I've always loved playing games, like all of you. But I was cheap (and poor). I grew up playing free MMOs on my crappy laptop, with the bottom panel taken off and my floor fan literally blowing dust and air into the body just to maintain a steady 20fps on Maplestory. Even after I got a console and built up a Steam backlog like all of us, I've rarely ever played 10 games in a year - let alone 10 games from THIS year. It's made GOTY kind of a pointless exercise. It's something I'll maybe check in a few years on Black Friday, when the deals finally roll in and I can pick them up for 85% off.
Game Pass has changed that. It already changed that last year, but I feel Game Pass has really fully come into its own this year. Games like your and mine GOTY (obviously. No you shut up) Outer Wilds was exactly the small indie game with a vaguely standard thumbnail that I would have UTTERLY IGNORED if I had to pay for it. But no, there it was on release for no additional money - ready for me to download and play. And my God is that a game that everyone should at least give a real chance. Gears and Outer Worlds also released day and date - and, again, were not games that I would have bought this year. DMC 5. Even most recently, Rage 2 (no.. probably not my GOTY) and Remnant.
I have finally played enough of a year's releases to even HAVE a personal Top 10 list. And it's all thanks to excellent indies, some XGS output, and Game Pass. Yay!
Game Pass has changed that. It already changed that last year, but I feel Game Pass has really fully come into its own this year. Games like your and mine GOTY (obviously. No you shut up) Outer Wilds was exactly the small indie game with a vaguely standard thumbnail that I would have UTTERLY IGNORED if I had to pay for it. But no, there it was on release for no additional money - ready for me to download and play. And my God is that a game that everyone should at least give a real chance. Gears and Outer Worlds also released day and date - and, again, were not games that I would have bought this year. DMC 5. Even most recently, Rage 2 (no.. probably not my GOTY) and Remnant.
I have finally played enough of a year's releases to even HAVE a personal Top 10 list. And it's all thanks to excellent indies, some XGS output, and Game Pass. Yay!