New Super Lucky's Tale (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

FPS Boost is something Xbox is doing to old games to make them perform better.  One of the first games to add this feature was New Super Lucky's Tale.  I'd tried the game before in it's original state and original game just simply "Super Lucky's Tale", but the enhancements really made this game shine. This is an old school N64 era platformer and a pretty good one at that.  It won't hold up against Super Mario Odyssey, but it was a fun romp for a few hours of platforming fun that I can't help but recommend.

Minecraft (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

I swore off Minecraft for years claiming I just "don't get it", but Microsoft Rewards points issued me a challenge to kill 5 zombies, so I picked it up for that shiny internet nickel and found myself quite enjoying it.  What I grew to appreciate was the creative mode and playing with my kids.  All 5 of us would queue up on the same screen and build fantasy worlds.  I made a pretty good representation of our house, and look forward to more virtual lego in the cooler weather when we spend more time inside.  Absolutely recommend.

MLB The Show 21 (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

I got into the show more than any other year, partly because of the hype of a PlayStation game coming to Game Pass, but also because I got in at the start of a new season.  I was chugging along doing my daily challenges, getting better at seeing pitches and seeing my timing improve.  I spent a lot of time with this game but eventually put it down because it all felt so repetitive.  This is a beautiful game and I may "get back in" but the old adage of the series still rears it's ugly head ... it's just too slow.  I'd still rather play Super Mega Baseball.  There's a lot of nostalgia at play here with old players and cards to collect, but part of the beauty of baseball is the long play of 9 innings, and for that, it just takes too long.  I do okay with normies online, but when you climb the ranks, I get CRUSHED and I'm just not good enough to put the time and effort in to "get gud".  I still recommend this game, but it's still something I'll only play here and there and unfortunately this will not be my "go to" for the summer.

Dirt 5 (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

This was a launch game which quickly hit Game Pass and I was quick to give it a try as I'd heard it was quite a graphical showcase on the new consoles.  It did not disappoint. There's a lot going on in this game, dirt and confetti flying everywhere, but the gameplay is what kept me back.  This is not an open world never ending game, it's a pretty basic, select a track, play a track game.  Now either I was very good at or it or it's incredibly easy, I'm not sure because I rarely lost, but I kept coming back to it.  It's a fun mindless game that ran exceptionally well on my laptop.  Xbox play anywhere let me pickup right where I left off whether I was on PC or Xbox.  Recommend.