Most fans have been anything but excited since the new Xbox Live “Games with Gold” titles were announced 5 days ago. Now the first two March titles have landed and are available for play right now.
Xbox started Games with Gold back in 2013 with an E3 announcement following the success of Sony’s PS Plus, which began in 2010. Since Games with Gold’s inception, Xbox has given away over 300 free games as part of the program. These games include notable titles such as The Witcher 2, Dark Souls, and Tomb Raider. For March 2021 Xbox announced that Gold subscribers can look forward to Warface: Breakout, Metal Slug 3, VALA: Vicious Attack Llama Apocalypse, and Port Royale 3.
As of now, the titles for the 1st of March are live. Warface: Breakout and Metal Slug 3 have both switched over to free on the Xbox Marketplace. Without a Gold subscription, the price for Metal Slug 3 is $9.99 and Warface: Breakout is listed at a steeper $19.99. While Warface: Breakout will be free until the end of March, Metal Slug 3 will return to its original price on the 15th.
Many fans have been critical of the titles on offer this month. While Metal Slug 3 has some great reviews, the game is over 20 years old and this is evident. Warface: Breakout has the triple-A look to satisfy fans who are after a bigger game, but the reviews from players and critics alike are subpar at best. All these factors are made worse by juxtaposition with PlayStation’s PS Plus offerings for March. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Maquette, Remnant: From the Ashes, and Farpoint are the free PS Plus titles for this month. For context, Final Fantasy 7 is thought to be one of the best games ever made for the landship Final Fantasy franchise. The other games on offer are also widely appreciated.
Most fans are likely to be unhappy to see Xbox is proceeding with the game line-up as announced. This criticism is not unwarranted. While February’s Games with Gold was impressive, with the inclusion of Gears of War 5 and Resident Evil HD Remaster, that is not the norm. Historically, the Games with Gold line-ups have been disappointing and unfortunately for Xbox, Sony has excelled at offering at least one massive title each month.
Still, while there are those that are disappointed, many fans still appreciate the free games. There have been some great, underappreciated gems that received the spotlight on Games with Gold, such as Oxenfree. Fans not concerned with monetary value might be thrilled to give Metal Slug 3 a try. Those fans will be delighted to find out that it is available now.