With the calendar flipped to September, we now know the Xbox Games with Gold September 2014 free games for both Xbox One and Xbox 360. Unfortunately for Xbox One fans, Microsoft has only made available one new free game in September. Xbox 360 fans get two free games.
That’s not to say Xbox One owners only get one free game total. Following suit from a couple of months ago, Xbox One owners get one “holdover” game and one new one. The chances that Xbox One owners have already downloaded the holdover are pretty high, though.
The new Xbox One Games with Gold September 2014 free game is Super Time Force. Normally $14.99, Super Time Force is available for free all month, so Xbox One owners can download it starting today. Super Time Force is a retro-style shooter both in gameplay and graphics, though it does have a unique twist.
The developers began by paying homage to the side-scrolling arcade classic Contra. Then they added a time-reversal mechanic whereby if your character dies you can simply press a button to rewind to a point where you can retry. The neat twist is that a ghost of your character pre-death will still fight alongside you while you play. Until the point where you died the first time, of course.
Crimson Dragon, a spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon, is the holdover Xbox One Games with Gold September 2014 free game.
Xbox 360 owners, on the other hand, get two new free games in September. First up is Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine, is a top-down team-based game that compels players to solve puzzles stealthily. This is the first Xbox 360 Games with Gold free game for September, as it’s available today through Sept. 15.
Starting Sept. 16, Xbox 360 owners get the most high-profile free game Microsoft has ever made available via the Games with Gold program — Halo: Reach. Halo: Reach is the prequel to Master Chief’s storyline from the core Halo games, and its release makes total sense in light of Halo: The Master Chief Collection releasing later this fall. (Read our Halo: Reach review.)
With that said, making the game available for free via the Games with Gold Setember 2014 lineup is a clever marketing tactic. With Xbox One sales still lagging behind PS4 sales, it could get Xbox 360 owners riled up about Halo and inspire them to buy an Xbox One to play The Master Chief Collection.
So, what are your thoughts on the Xbox Games with Gold September 2014 free games? In particular, do you expect Microsoft to start offering Xbox One owners two new free games each month, or are you satisfied with the holdover concept? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
