Halo 2 

The original Halo was a driving force in creating a substantial market share against Sony and Nintendo, and expectations for the sequel were naturally high. Halo 2 delivered upon those expectations in spades, combining an adrenaline-pumping story with a comprehensive suite of multiplayer options making for an experience that keeps you hooked and doesn’t let go. Hundreds of thousands of fans would have fond memories of duking it out against friends, and Halo 2 might just be the defining Xbox experience for a majority of those fans.

However, several other titles, some underrated and others outright ignored, deserve to be remembered. It could be the port of a PC title or that one legendary movie tie-in that no one else remembers. Let’s dive into them.

The Thing

Trying to make an impact in the survival horror genre, especially with juggernauts like Silent Hill and Resident Evil around, is no easy task. Nevertheless, The Thing had interesting hooks, like the Fear/Trust system. If an NPC believes you were The Thing, they could attack, but even if unsure, they’d remain distrustful and ignore orders. They can also become scared, lash out, commit suicide or die from heart attacks. It wasn’t perfect, but The Thing presented a tense atmosphere with strong environmental variety.

The next batch of free games for Xbox Live Gold has been announced. In December 2018, subscribers will receive two Xbox One titles – QUBE 2 and Never Alone – and an Xbox 360 title – Dragon Age 2. Interestingly, an original Xbox title is also available, with Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.

While QUBE 2 will be available throughout the month, Never Alone is available from December 16th to January 15th, 2019. Dragon Age 2 can be claimed from December 1st to 15th, while Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is available from December 16th to 31st. As with previous months’ offerings, the Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles will be backwards compatible on Xbox One.

The inclusion of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is interesting because it means other original Xbox titles could be available for free in the future as well. The real question is: What can we expect? Perhaps classics like Panzer Dragoon Orta or Jade Empire? Time will tell, so we’ll see what the new year has to hold.