The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale has officially begun. Xbox offers substantial discounts on some truly outstanding games, following a trend that publishers and studios continue to offer heavy discounts during summer months. There are many bargains and exciting adventures available throughout July.
With so many great games seeing their prices drastically reduced, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which offer is the most value. However, players can feel confident that they’re getting an excellent deal when buying any of these incredible titles. Xbox owners all over the world could find July to be an excellent month.
The Arkane Collection ($23. 99; 70% off).
Arkane Studios can easily be considered one of today’s most creative and well-respected developers. Recent hits such as Deathloop have confirmed the French developer’s capacity for innovation and technical polish, but the company really made its name on two of its tentpole properties: Prey and the Dishonored Games.
The Dishonored series may be on hiatus at the moment, but there’s no question that the story of Corvo Attano and company helped put immersive sims on the map, while the exceptionally enjoyable space survival epic, Prey, deserves to be played by anyone with an interest in the genre. Featuring every single Dishonored game, including the acclaimed DLC Death of the Outside as well as Prey, 70% off The Arkane Collection is the mother of all good deals.
Red Dead Redemption 2 ($23. 99; 60% off)
Red Dead Redemption 2 redefined what an open-world game could be. Acting as a prequel to the also excellent first game, Red Dead 2 created a world that was so vibrant and so teeming with life and authentic atmosphere that it felt as though the game’s perfect evocation of the Wild West’s final days continued to exist long after the console powered down.
Not only is Red Dead ‘s open world a complete marvel, but Rockstar’s stunning westerner elevated storytelling in gaming to a whole new level. Rockstar’s greatest achievement is due to its constant emotional centre, which is grounded in the diverse gang members, each with their unique motivations and fears. Rockstar’s great opus remains rooted in its characters. At any price and in any era, Red Dead 2 is already a genre-defining classic.
Halo Infinite ($40. 19; 33% off)
Halo has been Xbox and Microsoft’s flagship franchise for years. In fact, at a time when it seemed as though all the best exclusives were coming from rival PlayStation, Halo, alongside Gears of War, did some seriously heavy lifting in tempting customers over to the green side of the great console divide.
The history of Halo has been a little chequered, its quality oscillating from peerless perfection to the occasional underwhelming diversion. What Halo Infinite has done, however, is reinvigorate the franchise with new life, taking the series’ basic ingredients and transposing them to a stunning open world that fits the series like a glove. Ignore the occasional naysayer and get the Infinite campaign as a matter of priority.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy ($29. 99; 50% off)
It’s hard not to look at Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and think that it deserved so much more. Eidos-Montreal’s comic book adventure with Marvel’s greatest superhero teams was a great romp, but it never made the kind of impact that Eidos wanted. Thanks to the fallout from the mediocre and hugely cost-ineffective Marvel’s Avengers, the Guardians were already sullied with a millstone before they’d even started.
Strip away all of the negative press and poor marketing, however, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a real gem — a game that gets what its source material is trying to do and say. Star-Lord voice actor Jon McLaren has claimed that he is still unaware of any plans for future games, so even if this is the only Guardians adventure for a good while, it’s definitely worth the investment.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga ($44. 99; 25% off)
LEGO has a reputation for making some seriously great gaming adaptations, from LEGO Racers to LEGO Jurassic World, whereas Star Wars seems to be an infinite well of lore and inspiration that translates perfectly to a gaming setting. From Knights of the Old Republic to Fallen Order, there’s no shortage of great adventures in a galaxy far, far away.
There’s little wonder that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has earned such rave reviews since debuting in April of 2022. Eye-poppingly beautiful and immense fun to play, The Skywalker Saga brings two worlds together for a match made in heaven.
