While Xbox Game Pass is having an incredible 2025, Xbox Game Studios isn’t having the best year, at least not so far. It still has the likes of Ninja Gaiden 4, Keeper, and The Outer Worlds 2 releasing before the end of the year, but the games that have come before this haven’t overly impressed. To this end, there are a few that are worth skipping entirely for various reasons.
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One of these games is South of Midnight, released by Compulsion Games back in the spring. Another one of these games is Avowed, released by RPG specialists Obsidian Entertainment back in February. Finally, last month, Xbox released Gears of War: Reloaded, and this is also worth skipping, particularly if you are on Xbox or PC.
South of Midnight
When South of Midnight was released this year, some were talking about it like it was a Game of the Year contender, but this sentiment is divorced from reality. Right now, South of Midnight is currently sitting at a 77 on Metacritic as the 160th highest-rated game of the year. There’s a reason why South of Midnight player numbers were abysmal when it launched, because it is a mediocre game underneath its compelling presentation, which does impress thanks to what is undeniably a very strong art direction. But that is about all the game has going for it that sets it apart. South of Midnight is not a bad game; there are just `159 releases this year that are better and more worth your time.
Avowed
Those who want to play Avowed will need to dump at least 20 hours into the game just to mainline it. Add side content, and this figure is more like 50 hours. This is a large time investment for an RPG that is solid, but like South of Midnight, does not stand out. Hundreds of RPGs are more worthy of the time investment. Heck, Obsidian Entertainment itself has released many superior RPGs. If you played Avowed earlier in the year when things were slower, you may have found it a worthy investment of time. However, when you consider that Obsidian Entertainment looks poised to release a superior RPG in the same year, The Outer Worlds 2, it’s hard to recommend checking out Avowed now that times are busier and more promising RPGs are looming.
In the meantime, there are other new RPGs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered that are all worth checking out first.
Gears of War: Reloaded
The first Gears of War game is one of the best shooters and multiplayer games of all time. Unfortunately, Gears of War: Reloaded doesn’t do it justice. There is a reason it has a “Mixed” rating on Steam, and it’s because it suffers from crashes, has substantial stability issues, matchmaking issues, and on PC, it’s even missing split-screen co-op. It’s simply a poor port of an all-time great, and until it’s fixed, it’s not worth checking out this nostalgic cash grab.
Of course, everything here is a matter of opinion. South of Midnight and Avowed are going to be some people’s Games of the Year. Meanwhile, there are plenty of people having a blast revisiting Gears of War. There are always exceptions. However, in an era where there isn’t enough time in the year to play all the great games, average games or games with issues are increasingly harder sells. That said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forums.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
