2025's Two Best-Reviewed Games Are Both Xbox Game Pass Titles (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince)

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Here's the latest top 10 on Metacritic that isn't based on any specific platform:

  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (93)
  2. Blue Prince (92)
  3. Split Fiction (91)
  4. The Talos Principle: Reawakened (90)
  5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (89)
  6. Monster Hunter Wilds (88)
  7. Bionic Bay (87)
  8. The Roottrees Are Dead (87)
  9. Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (87)
  10. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (86)
Now admittedly, things do change a little bit when you sort by Xbox alone - Split Fiction suddenly jumps into second place, and games like Assassin's Creed Shadows and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth start appearing in the top 10 as well - but the fact remains that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince remain two extremely high-rated titles.
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2025's Two Best-Reviewed Games Are Both Xbox Game Pass Titles

The top 10 list has changed dramatically this month
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I'm a Gamepass user and fan, and yeah we dont need these constant Gamepass praise threads. Everyone knows how good Gamepass is, and some will love it, others never will.
So it is what it is.
 
It's great for Game Pass, but that still doesn't help the fact that Game Pass can't save the Xbox brand and has actively helped to bring it down.

That being said. Expedition 33 is amazing, and so far it's actually my GOTY.
 
hououinkyouma00 said:
It's great for Game Pass, but that still doesn't help the fact that Game Pass can't save the Xbox brand and has actively helped to bring it down.
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I reckon if Gamepass consistently has a decent selection of what are undisputedly the best games available, it should start to make sense to more people.

In the past, people lined up to pick holes and give reasons as to why they didn't like it...

....oh no, that's exactly the same, but now you can make a stronger case for it being a great service for people who like good games.

The service has got a boost now that the Blizzard/Activision, etc. Games are arriving. Add those to all the Xbox games that have been in the pipeline forever and you'd have to wonder if a few people might start wondering if the scales have tipped.
 
Did Microsoft develop either title? Or just chuck money at a Gamepass deal? Seems a bit disingenuous to think Microsoft put in any work with a thread praising them.

Don't get me wrong, if you are a Gamepass user its great having them on that service. I personally don't like Gamepass, and the fact Clair Obscure still sold a high amount with it on Gamepass also tells its own story (don't know how much Blue Prince sold, but I bought it on Steam too)

It's good that Gamepass gets some great games in a short window and not some of the worst games in recent memory again.

Love Clair Obscure and glad its getting as much exposure as possible. Blue Prince is great, but a level or 2 below imo. I'll never be mad that games like this get a good pay day regardless.
 
so what? microsoft got money. everyone knows that.
Real gamers buy games, preferably on disc or on steam. Loosers who ruin the industry paly on gamepass
 
Shouldn't the term be reflective of Game Pass Only titles? Otherwise it's just stating "multiplatform titles are multiplatform!" and I don't see the point.
 
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mathello said:
Gamepass will always have the problem that most adults do not play through 1 game in a week.
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That's how the service makes money. If you buy in for the low entry fee to access Oblivion, which can take hundreds of hours to complete, you end up paying more than the MSRP. Some customers may even use the service as a trial to an anticipated game they like, then buy the game for full price after. People play games like Oblivion for years on end. It would only take three months for $60 to be spent.

Microsoft consistently advertises Minecraft as a key title for Game Pass, but with Game Pass Standard, you already pay full price if you decide to subscribe for the game.

With over 30 million subscribers the service is clearly compelling for a lot of people.
 
Mr Reasonable said:
I reckon if Gamepass consistently has a decent selection of what are undisputedly the best games available, it should start to make sense to more people.

In the past, people lined up to pick holes and give reasons as to why they didn't like it...

....oh no, that's exactly the same, but now you can make a stronger case for it being a great service for people who like good games.

The service has got a boost now that the Blizzard/Activision, etc. Games are arriving. Add those to all the Xbox games that have been in the pipeline forever and you'd have to wonder if a few people might start wondering if the scales have tipped.
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The problem with Game Pass is it's not sustainable. The amount of money that Microsoft has to pay to get games on there is too high. That costs goes up more and more as you get more and more big titles. Not even Microsoft putting their games on there is free as there is inherently a cost associated with losing sales.

Then that has to be passed onto the consumer. The cost has already gone up multiple times already and that's only the start. The more games you get and the bigger games you get the more money you have to pay to have those games and the more you charge customers for access to those games.

Game Pass and Microsoft going third party aren't unrelated. Microsoft has gone all in on a strategy that requires them to find revenue in new sources and this won't just stop.
 
damidu said:
lol gamepiss is a failed experiment and it cost you the plastic box you built your identity around for more than a decade.
let go of the shilling not even phil cares anymore.
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Yeah, if you bought an Xbox Series console, thanks to GamePass the console will no longer work again.
RIP 😢

hououinkyouma00 said:
The problem with Game Pass is it's not sustainable. The amount of money that Microsoft has to pay to get games on there is too high. That costs goes up more and more as you get more and more big titles. Not even Microsoft putting their games on there is free as there is inherently a cost associated with losing sales.

Then that has to be passed onto the consumer. The cost has already gone up multiple times already and that's only the start. The more games you get and the bigger games you get the more money you have to pay to have those games and the more you charge customers for access to those games.

Game Pass and Microsoft going third party aren't unrelated. Microsoft has gone all in on a strategy that requires them to find revenue in new sources and this won't just stop.
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Well, they've handily got around this problem by putting their games on Steam and PS5.

Have you purchased FH5 on PS5 yet? its excellent!

QLQ said:
Blue Prince is also on Plus.
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What's that got to do with the OP?
 
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Ozriel said:
Yeah, if you bought an Xbox Series console, thanks to GamePass the console will no longer work again.
RIP 😢



Well, they've handily got around this problem by putting their games on Steam and PS5.

Have you purchased FH5 on PS5 yet? its excellent!
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You know exactly what he meant. Game Pass is part of the reason for the fall of Xbox. It doesn't mean his Xbox suddenly doesn't work but the Xbox brand is dying.

There are many factors for this including Play Anywhere but Game Pass conditioning people to not spending money on games isn't sustainable and is definitely a factor.

I did indeed buy FH5 but I'm not sure how that will help save the brand. Them putting their big games on competing platforms is simply one more reason for people to not buy into their ecosystem.
 
hououinkyouma00 said:
You know exactly what he meant. Game Pass is part of the reason for the fall of Xbox. It doesn't mean his Xbox suddenly doesn't work but the Xbox brand is dying.

There are many factors for this including Play Anywhere but Game Pass conditioning people to not spending money on games isn't sustainable and is definitely a factor.

I did indeed buy FH5 but I'm not sure how that will help save the brand. Them putting their big games on competing platforms is simply one more reason for people to not buy into their ecosystem.
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You are correct. Game Pass in itself is a good idea.

The problem starts when Microsoft tries to move this over to PC. This is kinda understandable from a business perspective since Microsoft doesn't see Xbox as a money maker anymore.

The problem is that this is stupid. Xbox could have hit the ball running this gen like with the 360 and made a ton of exclusives (or even timed exclusives) and it would have caught Sony off balance given the PS5's lack of support (although hindsight is 20:20) and made boatloads of cash.

But they didn't because they don't understand the console market. Xbox isn't unprofitable because it doesn't have brand recognition, or everybody is sitting with Playstation and don't want to move. It's unprofitable because of incompetence.
 
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I only played Blue Prince, Exp33 (only a few hours so far) and Roottrees out of those but they're all great.

The Precinct in a couple of weeks is the next one I'm looking forward to.

Magic Carpet said:
I'm getting close to finishing Blue Prince, I've got the game figured out, but now it's all about getting it done.
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Did you get to the credits yet?
 
With Doom, Silksong and Ninja Gaiden 4 coming I'm pretty sure Game Pass will have atleast 5 of the top 6 rated games of the year. I think GTA6 will be the other game that cracks the top 6 and gets a 90+ metascore
 
Ozriel said:
Yeah, if you bought an Xbox Series console, thanks to GamePass the console will no longer work again.
RIP 😢



Well, they've handily got around this problem by putting their games on Steam and PS5.

Have you purchased FH5 on PS5 yet? its excellent!



What's that got to do with the OP?
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everything. He makes it sound like it's exclusive.
 
kremit said:
This is kinda understandable from a business perspective since Microsoft doesn't see Xbox as a money maker anymore.
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"Microsoft doesn't see gaming as a money maker anymore"

Mr Rogers Clown GIF


After spending a huge amount of money for acquisitions? After seeing gaming revenue rise to significant levels?


kremit said:
The problem is that this is stupid. Xbox could have hit the ball running this gen like with the 360 and made a ton of exclusives (or even timed exclusives) and it would have caught Sony off balance given the PS5's lack of support (although hindsight is 20:20) and made boatloads of cash.
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Where would those exclusives have come from? They didn't have the first party setup for that.

What major third party game could they have secured as an exclusive to drive major sales in the Q4 2020 - Q4 2021 timeframe?

QLQ said:
everything. He makes it sound like it's exclusive.
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There's nothing in his post that insinuates that.
 
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