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In one hell of a Game Pass scoop, the service is landing Mass Effect: Legendary Edition today (Console and PC). That’s all three original Mass Effect games, remastered and re-released, for you to play if you have a Game Pass subscription. If those were the only additions in January we’d be happy, but we have also got previous Game of the Year contender Outer Wilds (Console, Cloud and PC) coming back to the service, while the reasonably recent Embr is on the service and can be played now.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was the other remaster trilogy of 2021 – the one that wasn’t half-finished and the subject of countless memes. It delivered Mass Effect, the (greatest space RPG of all time), Mass Effect 2, and the maligned Mass Effect 3 in one package. The package remastered and optimised everything to 4K, bundled the 40+ DLC into one box, and improved the Mako so that it wasn’t hell on wheels.
If you haven’t experienced the joys of canoodling with aliens, stomping round the Citadel or making life-or-death decisions in the midst of battle, then get on it! Last we looked, they hadn’t arrived on the service yet, but they are due to arrive today.
If you still have a taste for the cosmic, then Outer Wilds is also due for arrival today. This is a critically acclaimed treat, and – if you haven’t experienced it before – it’s perhaps best to go into it cold. It’s a game that is very much centred on exploration and the joys of what you find out in the wilds. Jump into your rocket, use the limited fuel you have to reach something of interest, and then take back the spoils – and some tidbits of information – back to your home. It’s a must-play game, and we couldn’t recommend it more.
Embr is one of those games that had to exist eventually. It takes the 2-4 player co-operative energy of Overcooked! and applies it to firefighting. Break down doors, smash windows, fix electrical circuits, clear gas leaks, evade security systems and generally hose down fires in an effort to make rooms safe. We gave it a solid 3.5/5, lamenting the lack of variety but generally enjoying the co-operative gameplay.
Still to come on January 7th is Minecraft’s New Year’s Celebration, while January 13th brings Spelunky 2 (Console and PC) and The Anacrusis on Game Preview (Console and PC). You’ll find them all over on the Xbox Store.
Finally, there are games leaving the service. On January 16th, we will say farewell, goodbye, adios to Desperados III (Cloud, Console, and PC), Ghost of a Tale (PC), Kingdom Hearts III (Console), Mount & Blade: Warband (Cloud, Console, and PC), Pandemic (Console and PC) and Yiik: A Postmodern RPG (PC)
Which of these three fine games are you planning ot play? Or do you have something else to tell us about? Let us know in the comments below and on our various social channels.