Xbox Games With Gold Predictions January 2019
The Big Games
Along with the use of online for multiplayer games, every month those who subscribe to Microsoft’s Xbox Live service are also granted a few free games through Games with Gold.
Usually a couple larger games headline the list to make players happy, and for next month starting out the new year we think No Man’s Sky from Hello Games would be a likely contender.
There was some controversy when No Man’s Sky first launched in August 2016, with player complaining that the game did not contain the content or gameplay that was promised during its development. However, in July 2018 a major update entitled NEXT was released for the game adding online multiplayer, an overhauled resource system, improved base-building and more. This elevated No Man’s Sky from anger-inducing to a pretty fun game that is worth your time even two years after release.
Another update has been announced as of last month called Visions. The biggest addition is five new planetary biomes, along with new additions to improve the realism and appearance of the environments.
While some may doubt No Man’s Sky could be offered for free with a new update on the way, this really would be a great time to do so as it can be argued the first update was meant to entice players to purchase the title after the loss in revenue during launch, and this next major update is likely to try and cause another strike in player numbers over five months later. Offering it for free as well would only increase the traffic, who would then be pleased with the new update that would arrive sometime soon after getting the game on Games with Gold.
There have been other No Man’s Sky updates since July as well, including The Abyss in October 2018.
Another possible inclusion is Dying Light, developed by Techland and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. In this survival horror game that is also set in an open-world, you infiltrate a quarantine zone using parkour to get around and various weapons to fight off an onslaught of zombies who get a lot more dangerous during nighttime.
Dying Night was extremely well-received when it came to PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015. It was supposed to be backwards compatible with PS3 and Xbox 360, but that was cancelled due to unforeseen technical limitations. It currently has a 9/10 on Steam with over 54,000 ‘Very Positive” reviews from players.
Games from 2015 have been pretty popular on the Games with Gold list in the past, as it’s sort of that sweet spot for release dates where the games don’t feel that old but have been around long enough to not still be sold at full price. Dying Light is currently only $19.99 on the Microsoft store.
Not to mention Dying Light 2 is supposed to release sometime in 2019, so if the original doesn’t drop next month it’s almost a guarantee to be free at some point that year to support the sequel’s release.
The Indie Offering
Usually at least one indie game usually makes it onto the list as well, and for next month we suspect Machinarium from the makers of Samorost and Botanicula, Amanita Design will make the cut.
This award-winning title has you playing as the little robot Josef find his girlfriend Berta who has been kidnapped by the Black Cap Brotherhood gang. You can interact with things around your environment that are within arm’s reach of Josef to solve puzzles and unlock ways into the new areas.
Like most adventure games, collect items to trade with other characters or combine with the environment to unlock new possibilities. With the robot theme, you will find you are often combining mechanical parts to create complex contraptions.
Mechinarium originally released in 2014, but is priced at $9.99 and is actually on sale right now for a mere $2.49 for the next couple weeks. That low price means Microsoft wouldn’t be risking a lot in offering Machinarium for free on Games with Gold, and it’s a polished and well-received enough game that players would be happy to receive it regardless.
If you want to try it our for yourself, you can play a free demo on the game’s website for a taste of how the puzzle gameplay works.
Make sure to check back with Twinfinite soon to see if any of our predictions ring true when Microsoft announces the official list for Games with Gold in January 2019.
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