Ryu Hayabusa, where are you?

With assistance from the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, our dynamic duo returns to Team Ninja's third person action series, but of course it's the sequel to another sequel they didn't play! Adding to the complexity, though Team Ninja was involved, this entry was primarily developed by PlatinumGames. This actually sets expectations a bit higher, at least for Tom. Will he get the same enjoyment he derived from their Korra, Transformers, and TMNT... or will he be disappointed a decade later? The basic formula should be the same, but with a 4 in the title and the main protagonist of the series absent, there are a lot of questions our hosts hope are answered in this first hour of gameplay. Will Tom and Chris be satisfied with the mix of gameplay and exposition? Join them as they discuss their time and let's learn if this sequel to a sequel to a sequel of a reboot is worth some of yours!

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Beating up baddies, Marvel edition.

Tribute Games is back with another side-scrolling beat 'em up! There are some mutants on the roster here too, but they aren't teenagers or turtles. Speaking of the playable roster, it's sizeable, with a smattering of famous and esoteric characters from different segments of the marvel universe. Will that mix help offset the repetitive nature of the whole beat 'em up genre? If you didn't know, Tom and Chris both really enjoyed Shredder's Revenge, so they are itching to see if Tribute Games can deliver another modern classic. With just one hour to capture the hearts of our nostalgic hosts, will the developers succeed? Join our own two heroes as they discuss playing as (super)heroes to fight back the cosmic invasion of Annihilus. Don't worry, we didn't know who that was either... but you will if you press play and give a listen to this episode!

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This former agent just wants to stay retired.

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button lives up to its name with its selection for this episode. Our hosts have been tasked with playing the strangely named First-Person Shooter developed by indie studio Strange Scaffold and published by Frosty Pop. It turns out this studio likes to give their games zany names, so this is actually par for the course for them. That said, Tom and Chris are unfamiliar with their body of work, so it will be up to this FPS to set their first impressions. Each of our hosts has just an hour to make a decision, and they have mere fractions of that time to complete each of its frantic levels. When the time's up, what will their final rating be? Join our hosts as they are judged on their performance and then do some judging of their own!

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The skipper promised a three hour tour!

Our hosts play random games on the Xbox Game Pass service and often that means titles they had never seen before the "Surprise Me" button makes the selection. Such is the case with this third person adventure title developed by Polygon Treehouse and published by Whitethorn Games. Players take on the role of Alex, who gets stranded on a strange island full of gods with amnesia. In order to get back home, she'll have to help these enfeebled immortals first. Will that prove to be an interesting narrative? Will it be a fun thing to play? More importantly, did you get our Gilligan's Island reference? Join Tom and Chris as they take about the length of an episode of that classic sitcom to regale you with their experience and decide if staying stranded is the thing to do.

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Our hosts were teens in the late 1990s too.

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has selected another narrative adventure title! The focus here is similarly on story and there's more of that teen angst and certainly some mysteries as well. Fortunately for our hosts, this one developed by DigixArt is played from a first person perspective and set in a fictional past instead of far into an alternate future. Will a plot set in 1996 resonate with our hosts even if it takes place in a made up country? Will Tom and Chris make different choices as they play and will those choices have a meaningful impact on their individual experiences? Join our dynamic duo as they chat about an hour spent as runaway teens and learn if this adventure is one you should experience for yourself.

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The number is years, the rest is your task.

For this episode the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has chosen the debut title developed by Sunset Visitor. This narrative adventure game tasks you with exploring memories to uncover the truth that's been buried for a thousand years. In it, you take on the role of Watcher and delve into THE ALLMOTHER's past to discover what happened a millennia ago when a deadly virus was unleashed on humanity, forcing them underground. Just like our last episode, this game was created by a small indie team and is their first release. Unlike our last episode, this one plays very different and draws inspiration from point and click adventure games, JRPGs, and even the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. What will our hosts think of this dramatic change of pace? Will an hour be sufficient to rope them into the plot? Join Tom and Chris as they unite to discuss their hour and make their final decision.

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Will there be tales told of this?

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button takes control once more for this episode. Its selection is a side-scrolling platformer developed by Sunny Peak and published by Headup. This title was conceived as a student project at ISART Digital in France and then blossomed into a full-featured game release after several years of additional effort from its dedicated team. As this developer's first official release, it has flown completely under the radar for Tom and Chris, so they are going in with zero expectations. Will the experience bring music to their ears or will it produce a discordant disaster? Join our hosts as they tune their gaming instruments and break down their first hour to learn if you should spend some time with it too!

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Not the sequel to the game from 1H1D #83.

Traditionally game selection is left to the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, but this First Person Action RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment was actually chosen by Matt aka Stormaggedon, who was previously a guest on the show for episode 225! There was a possibility that Matt would be our first repeat guest, but alas, it was not our stars. Tom and Chris were left to tackle this review solo, or at least as solo as a duo can be. Chris has played a bit of the original but Tom is going in completely blind, so what will each of their final thoughts be on this sequel? Will it be worth the hour they each invested? More important to you, is it worthy of your precious time? Those answers won't be found here in this blurb, but you can certainly discover them by exploring this stellar review. Let's hope the humor in the game lands better than these terrible puns.

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So there's four of these, but only the second is numbered?

The previous episode had some fantastic beasts, but this one is set in the century of dragons. That's right, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has selected the fourth title in Bioware's RPG franchise for assessment on this episode! Well, it's the fourth one if you leave out Awakening and that freemium mobile game, but most of the franchise isn't numbered anyway, so is anyone keeping track? Further diverging from its early roots as a tactical RPG, this latest entry in the series is decidedly an action RPG. Unlike previous installments, combat control is focused on just one character and the design team dropped the open world approach for something that's much more linear. Will these changes be embraced by the modern audience? More to the point, will Tom and Chris prefer the mandated hour here over the time they spent with Dragon Age II way back in episode 105? There's no need for additional suspense, the answer is available now in their review, one must simply press play to find out!

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Let's get you sorted, doubly so!

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is this show's equivalent of a certain famous sorting hat. It's fitting (pun intended) that it has selected that franchise's action role-playing game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Portkey Games for this numerically significant episode. The game in question puts you in the robes of an unusually late addition to the Hogwarts roster, complete with a special ability and some corresponding intrigue that is sure to add complications to that youngster's schooling. There have been plenty of Harry Potter games created throughout the years, and they have certainly had mixed receptions. Where will this modern entry land in the minds of our two hosts? After the mandated playtime, will they be fully invested or seeking for a way to unenroll? Tom and Chris have played their hour, now let's learn if this title is worth at least one of yours!

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Think you can run a better park? Prove it!

Back in 1993, Tom was convinced he could succeed where John Hammond had failed. Fortunately, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has seen fit to give our hosts an opportunity to test that theory with this dinosaur theme park management simulator developed and published by Frontier Developments. The studio is no stranger to the genre and this isn't even their first rodeo with the beloved license, so the odds of a successful sim seem squarely in their favor. Will they deliver on entertainment as promised or will a familiar sense of hubris prove the undoing of this story as well? Join our hosts as they roll up their sleeves to operate their own Mesozoic zoos and see if things will run smoothly or if life will find a way... to create chaos!

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Saddle up and pedal forth for adventure!

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button spun through its options and landed on a choice that will have Tom and Chris spinning their own tires! Enter the latest game developed by Messhof, this time with publisher support from Annapurna Interactive. In this third person open world racing game, players are tasked with collecting some legendary items to save the world. Sounds pretty standard, except these items are actually stolen parts of a sentient bicycle. If you think the plot sounds unusual for a cycling game, our hosts don't disagree! But will they agree that it is worth your time? Join our dynamic duo as they discuss what they discovered while exploring this world of wheels and learn if it's worth a visit!

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Roguelites are our own personal hell.

Venturing to the underworld ought to be met with a sense of dread, but for Chris, the dread he's feeling is centered on the roguelite nature of this isometric action RPG developed and published by Supergiant Games. Tom is a bit more optimistic, buoyed by the game's strong reception from both critics and players alike. Which of these two attitudes will rise up to the surface after an hour of escape attempts through a gauntlet of undead enemies? It's frankly impressive that they haven't given this game a try in the years since it launched... heck, there's already a sequel! Either way, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has spoken and, at least around here, its word is law. Join our hosts and see if they'll be returning to hell after the mandated hour is up!

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Not the German comedy series.

There seems to be no shortage of cleaning simulators these days, but this one developed by President Studio and published by PlayWay has a different hook. Instead of power-washing someone's driveway or de-cluttering someone's home, this title puts you in the shoes of a former high school janitor that must clean up after criminals so those villains won't be caught for their dastardly deeds. Mopping up blood? Absolutely! Destroying evidence? You betcha! Disposing of victims? Well, you've come this far, no backing out now. Tom and Chris rolled up their sleeves and did some real dirty work during their hour long stint as one of those "Dinner Reservation" folks from John Wick. It certainly was a novel experience, but was it an entertaining one that's worthy of your precious free time? Our hosts have been caught red handed and they're ready to spill the beans!

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Take a trip to the 90's... the 2090's.

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button delivers on its name with the selection of this retro-anime inspired FPS developed by Hammer95 Studios and published by Epopeia Games. Neither of our hosts had heard of this before it was chosen, so they are going in with zero expectations other than whatever they may associate with mullets. With an hour on their play clocks and just ten seconds to cause chaos and literally earn their (continued) living, will this fast-paced shooter stand out against the many options competing for their attention? Join Tom and Chris as they step into the shoes of Jack Banhammer and race off to score some sweet sneakers. All they need to do is mulch multiple millionaire murderbots on their way to rescue a positively popular princess! Slap this episode in your tape-deck and crunch play to hear if this one is worth your time!

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Are we trading rogues or roguishly trading?

Buckle up, buttercup! The grimdark of the Imperium awaits in this turn-based tactical RPG developed and published by Owlcat Games. The studio first cut their teeth translating another tabletop game (Pathfinder) to the digital realm. Despite some early challenges there, they found their rhythm, launched a sequel, and then were tasked with taking on 40k's roleplay system. Tom and Chris previously enjoyed their foray with this franchise on Episode 166 when they reviewed Boltgun, but this is a completely different genre and guaranteed to be a very different gameplay experience. Will they enjoy this RPG as much as they enjoyed that FPS? How many other acronyms will they be able to cram into this bite-sized review? Let's find out!

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Anthropomorphic Orange is the New Black?

The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is sending our hosts directly to jail. They won't be passing go and they won't be collecting $200 on the way. Thankfully it's just part of the experience of playing the pixel-art RPG developed by Metal Head Games where the player takes on the role of a humanimal that must set things the wrong things right from behind bars! With nothing to go on but a title and some key art, Tom and Chris really have no idea what to expect from their hour-long experience with this very indie title. Will it be a break-out hit or deserving of incarceration? Join our dynamic duo as they discuss their time in this digital clink and see if it's a place they will recommend you visit of your own recognizance!

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Wait, isn't that the character from Arcane?

Still completely oblivious to League of Legends outside his love for the animated show, Tom (and his pal Chris) must engage with another spin-off property, this time thanks to the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button. For this episode, the team will be investigating the digital collectible card dame developed and published by Riot Games. This game has been around for years, but thanks to its genre, it has sailed completely under the radar of our hosts. But there in lies both of the bane and the beauty of random game selection, nothing is off the table... even when that table is digital. As per usual, our hosts will play for a full hour and then report back on whether or not it's worth your precious time. Will their inherent bias (against card games) leave this destined for deletion or will some newfound appreciation (for the art and lore) grant this particular title a fair shot at a stable spot in play rotation? We've heard that... sometimes taking a leap forward means leaving a few things behind.

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Serve the public trust, protect the innocent, uphold the law.

If you grew up in the same era as our hosts, the source material for this first-person shooter developed by Teyon and published by Nacon is well known to you. If you are a bit younger, perhaps you caught the remake that came out in 2014. If neither of those apply, just imagine if Darth Vader was a police officer in a dystopian Detroit. Now that you understand the basic premise, it's time for our hosts to discover if this is a faithful adaptation of that source material and (more importantly) if it translates into a fun gameplay experience. Tom and Chris loaded their guns, strapped on their armor, and set their timers for an hour. Now, you have the right to remain silent... as our hosts debrief you. Thank you for your cooperation.

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It's like playing doctor, but just the administrative part.

Have you ever dreamt of being an intergalactic hospital administrator? Well that dream can now become reality thanks to this business simulation title developed by Brightrock Games and published by Cult Games. Do you want to build rooms, hire staff, and satisfy the needs of alien patients? Well that's all packed in to this quirky sim. As usual, our hosts have been tasked by the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button to give it a whirl for an hour and see how it all shakes out. Does playing an hour of a video game count as "becoming a doctor" or "becoming an architect"? Yeah, probably not, but maybe now Tom and Chris can bluff it when they next talk to their parents... they'll just need to leave the alien bits out.

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