Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass Stacks Its August Lineup With a Surprise Platformer and Game Freak's New Action RPG
Super Meat Boy 3D drops as an unannounced bonus while Beast of Reincarnation headlines a 12-game month for the subscription service.
Super Meat Boy 3D Lands on Game Pass as Surprise Drop
Team Meat released Super Meat Boy 3D yesterday with no prior announcement, slotting it into Xbox Game Pass alongside the already-confirmed April additions. The game shifts the series' notoriously punishing platforming from 2D to 3D, adding a full axis of saw blades, lasers, missiles, and salt pits. Players once again chase the jar-bound Dr. Fetus, who has kidnapped Bandage Girl and the pair's daughter, Nugget. The PC version holds a 75 on Metacritic; no Xbox score exists yet due to the game's recency.
3D Shift Brings Distance-Gauge Problems but Keeps the Difficulty DNA
Super Meat Boy 3D preserves the series' identity despite the art-style overhaul and dimensional leap. The game remains brutally demanding on timing and precision, though it is slightly more forgiving than its predecessors because Meat Boy can now stop mid-run. A common issue is judging distance in 3D, which proves frustrating since the 2D originals gave players a full-screen view of every hazard. Additionally, there is a lack of fresh ideas beyond the perspective change, with levels and aesthetics feeling largely recycled from earlier entries.
Game Freak Brings Beast of Reincarnation to Game Pass Day One
Beast of Reincarnation, the latest release from Pokémon developer Game Freak, arrived on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on August 4. The action RPG follows a young woman named Emma and her dog companion Koo through a post-apocalyptic Japan overrun by hostile golems and corrupted creatures. Combat centers on parrying against oversized bosses. Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio described the game's action as "breathtaking" but said its identity is "buried under unrefined ideas borrowed from some of the decade's best games."
Full August Game Pass Wave Brings 12 Titles Across Two Weeks
Xbox revealed the complete first-half-of-August Game Pass slate on Tuesday, spanning cloud, console, handheld, and PC. Highlights include PowerWash Simulator 2 and Grounded 2 (in Game Preview) arriving August 6 and 11, respectively, plus Date Everything! and Ball x Pit on August 12. Cricket 26 and Mio: Memories in Orbit join August 13, followed by Egging On on August 18. Several titles launch initially on Game Pass Premium before rolling into Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Four Games Exit Game Pass on August 15
Subscribers have until August 15 to play Firewatch, Atlas Fallen, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and the PC-only Menace (Game Preview) before they leave the service. Firewatch, Campo Santo's Wyoming wilderness narrative, and Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the co-op shooter, are the most recognizable departures. Atlas Fallen, the Deck13 action RPG, rounds out the removals.
Gears of War: E-Day Open Beta Heads to Game Pass
Access to the open beta for Gears of War: E-Day is included among August's Game Pass additions. The beta accompanies a month heavy on sequels and series entries, from Grounded 2's Game Preview to PowerWash Simulator 2 and Cricket 26. No separate launch date was announced beyond its placement in the August wave.
Source material: theloadout.com — this piece is based on that published source material.
