Sony released its monthly free game lineup yesterday. Today Microsoft, not to be outdone, has dropped its selection of “Games with Gold” for September. Xbox Live subscribers will be able to download Rainbow Six Vegas and Magic 2013 for free this month.
Magic 2013 is a spin-off the electronic version of popular card battler Magic: The Gathering. It features a new, simplified tutorial system, 10 customizable card decks and an online multiplayer mode called Planechase. The game would normally retail on Xbox Live for $9.99
Rainbow Six Vegas is the first current gen entry in Tom Clancy’s venerable FPS franchise. It places you in command of an elite squad defending the iconic locales of Las Vegas against an impending terrorist attack.
It’s not being overly generous to call Rainbow Six Vegas a classic. I mean 2 things by that:
1. It’s a much-loved hit title that was well received by both critics and gamers alike at the time it came out.
2. It’s really, really OLD.
Rainbow Six Vegas was released in November 2006, nearly 7 years ago. It’s since had a sequel, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, which itself is now 5 years old. I don’t mean to say that older games lack merit or value – far from it, I’m a classic gamer through and through. But it seems like Microsoft isn’t really trying that hard here.
And maybe it doesn’t have to! Microsoft doesn’t really need to bribe folks to subscribe to Xbox Live in the same way Sony does, everyone who plays online already uses the service and has for years. Still I must say there isn’t much wow factor to this month’s selections.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out with both Games with Gold and Sony’s Instant Games Collection going forward into the next console generation.
[Via: Xbox Wire]