As Xbox is promoting its own PC Game Pass, God of War’s release on Jan. 14 for Steam, it is a reminder of Playstation’s own rival Game Pass called Spartacus.
Having already released games like Death Stranding and Days Gone, it is no surprise that Xbox responded with PC Game Pass to maintain an equal standing.
It seems almost unfair, given that most, if not all, of the games are mentioned excel in storytelling.
That isn’t to say that Xbox doesn’t have its share of firepower—the Halo series and the upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 are reason enough to purchase Playstation’s rival subscription service.
Except in terms of quality and quantity, Playstation has managed to succeed where Xbox has not, in spite of what some might think of as an inaccurate judgement.
Products like Horizon: Zero Dawn far outmatch whatever items such as Xbox’s Gears of War might offer and given that the common consumer is more like to purchase something with a more well-known presence on the market, it isn’t bias that says it isn’t otherwise.
Rumors that question Xbox’s consoles as an equal contender to Playstation’s own console selection already work against it before anyone can form an opinion for themself.
That being said, it would seem that it is indeed unfair for Xbox to fight back; that is, unless it were to upgrade its own Game Pass in such a fashion as to surpass Spartacus.
One way in which it could gain a more stable footing is to invest more into the storytelling aspect of a game rather than focusing on quantity.
Microsoft’s Halo: Infinite has demonstrated that Xbox is capable of making superb narratives amplified by engaging gameplay, yet while it might seem that it is only laziness that keeps them from doing so, such is not the case as Game Pass is there to provide a wide array of games to choose.
Playstation’s Spartacus is for sure worth it—who wouldn’t want to play as Aloy or Kratos again—yet it would be a shame for Game Pass to be shunted aside by the Japanese titan.
It would be more fitting if both Xbox and Playstation provided a service of equal measure so that everyone can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Not to mention, it would also permit a share of memorable games that need to be played by everyone at least a dozen times—from trading shots with Elites on a Covenant supercarrier as John-117 to impaling dinosaur-like machines long after mankind perished as Aloy.
