Instead of making this post overlong and complicated, I’m taking a cue from Crackdown 3 and getting to the point: Thank you, Xbox, for remembering me — a gamer who can feel forsaken by his hobby.

Last weekend, I fell hard for Crackdown 3, a game reamed for being “old-fashioned” — although the word critics forgot (or forwent) is “obsolete.” Open-world games, the consensus chorused, grew up.

They’ve also just plain grown. Expanded map sizes. Bloated runtimes. Sprawling skill trees and snarled control schemes.

Major outlets like IGN defended their drubbing of Crackdown 3, citing the cynicism of Rockstar’s mega-selling games, “Bethesda jank,” and rote Rocksteady and Ubisoft design as evidence of improved open worlds.

Crackdown 3, however, ignores trend and embraces entertainment. Terry Crews springs over and scales up the dense dystopian playground of New Providence. It’s Ratchet & Clank and Jumping Flash! and Smash TV and Super Mario Odyssey. It’s a blast.

Credit to Sumo Digital, a studio confident enough to make Snake Pass, a platformer without jumping. Credit also to Microsoft. With Crackdown 3, they’ve supported the kind of experience I love, and ones that Game Pass and backwards compatibility provide.

Smaller games (Crackdown 3 is a miraculous 10 gigabytes). Shorter games (I saw credits roll after a dozen hours — still an investment for me). Sillier games that don’t sink your mood or seek your bloodthirst. Power fantasies fueled by actual fantasy.

On my Xbox, I can play Crimson Skies, Banjo Kazooie, and Metal Slug — compact, quirky, joyful classics. And I can play Crackdown 3, a game that admires and emulates them.