Microsoft’s subscription service for all things Xbox – Xbox Live Gold – has provided players with some excellent titles across the years with its monthly free games throughGames with Gold. Whether it’s picking up an older game that players hadn’t managed to get their hands on the first time, or trying out a title they might otherwise have passed on,Games with Goldgive gamers a chance to download a whole host of games. However, with speculation around Microsoft’s commitment to the service, the quality of games on offer throughout 2021 in comparison to previous years did come under some scrutiny.
Players have wondered whether Microsoft was perhaps prioritizing its other subscription service,Xbox Game Pass, instead of Games with Gold, and with newer subscription services available for gamers, Games with Gold may be in danger of being overlooked not just by Microsoft but by gamers in general. The selection may have had its ups and downs throughout 2021, but there were still examples of excellent games on offer, with 10 that stood out more than the rest.
RELATED:Xbox Free Games With Gold for 2021 Started the Year Strong, So What Happened?
Conker: Live and Reloaded
Fans of the cheeky and satiricalConker’s Bad Fur Daywere pleased when it was announced that Rare’s platform game for the Nintendo 64 was coming to Xbox, but it wasn’t quite the game as they knew it.Conker: Live and Reloadedis a remaster of its predecessor’s single-player mode, but it also utilized the Xbox Live feature to include an online multiplayer mode with games like Capture the Flag. Although not technically a remake, this re-envisioning lets players jump back into the wacky world of the quasi-alcoholic squirrel and adds a heap of additional content if gamers have only experienced the original N64 version.
Microsoft’s inclusion of the Xbox title on Games with Gold re-introduced the game to another generation of players, and let them experience the story for themselves. When it first came out,Conker’s Bad Fur Dayblew players away with its unique tongue-in-cheek humor and gameplay.
Capcom’s action-adventureDead Risingis a violent free-for-all in a shopping mall, with endless waves of rotting corpses for players to contend with along with aggressive fellow survivors and other challenges. Playing asphotojournalist Frank West, gamers have a dizzying array of weaponry and items available to them as they explore the overrun mall. The unapologetically incessant gore and increasingly ridiculous outfits that gamers can clothe their protagonist in adds to the chaotic fun, and fans of mindless violence will be well entertained.
Gears 5
The main seriesGears of Wargames follow various protagonists as they battle the Locust Horde – a race of subterranean hominids that threaten humanity. With the original trilogy featuring popular hardman Marcus Fenix and the fourth installment focusing on his son JD Fenix,Gears 5was the first game in the franchise to predominantly feature a female protagonist. The Coalition’s 3rd person shooterGears 5was praised for its gameplay, campaign, and amount of content, and was seen as a return to form for the series after some missteps inGears 4.
Players were happy to play asKait, who was previously a supporting character inGears 4but is now front and center for the majority of the campaign. Her interesting backstory and refreshingly unique presence in a series that is well-known for its hyper-masculinity were a welcome feature. Overall, the latest installment is a solid example of what makes action shooters great and is well worth a playthrough.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
When it comes to fighting games, developers have a surefire way to pique the interest of a large swathe of gamers – use already established characters and licensed properties. No matter the gameplay mechanics, settings, or various modes on offer, players will want the chance to seeBatman face off against Wonder Woman, or Lex Luthor square up to Bane. There’s something undeniably fun playing as fan-favorite characters and indulging in far-from-canon clashes, andInjustice: Gods Among Usdoes just that. Building on already familiar aspects of theMortal Kombatfranchise, NetherRealm Studios injects a hefty dose of DC into its fighting game structure, with extremely favorable results.
The story sees Superman compromise his typical good-guy schtick after the Joker tricks him into destroying Metropolis, causing him to adopt a far more hard-line and tyrannical approach as he sets up a kind of totalitarian regime.Batman calls upon various famous facesto help him take down the Kryptonian powerhouse, creating high-stakes confrontations between heroes and villains. The mixture of popular comic book characters, challenging combat, and a surprisingly in-depth story for a fighting game makesInjustice: Gods Among Usan enjoyable brawler. But more than that, the game is an ode to fans of DC and celebrates some of the most classic heroes and villains of all time.
Lego Batman 2 DC Super Heroes
On the whole, the LEGO games are fun and accessible, and even though some suffer from problems of by-the-numbers gameplay and slightly lifeless storytelling,Lego Batman 2 DC Super Heroesisn’t one of them. It builds on the strengths ofLego Batman: The Videogameand offers players more of a challenge than some of its fellow bricky predecessors.Lego Batman 2manages to shake things up while still remaining true to what works forLEGO games. It adds impressive voice acting to cutscenes, replacing the charming but slightly simplistic slapstick scenes of previous games, and tightens up on other elements of gameplay for a slightly more sophisticated experience.
The plot may be fairly standard superhero fare, and plenty of elements of gameplay are copied and pasted from other LEGO games, but when the formula is so solid and enjoyable, this is hardly problematic.Lego Batman 2 alsowidens the net of characters to include more well-knownDC characters that join Batman and Robinon this joyous romp around Gotham City. Combining LEGO’s trademark slightly silly but undoubtedly hilarious hijinks with Justice League characters guarantees fun for DC and LEGO fans alike.
Little Nightmares
InLittle Nightmares,players control a small girl in a yellow raincoat as she attempts to traverse a frightening and intimidatingly large world, crawling and climbing through disturbing and dreamlike scenery. With gameplay reminiscent of otherpuzzle-platformers likeInsideandLimbo,Little Nightmaressimilarly treads the line betweenthe grotesque and the charmingly fairytale in terms of design.
Little Nightmaresis unique, visually stunning, and nuanced. It doesn’t rely on jump scares or cheap shocks–it has a creeping, insidious dread that’s hard to shift, even after players have finished the game. The tinySix is also the perfect protagonistto navigate this world; her diminutive size is representative of the peril and fragility the player experiences as they attempt to make their way through the sinister underwater vessel.
Metal Slug 3
Originally an arcade game,Metal Slug 3has been ported to various consolesover the years, allowing new gamers to access this classic run and gun game. SNK Playmore’s side-scrolling shooter is just as challenging as the rest of the games in the series, as well as arcade games which typically rely on fast-paced action and subsequently lead to a high death count. But as far as 2D arcade shooters go, players can’t go wrong withMetal Slug 3.
While not the perfect port, the game is arguably the best intheMetal Slugseriesand a worthy addition to any game library. With its classic arcade style and nostalgic 2D hand-drawn design, the game still packs enough of a punch to entice gamers back or even intrigue new ones. It’s a fairly short game that warrants a few playthroughs, but for players craving a reminder of simpler times surrounded by flashing arcade machines and the sounds of coins slipping into slots,Metal Slug 3does the job.
Resident Evil
Resident Evilhas been a stalwart go-to for gamers since the first game was released in 2002. Effective scares, gruesome enemies, hair-raising moments, and cheesy dialogue characterize this series, andthe originalResident Evilstill holds up compared to later entries. Setting the entire game in the confines of a creepy mansion (and its secret laboratory) adds to the claustrophobia and helps to create a tight structure for horror gamers.
Backtracking frequently through already explored spaces could become tiresome for some, but the rambling zombies that remain and the multitude of secrets and items to solve and find make the most of the locations. The remastered version holds up pretty well on more modern consoles, and even if players are familiar with specific scares, these moments can still make heart rates climb and palms sweat. This game has a special place in the heart of many gamers, and it’s not hard to see why. Sequels likeResident Evil 4may have taken on a more action-based style of gameplay, but it’s when the series goes back to basics that it makes a real impact.
Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb
Released on the original Xbox (as well as PlayStation 2 and PC) in 2003, The Collective’sIndiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tombis an action-adventure game following the titular archeologist through his adventures in 1935, just prior to the events inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Traversing jungles and plundering tombs in the Far East in search of a mysterious pearl,the adventurous professor of archeology Indiana Jonesundertakes his usual sequence of globetrotting interspersed with battles against Nazis and doublecrossing employers. Like every classic Indy tale, there’s romance, action, and history in spades.
There are plenty of locations for players to explore, from underwater palaces in Istanbul to the tangled jungles of Ceylon. With running, leaping, swimming, and swinging across impassable areas with Indy’s whip, the game feels like a precursor to games with Jones' fellow tomb explorer Nathan Drake and a fun licensed version of earlyTomb Raidergames.
Despite being almost two decades old, players foundIndiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tombheld up surprisingly well, most likely thanks to Xbox One’s Auto HDRwhen it was released on GWG. Games with Gold was a perfect platform for it as a result, as it’s a game players could enjoy over a weekend and then probably not revisit, but as a free download, it’s a no-brainer.
Zone of the Enders HD Collection
Hideo Kojima may be more famous for theMetal Gearseriesand his more recentDeath Stranding, but he also tried his hand at space combat, with giant mechs called Orbital Frames battling it out in a sci-fi setting.Zone of Enders, the 3rd person shooter, was remastered and combined with a never-before-released-in-the-US version ofZone of the Enders: The 2nd Runnerto make theZone of Enders HD Collection. In addition to the high definition upgrade, the collection includes a new opening cinematic and a trial version ofMetal Gear Rising: Revengeancein a charming echo of the original game, which featured a playable demo ofMetal Gear Solid 2.
The original game was a mere few hours long, providing a taster for gamers to see how impressively-designed mecha looked in combat, and it’sZone of the Enders: The 2nd Runnerthat provides most of the meat in theHD collection. On its own, the firstZone of Endersis a little clunky and awkward, but by combining it with its much slicker and more ambitious sequel, it makes theHD Collectiona solid mech combat game, perfect for science fiction, anime, and Kojima fans.
MORE:What Xbox Games with Gold Can Learn From Nintendo Switch Online
