The Xbox hard drives of the world needed a break eventually. For February 2022, Xbox Game Pass isn’t cluttering the most jam-packed release slate in recent memory. Not only is the upcoming lineup fairly slight, but some of the best and biggest on Microsoft’s games-on-demand service will soon be unavailable.
Here’s everything going by the wayside on February 15:
Control (Cloud, Console, PC)
Code Vein (Cloud, Console, PC)
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Console, PC)
The Medium (Cloud, Console, PC)
Project Winter (Cloud, Console, PC)
The Falconeer (Cloud, Console, PC)
After a year—or roughly about enough time needed to make it 10.7 percent through the game—the tremendous Final Fantasy XII redux leaves the service. Remedy Entertainment’s Control has been available for a similar amount of time. And even though The Medium and The Falconeer didn’t exactly make waves, both were propped up as must-play games during the Xbox Series X’s launch window, so their departures from the console’s service du jour is certainly eyebrow-raising.
In contrast (sorry), here’s what’s on the way:
February 3
Contrast (Cloud, Console)
Dreamscaper (Cloud, Console, PC)
Telling Lies (Cloud, Console, PC)
February 10
Besiege, via game preview (Cloud, Console, PC)
CrossfireX (Console)
Edge of Eternity (Cloud, Console, PC)
Skul: the Hero Slayer (Cloud, Console, PC)
The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Cloud, Console, PC)
February 14
Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition (Cloud, Console, PC)
Infernax (Cloud, Console, PC)
Yes, Skul: the Hero Slayer is a delightful roguelike with neat shape-shifting elements, but it’s not exactly the sort of game you lose an entire weekend to. Contrast is an irresistibly stylish platformer with a killer soundtrack, but it also first came out eight years ago (when it was available at no extra cost to subscribers of PS Plus).
The lightning rod here is CrossfireX, a first-person shooter featuring a campaign developed by Remedy. During a preview event two years ago, Kotaku’s Ian Walker noted how it seemed competent enough for a military shooter but lacked the studio’s signature flourish. It’ll be interesting to see how, if at all, the game has evolved since. If not, well, there’s plenty else to play this month.
