Games With Gold is one of the original monthly programs gifting players a curated selection of titles each month. First launched in 2013, the program will soon be celebrating a 10-year anniversary.Reporting from VGCconfirmed that as of October 2022, Xbox 360 games will no longer be added as part of the service, which has dropped from offering four games to only two each month. Microsoft’s move to reduce the total number of games follows similar decisions by Sony when it dropped PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 games from its monthly offerings.
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Coming this month, Colt Canyon is a 2D pixel art shooter originally released in 2020. Taking control of a cowboy or one of the many other unlockable characters, players attempt to rescue their partner from bandits. With roguelike elements and punishing permadeath, Colt Canyon is a harder journey than the art style would suggest, with random levels and plenty of upgrades to keep gamers playing. Colt Canyon is currently listed as “Very Positive” on Steam with nearly 500 reviews.
Bladed Fury, the other recently revealed free download, is a 2D action game set in ancient China with a gorgeous art style influenced by Chinese mythology. A mix of hack’n’slash with platforming elements, Bladed Fury is described by fans as reminiscent ofVanillawaretitles, such as Dragon’s Crown. While short with a reported 3-4 hour campaign, stylish action romps can be fun for a cold winter’s day. Bladed Fury, like Colt Canyon, enjoys a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, though the hack’n’slash title is significantly more popular, with almost 3,000 reviews.
The NovemberGames With Goldare still available for a limited time. The real-time tactical strategy gamePraetorians HD Remasteris available until the end of the month. Action-thrillerDead End Jobcan be downloaded through December 15th.
In recent years, Games With Gold has been losing ground to its more popular, more expansive younger sibling,Xbox Game Pass. Allowing Cloud gaming with the ability to play on a PC, smartphone, or certain smart TVs, Game Pass has quickly become the industry leader for subscription services. Microsoft’s premier subscription service addedmultiple day-one games this month, including Dune: Spice Wars and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.
