Xbox's November 2020 Games With Gold Lineup Is Pretty Boring
The November 2020 lineup for Xbox's Games with Gold has been announced, but it's not exactly what one would call a riveting collection. It's the latest in a monthly release of free games to players who have an active Xbox Live Gold Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription that's been operating since 2013. While the program has offered some fairly amazing titles in the past, this month's selection seems to have fallen a bit short, likely because of a few major Xbox launches happening in November.
Xbox announced at the end of September it would launch EA Pass on its Game Pass Ultimate subscription on November 10, which would give Xbox players access to over 60 of EA's biggest titles at no extra cost. In addition, and perhaps more significantly, the next-gen console Xbox Series X/S is also launching on the 10th, right in time for the EA Pass. It's possible Microsoft's attention is focused more on these two launches than it is on the Games with Gold lineup, considering October's list was rife with Halloween goodies, and November's seems to be mostly leftovers.
The November lineup has the usual two Xbox One titles, but deviates a little in featuring an original Xbox title in addition to the traditional 360. As announced by Xbox, players can download Xbox One titles Aragami: Shadow Edition, from November 1-30 and Swimsanity! from November 16-December 15. Full Spectrum Warrior, an original Xbox title, will be available for the first half of the month, from November 1-15, while 360 title Lego Indiana Jones will be available in the second half, between November 16-30.
It's not to say the games themselves are bad; all four received generally positive reviews from critics, and Aragami: Shadow Edition is a pretty exceptional deal considering it comes with the Nightfall DLC. It's more that the games themselves aren't particularly noteworthy. Considering Microsoft had recently taken steps to add more perks and benefits to the Game Pass Subscription, one can't help but feel they've burnt the candle at both ends.
It's possible and fairly likely this relatively lackluster lineup is a result of the EA Pass launching after November, given that none of the titles are EA games. This could mean December's lineup will be more EA-focused and is likely to include heavy hitters such as the original Mass Effect. After all, Microsoft can't really use the release of the Xbox Series X/S as an excuse when Sony is launching the PlayStation 5 only two days later. Additionally, the PS Plus lineup for November is pretty spectacular, so Xbox's Games for Gold November collection looks a little dull by comparison.
Source: Xbox