Rage 2 (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

When a whole bunch of Bethesda games dropped on Xbox Game Pass, the first one that caught my eye was Rage 2.  It looked like an amazing open world action game with the gunplay of Doom, a series I'm very fond of.  Playing it initially, I was impressed, but once the world opens up, it gets quite repetitive and dull.  You spend a lot of time searching for loot crates, which rewards are usually not worth it.  I decided to mainline the story when I started getting bored and finished the game with only half of my abilities in tow.  I could go back and mop up, but I don't really see much point in it.  I had a decent time, at times it looks amazing and other times it can look like and original Xbox game.  Gotta say pass on this one.  Too bad.  It has potential.

Hyper Dot (PC/Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

I had intentions to, but never did finish Hyper Dot.  Now seeing it's leaving game pass, I likely won't play it again.  This is a fun, simple, frustrating, "one more try" time sink.  I had a good time with it and would recommend it for short bursts of gaming.  Recommend.

Gears Tactics (PC via Xbox Game Pass)

I'm quite new to tactics games, the only other I've played is Mario + Rabids which was actually an excellent introduction to the genre.  I had a great time with Gears Tactics although I'm certain I must have set a record for time taken between turns.  I'm not very quick at these games, I feel like I'm not very good at them, but for some reason I enjoy the methodical movement and strategy.  I started this on my Xbox Series X but switched to PC as I think it's best played with a keyboard and mouse.  It's a good game to have on the laptop as you can play for literally 5 minutes, make some progress and move on.  Usually I wound up playing for a couple hours once I started.  Great game with a good Gears story.  Highly recommend.

Bowsers Fury (Switch)

When our internet went down I went to Nintendo to help us cope with our issue.  We picked up Super Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury.  Having played 3D world extensively over the years I jumped into Bowsers Fury.  It's a neat idea, essentially an open world Mario Game.  I really enjoyed my time with it except the post boss-battle.  Bowsers comes around to mess you with you on occasion which really messes with your grind for shines.  I thought that if I beat Bowser for good I would be free to explore, but nope, that pesky Bowser keeps coming at  you.  I did obtain all 100 shines and unlocked the final suit, the fact that I was willing to do that will tell you that I enjoyed this game.  It's great and has me hopeful for a future, bigger, open world Mario game.  Recommend.

Doom Eternal (PC via Game Pass)

Last November I got my shiny new Xbox Series X and one of the first games I tried on it was Doom Eternal.  I criticized it's "systems" and eventually put it down.  Fast forward a few months and I got a gaming laptop.  Wanting something to play on it, I thought I'd give this another go.  I think the first time I fell off was partly because of it's complexity, but also because I didn't want to commit to one game.  Now I did.  I'm a keyboard and mouse n00b when it comes to gaming and I thought that if I can get decent at this fast paced twitch game with 1000 buttons, I could probably get decent at anything.  Turns out, once I got the hang of things., I loved this game!  Is it better than Doom 2016?  I'm not sure, I might have to go back and try it again, but as of this moment, absolutely yes!  Turns out I (mostly) loved the platforming segments.  The combat feels really good, it runs extremely well on a gaming laptop and the classic Doom soundtrack is still there.  Recommend 100%.

Spider-Man Miles Morales (PS4)

I knocked this game out in 3 days.  Is it that I loved it so much that I accomplished such an unthinkable task? Not really.  I kinda sorta gave my son my PS4, so I was "borrowing" the PS4 from him and this game and didn't want to have it too long.  I mainlined story with minimal side quests which, if completed, would have extended my playtime extensively.  I quite enjoyed my time with this game, equally as much as it's predecessor.  The game looks and plays great,  Miles has some nifty powerups and the combat felt a bit more varied.  Morales as a character is better than Peter Parker and the whole feel of the game is much "cooler" than the first.  Maybe it's the hip hop, maybe it's the powerups, but for all intents and purposes this game is better (albeit shorter) than the original.  Recommend.  

Unravel 2 (Xbox Series X via Game Pass)

Unravel 2 is the follow up to a game I quite enjoyed, Unravel.  What I liked about the first game was the cute character and heartwarming story.  I don't remember it all too well, but I do remember it being about a series of photographs where each one is a level, recapping an old persons life.  It was nice.  Now, let me try to tell you the story of Unravel 2.

An abusive dad is beating his kids, so the kids escape the house out a window.  Your character and his friend are yarn creatures which can occasionally distract drunk dad with a little light.  The kids are continually escaping their dad, running through the countryside, an old abandoned factory, through a forest and more.  The kids cause quite a bit of trouble as they flee, property damage, setting the forest on fire and more.  They do save some horses and eventually kill their dad and are portrayed as heroes.  

Don't get me wrong, the puzzle platforming the series is known for is all there.  I just hated the whole "feel" of the game.  The controls are very tight, but the music is always so somber and makes you just feel "down".  Graphically it's a beautiful game that is just a joy to look at.  Story?  No.  Gameplay? Yes. Graphics? Yes.  Sound?  No.   Recommend?  Nah.