Are the free Xbox Games With Gold titles for September 2016 any good?

If you’re an Xbox One or Xbox 360 gamer then you may wish to sit down as we’ve got some great news for you. The Xbox Games With Gold scheme is back for September 2016 and it is bringing us free games once more. What’s good about that you may ask? Well, this month’s titles are looking very tasty indeed.

With the summer drought of games now behind us, not only will store shelves be bursting at the seams with new titles delivered to Xbox gamers around the world, but the Xbox Games With Gold scheme is also picking up pace once more, forgetting about the rather dire last few months and ensuring that we all have something to get rather excited about.

Kicking the month off is a brand new game, that of Earthlock: Festival of Magic. Now, this Kickstarted project was something I threw cash behind a couple of years ago as the premise behind the fantastical role player looked very interesting. As such, I’ve been treated to fairly regular updates and the guys at Snowcastle Games have seemingly created something a bit clever. How it all works on Xbox One is obviously up for debate and no-one can really comment until it arrives, but chances are the delightful looking Earthlock will appeal to a whole range of gamers, with those who enjoy a bit of magic, fantasy and adventure being the most content.

So all things point to the free Xbox One titles starting strong and come the middle of the month there will be an Assassin’s Creed title dropping for free.

Granted, Chronicles: China isn’t a ‘proper’ AC game and has very little in common with the likes of Unity, Syndicate and Ezio Auditore da Firenze but if you’re looking for something that will tide you over for a number of hours, delivering a Mark of the Ninja style linear experience, then you should be happy enough with what it brings. It would of course have been nice to see a bigger named title included, especially as at time of writing we don’t really know what Earthlock will bring Xbox One owners, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m more than happy with getting the chance to visit the glorious sights of China.

So, whilst our hype meters are already moving well into the red, the free Xbox 360 games for this month push it even further.

In fact, as an Xbox 360 gamer, this month is by far the best for a long time with both Forza Horizon and Mirror’s Edge bringing nothing short of the utmost quality to our lives. Whilst the former is obviously in place to create maximum impact ahead of the release of Forza Horizon 3, the latter could well help shift a few more copies of the excellent, but strangely disappointing Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. I mean, I don’t think there is a person on this earth who will be able to play through either Horizon or Mirror’s Edge and not want to immediately jump in to the sequel…or as in Horizon’s case, the sequel sequel.

It’s a superb marketing ploy by the guys at Xbox HQ and with the Xbox One Backward Compatibility scheme ensuring Xbox One gamers can also get in on the action, should definitely see a few more copies of the newer games shifted. And it’s the whole ‘free games sell expensive games’ circle that makes the world go round. Isn’t it? Well, it is in my head.

So, how good are the free Xbox Games With Gold titles for September 2016? Without beating around the bush, at least two of the four titles are nailed on certs as ‘must-players’ with Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China most definitely worth a little play and Earthlock obviously being the unknown quantity. But hey, if I thought it was good enough to back with cold hard cash over two years ago on Kickstarter, I’m certainly not going to complain that it’s being given away as a brand new title now. Except for that I’ve already paid for something that is now free. I’m not going to hold that against anyone though.

That aside, I’m hugely hyped for it and the entire Xbox Games With Gold lineup for September 2016. As should you…if only because it’s the best damn month for ages.