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Gamepass Is Lame Actually

Gamepass Thoughts?

  • Love Gamepass & I use it all the time

    Votes: 154 31.2%
  • Meh I could take it or leave it. I use it to play a few min of some games

    Votes: 95 19.3%
  • Its great for others, not really for me

    Votes: 144 29.2%
  • Gamepass sucks

    Votes: 100 20.3%

  • Total voters
    493

Laptop1991

Member
Good for others, not for me, i want to own my games and i want to be able to use mods and reshade etc, can't do that with PC games on GP, also the games are of a lower standard and quality than when gamers had to buy them because MS isnt making enough money from new subscriber's as they already have the money from existing ones, i can see why xbox gamers like it, as a pc gamer i dont, GP PC subs is xbox gaming on a pc, not pc gaming to me.
 
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pasterpl

Member
The best thing in gaming. You should be banned form this blasphemous thread title. /s

gamepass ultimate is great, simple as that. I use it on my PC, Xbox series x - I myself saved a good amount of money and discovered lot of games that I wouldn’t play otherwise, i have bought 2 series s for kids in my family and GP it is godsend, their parents do not have to spend a penny on games. only negative is that I have to work and don’t have near enough time to play.
 
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Roberts

Member
Same. Things were pretty stale for me in terms of gaming until I subbed for a 3 months to try it out
Last year alone I tried and enjoyed:

Hi-Fi Rush - One of the most fun games of the last few years.
Lies of P - a great game that improves on FROM formula in more way than one.
Roboquest - super addictive fps rogue-lite)
Headbangers - fun and challenging rhythm battle royale
Remnant 2 - I don't like it as much as the first game but I had tons of fun playing it with a friend
Both Age of Empires games - I'm still waiting for the right time to dig deep into these but both are great additions
Ghostwire: Tokyo - It was way better than I thought it would be
Jusant - a classic already
Cocoon - another classic
Mineko's Night Market - charming indie game that a bit too grindy at the end.
Gungrave G.O.R.E - Kind of bad but fun at the same time
Forza Motorsport - not my jam, but I already played it way more than I usually play racing sims.
Redfall - jus to find out it is not a total disaster but a solid 6.5/10 game with issues that theoretically can be fixed (but probably won't be).
Chained Echoes - it's OK
Starfield - One of my favourite games ever.
Solar Ash - totally OK
Figment 2: Creed Valley - charming low-key kiddie version of Psychonauts
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales - underappreciated indie
Venba - Another charming and mouth-watering indie.
A Short Hike - yeah, there is a pattern - I like indies.
McPixel 3 - For the fans of Macgruber.
TOEM - another good indie
Bramble: The Mountain King and Planet of Lana - Inside/Limbo fans rejoice.
Cassette Beasts - reminds me I have to finish this old school rpg

I still play tons of Grounded, Sea of Thieves and sometimes Forza Horizon 5 as well as Halo Infinite.

There are at least 10 more that I'm too tired to remember and write down here. I guess for many this list is nothing more than gamepass filler but for me this is where the gaming's at.
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
It's a brilliant service. If you have the desire, time or want to use it is a different story.

Last year it had hi fi rush, like a dragon, lies of p, starfield, forza, persona games, cocoon, planet of lana, plus more. Its well worth it. Thisnyear has already started with a bang with palworld and persona 3.

But, I get it. If you are a person who buys one game every 3 months or something then maybe it's not worth it. Or say on playstation and only buying the big exclusives, which were ffxvi and spider man 2 last year and those titles satiate your gaming hunger then it's probs not that good.

Deffo try lies of p and cocoon though. Amazing games.
 

StueyDuck

Member
I really don’t care about Gamepass. I may try a game here and there, but is it really worth it to me? Not really. I own the games I love, spend almost all my time playing those, and to be honest, don’t really care about 90+% of the games on it. So is it really an amazing deal?

This narrative that Gamepass is amazing, I feel, is pretty much from outlets and organizations that have promoted it and conditioned us to think it is. FOR OTHERS. So if everyone thinks its great, for other people, is it actually great?

Am I alone on this? I added a poll to see really what everyone thinks. Its a brilliant strategy that actually paid off for them though.

On a side not, amongst all this XBOX craziness & 3rd party turmoil, I’m still happy with my $180 xbox series s I bought (crazy deal on tiktok from last year) for the halo games, forza horizons, and emulation. But if I had chosen it OVER the PS5 and not for those reasons, boy would I be pissed right now.
These sub services are great value for money, especially when you pop a month to play a game you don't really wanna buy.

But I have/had all 3 (although I don't really count the switch expansion thing in the same category) and they all essentially amount to me personally as demo mode for games I wasn't going to buy anyway. I can count on one hand the number of games on these services I've actually completed. Most don't survive longer than 3-5 hours on my hard drive
 
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peish

Member
Gamepass is value for money. It will be great if everyone on neogaf is 10 years younger and we have more spare time to enjoy it.

We are old boomers, looking through jaded eyes and hands filled with committments.
 

kurisu_1974

is on perm warning for being a low level troll
it costs about the same as 1 "AAA" title these days, so after that 1 game the rest is free bonus content.

Sure but I'm a very picky gamer, there isn't a game I really want to play on this service every month. And if there is a game I really want I probably end up buying it anyways.

(for the record, I only use it on PC, don't have or want an Xbox console)
 

acm2000

Member
Sure but I'm a very picky gamer, there isn't a game I really want to play on this service every month. And if there is a game I really want I probably end up buying it anyways.

(for the record, I only use it on PC, don't have or want an Xbox console)
That's a you problem tho, don't be so picky 😂
 

Bashtee

Member
It has a great selection of games, and some third-party games are even day 1 on it. I just don't have the time for it.
 

BouncyFrag

Member
Those who play Morrowind on gamepass honor the Sixth House and the Tribe Unmourned.
IMG-5433.gif
 

Roufianos

Member
not giving alpha cucks kotaku any clicks, but the game even tells you on screen what buttons to press when the time is right (timestamped):

Cheers maybe I'll get back to it one day. I mean, if I'd paid for it I'd definitely have stuck with it as I did Nioh but another problem was Game Pass is it makes it super easy to quit something that instantly turns you off.
 

cHaOs667

Member
I really don’t care about Gamepass. I may try a game here and there, but is it really worth it to me? Not really. I own the games I love, spend almost all my time playing those, and to be honest, don’t really care about 90+% of the games on it. So is it really an amazing deal?

This narrative that Gamepass is amazing, I feel, is pretty much from outlets and organizations that have promoted it and conditioned us to think it is. FOR OTHERS. So if everyone thinks its great, for other people, is it actually great?

Am I alone on this? I added a poll to see really what everyone thinks. Its a brilliant strategy that actually paid off for them though.

On a side not, amongst all this XBOX craziness & 3rd party turmoil, I’m still happy with my $180 xbox series s I bought (crazy deal on tiktok from last year) for the halo games, forza horizons, and emulation. But if I had chosen it OVER the PS5 and not for those reasons, boy would I be pissed right now.
In a household of five people, it's the best thing that happened to me. Library sharing on Steam etc. sucks balls, but Gamepass/xbox with the home console setting works like a charm. If the main console in the living room is occupied, I'll just use the one in my office.
 

Hohenheim

Member
Good for others, not for me, i want to own my games and i want to be able to use mods and reshade etc, can't do that with PC games on GP, also the games are of a lower standard and quality than when gamers had to buy them because MS isnt making enough money from new subscriber's as they already have the money from existing ones, i can see why xbox gamers like it, as a pc gamer i dont, GP PC subs is xbox gaming on a pc, not pc gaming to me.
I used mods when playing Starfield on PC Game Pass. Not sure it that was possible because it's a first party game though. Maybe not so easily done on other games? I've no idea, but with Starfield it was very easy.
 
I have mixed feelings about GamePass.

On the positive side, it's a great way to try out new games and if I like them then I can play them right through to the end if I want. There is a lot of games to choose from as well and it is reasonably priced. I can also share my PC and Xbox saves. That's it for the positives though.

GamePass, unfortunately, is mostly compromised of smaller indie games and older third party reasons with little in the way of Xbox exclusives and those exclusives that are available are hardly amazing and some are awful (Redfall!). Also, games leave the service after a while and there are plenty of games were the subscription only grants you access to the base game so if you want the extra DLC or content then you have to pay for it, which kind of defeats the point of having a gaming subscription in the first place. And while it is great to be able to try different games, there was a time not that long ago when you could do exactly that via a "free" demo.

Also, I am not a fan of the Xbox app on PC. It's is basic, has no reliable method of verifying and fixing corrupted files (I basically end up having to uninstall and reinstall), relies heavily on encrypted data and is prone to breaking during updates in my experience. I have found that the few games I have enjoyed on GamePass but had issues with that I'd rather just buy them on Steam and play them there where I do not have issues. This may not be everyone else's experience but, unfortunately, is it mine.

The biggest issue though is that I have got to the point where I either own the games or have tried everything else that interests me on GamePass and there is not enough new content coming to justify the monthly cost. Since I hardly use my Xbox Series X these days, I am considering selling the console and then cancelling GamePass. I'd rather put the money I save toward buying the few good Xbox exclusives that are released on Steam instead.
 

Laptop1991

Member
I used mods when playing Starfield on PC Game Pass. Not sure it that was possible because it's a first party game though. Maybe not so easily done on other games? I've no idea, but with Starfield it was very easy.
Well i use the script extender for a lot of my mods, on the Fallout games and TES and its required for the best mods on the Nexus mod site, i know that won't work on the windows store, you might be talking about creation club, that isn't the same thing.
 

Hohenheim

Member
Well i use the script extender for a lot of my mods, on the Fallout games and TES and its required for the best mods on the Nexus mod site, i know that won't work on the windows store, you might be talking about creation club, that isn't the same thing.
I downloaded the Starfield mods on Nexus. It was just a few small mods to improve lightning and contrast etc, to make the game pop and not look so washed out. Made a huge difference, but as for more complex stuff, i've no idea.
 

Laptop1991

Member
I downloaded the Starfield mods on Nexus. It was just a few small mods to improve lightning and contrast etc, to make the game pop and not look so washed out. Made a huge difference, but as for more complex stuff, i've no idea.
Fair enough but if the Script Extender can't be used then i would rather get the Steam version of the game so i can use it
 

TheStam

Member
I used to like it but quit my subscription 2 years ago. Getting the Steam Deck was the biggest reason I quit as I do a lot of gaming switching between desktop and Steam Deck. I also am a bit of a hoarder who prefers to "own" or at least own my own license for a game.

My gripe with Gamepass now is that there tend to be issues with cross-play between Steam and Gamepass on PC.
 

Bond007

Member
Never cared for it from inception.
If i mentioned that in the past id get flamed and told its the best "deal" in gaming. To me, its degrading our ability to own games and pushing towards digital future.


It just isn't to me. I don't need all those games I don't play and the benefit to me lies in new first party releases (The reason I even own an XBOX- the irony. lol) I use this membership as a demo service to determine if i wanna play said first party game - then cancel membership the following month. First party games are few and far between with debatable level of quality. That should be enough to tell you how much i currently care for Gamepass and how often i actually have it active.
 
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Duchess

Member
When I had PS+, I was always bothered that there was a better game available to play, and that I was wasting my subscription time / money on playing something inferior.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Gamepass and PS+ Extra are great if you aren't a day one buyer of many of the games you want to buy. If you are a big spender and buy everything you like straight away, I can see there not being much for you then. Helps if you like indie/AA games also.
This is the main sticking point I guess between the people who like gamepass and the people who don't.
How do you know if you like a game without playing it?
There are demos and reviews - but that can only help so much. Donut County has middling reviews - but I loved my time with it and a lot of even the poorer reviews are positive about the game but dock points for how short it is.
 

NickFire

Member
The service is unable to stand on its own two feet in the console sphere. PS+ extra / plus have the same issue. If either company removed the must pay for online (except sometimes) bullshit every one of these services would see their numbers crater on consoles. And most of the games on them are lame IMO. Sorry not sorry - if the game needs to be included in a sub for people to notice it then it’s most likely lame.
 

BlackTron

Gold Member
The best thing in gaming. You should be banned form this blasphemous thread title. /s

gamepass ultimate is great, simple as that. I use it on my PC, Xbox series x - I myself saved a good amount of money and discovered lot of games that I wouldn’t play otherwise, i have bought 2 series s for kids in my family and GP it is godsend, their parents do not have to spend a penny on games. only negative is that I have to work and don’t have near enough time to play.

So it's great if you have no time to play games and want to hand a console to some kids. I agree with that. If there was nobody else to benefit from your sub, it would be bleak. This is my relationship with Disney+. If you don't have much time to play, and no one else to use it, you really are just paying for a lot of icons that you use sparingly.

The games I discovered on Gamepass I ended up getting on Steam or Switch so I won't feel like when I'm not playing it, I am just paying for the option to access the game. The more investment I put into a game on Gamepass, the more necessary it is to finish it there (saves). This is why I see it as a convenient demo/rental service.
 

iHaunter

Member
This is a weird post, are you talking about game pass core, which is just a replacement for xbox live? Because if you're only on one platform, game pass ultimate has the exact amount of games as game pass for console/pc; the only thing game pass ultimate does is combine console/pc subs and give you online mp.
I think GamePass PC. It's confusing because there's Core, Regular, Ultimate, and I think another one. The library was mostly indie games.
 

duck_sauce

Gold Member
I userd Gamepass on my Series X all the time.
Now i have a gaming pc and it is not that temtping. Already had a few great steam sales and im prettty much set for the time being.

Tried to play Fatr Cry 6 and Gamepass forced the ubisoft launcher on me. That was something i dont want to do ever again.
 
This is the main sticking point I guess between the people who like gamepass and the people who don't.
How do you know if you like a game without playing it?
There are demos and reviews - but that can only help so much. Donut County has middling reviews - but I loved my time with it and a lot of even the poorer reviews are positive about the game but dock points for how short it is.

Personally, for myself, the impression I get from the first gameplay trailer remains accurate for me even after I've played it 90% of the time. I guess I've become a bit of an old man (43 this year, :messenger_grimmacing_ ), and I'm just extremely aware of what I like. The subscription services do help me branch out and try new things specifically because of that, I think.

That along with just trying as best as possible to ignore most of the sales pitch and just focus on what is really being shown to me. One example of that is Starfield where me and Fess Fess were just looking at that based on exactly what they were showing (and we liked that), so, we were really satisfied with what we got. Whereas the players who figured they weren't showing it all or expected it to be different weren't as happy with it.
 

OuterLimits

Member
I would have loved something like GamePass as a teenager in the 90s. Having numerous games to play instead of spending far more money(especially considering inflation) on rentals and a few purchased games each year. Fuck yeah.
 

twilo99

Gold Member
I userd Gamepass on my Series X all the time.
Now i have a gaming pc and it is not that temtping. Already had a few great steam sales and im prettty much set for the time being.

Tried to play Fatr Cry 6 and Gamepass forced the ubisoft launcher on me. That was something i dont want to do ever again.

Gamepass on PC is pretty good.. my Steam usage has dropped significantly because of it
 

Bridges

Gold Member
Just did the math:

I started a trial back in January 2019 to try Crackdown 3 and have remained subscribed ever since. From that moment until now, I have finished 165 videogames across consoles and PC. Of those 165, 90 of them were through Game Pass (technically 91, but I kickstarted The Good Life and so I had a code regardless of my Game Pass subscription). And that's not including all the games that don't have a definitive "ending" that I've pumped countless hours into like Dead By Daylight and Crusader Kings III, or the games I spent many hours with but didn't end up completing like Monster Hunter Rise.

So over half of the games I've played were through Game Pass and I ended up playing significantly more than I used to.

Now in fairness, a lot of this was during COVID lockdowns so I am already seeing my personal usage dwindle, but it definitely has played a major role in my gaming the last few years
 

Trunx81

Member
I just hijack this thread for a quick question:
I don´t have a next gen console, but a Samsung TV with Xbox integration. Has anyone tried that successfully with GamePass ultimate? It´s the cheapest way I can enjoy Persona 3 Reload on my TV, but I want to know some experiences how the service is running in 2024.
 

Catphish

Gold Member
I'm getting less and less value from it. Most of the MS games (Forza, Starfield, etc) are shit, and 80% of the other titles are crap as well.

There might be some value coming from the EA Play integration, but most of those games are shit, too.

Seriously contemplating cancelling...
 
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Sinfulgore

Member
Gamepass is great. I convert Xbox Live Gold to game pass so I only pay $100 for 3 years of gamepass. I used Gamefly in the past and now I use Gamepass to replace that. I do miss having access to every game like I did with Gamefly but the convenience of it being digital so no more waiting for discs is nice.
 

Everdred

Member
According to my howlongtobeat, these are my stats on Game Pass since Jan 2020. Seems worth it to me.
Playthroughs - 117
Unique Games - 115
Average Rating - 78%
Time played - 33d 8h 44m 20s

Edit: ... and these are just the games I beat.

Edit 2: I properly retired 24 games and played almost 2 days total on those. You could probably add another 20 games that I tried but didn't catalog.
 
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I just buy the games I want to play now when I have the time to play them so it holds no interest for me anymore. But if there was gamepass when I was in high school/uni I would have loved it.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Personally, for myself, the impression I get from the first gameplay trailer remains accurate for me even after I've played it 90% of the time. I guess I've become a bit of an old man (43 this year, :messenger_grimmacing_ ), and I'm just extremely aware of what I like. The subscription services do help me branch out and try new things specifically because of that, I think.

That along with just trying as best as possible to ignore most of the sales pitch and just focus on what is really being shown to me. One example of that is Starfield where me and Fess Fess were just looking at that based on exactly what they were showing (and we liked that), so, we were really satisfied with what we got. Whereas the players who figured they weren't showing it all or expected it to be different weren't as happy with it.
I am even older and still don't know what I like. In fact I go through all kinds of stuff - spent months being all about VR, then that included mixed mode VR local multiplayer with my kids, which transitioned to regular local MP with the kids, then VR simulation, then some Sony style story heavy 3rd person, then some Nintendo platforming. I tried Starfield and liked what I played but there was just too much to do, too many systems to master. BG3 was similar. Maybe I'll go back to one or both in the future when I'm willing to commit the time. I bounce around - I get tired of genres, styles of games, sometimes just games with a similar 'feel' etc and only get back into them months or years later. And having kids means that even if I did know what I like - doesn't mean my kids do.
 

Dr. Wilkinson

Gold Member
Nah. Sorry, but bad take. Game Pass is pretty great, tbh. Really hard to look at day one first-party launches and others and say "nah i'd much rather have to pay $70 for something I might not like".
 

amigastar

Member
Looking at the games that came out on Game Pass are still are coming out i'd say i'm ok with Game Pass. I'm not the biggest user but i like it.
 

Reizo Ryuu

Gold Member
I think GamePass PC. It's confusing because there's Core, Regular, Ultimate, and I think another one. The library was mostly indie games.
Sounds like you were using core, which is essentially just XBL Gold, game pass PC/console are the same thing aside from a few exclusive games to each platform.
The game pass core games list is only:
  • Among Us
  • Astroneer
  • Celeste
  • Dead Cells
  • Descenders
  • Dishonored 2
  • Doom Eternal Standard Edition
  • Fable Anniversary
  • Fallout 4
  • Fallout 76
  • Firewatch
  • Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
  • Gang Beasts
  • Gears 5 Game of the Year Edition
  • Golf with your Friends
  • Grounded
  • Halo 5: Guardians
  • Halo Wars 2
  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
  • Human Fall Flat
  • Inside
  • Limbo
  • Ori & the Will of the Wisps
  • Overcooked! 2
  • Payday 2: Crimewave Edition
  • Powerwash Simulator
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Slay the Spire
  • Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
  • Stardew Valley
  • State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
  • Superliminal
  • The Elder Scrolls Online
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
  • Unpacking
  • Vampire Survivors
If you had game pass pc, you'd have the exact same games as subscribing to game pass ultimate.
 
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I am even older and still don't know what I like. In fact I go through all kinds of stuff - spent months being all about VR, then that included mixed mode VR local multiplayer with my kids, which transitioned to regular local MP with the kids, then VR simulation, then some Sony style story heavy 3rd person, then some Nintendo platforming. I tried Starfield and liked what I played but there was just too much to do, too many systems to master. BG3 was similar. Maybe I'll go back to one or both in the future when I'm willing to commit the time. I bounce around - I get tired of genres, styles of games, sometimes just games with a similar 'feel' etc and only get back into them months or years later. And having kids means that even if I did know what I like - doesn't mean my kids do.

That's probably the healthier way to be, honestly. It allows you to form your opinions as you play and leaves everything open to you. It's just impossible for me to be that way. Even with gamepass, when I first look through the trailers of what they added if my gut instinct on something is that it isn't something I'm interested in, that's the way I end up feeling about it most of the time. The times when that doesn't happen and you discover something completely new, those are really standout moments.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Like all things, it's not for everyone. For me it's hit and miss. Sometimes there's stuff that interests me, sometimes there isn't. But in the long run, I was getting my monies worth for the price of the games I was interested in playing outside the service versus the service fee.

When entering into this generation it was apparent that Microsoft wanted to provide more options for people to play, and they did. So, people can choose the best option for them, and go about it that way.
 
For some people I am sure it is great.

For me it is the exact opposite product that my video game hobby needs. There are plenty of great games I can't get around to playing. Why a giant library of mostly older, mostly unappealing games would appeal to me in the slightest has never made sense.
 
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