Game Pass loses one of its best games, gets the worst from Ubisoft

On the one hand, Game Pass loses a lovingly crafted dungeon crawler that says things about the existence of modern life. But then again, at least it gets one of the most callous Ubisoft card games in recent history (I’ll give you a guess). Here’s what’s coming to Microsoft’s games-on-demand service in the coming weeks.

August 2

• Ghost Recon Wildlands (cloud, console, PC)

August 4

• Turbo Golf Racing (cloud, next gen console, PC)

August 9

• two-point campus (cloud, console, PC)

August 11

• cooking simulator (cloud, console, PC)
• Expeditions: Rome (PC)
• Offworld trading company (PC)

And here’s the full list from August 15:

• Friend Dungeon (cloud, console, PC)
• Curse of the Dead Gods (cloud, console, PC)
• Library of Ruina (cloud, console, PC)
• starmancervia game example (PC)
• Train Sim World 2 (cloud, console, PC)

Friend Dungeondespite the messy bad faith controversy that defined the release last summer, is easily one of the most engaging dungeon crawlers of recent years. Part dating sim, you date people who can turn into weapons, and use those weapons to fight the physical manifestations of your fears in isometric combat. Not only is the combat great, but it also features some sharp dialogue full of sharp commentary about the good and bad of modern dating. It’s a shame to see it go.

This month’s big Game Pass addition, Ghost Recon Wildlands, has … a lot less to say. Sure, Ubisoft’s co-op shooter has solid firefights and an impressively large, if not quite vibrant, open world. But it’s also a politically abhorrent, borderline propagandistic game, portraying Bolivia as a narco-state overrun by cocaine-running cartels: you play as a squadron of US special forces swooping in to celebrate the “day” to rescue”. Ubisoft did such a bad job representing the country that Bolivian Interior Minister sent a formal letter to the French government and threatened legal action.

But well, at least Turbo Golf Racing-a game that actually looks like Rocket League grafted on a golf course, and also a game I’m just now learning about – looks cool AF.