When Xbox Live first emerged in 2002, millions of people flocked to the subscription service to play online multiplayer matches with their friends. That novelty didn’t wear off for the first decade or so. Fans were happy to earn a few dollars a month to play like halo 3, Gears of War 2and Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare with their friends. But as time went on, the player base started wanting more for their money, so one came Xbox games with gold.
Xbox Games with Gold debuted in 2013 and had very humble beginnings, simply offering players two free games per month, in addition to the usual Xbox Live perks. In just a year, this offering was pushed to four free games per month, and while not all of them were big AAA titles, they were all free games, and the gaming crowd wasn’t that used to getting free games at the time. But times have changed again and with the rise of PlayStation Plus, Prime Gaming and the free offerings of the Epic Games Store, players are no longer satisfied with just any old free games. Fortunately, the latest Xbox Games with Gold offerings are a treat for just about any type of gamer.
Games of August with gold for all audiences
Sometimes all four free games on Xbox Games with Gold in any given month all offer fairly similar experiences. For example, sometimes Xbox offers a few top-down roguelikes at once, or multiple city builder and management games. This month, every game offered with Games with Gold is completely different from each other, with completely different gameplay styles and ensures that all kinds of gamers are satisfied with at least one of the free games on offer.
The first of these games is Calicowhich is currently available on Games with Gold and will be available until August 31. Developed by Peachy Keen Games and released in December 2020, Calico is a cute pastel colored community sim game in which the player is tasked with building his own cat cafe. Fans of Animal Crossing will definitely feel at home at Calico, where most of the gameplay revolves around setting up furniture and decorating the cafe, adjusting every inch to the player’s own creative design. After finding cats in the wild, players can pick them up, name them and take them home, where they can then interact with toys and food. With a beautiful, clear visual style, lots of cartoon silliness and a central task that focuses on creativity and freedom, Calico is the perfect game for anyone who wants to relax for a few hours.
The next one is ScourgeBringer, another 2020 release, this time developed by Flying Oak Games and E-Studio. Now available until September 15th ScourgeBringer is a fast paced roguelite platformer that emphasizes speed and wide range of motion. With some incredibly responsive controls at their disposal, players can roam around ScourgeBringer‘s 2D environments with ease, shooting and slashing through enemies as you run through the arena. With both a fluid movement system and a satisfying combat system, ScourgeBringer can it just scratch Hollow Knight itching while fans wait for silk song.
One of two retro offerings in this month’s Games with Gold, Monaco: what’s yours is mine is one of the most loved indie games of all time. Released in 2013, around the great Indie boom, alongside titles like Super meat boy, LIMBOand Fez, Monaco: what’s yours is mine is a top-down heist game that can be played in both single-player and co-op. Players can choose from a range of classes, each with their own unique abilities, and embark on the perfect heist. They then use their skills to manipulate guards, hack into cameras, sneak past civilians and tunnel to freedom. For those looking for a more challenging, intense co-op game, Monaco: what’s yours is mine is the perfect choice, and players can pick it up from now until August 31.
August Gold Games have fans hyped for Saints Row
At the beginning of the month, Games with Gold subscribers were treated to another free retro game. Available from 1 to 15 August, Saints Row 2 marked the first free offer of the month and kicked off with a bang. Despite being 14 years old, Saints Row 2 Still widely regarded as one of the best open world crime games of all time, easily gives the Grand Theft Auto series a run for its money. And however Saints Row 2 has been followed by two direct sequels, but longtime fans of the franchise still tend to push this one as the best in the series.
While the first Saints Row showed real potential, Saints Row 2 was the first entry in the franchise to truly stand out from the crowd, with a bustling open world, a uniquely dark sense of humor, and a cast of colorful characters that lifted the story beyond its rights. Add in some tight firefights, driving mechanics, and a vast selection of crazy side activities and minigames, and Saints Row 2 easily becomes one of the most memorable and truly fun open world titles of all time.
This month’s recording of Saints Row 2 is also very appropriate, as the brand new Saints Row is scheduled for release at the end of the month. Although the new Saints Row Designed as a reboot of sorts for the franchise, with a brand new Saints gang completely separate from the Third Street Saints, it looks set to share many of the same features and themes from its predecessors. So before players make their way to Santo Ileso, it would be appropriate to take a trip to Stilwater first, just to see how far the franchise has come in the last ten years.
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