With the arrival and rise of the Xbox Game Pass, the Xbox Games With Gold scheme has been pushed from its throne as the stand out Xbox-based feature, with the freebies that it offers rarely making a real impact into the lives of Xbox One and Xbox 360 gamers. But with the start of a new month there is still an inkling of excitement as the opportunity arises for the chance to grab a number of new free games for our Xbox gaming sessions. The question is though, are the free Xbox Games With Gold titles for October 2019 worth bothering about?
Well, it has to be said that October’s Games With Gold gifts cover a wide variety of genres and game styles, with a bit of everything ensuring that no-one is ever going to be left out. From the scares of Friday the 13th: The Game, through the platforming madness of Tembo the Badass Elephant, onto the movie inspired Disney Bolt and ending with the glories of Ninja Gaiden, there is every chance that there will be a free option to float your boat. Join us then as we take a bit of a deep dive into what exactly is being delivered through the Xbox Games With Gold scheme for October, and whether of not you should be downloading these titles with immediate effect.
Tembo the Badass Elephant – Immediate Download
Any game that sees itself running with the tagline ‘Part Commando. All Elephant’ deserves more than a little look. Especially when in our eyes that game was previously massively underrated.
Tembo the Badass Elephant came about via a collaboration between SEGA and Game Freak when it first released back in the summer of 2015, and for many, it was just considered to be a throwaway game that wasn’t worth the effort. They were wrong.
In fact Tembo delivered oodles of charm, a lovely visual style and enough platforming action and clever ideas to ensure that anyone who gave this elephant a bit of time would be in for a good time. Yes there were a few issues, but as our review of Tembo on Xbox One spoke of, they were mostly centred around the need to run back through the same old stages time and time again in order to unlock points. But that aside, this Rambo-styled Tembo adventure was a delight to take in.
If you didn’t play it the first time around then there is now no reason to continue ignoring Tembo the Badass Elephant. Get it downloaded asap.
Friday the 13th: The Game – Consider it!
It’s been two years since Friday the 13th: The Game arrived on Xbox One, and it has to be said that in those years much progress has been made. You see, upon release this was a game that was unstable, unreliable and hugely underwhelming, with a lack of content, bugs, glitches and a dodgy art style all picked up on in our review.
But that was then, and now in 2019 with the game being delivered to Xbox One gamers for free, things are different. Radically different.
In fact, Friday the 13th: The Game is now well worth considering, with those interested in the enticing subject matter finding a game that has come on leaps and bounds. And with the huge focus on the multiplayer aspect of the game, the arrival of it as a free GWG title should ensure that it’ll take another step forward, with a larger player base being dropped into the shoes of the iconic Jason Voorhees, or a bunch of Counselors.
A huge range of DLC drops in the two years since launch also now sees Friday the 13th: The Game providing access to a range of further content, with new Killers and clothing kits available for those embracing the free giveaway that is in place. Yes you’ll have to pay for the extras, but with the base game free and reasonable prices attached to each piece of DLC, that shouldn’t ever be a worry.
Forget about what Friday the 13th: The Game was when it first released – all you need to worry about is that come the middle of October you’ll be able to get free access to a multiplayer experience that will just keep dragging you back in.
Disney Bolt – Give it a miss
It’s Disney and it’s dogs. What’s not to like?
Well, if truth be told, a fair old bit really and the free download of Disney Bolt from the Xbox 360 library will fail to enthuse many.
And that’s not just because Bolt is a game that is more than a decade old, but more to do with the fact that this is a game that failed to live up to the hype when it first launched – and unlike Friday the 13th, that failure won’t have changed.
Giving you the chance to take charge of the superdog Bolt and Penny, splitting the action between the two as you progress, you’ll find yourself heading off on a new adventure which sees you travelling across the globe in order to try and save Penny’s dad from the evil Dr. Calico. And even though that objective may seem appealing to many, we all know how movie tie-ins go, don’t we!?
It’s pretty much a god damn dog-day with Bolt. And no-one likes one of those.
Ninja Gaiden 3: RE – Consider it!
For many the opportunity to go deep with a Ninja Gaiden experience for zero cash payout would seem like a no-brainer. And with Razor’s Edge, they wouldn’t be far wrong.
Originally released on the good old Nintendo Wii U in 2012 before hitting Xbox 360 alongside a PS3 drop in 2013, Ninja Gaiden 3: RE received some rather decent reviews and acclaim upon release, with many considering it to be at least on a par to the game that allowed for it – the original Ninja Gaiden 3.
The focus of Razor’s Edge hammers down on the elite master ninja of the previous Ninja Gaiden titles – Ryu Hayabusa – with NG3: RE taking place directly after the events found in the brilliant Ninja Gaiden II, with a separate storyline revolving around Ryu’s ally, Ayane and the Black Spider Clan.
Native Xbox 360 title that is utilising the power of Xbox One Backwards Compatibilty or not, Ninja Gaiden 3: RE is well worth getting involved in should you be looking for a testing ninja-based experience, and seeing it arrive for free through Games With Gold will see it as a hugely appealing prospect for many.
So, the Xbox Games With Gold scheme for October 2019 certainly delivers on the variety front, not just in terms of the type of games on offer but in regards to their quality too. Let us know what you think of the latest freebies to hit the world of Xbox though – we’d love to hear whether you have been drawn in by the likes of Tembo, or pushed away from Friday the 13th. The comments section is down below.
