The 10 Best Xbox Game Pass games you're probably not playing

#4 Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley

The Adventures of Captain Smiley

Comic Jumper has, quite possibly, the most obnoxious title character on this whole list. Captain Smiley is that type of superhero that, like Captain Amazing in the film Mystery Men, is supposed to satirize the Superman-like heroes of the comics.

The entire game itself, as a matter of fact, is supposed to be a send-up of comic books which, admittedly, isn't something that's been done in the video game medium all that often.

Captain Smiley's comic has been cancelled due to the fact that, well, he's kind of a crappy superhero. He's been relegated to "guest appearances" in other comics, an opportunity he takes in an effort to find a way to get back into his own series before he's forgotten altogether. It gets really meta in places, and not always for the best.

So, you're probably wondering why I have it on this list at all, right? For two very simple reasons. One, when the story and the rest of the game's presentation gets it right, it gets it amazingly right. If you're a comic book geek, the hits do outnumber the misses and there's a lot to like here.

Secondly, it's also just a lot of fun. The controls are tight, the different comic book settings help add a lot of variety to the gameplay, and there's enough challenge to make it engaging without it getting overly frustrating.

If you're looking for some fun 16-bit era-style action, this is a pretty good way to go.