xbox Game Pass and with that came the "expansion" for the Master Chief Collection, Halo: Reach.  My favorite Halo game.   

After a replay of the game, 10 years to the day of it's release, I can confirm this is my favorite Halo Game.  The graphics are not a complete remaster like they've done in the past, but in my opinion, they still look good.  The gameplay is still there, the level variety is way up there and it's just plain old fun.  I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I like the Halo Games for their gameplay, but don't like the lore.  The spin offs (Reach and ODST) ditch all that "head up their own ass" story elements for a much more concise story that's easier to follow and care for the characters.  This is still a great game.  Recommend.

Super Mega Baseball 3 (PS4)

Super Mega Baseball 2 was my "Game of the Year" in 2018, so naturally I was excited for the 3rd game to to come out.  The best part was that I wouldn't have to pay for it as the game lets you play online with a handful of teams for free.  The free version strips a lot of the customization the series is known for, but that was okay with me.  

I played A LOT of the Super Mega Baseball 2, this game is strikingly similar.  Yes, there's more, more stadiums, more customization, new animations etc. There just isn't enough new here to hook me back in.  I played it fairly steady for a month, but it won't be landing on any top 10's this year.  It's a good game, just not different enough.  Recommend if you didn't play the heck out of the 2nd game.

Portal: Still Alive (Xbox 360)

I've played a TON of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Warzone this year.  So much that I really can't play anymore.  I fired up the Xbox desperate for something different to play and saw Portal just sitting there.  "I'll try a couple levels" I thought and before I knew it I'd put a couple hours in.  The next night, a couple more and after 2,  yes 2, YouTube checks, I had the game completed.  The game is not overly long, but it's a perfect game.  The gameplay, mechanics, sound, aesthetics still hold up in 2020.   This is a first person puzzle platformer at it's core and one that hasn't been outdone since it's release. Highest recommendation.