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As with all great and radical ideas that have gained traction throughout human history, Game Pass has its supporters and sceptics, but there's no question that its games lineup has been excellent, and improving with each year. As we begin the run-up to Christmas and you contemplate presents for friends or fledgling nephews who are just starting their gaming journey, you could do a lot worse than gift them a Game Pass subscription with its 500+ game selection. It's like the dynamite fishing of gaming gifts; a big, indiscriminate haul in one go where the recipient can have their pick of the spoils.
And if you need confirmation of the quality on offer, then just look at the sheer number of shinies that this year's Game Pass releases have been nominated for at the 2024 Game Awards. The line-up of TGA nominees spans the genres—from action, to indie, to the PC gamer special: strategy—and we've picked out the best of them for you here.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (December 9)
Before we take a look at all the TGA nominees on Game Pass, it would be remiss of me not to call out this month's biggest addition: The arrival of the highly-anticipated new Indy game from Bethesda. From the minds that brought us the revamped Wolfenstein comes a first-person sort-of shooter that blends gunfights, stealth, and of course whip-snapping as you thwart Nazis at various cultural and archaeological sites around the world.
We noted in our hands-on that it has a touch of the immersive sim about it, allowing you to carve your own approach through the large, open missions. Sneak through Nazi encampments in the shadow of the pyramids, wallop guards with your fists before they sound the alarm, or put on a disguise and do your best Agent 47 impression as you infiltrate the Third Reich. It's Dishonored-in-a-fedora, Wolfenstein-with-a-whip, and we're here for it.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6
TGA Nominations: Best Audio Design, Innovation in Accessibility, Best Action Game, Best Multiplayer
They say that if a year ever goes by without a Call of Duty game being released, the Earth will stop spinning, so it's just as well that BLOPS 6 has upheld the centuries-old tradition. Better still, it's actually quite good! With a sprawling selection of new maps to play on, an action-packed campaign, and a new movement system that, in the words of our reviewer, 'gives old and new modes alike a distinct, John Woo-esque flair, where every match evokes the climactic shootout from Hard-Boiled," it's a much-needed refresh for the series.
Diablo IV
TGA nominations: Innovation in Accessibility, Best Ongoing
With the Vessel of Hatred expansion released earlier this year, the rampaging ARPG has been reinvigorated, and is feasting on new blood. While you don't get the expansion included with Game Pass, the base game is a rip-roaring good time in itself, and has received plenty of improvements too, with an overhauled loot system, swathes of class balancing, and some excellent season-based content.
Diablo's TGA nominations reflect the steady stream of work Blizzard have put in here, not least of all in improving accessibility features, which now include things such as auto-pinned quest markers and audio navigation assistance, opening the demonic dungeon crawler up to more adventurers.
Manor Lords
TGA nominations: Best Debut Indie Game, Best Sim / Strategy
Working the fields in the cold, soggy squalour of medieval Europe probably isn't anyone's idea of a good time. On the other hand, ordering your society of serfs to do all the dirty work for you as you boss them about from the comfort of your computer very much is. But don't think it's going to be easy, because this medieval city builder injects tons of depth and complexity into the process, as you need to consider everything from soil fertility to the harsh changes in seasons if you're to keep your little folks alive.
Manor Lords is still in Early Access, so systems like warfare, sieges, and economics are a work in progress, but the fact that it's already been nominated for TGAs speaks to the quality and immense potential of what's already there.
Frostpunk 2
TGA nominations: Best Sim / Strategy
The world has frozen over, London is under an ice sheet, and you've been tasked with keeping the remainder of civilisation alive. Will you be a beacon of spiritual guidance in this darkest of times, trying to rouse the people through the power of faith? Or will you do as our despotic reviewer Chris Livingston did and "have the streets patrolled by giant fascist robots who stomp entire buildings flat while trying to prevent a single starving child from stealing a chocolate bar"?
Frostpunk 2 is a gruelling survival strategy game of tough choices, moral conundrums, and ruthless politics. A perfect pick if you want to lean right into the bleakness of winter.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
TGA nominations: (Best Narrative, Audio Design, VO Best Performance, Games for Impact)
If we're to drop Senua's Saga into the ever-divisive 'walking sim' category, then it's the most spectacular, brutal, and at times terrifying walking sim that's ever wandered the Earth—an ultra-polished confluence of spectacular facial animations and sound design that's almost unmatched. This time out, Senua—a young celtic warrior plagued by the near-constant susurrus of voices in her head—has largely made peace with her inner demons, and sets out to Iceland to combat giants, slavers, and other monstrosities.
And while you do indeed spend a lot of time walking through stunning scenery, there's plenty of solid, simple combat, as well as a variety of puzzles that greatly improve on the original's. A recommendation is definitely a case of 'if you're into this sort of thing,' but the beauty of Game Pass is that you can experiment with games from outside your usual lane without the big commitment of buying them!
Age of Mythology: Retold
TGA nominations: Best Sim/Strategy
Transposing the timeless Age of Empires formula into a mythological toybox where the pantheons of Greek, Norse, and Egyptian gods collide was always going to be a winner. And while Age of Mythology may not be as finely balanced as its imperial counterpart, it's hard to complain when you can summon titans from the Earth to stomp your foes, rain down meteor strikes, or teleport your entire army to join a solo scout deep in an enemy base.
This remake more or less keeps the wild asymmetry and campaigns of the original intact, just with a beautiful graphics overhaul and some well-advised QoL fixes. Our Phil Iwaniuk called it "an important, if qualified, win" in his review.
No Man's Sky
TGA nominations: Best Community Support
No one could have imagined that a game that looked dead on arrival back in 2016 would, eight years on, look every bit like a game that will never die. The open-ended pastel-coloured adventure across a near-endless cosmos has come a long way in 2024 alone, with massive improvements to world generation, proper oceans with proper waves, fishing, and a whole new 'Adrift' mode that throws you into a dangerous new universe all alone. Did we ever doubt that No Man's Sky would come good? Of course we did, but that makes its eventual voyage onto our best space games list all the more impressive.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
TGA nominations: Best Sim/Strategy
Shamelessly strange, visually imaginative, faithfully Japanese, and joyfully resistant to easy labels (we'll go with action-tower-defence), Kunitsu-Gami sends you on a quest up a plague-ridden mountain to purge it of demons. On the face of things, it looks like a PS2-throwback action game (it's made by the same lot at Capcom who made Devil May Cry) but there's so much more to it once you peek behind the curtain.
Purging areas earns you crystals, which you can spend on building defences for the villages you rescue, assigning jobs to villagers, and cutting away the rot to progress up the mountain. It's a game of intense resource management and urgent strategising around an ever-ticking day-night cycle that sees demons attacking after each sunset, at which point it shifts gears into all-out action. We declared it "a gorgeous and engaging take on tower defence," and if that doesn't sound like a good time then I don't know what else to tell you.
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