The Xbox 360 and PS3 may not be dead, but Microsoft seems to be treating its “old” console that way. The 2014 January Games with Gold program, whose games are now available, continues a trend of monthly freebies that was first unveiled at E3 2013. It’s just too bad to see how far the Games with Gold promo has fallen in just six months, especially when Sony’s January 2014 PlayStation Plus game roster is so outstanding.
As expected, two games will be included in the January Games with Gold program. But these aren’t the games we’ve seen previously, like Halo, Fable or Crackdown, folks. Far from it, we’re talking “Sleeping Dogs” and “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.” Really.
Sleeping Dogs ($19.99 ERP) is available now, and it will be up on the January Games with Gold site until Jan. 15. Meanwhile, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light ($14.99 ERP) will go up on Xbox Live from Jan. 16-31.
Compare that flat lineup with Sony’s January 2014 PlayStation Plus games, which include BioShock Infinite, DMC Devil May Cry and an all-new PS4 game called Don’t Starve, and it’s clear that the only things “starving” this month are Xbox 360 owners looking for a reason other than multiplayer functionality to be paying $60 per year.
If you’re still paying attention, or if you’re actually interested in playing the games included in Microsoft’s January Games with Gold update, here’s a bit more information about each. Sleeping Dogs takes players to Hong Kong, a vibrant city whose exotic locations hide one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in the world: the Triads. Gamers play Wei Shen, an undercover cop trying to take down the Triads from the inside. Players will have to prove themselves worthy as they fight their way up the organization, taking part in criminal activities without blowing their cover.
Starting Jan. 16, the January Games with Gold program will feature a new game. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is the first ever co-op action-adventure game featuring Lara Croft. Team up with a friend or go at it alone as you traverse and solve deadly traps, fight hordes of undead enemies, and collect over 60 artifacts and relics. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light takes place from an isometric view, so it’s very different from previous Tomb Raider games.
