Xbox Live Gold: Six Free Games In April

Xbox Live, the paid online service for Microsoft Xbox owners (costing about $60 USD annually,) has announced six free games for the month of April, double the free games users usually receive per month, according to an article in The Epoch Times. Normally, Xbox Live customers receive one free game for Xbox One, and two free games for Xbox 360. The Xbox Live service, which recently offered an opportunity to play Bioware’s Dragon Age: Inquisition for free as previously reported by the Inquisitr, is offering some sure winners in April if you don’t already own them, well-worth the price of admission.

First up, April’s Xbox One games. According to Tech Cheat Sheet, the two free games from Xbox Live Gold this month are Child of Light from Far Cry/Assassin’s Creed developer Ubisoft Montreal, and Pool Nation FX from Cherry Pop Games (the indie developer’s first and only game).

Child of Light is a bit of a departure from Ubisoft Montreal’s usual style; the company is best-known for some of the most popular first person shooter/stealth titles in the world today. Child of Light is a modern take on Final Fantasy-style Japanese RPGs, featuring classic graphics, a hauntingly-beautiful hand-drawn world and an Active-Time Battle System, as seen in most modern JRPG titles. It normally retails on Xbox Live at $14.99.

Pool Nation FX is, as one might guess, a pool simulation game. This first title from Cherry Pop Games, while probably not for everyone, has been heralded as the best pool simulation available today. It may not have the action every gamer seeks, but the visuals are – perhaps surprisingly – utterly stunning. The game first released to Xbox Live on March 26 and is normally priced at $13.99.

First, we have Gears of War: Judgment from Microsoft Studios developers Epic Games and People Can fly. The fourth title in the popular Gears of War series, the third-person shooter, while hardly ground-breaking, met generally positive reviews from critics. The title is a prequel set 14 years prior to the original trilogy. It normally retails on Xbox Live for $19.99.

Next, we have another third-person shooter title, Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel from Dead Space developer Visceral Games. While the title scored mixed reviews from critics it’s still a decent title, and this collection has to have a weak sister somewhere. Normally selling on Xbox Live for $19.99, there’s not much more to say about it than that it’s a decent title.

Now for the two big gems of the collection. First up is the huge indie hit Terraria from developer Re-Logic. If you’re one of the very few people who hasn’t played this masterpiece, Terraria has its roots in Minecraft-style gaming, but with a more “classic RPG” style, using a 2D platformer-style interface and focusing more on monster fighting and game progression. Unless you truly hate the style, Terraria has been a must-play since its release in 2011 and having received a massive update in 2013, is well worth returning to if you’ve been out for a while. It currently sells for $14.99 on Xbox Live.

Finally, queue drumroll, the most impressive feature of the Xbox Live Gold free games bundle for April is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, again from Ubisoft Montreal, the Assassin’s Creed game widely praised as the best in the series to date. Normally retailing at $29.99, getting this game free is almost enough in itself to make Xbox Live Gold a worthwhile investment. If you don’t already have it, be sure to get the open-world piracy-flavored title free from Xbox Live while you can.

Xbox Live gamers, what games would you like to see in May?

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]