So, it seems what is usually the quietest part of the year in the gaming calendar has pretty much come and gone already, bringing with it an unusual amount of top releases in both the Indie and Triple-A sides of gaming. But with so many options available, it’s the arrival of new deals that really gets us gamers excited, and today marks the arrival of the latest batch of discounts via the Xbox Live Deals With Gold sale for 28th Feb – 6th Mar 2017.
Let’s take a look at the best and worst deals of the week to see what you should be looking to spend that hard earned cash on.
Grab – Forza Motorsport 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition – 67% off – £7.92
It may well be getting on a bit now, with two games having been released since its arrival with the Xbox One back in 2013, and I’m aware that the sequel is also on offer in this week’s deals with gold, however, coming in at just under eight quid, this may well be one of the best deals you’ll see for some time.
With enough content for hundreds of hours of racing through its vast career mode offering, as well as an enjoyable multiplayer for those interested in some online competition, Forza Motorsport 5 may well be the perfect buy this week, especially if you are one of those looking to get in on a realistic racing experience at a much more wallet friendly price than that found in the more recent racers that have arrived on the Xbox One.
Grab – Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition – 50% – £8.00
A strange, unforgiving and barren world, a hope of finding a new place for civilisation, a fantastic story and a lifeless planet. This is everything you could hope to find in… well.. . Lifeless Planet, and that’s a good thing.
Unlike triple-A games that take you on a rollercoaster journey of action, explosions, brutal difficulty or cinematic adventure, indie games tend to send us on unique experiences of beauty in a much more believable adventure. Lifeless Planet may not be one of explosions and action, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a beautiful game, and for just eight pounds you could find yourself playing through a hugely enjoyable adventure on Xbox One. Although game mechanics can become a nuisance for those not accustomed to needing to do things properly first time, the story and surroundings that accompany you throughout Lifeless Planet is certainly enough to overlook any problems, and certainly warrants a buy at such a great price.
Grab – Instant Indie Collection: Vol. 4 – 25% off – £17.99
Survival, platforming and a heartfelt adventure. Almost sounds like a New Year’s Eve party doesn’t it?
That’s not the case here though, despite being just as exciting, as the Instant Indie Collection: Vol. 4 offers a bundle of three fantastic games with The Flame in the Flood, Hue, and Dear Esther: Landmark Edition. Whilst each of these games are indeed vastly different, the quality between them is undeniable. My personal favourite is The Flame in the Flood which you’d easily find me praising for this price alone so to have all three of these titles available is certainly nothing to turn away from.
The Flame in the Flood is up there with the best survival adventures you’ll find on console, with players taking on the life of a young girl named Scout after apocalyptic floods have damaged the land. With her companion, Aesop, Scout must search for supplies and avoid danger in order to survive the harsh remains of a place she once called home.
Hue is a quirky platformer in which players alter the world around them by changing the colour of the background in order to overcome obstacles in your path. Travel through a dangerous grey land in search of your missing mother on an adventure fill of peril, mystery and colours unseen.
Dear Esther takes players to a deserted island, somewhere in the outer Hebrides, in search of a lost man with nothing more than the memories of a fatal crash. Dear Esther is a first-person story game that will certainly stick with the player for some time after putting the controller down and is certainly one that shouldn’t be missed.
It’s a triple pack of brilliance.
Leave – #KILLALLZOMBIES – 50% off – £4.80
Chances are most of us aren’t lucky enough to hold the attention of hundreds and thousands of viewers when broadcasting our favourite games, and that’s something that certainly hadn’t crossed the minds of those over at Beatshapers when making #KILLALLZOMBIES.
See, whilst #KILLALLZOMBIES is certainly playable without the use of broadcasts, it’s the livestreams that really help what is otherwise a rather dull experience, come alive. In the game, players are thrust into an arena full of a ravenous zombie population in the name of sport and required to, as the name suggests, kill all the zombies. However, this is something that can become incredibly dull, incredibly quickly, with a limited weapon variation.
Even at the great price of just under a fiver, it’s hard to recommend to anyone who doesn’t hold a cult following within the online community.
So, there we have it. Another week of deals and our thoughts on the best and worst of the offerings. Do you agree with our choices? Let us know in the comments below or via our usual social channels and don’t forget to check out the full list of deals for the week here.
Those looking to take advantage of some of this week’s offers should first head on over to CDkeys.com and grab some super cheap Xbox Live credit to help funds go that little further before rushing to the Xbox Store.