Since Microsoft started giving away free game downloads to their Xbox Live subscribers (something they did in response to Sony doing the same with their own service, PlayStation Plus), more than 100 million games have been downloaded and more than five billion achievement points have been earned in those games. To celebrate those milestones, Microsoft is giving subscribers more bang for their buck in the month of April.
While most months mean one free Xbox One game and two free Xbox 360 games, April 2015 will give Gold users two Xbox One games and four Xbox 360 games. It's not a terrible list, either. If you're a Gold member, here's what you have to look forward to:
Child of Light (Xbox One)
"Ubisoft's Child of Light is poetic. Literally. It's a game told entirely in rhyme, and while that approach doesn't always work as well I wish it did, it sets the tone for what is ultimately a beautiful fairy tale that's a joy to both play and look at - though experienced players will find it a bit too easy on the default difficulty setting." -- Read my full review.
Pool Nation FX (Xbox One)
This will be a brand new game, releasing on April 1, so I can't say whether or not Pool Nation offers great virtual pool... But it's virtual pool. You probably know already whether or not that's something you're into.
Gears of War: Judgement (Xbox 360)
"What Gears of War: Judgment boils down to for me is a very solid game set in an interesting universe that I've honestly had my fill of. I felt done with Gears after the third game wrapped up. I wasn't really aching to go back yet." -- Read more of my thoughts here.
Terraria (Xbox 360)
"Many games set out to be a sandbox--an interactive world filled with options and untapped potential--but Terraria embodies this concept in a way few games do. The game drops you into a 2D pixelated world with a handful of tools and tells you to explore, dig, build, and, oh yeah, survive. Now that the adventure is on consoles, there's one more way to lose hours mining for ore, and you can do it with a friend or three on the same screen." -- Read my full review of the Xbox 360 version of Terraria on GameSpot
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Xbox 360)
Especially after the disappointing Assassin's Creed III, Black Flag was phenomenal. It expanded heavily on one of III's best features -- the sailing and boat combat -- and delivered an extremely entertaining pirate adventure. It's one of my favorite games in a series that I like quite a bit.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel (Xbox 360)
The third game in the Army of Two series is, for the most part, a fairly standard third-person shooter. But it's got some cool stuff going for it when playing in co-op, so you should try to tackle it with a friend if you can.
