This week’s Xbox sales are in full swing again, adding discounts to many games on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. Take a look at what the TA press team thinks are great games for your library.
This week the Xbox Store is not only hosting the usual weekly Xbox sales, but also The Game Awards sale to coincide with Geoff Keighley’s show – check out our roundup of everything announced for Xbox during the Game Awards. Both offer discounts on games on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, so TA’s press team took a look to see which games they personally think performed well.
This week, we invite you to spit in the face of tyranny, take on the form of a sun goddess, hunt down the eternal Dark Lord, and mend what you’ve broken by making tough decisions. The adventures there are full of excitement, wonder and beauty… check them out!
Heidi — Okami HD
It’s not really fair for a game to be as beautiful as Okami HD – that striking sumi-e art style could easily grab your attention on its own (and I tended to spend a lot of time running and drinking in the views) but Okami has an epic story too; we take on the role of the Sun God Amaterasu and, wielding the power of the Celestial Brush, set out to rid the world of Orochi and the curse placed upon the world. It’s an exquisite game, and while it’s been five years since Okami HD arrived on Xbox One, I can’t really think of another game like it that’s come out since. If you weren’t sure at full price for $20 / £16, 50% off might tempt you now – especially since the game is currently at the lowest price we’ve seen.
Experience the critically acclaimed masterpiece with its famous Sumi-e ink art style in breathtaking high resolution.
Luke — Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
See Dead Cells’ Castlevania expansion as the first in a long series Game Awards Xbox Announcements made me want to dust off the old classics, and coincidentally, a bunch of them are on sale this week. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is obviously a stopwatch and helped create a whole genre of exploration-based action games in its name, so it’s a no-brainer if you haven’t played it, and I really rates Lords of Shadow as good, even if it’s a bit of a deviation from the traditional formula. The same can be said of my top pick this week, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, in fact – the series isn’t exactly known for having six-player co-op, nor for its level-based loot races as you try to create one of the many characters from previous games, each with their own systems and abilities that make them play completely differently from each other. Sure it’s a weird twist, but I love it.
The potato quality thumbnail for the trailer above is actually quite apt, as Harmony of Despair isn’t very appealing. It brings together sprites and art from across a bunch of previous Castlevania titles, which means it can look and feel all over the place – look past that, though, and there’s a compelling loop. which will allow you to venture through the various massive maps in search of loot and abilities to make your hero of choice ever stronger. It’s a grind by design, which might put some people off, but it’s something I find myself coming back to often, and the variety of characters’ playstyles means it’s easy to mix things up if they start to get a bit repetitive. Oh, and the music is amazing, as you would expect from a Castlevania game. If you want something more traditional, go with Symphony or wait until Advance Collection is discounted again. But if you want something so extravagant that it almost looks more like a glossy fan game than an official release, this oddity is definitely worth a shot.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Step into the shadows of Hell’s House: Castlevania is back in all its pixel-perfect 2D glory, this time in 1080p! Call on the series’ holiest heroes and defeat your nemesis, Dracula! All-new multiplayer modes like 6-player co-op and survival have also been cooked up for you…but enough talk. Have it!
Sean — Oxenfree
Oxenfree is on sale this week for the shockingly low price of $1.99 / £1.67 / €1.99, and if you don’t already have it, first, shame on you, second, buy it now! Oxenfree is an excellent supernatural narrative adventure game about a group of friends who accidentally unlock a supernatural force on a remote island. Playing as Alex, you and your four friends must find out what this strange paranormal thing is and put a stop to it. Gameplay revolves around dialogue choices and solving a few puzzles, but what I really love about Oxenfree is how it lets you explore an environment while still conversing with other characters. , freeing you up to interact with things and move the story forward. When conversing with your friends, you’ll need to be careful what dialogue options you choose, as the choices affect the narrative and the ending of the game. I like this because going back to Oxenfree for the second time, I discovered more about the characters and the world they live in. The only downside I would say is that some of the voice acting isn’t great, and there are certain periods where you’re just walking around in a somewhat empty environment, which can feel tedious on a second playthrough. Overall, though, the story and mystery you unravel is excellent and not to be missed. Regarding the Achievements Oxenfreeyou will need to play the game multiple times to unlock them all, but if you use our Walkthrough Oxenfreea completion here is a breeze…if perhaps a bit tedious.
“OXENFREE: THE EMOTIONAL ADVENTURE GAME YOU NEED TO KNOW” – IGN OXENFREE is a supernatural thriller about a group of friends who unwittingly open a ghostly rift. Play as Alex, a bright teenager who brings her new stepbrother Jonas to a late night party on a former military island. The night takes a terrifying turn when you release ghostly creatures from the island’s cryptic past. How you deal with your friends, the events of the night, and the creatures you’ve unleashed is up to YOU.
Tom — Far Cry 6: Game of the Year Edition
I greeted far cry 6 like a good before, I know, but this week seems like the perfect time to pick up the Game of the Year Edition at 60% off the asking price. Why? Because Ubisoft has decided to surprise us all with another expansion, which is included in this bundle. Picking it up will get you the base game, all three roguelite experiences through the minds of previous “villains” in the series, a copy of Far Cry 3 Classic through the Season Pass, a set of in-game items, and the access to Lost Between Worlds, the latest expansion to Dani Rojas’ adventure. In Lost Between Worlds, Rojas is locked in a supernatural prison, with the only means of escape being the completion of numerous trials to find pieces of a shattered crystal – your only chance to return to Yara. I thought the base game was fantastic personally, and being able to pick it all up in one package for well under the usual £100 seems like a great way to experience the game for yourself in full.
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Will you choose one of these adventurous titles, or do you have any suggestions of your own? Take the feedback and let us know!