Xbox may not be winning on the first-party exclusive front, but it’s absolutely killing it with its services.Xbox Game Pass is widely consideredto be the best deal in gaming right now, with well over 100 titles available for just one, more than reasonable price, and first-party exclusives heading to the service day-one for no additional cost. With Game Pass taking most of the limelight, it’s easy to forget about the service that started it all,Xbox Games with Gold.
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June’s Games with Gold are Great for City Simulator Fans
Two of June’s Games with Gold are the perfect addition to any simulator fans' library.Aven ColonyandProject Highrise: Architect’s Editionboth offer city-building and simulation gameplay, but each has its own set of distinct gameplay mechanics, and its own unique art style and presentation.
Developed by Mothership Entertainment,Aven Colonyis the first simulation city-builder heading to Games with Gold this month, available for download now until June 30. The general premise of the game is very simple, tasking the player with creating a new human colony on an alien planet named Aven Prime.
The gameplay ofAven Colonyis also fairly basic, including allthe city-builder elementsfans would expect of the genre. Players will be monitoring and gathering resources, managing their population, and constructing new buildings that in turn attract more citizens to live in the colony. As players progress, the colony’s technology does the same, advancing from tents and walking to skyscrapers and hover cars.
The real draw ofAven Colonyis its Sci-Fi setting, and how well it integrates that setting into its gameplay and presentation. During the course of the game, players will have to fend off various alien threats, from hulking tentacled monsters to poisonous spores. They’ll also have to defend against a variety of environmental hazards, ranging from storms to toxic gas.Aven Colony’s Sci-Fi aesthetic and atmosphereis enhanced exponentially by the game’s vivid backdrops which showcase the planet surrounding the colony, giving the game a grand scale.
Trading a Sci-Fi setting for a downtown industrial one,well-lovedSimTowersuccessorProject Highrise: Architect’s Edition(available from June 16 - July 15) tasks the player with building a world-famous skyscraper. Using a 2D cross-section perspective, players will begin the game by building their skyscraper from the ground-up, and will add to it floor-by-floor once they’ve gathered enough resources. As the tower gets bigger, players can decide what type of block goes there, from residential areas to office blocks to restaurants and bars.
ThoughProject Highrise’s general gameplay goal is the same asAven Colony’s the two stand apart from one another quite a bit. WhileAven Colony’s Sci-Fi settingis enhanced by its vibrant visuals,Project Highrise’s industrial tone is immediately set by its simplistic pixel art and muted color pallette. Fans of city-builders and simulation games should definitely pick up these two Games with Gold titles.
June’s Other Games with Gold Offerings are Great for Platforming Fans
Coming out in 2010,Super Meat Boywas one of the titles included in the first real Indie boom, alongside the likes ofLIMBOandFez. The cartoon aesthetic and grotesque character models ofSuper Meat Boyhelped to set it apart from other platformers of the time, and its high-skill, addictive gameplay has ensured that it stands the test of time in just about every way. By all accounts,Super Meat Boyis still one of the best indie games ever made, and may just be one of the most influential 2D side-scrollers of all time. Those that haven’t played this game before should definitely pick it up, especially if they’re a fan of intense platformers.
Xbox’s final Games with Gold offering this month is another must-have for platformer fans. Another 2010 indie classic,Raskullswill available for download from June 16 to June 30. In a fairly unique move, especially for the time,Raskullsblends 2D platforming gameplay with puzzle mechanics, tasking players with smashing blocks in the right order to create the fastest route through a stage.
WhereSuper Meat Boyis a strictly single-player experience,Raskullsencourages up to four players to face off against one another, competing to earn a faster time.Raskullsalso offers quite a decent variety of gameplay, with ten game modes being available from the get-go, ranging from a bomb defusal mode, to a deathmatch mode. There are also plenty ofsmall gameplay quirks to keepRaskullsfunfor more than just a few rounds, like the Frenzy mechanic, which sees players being given super speed once a certain item has been consumed, and a slew of both defensive and offensive pick-ups that can drastically change the outcome of a match.
