It is that time of the month again when players can download some free games and maybe experience something new. August's Games With Gold included "Slime Rancher," "Trials Fusion," "Bayonetta," and "Red Faction Armageddon." With the month done and dusted, it is time to look at what is in store for the next 30 days and, if you own an Xbox One or Xbox 360, to start downloading.
'Forza Motorsports 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition'
"Forza Motorsports 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition" is the big addition of the month. A launch title for the Xbox One, and is only available to play on Microsoft's current console.
With the new "Forza" game launching later this year, there is no better time than the present to release the fifth entry of the franchise for free. As this is the game of the year edition, it includes 10 totally new cars designed specifically for this version. This is obviously added to the base game's 200 cars and 17 race tracks.
Although "Forza Motorsports 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition" was well received, it did earn some criticism due to it having a lot less content than the previous entry of the series. This was not an over exaggeration either, as "Forza 4" included about 300 more cars and a much larger selection of locations and tracks.
Still, the gameplay still ranks as the best of the genre and is worth a download at the very least.
It is available from today.
'Hydro Thunder Hurricane'
It looks like Microsoft has decided to stick with a racing theme, as the Xbox 360 title launched with "Forza 5" is "Hydro Thunder Hurricane." This is a boat racing game released in 2010 for the Xbox and Windows. Players select one out of nine boats to take part in crazy races and other situations.
Upon its release, "Hydro Thunder Hurricane" received a positive reception, although it does also suffer from a lack of content. Besides there only being nine boats, players can choose from eight courses to race through. There are a variety of shortcuts to unlock and a few different game modes, but it is a bit limited in scope.
Multiplayer was also a huge part of the experience, offering a four-way split-screen option. "Hydro Thunder Hurricane" is available to download right now and is backward compatible with the Xbox One.
From September 16, two more games will be made available in "Oxenfree" and "Battlefield 3", which can also be played on the current generation console. Overall, a pretty good month from Microsoft.
