TA Team Picks (November 19)
Microsoft has slashed the prices of nearly 1,000 games in its annual Black Friday Xbox sale, offering discounted Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC games. Here’s what the TA news team thinks are good results.
The Xbox Store Black Friday sale is back for 2022, offering nearly 1,000 discounts on games across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. As we try to do every week, we’ve braved the depths of the sale to uncover a selection of games we think are worthy of your collection. Take a look below to find out what kind of things we like to play in our spare time and would love to recommend to you fine folks.
We invite you to a mission of great importance this week. A mission that will see us sail to distant shores – or planets, in one case – with the blessings of the god of thunder, tear into enemies with knives to the sound of energizing beats, and risk everything in a fight, which if it fails, will see us going back to the point we started, determined to try it again. This adventure hinges on the balance of a single deck.
Bargains from the latest Xbox sales
Heidi – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Okay, so this seems like a pretty good time to pick up Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. It’s on sale at 67% off, and despite Kassandra and Bayek happily setting up camp on Xbox Game Pass, Ubisoft isn’t yet ready to share Eivor and has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla won’t be coming to Xbox Game Pass. Also, Valhalla is set to end Eivor’s story with free Last Chapter DLC later this year, so it’s not clear when the game might be on sale next, or at that much of a discount. It’s been over two years since Valhalla launched, so if you’ve been waiting for a sale, you’ve avoided a good number of the game’s worst bugs and can head out on your Viking adventure with confidence. While Valhalla follows in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s footsteps with a giant open world, the settlement feature in Valhalla does a good job of giving you a hub to return to, centering Eivor rather than letting him wander aimlessly around an almost endless map. Valhalla delves deep into the details of Viking life and culture, and there’s a lot for Eivor to deal with on behalf of the rapidly growing settlement of Ravensthorpe. This is another Assassin’s Creed game where stealth isn’t actually necessary, so if you missed it in Odyssey, you might be better off waiting for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which goes back to basics. But if you loved Odyssey or are into Viking lore – or looking forward to another open-ended RPG featuring Assassin’s Creed’s foray into feudal Japan – you might want to snap up Valhalla while it’s on sale; the sheer amount of content you get with Valhalla might even tide you over until it’s time to head to feudal Japan.
Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla
This game utilizes Smart Delivery which provides access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title
Build your own Viking legend at 60 FPS and in 4K resolution on Xbox Series X.
Become Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior raised on stories of battle and glory. Explore a dynamic and beautiful open world set against the brutal backdrop of England’s Dark Ages. Raid your enemies, expand your clan’s settlement, and build your political power in your quest to earn a place among the gods of Valhalla.
Luke — Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
In a sale this big, there are stacks of other things I could have picked out, but in the end it has to be this way. All together need to experience Platinum’s top-tier hack-and-slash game — Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is comfortably one of the studio’s best games, and it’s so far removed from Metal Gear in pretty much every way that you need zero series knowledge to appreciate it all. -out action. A simple but satisfying parry system allows you to shrug it off easily when you master it, and respond with an arsenal of crazy weapons and moves that tear your foes to shreds – activate Blade Mode and you can slice and dice with fine slow-motion precision for to really turn those lumps into pieces.
At the heart of this wild ride is a series of sensational boss battles, elaborate multi-phase showdowns with an amazing rogues gallery and where no two battles are alike. Turn up the volume for these and let the superb soundtrack feed your soul, each track layering more and more in an intense crescendo that perfectly reflects and accentuates the escalation of the battle, sending hype levels soaring off the charts. What’s more, the two-story DLC packs, Blade Wolf and Jetstream, have now been made free, so you get even more gameplay from this amazing deal than meets the eye. Both have achievements too, although you still need to pick up the VR Missions DLC for the full 1310G completion…good thing it’s dirt cheap. Revengeance is an all-timer, and it’s worth a lot more than today’s asking price of a few bucks for the memes and music alone. Does.
METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE
METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE takes the acclaimed METAL GEAR franchise into exciting new territory by focusing on delivering an all-new action experience unlike anything that has come before.
Sean – Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
If you want something to keep you occupied for hours, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the game for you. The Skywalker Saga lets you play through all nine Star Wars films and features over 300 playable characters from the franchise in blocky Lego form. I’ve spent about 40 hours playing through the first six films (and parts of Disney’s trilogy) and have enjoyed every second. From dueling Darth Maul as Qui-Gon Jinn to blasting TIE fighters in an X-Wing in space as Luke Skywalker, there’s so much awesome Lego Star Wars stuff to do here. Sure, the gameplay is decent, but just being able to explore some of the most iconic Star Wars locations that developer TT Games has recreated with such incredible attention to detail is a real joy. The real fun comes after completing a level with the characters used in the movie. Once a level is completed, you can replay it with any of the 300+ Star Wars characters you’ve unlocked, giving you access to hidden areas to find collectibles and other secrets. Along with Jedi: Fallen Order, The Skywalker Saga is easily one of the best Star Wars games to grace our screens, and at just $29.99/£24.99/€29.99, the lowest price the game has ever been, it’s a bargain. As for the achievements, well, it will take you between 80 and 100 hours to complete the Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga achievements list, mainly down to the sheer number of Kyber bricks you need to collect.
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga
Play through all nine Skywalker saga films in a game unlike any other. With over 300 playable characters, over 100 vehicles and 23 planets to explore, a galaxy far, far away has never been more fun!
*Includes classic Obi-Wan Kenobi playable character
Tom – Roguebook
Before 2022, you would never have seen me play any kind of roguelike or roguelit game, much less recommend it like you would a good cheese, but I am a changed man. My new way of thinking is all because of this card collecting treat, the Roguebook. Its basic premise is simple: choose two heroes to experience, build your deck with randomly generated cards specific to each hero, and clear all three actions by destroying the three bosses blocking your way. Bosh, in and out, the job is good. Of course, it’s not quite that simple, as between you and each boss is an area filled with random enemy encounters, mini-bosses, unfortunate card draws, unfortunate card draws and death. Fail the run and it’s back to the menu for you, good guys!
For me, the most alluring part of the gameplay is the cards, which I know are practical everyone of the gameplay, but it’s alluring nonetheless. The reason is: Roguebook was designed by Magic the Gathering creator Richard Garfield. The card system is very easy to learn and some deck combinations can lead to an extremely satisfying experience, making this game a perfect entry point for anyone considering dipping their toes into the waters of roguelike gaming. Right now it’s knocked 40% off the price, which is an amazing deal for this very compelling yet challenging game. Check out my Roguebook impressions from earlier this year for a more detailed explanation of how the game works, if you’re interested…
Rogue Book Xbox One
Embrace the challenge of a fake deck builder with unique mechanics from the developers of Faeria and Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering™. Build a team of two heroes, unleash powerful combos and defeat the legends of the Roguebook!
Want to add any of these titles to your collection? Or do you have something to suggest? Leave a comment below and let us know!
