Xbox sales this week have featured a selection of titles spanning multiple genres. The TA news team has gone on a bargain hunt and found the titles they think are worthy of your library.
For this week’s selection of Xbox sales deals, we travel through time for a mythical mission of great significance, a trial of constant rivalry, a journey across the high seas and a star-studded adventure that is easy on the eyes but sticky on the hands. You heard.
Xbox sales offer
Kes – Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Assassin’s Creed: Origins marks the first of the new RPG era in the Ubisoft series by taking us to Egypt. Of the three RPGs – Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla – it is by far the cleanest and most tightly constructed. We follow Bayek and his wife Aya as they come to terms with the death of their son by committing some murder. The core relationship between the two main roles holds together an otherwise stony narrative. The emotional bond between Aya and Bayek is complex and deeply sad, giving Origins a completely unique tone compared to many of the other games. There is hope for revenge here – hope that Bayek and Aya can live together again, that they can find comfort in their son’s death, and that they can create a better Egypt.
I’m aware this is a “recommendation”, but I need to put my anxiety into words, so listen to me. Although Bayek is amazingly and incredibly performed by Abubakar Salim, the focus on Aya would honestly have been better suited to the story given her vital role in the very founding of Assassin’s Creed. Instead, she is referred to some subordinate missions that totally set aside the main narrative and yet – in relation to what she is doing – are basically more interesting than the aforementioned main narrative. The very founding of Assassins is also a true disappointment here. The game just pushes things in with a lot of comic book history behind it and asks you to understand the reference. The emotional weight of this story still climbs over the subordinate narrative structure and shady events behind the scenes.
However, the real star of the show is Egypt. It was the first time I realized how many centuries the culture had flourished on the Nile. We see famous pyramids falling into disrepair, huge deserts providing Bayek fatamorgana tours, and small towns filled with bustle. This is a master class in how video games can transport you through time given enough details and historical research. In fact, the guided history tours are a great tool that I love. Other than that, the fight is good, the game still looks great, some of the activities are fun if you enjoy the normal Ubi shtick, and there are lots of cool moments in the story. Plus, the soundtrack is wonderful, and the Assassin’s Creed: Origins performance is easy. For the price, I think this provides a great experience and definitely one that is slimmer than its successors.
Assassin’s Creed® Origins
ASSASSIN’S CREED® ORIGINS IS A NEW BEGINNING Ancient Egypt, a land of majesty and intrigue, disappears in a ruthless struggle for power. Reveal dark secrets and forgotten myths as you go back to one basic moment: The Origins of the Assassin’s Brotherhood.
Luke – Sid Meier’s Pirates!
I’m surprised this one slipped through the net by our in-house pirate shill Kes, but that’s fine because it gives me the opportunity to flag one of my favorite original Xbox games. Sid Meier (of Civilization fame) took a break from the usual fair historical accuracy to deliver us this beautifully romanticized pirate adventure, where we set sail in search of adventure and fortune while setting our goal of reaching the Top Ten Pirates leaderboard – which I sincerely hope was a real thing back in those days – and defeat legendary captains to become the most infamous open-sea scallywag. The real beauty of the game lies not in its depth, but in its breadth. Every part of the pirate life is pretty straightforward (which meant it turned out to fit well with controller users on the console after the first appearance on the PC), but there’s just so much variation in what you can find out that the horrors never get old. A leisurely boat ride turns into entertaining naval battle once you have found a suitable brand (or are branded as one of another ship), which can then develop into a simple but stylish weapon if you choose to embark on the rival vessel. Overthrow their captain, and the game shifts gears again, pushing your brain into trading mode as you search their cargo and fill your cargo space with what you think can provide the best price. Or, if you have not put too many holes in the ship, you might instead consider adding it to your fleet and inviting their crew to join your happy bunch of malicious ones.
It does not end there either. Sneak into enemy outposts in the shelter of the night in stealth sections that aren’t entirely awful (a rare treat); go toe-to-toe with ground forces in tactical turn-based land battles; courting a governor’s daughter and engaging in a silly but fun-dancing mini-game. Everything is just so playful and mischievous, and it’s great to have fun jumping between all these different activities while creating a name for yourself and starting to pick up the prey. Considering it’s about to be 20 years old (which explains the potato quality trailer), Sid Meier’s is Pirates! is not aging too badly, thanks in part to its stylized images and the inherent upgrades that supported AND Xbox games get on modern consoles. If you want to take your mind off achievements for a while and live your best pirate life, this is a great place to toss a few of your ill-gotten duplicates while this classic is on sale this week.
Sid Meier’s pirates!
An Xbox 360 hard drive is required to use this item. GAME-PLAY ALERT: Online multiplayer, leaderboards, and voice features in this game are no longer supported. This game has been fully tested to play on your Xbox 360 console. In some cases, however, you may see some minor irregularities with audio / video for short periods. For more details, see www.xbox.com/xboxoriginals. Sid Meier’s Pirates! ® is the action-packed role-playing game that lets you live life as a pirate in s …
Sean – Katamari Damacy Reroll
While Katamari Damacy Reroll is included in the Xbox Game Pass, it is a game that everyone simply must own. After The King of All Cosmos is “completely naughty” and breaks all the stars in the sky, he sends you, The Prince of All Cosmos, down to Earth to collect more stars. So how do you do that? By rolling around a sticky Katamari ball and collecting all sorts of items, of course! In each level you are set a time limit and a size target for your Katamari. To achieve this goal, roll your ball over smaller objects to absorb them and cultivate your Katamari. Things start small by collecting things like matches, coins and crayons, but before you know it, you are picking up oil tankers, buildings and mountains – it’s such a simple concept, and that’s why it’s so fun ! Some will not like dual-stick controls to maneuver the Katamari. They are a little hard to get hold of at first, but once you get them down, you whiz through the various levels at windy speeds. The writing is also excellent – The King of All Cosmos is one of the characters you will never forget – and the soundtrack is just pure joy. As for the Katamari Damacy Reroll achievements, they are all pretty easy bar two: Present Hunter and King of Katamari Damacy. The latter of the two performances that will require some serious commitment, but you all love hard performances, right?
Katamari Damacy REROLL
The beloved roll-em-up game returns with fully updated graphics, completely recreated intermediate sequences and in full HD!
Tom – Soulcalibur VI
Recommending a fighting game is generally not something you want to see me do. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the genre, it’s just that I generally do not enjoy the gameplay outside of home tournaments with my family. However, Soulcalibur VI is one that surprised me quite significantly, possibly due to the RPG-like nature of its Libra of Soul mode. The overall gameplay is fun and pretty easy to master, even if you’re not too good at the genre, so you have the opportunity to enjoy the game’s story. However, I think the great feature to steal the show is its crazy character traits that allow you to play through all parts of the game with the crazy copy you decide to design. Whether you decide to create a stoic protector of humanity or a demonic monstrous creature (or Shrek), you get the toolkit to really make the game your own. The Soulcalibur VI performance is pretty straightforward if a little time consuming, but the list pushes you to experience all aspects of the game. I haven’t gotten the finish yet because it left the Xbox Game Pass before I could finish it, so I think I’ll take it to the sale this week to finish it. See you on the story stage!
SOULCALIBUR VI
Take more than your fists to the fight! SOULCALIBUR VI represents the latest entry in the leading weapon-based, head-to-head combat series. The heroic 3D battles take place in a beautiful and fluid world with eye-catching graphics and visual appeal. With brand new combat mechanics and characters, SOULCALIBUR VI marks a new era of the historic franchise. Welcome back to the stage of history!
Have you found something here that you would like to add to your library, or do you have a suggestion yourself? We would love to know what you have found, so tell us below!