MeinMMO editor Leya Jankowski got the Xbox Series S in time for the console release. Additionally, she got the Xbox Game Pass, with a large catalog of new and old games. However, her first next-gen game was not a cutting-edge graphical masterpiece. It took her back to her childhood.
Next-gen – that means more power with 4K, ray tracing, shorter loading times, high-resolution top quality with modern games. Since I got my next-gen Xbox, I hold this power in my hands with my controller!
When the new Xbox was set up, I sifted through the Xbox Game Pass with its over 200 games. You can think of the Xbox Game Pass like a “Netflix for gamers.” You subscribe to it for a large selection of games. Among them are really cool and modern titles that look great graphically. Games where I can feel the next-gen.
- I could have checked out an action MMO like Destiny 2, which my colleague Sven Galitzki tried directly on the other new console, the PS5.
- I could have looked into the Warzone, the explosive battle royale spin-off of Call of Duty.
- I could have even seen how an MMORPG runs on the next-gen console – after all, ESO and Black Desert are included in the Game Pass.
Then I saw him…
Suddenly, I stopped scrolling through the Pass when a brown bear looked deeply into my eyes: Banjo. Right next to him was the cheeky bird lady Kazooie, who always has a sarcastic remark ready. My heart joyfully bounced along to the title melody of the intro trailer:
Banjo-Kazooie was released in 1998 for the N64 when I was just 8 years old. My siblings and I loved the jump ‘n’ run from Rare. To progress, you have to collect puzzle pieces and notes through which you unlock new worlds and ultimately reach the evil witch Gruntilda.
Back then, we would gather around the small, square TV and solve the game’s puzzles. The controller was passed back and forth. When we solved one of the game’s puzzles together, we cheered as one. When we kept dying at a certain point, we cursed in unison.
I went on so many adventures with Banjo and the cheeky bird lady Kazooie that I can now play through the game blindfolded and with one arm tied behind my back at 100%. I really know every single puzzle inside and out. That didn’t stop me from immediately starting the download!
It should be said that this version of Banjo-Kazooie is not just an emulation. The game is optimized for 4K Ultra HD and looks good on modern screens. So a little next-gen it is after all.
My first game reveals a weakness of the Xbox Series X|S
I’ve already played halfway through Banjo-Kazooie, and every second is a delight. That I’m diving into an old N64 game shows that there aren’t any big blockbusters available for the new Xbox generation at launch. Originally, that was supposed to be the first-person shooter Halo Infinite. The release was postponed to 2021.
Looking over at the PlayStation 5, there is at least one big launch title: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (the link leads to the review on our sister site GamePro). The action-adventure has received mostly positive reviews and is visually stunning. My Twitter feed is full of picturesque screenshots of the game and excitement.
For the Xbox Series X|S, there is no hype title. The question is whether such a thing is even necessary.
Because what reveals a weakness, strongly reminds me of something else. I mainly got the Xbox Series S to take advantage of the broad and affordable offerings of the Xbox Game Pass and to comfortably game on the couch. 13 euros a month for over 200 games is still a damn good deal. Banjo-Kazooie is a joyful surprise among the selection.
The thing with the shame…
I should actually be ashamed for what I use the next-gen Xbox for first. Especially in my field of gaming journalism, I should be making my own assessment of the console’s performance. Right in the middle of playing the old Nintendo classic, I have to start laughing at myself. I am aware of the irony. But everything has its time.
2020 is a crazy and sometimes depressing year. The little piece of childhood that I’m currently reclaiming with the “past-gen” on the Xbox Series S soothes my soul.
In that sense, no matter which world you are currently escaping into and on which platform you are doing so: Happy gaming.
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