Microsoft pushed it till the very end of the month again, but here we go: Another month, another set of free games with an Xbox Live Gold membership!
I know I often am disappointed in these lists, but each month I always hope for the best from the upcoming lineup, as you never know when a new favorite game may show up — that’s happened before, and may happen for you, which is why I do these articles; both for the fun and to share some opinion where it may be of use to someone.
Anyway, let’s get to it!
On the Xbox One we have INSIDE and Big Crown: Showdown.
INSIDE looks interesting. Bleak as anything, but I’m not against puzzle platformers. Far from it, I actually somewhat enjoy them when I’m in the right mood, and this one looks promising, at least based on the short clips shown here. I’ll have to look into it more and at least give it a try when it becomes available. Dark, creep, my kind of game.
Later on in July we have Big Crown: Showdown. Oh boy, another party game… That reaction should tell you everything, but really, I have to ask why the team behind the GWG lineup can’t space these things out more. We get whole chunks of the year where each month is a Star Wars game, or each month is a party game, or a racing or Disney game. I’m not saying they are bad but please, some diversity between months guys. That being said, this looks like an okay game — probably a fun time. Still nothing special.
On the Xbox 360 side of things (remember, these are playable on the Xbox One as well) we have Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Meet The Robinsons.
Symphony of the Night? Hell yeah. Well, I’d be more excited were I not to already own the game — purchased it a few years ago now but damn do I love it. I have since its release on the PlayStation back in 1997 and while I feel the Xbox 360 version has a few quirks about it I don’t like, it’s still one hell of a good way to play the game. Seriously, SotN is one of my favorite games ever. It plays differently from the classic Castlevania games, but that’s what makes it shine. Oh, I could go on and on but this is just a “quick look” at these titles and not an all out review. Maybe in the near future, but not now. Just, trust me, if you’re into platformers, or otherwise like classic games, and especially if you know Metroid and you haven’t played this one? You owe it to yourself to give it a try.
Lastly, we end with Meet The Robinsons. Oh boy, another Disney game. That came out of nowhere. I’m sure you know my stance on these games by now — probably fine, not necessarily something I would play, I’m sure if you have kids they will enjoy it, yadda yadda yadda.
So, that’s that for July. Another underwhelming month save for Castlevania. As usual the peanut gallery that is YouTube is giving this list hate, begging for Call of Duty and other typical stuff. Go figure.
More to come, as always.