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Are the free Xbox Games With Gold titles for October 2017 any good?

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The Xbox Games With Gold scheme is back for October 2017 and this time round it is delivering another four free games to all Xbox One and Xbox 360 Gold subscribers. Following on from September’s offerings – a month which gave us the likes of Forza 5 and Battlefield 3 for nothing – October may just have its work cut out in order to reach the heights of months gone by. But surely any free games are good games?

Well yes they are. But it would be great to see a few more Triple-A titles coming our way. Instead we’re left stumbling through October with games that will, without a doubt, split the community.

We kick things off with Gone Home: Console Edition, a game that is about nothing more than exploration, investigation and nostalgia. You won’t find a single enemy, and a full playthrough will only ever sort you out for a couple of hours, but it still delivers a great experience that is well worth checking out. Perhaps the original price was a bit high for a ‘game’ that is essentially not a game but instead an ‘experience’, but now, with it free, you don’t need to ever add that to the consideration pot.

Following the serene nature of Gone Home is another game that will allow you to sit back, stick your feet up and relax. At least in the physical sense. You see, The Turing Test will test the old gray matter much more than it will your reflexes. It’s also considerably longer than Gone Home – but then most things are – and the puzzling aspect it brings is a good one. You’ll never find yourself being wowed by anything that The Turing Test brings, but if you haven’t previously played it, like the Portal style and just fancy getting involved with a decent puzzler, then this is the game for you.

Supplementing the free Xbox One games, and playable on the world’s greatest console thanks to the Xbox Backwards Compatibility feature, are two games which most definitely will get the heart racing – something which is probably needed after the casual native Xbox One affairs.

Rayman 3 HD is first in line and it delivers colour, madness and plenty of platforming opportunities the way of Xbox gamers. A remaster of the original game, this is never going to push the amazingly good Rayman Legends or Rayman Origins for best Rayman adventure, but it’ll do – especially as there is no payment required for it. Whether you’ll still be playing it, or even going back to it, once you’ve bothered taking it in initially could well be another matter, but Rayman is Rayman and you may just be surprised by what it brings. If all else fails, at least Rayman 3 HD will keep the kids busy.

You may also be surprised at what Medal of Honor: Airborne will bring. But as a game that is now a decade old don’t go expecting something to rival the latest World War shooters. It is however decent – or at least it was back in the day – with a wartime experience that was nearly the best we could get back on Xbox 360. But with the jump to the Xbox One generation it is games like this which come across as nothing more than dated, and although many will find themselves enjoying Airborne, there may well be the same amount who are left wanting more. Especially after Battlefield 3 came our way for nothing a month ago.

So all in all, what are we looking at? Well, personally speaking I’d be very interested in the two Xbox One titles if I hadn’t already played them. Both are well worth the download, and even if they weren’t free, I’d be urging you to give them a go. That said, I fully understand that they won’t be for everyone, and that is where the 360 offerings come into play. Both are exciting enough to keep you busy for a few plays, although whether they can stretch things out until we get to November when another bunch of games will arrive is another question entirely. Chances are they won’t.

Ultimately, free games are good games, but it would be lovely to see the odd great game included again, and October 2017 doesn’t ever do that.

What do you think? Do you agree that the Xbox Games With Gold titles for October are opinion splitters? Make sure you let us know in the comments below.

Neil Watton
Neil Wattonhttps://www.thexboxhub.com/
An Xbox gamer since 2002, I bought the big black box just to play Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. I have since loved every second of the 360's life and am now just as obsessed with the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S - mostly with the brilliant indie scene that has come to the fore. Gamertag is neil363, feel free to add me to your list.

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