School may be out for summer vacation, but class is most definitely back in session over on Xbox thanks to a stellar lineup of new titles headed to Game Pass and Games With Gold this August. I‘ll be your faculty guide on this whistlestop tour of the standout releases you need to enrol in while the weather remains hot!
We‘ve got in-depth course modules ahead covering all things Two Point Campus plus stealthy sequels, Saint‘s Row insanity, and more. So grab your satchels dear students and let‘s get educated…
Two Point Campus Hands Out Fun Learning for All
Easily claiming the top honour roll spot this month is Two Point Campus – the eagerly anticipated followup to Two Point Studios‘ 2018 sim smash Two Point Hospital. Having already achieved mastery status producing business management sims in my earlier Bullfrog career (Theme Park, Theme Hospital), I‘ve been hotly anticipating getting hands-on with Two Point‘s take on running an eccentric university packed with wild and supernatural curriculum subjects.
Now having spent some hours tenure as Two Point Campus‘s University Dean, I can happily grade Two Point Studios‘ newest management sim as another degree-worthy delight for fans of the genre. The core gameplay loop of building campus facilities, hiring staff, maintaining attractive amenities and ensuring students remain happy is instantly familiar territory to anyone well-versed in these sorts of sims.
Yet while the foundations stick to proven formulas, Two Point Studios has definitely injected their trademark whimsy and humour across campus grounds. Sending my paranormal investigator undergrads out ghost-hunting in the small hours or prepping my Knight School freshman for another hard day of jousting training never fails to raise a smile.
Below I‘ve compiled a course syllabus detailing some of the extensive granular areas you‘ll need to monitor as Two Point Campus‘s overseeing Vice Chancellor. Keeping plates spinning across all these areas is key to keeping both students satisfied and the bills paid!
Two Point Campus Management Syllabus
- Campus Buildings & Rooms
- Classrooms
- Libraries
- Common Rooms
- Dorm Rooms
- Staff Facilities
- Research Labs
- RecreationalBuildings
- Course Management
- Set curriculum per year
- Assign teachers
- Monitor grades & progression
- Student Needs
- Hunger, Thirst, Restroom
- Fun, Socialising
- Campus Hygeine
- Extracurricular Activities
- Amenities & Services
- Medical Centers
- Private Security
- Janitorial Services
- Sports Teams & Societies
- Financial Management
- Tuition Fees
- Bank Loans & Interest
- Salaries & Operational Costs
- Research Grants
- Customisation & Decorations
- Architectural Styles
- Gardens, Statues & Fountains
- Posters, Notice Boards etc
- Pathways & Sidewalks
Reviewing everything laid out there, it‘s clear that Two Point Campus certainly isn‘t lacking for depth or variety of experiences. From ensuring the Campus kitchens are properly prepped to produce delicious Gastronomy course meals, to making sure Paranormal Investigation lectures have all the latest ghost-hunting gadgets – the extensive options on hand for nurturing happy students are extremely impressive.
While places like Knight School teaching the art of chilvary offer plenty of light-hearted chuckles, some of Campus‘s simulated systemic processes run remarkably deep. The new student relationship mechanics bring a whole social network element as friend circles formand influence youth‘s happiness outside lecture theatres. Similarly public amenities like litter bins or vending machines may seem trivial, but neglect campus hygiene standards and you‘ll soon notice students getting disgruntled!
It‘s this underneath simulation layer that in my opinion pushes Two Point Campus comfortably beyond being simply "Theme Hospital with funny university courses". Tiny reactive details come together to form a cohesive virtual world brimming with personality no matter how chaotic things may visually appear on-screen. After many long and rewarding hours overseeing campus affairs, I can award Two Point Campus‘s final grade with pride:
Two Point Campus Review Score: 5 Stars (First Class Degree with Honours)
Now if only real-world education administrators offered giant duck ponds or served fresh donuts in public common areas…
Ghost Recon Wildlands Remains A Gorgeous Yet Troubled Educational Trip
Stepping into less family-friendly territory, the other big Game Pass release in August 2022 comes from Ubisoft‘s acclaimed Ghost Recon franchise – namely 2017‘s rather more gritty mercenary shooter Ghost Recon Wildlands.
Set across a vast open-world recreation of Bolivia, Wildlands plonks squad tactics specialists The Ghosts in the middle of dangerous narco-state territory with orders to destabilise and dismantle the notorious Santa Blanca drug cartel by any means necessary. Cue lots of stealthy recon sneaking, lethal squad tactics and high octane firefights amidst the picturesque South American environment.
As someone who‘s covered foreign policy issues around the Americas throughout my career, I followed the controversies and upset over the game‘s exaggerated fictional portrayal of Bolivia more closely than most at the time. Accusations of cultural insensitivity and perpetuating damaging stereotypes ultimately diminished the overall experience and Ubisoft‘s rather lacklustre responses did little to defuse tensions either.
However, if players can compartmentalise away the off-putting geopolitical baggage, then underneath lies a fairly compelling mercenary power trip through stunning landscapes. Ubisoft‘s rendition of rural Bolivia itself remains a technical beauty even half a decade later with soaring mountain vistas and atmospheric village outposts dotted with lively civilian NPC populations.
My only major gripe with the sandbox gameplay itself lies with the enemy AI, who are rather less awe-inspiring in their behaviors. Stealth purists will find Jefecartel goons and their akimbo SMG patrol patterns get repetitive over lengthy play sessions, diminishing the overall challenge. Certainly there is fun to be had coordinating sync-shot takedowns with co-op buddies – but between peers only I‘d hesitantly grade Wildlands…
Ghost Recon Wildlands Review: 3 Stars (Passable, Some Clear Issues)
Perhaps I‘m being overly critical given over 25 million players clearly found something to love in Wildlands, becoming Ubisoft‘s fastest selling title at the time. It absolutely nails the visual spectacle and core gunplay initially. But as an educator looking to provide comprehensive context beyond surface impressions, I really can‘t ignore the wider problems certain portrayals created.
As controversial as it proved, it does seem Ghost Recon Wildlands established a formula inspiring plenty more open world Ghosts operations abroad – headlined by last year‘s jaunt to the Pacific Islands in Ghost Recon Breakpoint. We can only hope Ubisoft learned important lessons dealing with the complex socio-political entanglements these Clancyverse overseas excursions bring to light…
Right, I‘m off to Sample Some Surreal Scholarship Over in Knight School now – these battleaxes won‘t swing themselves! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Saint‘s Row 2 Brings The Carnage to Xbox Games With Gold
Let‘s lighten things up again shall we after that rather intense spec-ops lecture. A perfect palete cleanser comes in the form of Saint‘s Row 2 – the 2008 smash hit that took Volition‘s urban chaos sandbox into gloriously silly new territory. Returning Xbox faithful can indulge their nostalgia even cheaper by grabbing Saint‘s Row 2 entirely free as part of August 2022‘s Games With Gold lineup!
As someone who reveled in the original Saint‘s Row back in 2006 for providing a humour-laced alternative to dour old Grand Theft Auto, seeing the sequel fully commit to outrageous absurdity come 2008 proved an absolute riotous delight. By doubling down on crazy weapons like the Inflato-Ray and Sextoy Bat, adding in diverse distractions from septic tank racing to owning the whole city and greatly expanding multiplayer connectivity – Saint‘s Row 2 laid vital foundations for the franchise now synonymous with unhinged open world mayhem.
Replaying Saint‘s Row 2 again today, what strikes me most is just how well central driving and shooting mechanics still hold up by modern standards. Sure, STRICT graphical fidelity leaves a little to be desired in Xbox Series X 4K – but the general art style has aged fairly gracefully. No amount of shiny coat paint can fix genuinely awkward mechanics or crappy car handling. By contrast Saint‘s Row 2 absolutely nailed the optimal fun-factor sweet spot between realism and pure arcade action back in 2008.
Core gameplay elements like the malleable character creator, the range of activities from street racing to base jumping, and the anything-goes mentality all exemplify Saint Row 2 getting the balance right where dour old Grand Theft Auto IV faltered that same year. It knew exactly what sandbox players wanted – and for me still plays better in 2022 than some current gen open worlds!
Saints Row 2 Key Fun Features:
- 30+ Story Missions & 100+ Activities
- Coop Campaign Integration
- Tons of bonus challenges
- Deep Character Creator
- Millions of customization combos
- Vehicular Mayhem
- Cars, bikes, boats, helicopters
- Crash n‘ smash derby play
- Hilarious Weapons
- Giant Dildo Bat
- Singularity Gun
- RC Gun
- Competitive/Coop Multiplayer Modes
- Online free-roam chaos
- Tons of modes & team variants It‘s amazing to consider Saints Row 2 arrived a whole year before genre landmarks like Borderlands or Batman: Arkham Asylum that later became renowned as triple-A open world icons. Yet even stacked against those giants of 2022, Saint‘s Row 2 absolutely still deserves a spot on the student reading curriculum!
Saint‘s Row 2 Review – 5 Stars (First class honours, Cum Laude)
Now if you‘ll excuse me, I simply MUST get back to delivering this tank of sewage by atomizing pedestrians with the best toilet humor weaponry 2008 had to offer! Let me know if you need any other questionable life guidance…
Turbo Golf Racing? More Like Burbo BARF Racing…Ha!
(Editor‘s Note: Our faculty member got a bit carried away after his extensive Saint‘s Row research it seems! But please enjoy this completely factual & mature analysis of other new Game Pass offerings while we persuade him to take a nice lie down…)
Beyond the major hitter additions covered already, the Xbox Game Pass catalogue continues expanding in August 2022 with several more varied releases well worth teeing up.
For puzzle fans seeking cerebral stimulation there‘s Shenzhen I/O from Zachtronics – a programming-based challenge with players creating functional circuits to solve problems. Certainly one for budding computer science majors to add to their homework! Pixel art aesthetics and approachable UI help offset what could be overly dry subject matter for some.
Those seeking more lighthearted physics hijinks can instead enrol themselves in a few quick rounds of madcap golfing in Turbo Golf Racing. Whacking balls across medieval castles, active volcanoes or alien planets proves quite the trippy delight – even if the bagpipe soundtrack inspires some painful auditory flashbacks to my youthful Scotland golf tours.
Frankly after enough back nine bogies on the volcano course‘s lava traps you‘re guaranteed to work up fierce munchies too! Luckily the next highlighted Game Pass addition has you covered there…
Cooking Simulator satisfies dual cravings for world-class cuisine and virtually operating dangerous kitchen hardware as players slice, fry, boil and bake across 70+ recipes. Have you ever wanted to see what happens dropping a whole turkey in the deep frier? Here‘s your chance! Somehow the outlandish mishaps and realistic cooking action amalgamate into a strangely compelling experience.
History buffs are also well catered for in August‘s offerings with Expeditions: Rome from Logic Artists. Players assume the role of a Roman legionary leading tactical squads across famous ancient conquests. Gorgeous visuals and atmospheric music underpin the strategic legwork directing phalanx formations, managing troop morale and making key combat decisions amidst clashes with barbarian hordes.
For the business executive lurking inside all of us, Offworld Trading Company from Mohawk Games scratches that capitalist itch to dominate fledgling lunar markets. Aspiring CEOs must harvest resources then leverage commodities trading across a fully simulated Martian economic ecosphere. Outsmart rivals to corner the market and establish your corporate colony‘s supremacy!
Lastly, the eye-catching pixel art cambat of Midnight Fight Express marries fluid brawling mechanics reminiscent of Streer Fighter with the grim criminal underworld ambience of Hotline Miami. It‘s a potent combo, especially when viewed through the slow-motion lens of veteran action director Bill Pope – the man behind hard-hitting camerawork in cinema classics like The Matrix and Spiderman 2!
Whew, not a bad haul at all to round out summer 2022‘s Game Pass offerings! Plenty to keep students stimulated across assignments like ghost hunting, narco tactical ops, golfing alien terrains or just barbecuing questionable poultry…
Now, what mischief can I get up to around campus next? Maybe my Knight School apprentices need to prepare for battle against those snooty private school jerks over at Fort Crumpet Academy! None shall defeat Sir Burbo and his brave Happy Ham Hock Battalion!!
Tally-hooooo!!
(Apologies again for any eccentricities in our faculty member‘s review notes this month – his Couch Potato Psychology doctorate doesn‘t seem to focus much on professional conduct…but I‘m sure you found some wise takeaways nonetheless about August 2022‘s standout Xbox releases!)
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Yours truly,
Dean Burbo
