The era of Xbox Live Gold is drawing to a close as Microsoft prepares to retire the service. Disappointingly, instead of a memorable farewell, the final offerings from Microsoft are just as forgettable as the service itself has been perceived by many. This isn’t what going out with a bang looks like.
On September 14, Xbox Live Gold will be stepping aside to make way for the superior multiplayer network service, Xbox Game Pass Core. As the service is nearing its closure on September 1, Xbox has revealed the last batch of free games for the upcoming month: Blue Fire and Inertia Drift. The games, which are priced at $19.99 each, will be up for grabs from August 1 to August 31.
Developed by indie game studio Robi Studios, Blue Fire is a 3D action platformer that blends the worlds of Hollow Knight, Dark Souls, and The Legend of Zelda into one. Players take on the role of Umbra, a mysterious warrior who travels through the corrupted world of Penumbra to fight the evil Shadow and defeat the Queen of Darkness.
Boasting great character design, intriguing dungeons awaiting exploration, and challenging boss battles (the final ones truly steal the spotlight), Blue Fire combines the best attributes of classic 3D platformers with a captivating open-world environment (unfortunately, there’s no map feature in the game).
The second game, Inertia Drift, is an indie racing game developed by Level 91 Entertainment that puts players behind the wheel of highly customizable drift cars in an immersive and adrenaline-fueled experience. Set in a futuristic cyberpunk open-world setting, players embark on a journey to tear through challenging tracks, pushing their drifting skills to the limit.
With a wide range of cars to choose from and extensive customization options, players can create the ultimate drift car and compete in intense drift battles against AI opponents or their friends in online multiplayer modes. With its refreshing visuals, responsive controls, and retro soundtracks, Inertia Drift offers an unparalleled arcade racing experience.
In any typical month, these two games would have been warmly welcomed on the service. However, as a final farewell to a program that blessed us with classics like Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Bioshock Infinite, and Gears 5, concluding it with these indie titles seems almost like a disrespectful dismissal to all Xbox owners.
Similar to its predecessor, Xbox Game Pass Core will be priced at $9.99 per month. The service will be launched with a fantastic lineup of over 25 Xbox Game Pass titles, such as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Dishonored 2, and Forza Horizon 4, among others.
For players with active Live Gold subscriptions, their accounts will be transitioned to Game Pass Core, preserving all their accumulated hours of playtime.
