It is that exciting, and occasionally disappointing, time of the month! Microsoft has just revealed the free games for their subscription service Games With Gold. Two titles for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 will be available to download over the next few weeks.
How do they stack up to previous months? Is there anything worth getting excited over? Let us take a quick look.
Xbox One - 'Trackmania Turbo' and 'Tales from the Borderlands'
Developed by Nadeo and published by Ubisoft, "Trackmania Turbo" is set to be added to the service from November 1. The racing video-game can be downloaded throughout the entire month, leaving Games With Gold on November 30.
Originally released in 2016, there are over 200 tracks for players to experience, including some truly insane courses. Nadeo focused on four main locations, and the game-play mixes high-octane speed with stunts. "Trackmania Turbo" is primarily an arcade game, and includes a solid campaign and a cooperative multiplayer mode.
Vehicle games are not everyone's cup of tea, so certain subscribers might feel disappointed. On the other hand, it is worth giving a shot and was well-received upon launch. The Xbox One version has a 76% on Metacritic.
The second current generation title is Telltale Games' "Tales from the Borderlands," an episodic interactive adventure game based in the "Borderlands" universe.
While there are callbacks to the FPS franchise, with "Borderlands 2" especially, "Tales" has more than enough charm to stand on its own two feet.
There are five episodes overall, and the Xbox One title will be available on Games With Gold from November 16.
Xbox 360 - 'NiGHTS Into Dream...' and 'Deadfall Adventures'
Do not worry if you sold your Xbox 360, as both are playable on the Xbox One.
Whether they are worth the effort is a completely different matter. "NiGHTS Into Dream..." is the HD remake of Sonic Team's Sega classic, which offers some cool yet dated gameplay. It generally received positive feedback from critics, earning an aggregate score of 72 on Metacritic, with most praising its sense of whimsy.
"Deadfall Adventures" has a 43% on the aggregate site, making it a slightly more puzzling addition to Games With Gold.
While the graphics were pretty decent for the time, critics lambasted the FPS adventure game for an overabundance of glitches and outdated mechanics. Sure, maybe "Deadfall Adventures" has gotten better with age, but that does not seem likely.
"NiGHTS Into Dream..." will be available until November 15, while "Deadfall Adventures" launches in the second half of the month.
