This is usually a tough time for me having to come up with topics to write about. Sure I could talk about all that has happened this week at Gamescom, but I would just be repeating everything that has been said already. There will be something from there that I will be talking about, however, but we’ll get to that in time. But yes, this is a very slow month when it comes to new releases, which will thankfully change starting next month when Borderlands 3 comes out, and no matter where you play it, I know it will be quite the experience. It will be even better for me if I can finally shut up or kill that Jar Jar wannabe Claptrap once and for all.

But I digress. This column is about the end of August and how I am going to survive it with no key new releases to play. For one there is a new character in Mortal Kombat 11 that has been unlocked: Nightwolf.

So far I have really enjoyed learning his moves, though I have to admit when I execute one of his fatalities (which summons the bear spirt Komo to rip his opponent,) I started yelling out “strength of the bear!” in homage to a classic 80’s Filmation cartoon called Bravestarr. Then again, Nightwolf also had a wolf spirit and pet eagle. All he needed was a puma and the circle would be complete.

I mean just LOOK AT THIS! Nightwolf is just begging for a Bravestarr skin. Make it happen, Ed Boon (provided you can get the license that is.) Oh, and Thunder from KI as well.

Sadly though, this will be the last Mortal Kombat character to come out before “Broketober” begins. The next release, an amazingly accurate version of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Dark Fate version of the Terminator T-800 won’t be out until October 8th (and I’m guessing that’s the early release date for Kombat Pack owners.) But still, what is up with the new version of The Joker coming out in January? They had an impressive version of him in Injustice 2, and THIS is what they came up with for MK11?

As Travis Shaw posted in his Twitter feed, this version of the Joker looks like one that was used in an adult film! It’s hilarious! Hopefully since he’s not coming out until January they can work on his appearance a bit more because it stands out from an otherwise amazing looking Kombat Pack lineup! Though I still wish we were getting Ash Williams from Evil Dead, the T-800 is a great choice. I do wish however that when Johnny Cage performs a Brutality on him, he’ll respond with “you’re terminated, ******!” just like the end of the first film.

Still, even with the addition of Nightwolf, there aren’t any major new releases coming out for a while, and that’s where the news from Gamescom this week comes in. As you all know, I am a huge supporter of Xbox Game Pass, a service that allows you to download a library of over 200 games to your Xbox for a monthly cost, originally $10 a month just for console. That service was made even better with the addition of Game Pass for PC, especially when combined with console Game Pass AND Xbox Live Gold into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a service that only costs $15 a month for ALL THREE SERVICES! Though I haven’t paid for Game Pass Ultimate since doing my initial switch over right after E3, I would say that even if I did pay $15 each month, all that matters is I saved a ton of money on games compared to if I didn’t have it and had to pay upwards of $60 per title.

In addition, the lineup of new games coming out has been sensational. Earlier this week alone Devil May Cry 5 was added to the console lineup. Granted I played this game more on the PC when it came out I would be more than happy to give it a second go through on Xbox as it’s so good. In addition, Space Hulk Tactics was just added to the PC, along with indie game Ape Out, and a classic I never got to play but always meant to: Age of Empires Definitive Edition! As for the console side, earlier today Kingdom Come Deliverance, another RPG I meant to get my hands on, was added to an already impressive library!

But the one game that has taken over most of my time the last week or so is a classic that was released over 30 years ago, best known on the Apple II and Commodore 64 computers, but I never owned them as a child. That game is the Bard’s Tale Trilogy, an early dungeon crawler RPG that received a lot of acclaim for its 3D overwold and dungeon as well as the start of the careers to a group of developers that became Interplay, who of course were responsible for other classics such as the original Wasteland, and yes, Fallout 1 and 2. Today you will know them more by their current iteration: inXile Entertainment, a studio that, how ironic, got picked up by Xbox Game Studios last year. Even with all the stuff that Game Pass has brought us this week alone, I still have to ask how an old Apple II game from over 30 years ago has taken over my Xbox One X and PC as much as it has?

Maybe it’s because Xbox Game Pass is not done, as next week Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep will be added to their lineup.

Guess I don’t have to worry about spending money on any more games for a while. Pro-consumer tactics like this are very good in the end.

Currently Playing: Bard’s Tale Trilogy (Xbox AND PC,) No Man’s Sky: Beyond (Xbox)