Major Nelson announces the free Games with Gold lineup for Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners in September, which includes an Assassin's Creed game, Mirror's Edge, and more.
Earlier this week, Microsoft's Major Nelson revealed September 2016's first free Games with Gold title in the form of Earthlock: Festival of Magic. Major Nelson has now spilled the beans on the other three games that will join Earthlock for next month's lineup, and overall, it seems like Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be getting their money's worth in September.
As previously stated, the traditional turn-based RPG Earthlock will be added to the Games with Gold lineup in September. Replacing Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate, Earthlock will be available as a free download on Xbox One from September 1st until September 30th. It will be joined on Xbox One on September 16th by Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, which can be downloaded for free from that date until October 15th.
The offerings on Xbox 360 aren't too shabby either. From September 1st to September 15th, Xbox 360 owners will be able to download Forza Horizon, the critically-acclaimed spinoff of the Forza racing series. And then, from September 16th to September 30th, the original Mirror's Edge will join the free Games with Gold lineup as well. Thanks to Xbox One backward compatibility with Xbox 360 titles, both Forza Horizon and Mirror's Edge can also be downloaded by Xbox One Gold subscribers.
[HTML1]
Overall, September's free Games with Gold games are impressive, and offer great value for subscribers. While Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China received mixed reviews, both Mirror's Edge and Forza Horizon were well-received by fans and critics alike. Earthlock is a bit of an unknown because it is a brand new game and has no reviews at this time, but it offers the best monetary value out of all of September's free games.
Those that purchase the Steam version of Earthlock, or buy it later on Xbox One instead of downloading it while it's free, will have to fork over $29.99. That's half the price of an annual Xbox Live Gold subscription, making Earthlock one of the best Games with Gold games all year based on monetary value alone.
With popular games like Mirror's Edge and Forza Horizon and the promising Earthlock as part of its lineup, September's free Games with Gold is one of the best months the service has had all year. Here's hoping Microsoft continues the streak next month, and then finishes out the rest of the year strong for its loyal Games with Gold subscribers. In the meantime, Xbox owners should be sure to download August's free Games with Gold while they are still available for free.
Source: Major Nelson