The Summer Spotlight on Xbox One saw a whole ton of new games added to the Xbox One Games Store on a fairly regular basis. But did the addition of numerous titles each week ensure that the quality picked up just as much as the quantity?
Nearly two years in the making, the Xbox One Games Store wasn’t exactly bereft of decent titles to download and play, however the additions to the library never seemed to have any flow to them, with one game appearing here and another dropping there, seemingly whenever the Xbox big dogs fancied making a bit more cash.
The Summer Spotlight however changed all that. And a bloody good change it was too.
Not only were we, for the most part, given advance warning of what was to come and when it would be arriving – giving us the opportunity to pick and choose our titles on a fair basis – but with up to four titles all appearing on the same day, the Xbox One digital library was near on bursting at the seams. With 37 new games arriving for download between July 29th – August 31st, chances were that there would be a gem or two hidden away.
What we didn’t realise was that the vast majority of the games on offer would bring so much pleasure to our gaming sessions, with a few of them even hitting the heady heights of ‘must-players’. Â We obviously knew what was to come from the likes of Prototype and the hugely hyped Rare Replay Collection, but prior to the summer, did anyone fully ingrained in the Xbox side of gaming know just how good Velocity 2X, Whispering Willows and Toy Soldiers War Chest were? We very much doubt it!
Similarly, the inclusion of decent fillers in the form of Don’t Starve: Giant Edition, Clash, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Beyond Eyes and the first chapter of the new revamped King’s Quest have ensured that the summer wasn’t anywhere near the washout many predicted. Yes, the full retail titles were thin on the ground, but who wants a disc anyways?
Unfortunately, you’d have to be a real fan to bother downloading Mega Man Legacy Collection, Goat Simulator: Mmore Goatz, Bridge Constructor or The Swindle, but we’ve always been open to the fact that what one person may find a frustrating experience, could well turn out to be something pretty spectacular for others. Hey, someone out there may even find a place in their hearts for Giana Sisters: Dream Runners. Someone? Anyone?
Overall though and the Spotlight was a huge success. Many games were anticipated, many games were bought and many monies were nabbed by Xbox HQ. Bit of a win-win all round eh? Perhaps it would be nice to continue giving us advance warnings for when those digital only titles will be arriving? We can only hope.
The full list of games added to the Xbox One Games Store thanks to the Summer Spotlight scheme is below. Which did you pick up? Let us know in the comments below.
- Mega Man Legacy Collection
- Yasai Ninja
- Don’t Starve: Giant Edition
- Goat Simulator: Mmore Goatz Edition
- Octodad: Dadliest Catch
- Blues and Bullets
- Whispering Willows
- Nova 111
- Magnetic Cage Closed
- Zombi
- Smite
- Squid Hero/Boom Ball for Kinect Bundle
- Giana Sisters: Dream Runners
- Velocity 2X
- Clash
- Adventures of Pip
- Bridge Constructor
- Pure Hold’Em
- Never Alone Arctic Collection
- Toy Soldiers: War ChestÂ
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
- Prototype
- Prototype 2
- Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings
- The Bridge
- Commander Cherry’s Puzzled Journey
- Rare Replay
- Boggle
- Beyond Eyes
- Submerged
- Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians
- The Swindle
- World of Tanks
- King’s QuestÂ
- Squid Hero for Kinect
- Magic Duels: Origins
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist
