Xbox’s Kid-Friendly Games With Gold For July Aren’t Exactly Ultimate

Microsoft traditionally holds their Ultimate Game Sale for their Xbox consoles during the month of July, offering a huge number of titles at discounts that range from making games immediate purchases to, well, earning little more than a shrug. Deals can be had, but subscribers frequently call out Microsoft for the sale not being more noteworthy … perhaps, by comparison, for not being on the same level as Steam’s annual summer extravaganza. The folks at Xbox regularly operate under the assumption that the deals are stellar, though, so much so that they typically offer mediocre freebies for their Games With Gold during this month, probably to prevent the attention from being dragged away from their sale.  Unfortunately, it’s a particularly unimpressive and forgettable arrangement of games this time around, ranging from under-the-radar indies to a lesser LEGO universe game (and a poorly-received shooter). It’s an okay month for the kids, though.

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Ubisoft Reflections

Xbox One

Grow Up (July 1-31)

The sequel to Ubisoft Reflections’ unique open-world action game Grow Home, Grow Up again finds the friendly-looking little red robot, B.U.D., navigating a gorgeously blocky environment. This time, instead of an objective solely hinged on sprouting space plants, the player helps the robot search for pieces of his ship, called M.O.M., that has crashed onto his location. I know, the cuteness is hard to contain. Progressing through the different parts of the world unlock new abilities for B.U.D, and while the gameplay remains largely the same, based on climbing over terrains and utilizing different buttons to control the robot’s grasping abilities, a few scanning functions and upgrades add something new. Whether there’s enough newness in Grow Up is a divisive point, as both critics and players seemed to feel it was simply more of the same, but the charm and visual wonder make up for it.

Runbow (July 16-Aug 15)

Last month, Microsoft made the competitive racing game Speedrunners available as a free Games With Gold download, which makes their decision to offer up Runbow in such close proximity a bit confusing.  In premise and in visual language, the two games are incredibly similar: bold colors give identities to the competitors and enliven the backdrop, as numerous players compete with one another to knock each other out of the screen’s visible range. The difference lies in the more combat-oriented gameplay of Runbow, which serves more as a beat-‘em-up situation that changes player strategies as they progress through the hazardous traps of the levels/courses. Similar crowds will gravitate toward both, but the jury’s out as to which one will be preferable to another, as Runbow will be released for the first time on Xbox One during its Gold window in the middle of the month.

Traveller’s Tales

Xbox 360

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days (July 1-15)

It’s never good when a videogame franchise ends up with negative controversy that’s more memorable than the game itself.  The original Kane and Lynch had its fans who viewed it as an underrated shooting experience, but the consensus landed on the game suffering from (far) more problems than successes.  Issues with this arose when a journalist was reportedly let go for the lukewarm marks given to the game, drawing attention to the fact that the game’s publisher was pouring advertising revenue into the website and, thus, might’ve impacted this situation. It’s a harsh obstacle to overcome, but IO Interactive and Eidos persevered and developed this sequel, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. A relatively brief campaign and a lack of innovative controls prove to be too overbearing for the successes of the shooter’s multiplayer functionality, and certainly not enough to get it out from the shadow of its maligned predecessor.

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean (July 16-31)

LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game was released in 2005, right around the time that Episode III: Revenge of the Sith hit theaters. Ever since then, the LEGO series of videogames has been a well-oiled machine when it comes to releasing tie-in games to movies or franchises with an installment released in that given year. They keep building and releasing them because, well, they’re fun, uncomplicated games, and they support couch co-op gameplay while playfully poking fun at their subject franchises, making them great family titles.  LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is no exception: released in 2011 as a tie-in to On Stranger Tides, the game charts a course through the stories of all four of the Pirates movies with its signature blocky visuals and third-person controls. Collectibles and unlockables, automated erection of environments, and simple combat offer plenty of content without a lot of complication, and that’s okay.

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