Epic’s Weekly Free Games
Epic Games, a video game publisher and developer, has released its lineup for this week’s free games. The first, a battle royale on water, Blazing Sails takes the player and up to 3 others on a competitive, high-stakes showdown on vast open seas. Developed by Get Up Games, Blazing Sails first appeared on the market on Nov. 5, 2020, at a $14.99 price point. During quarantine, the game made decent rounds on Twitch, eventually averaging 13000 concurrent viewers for the title, impressive for a game developed by an indie studio. At release, Blazing Sails received many comparisons to the Triple-A title, Sea of Thieves, developed by Rare L.T.D. In the modern era, the game has far surpassed its prime in the latter end of 2020 and early 2021, though, for a quick pickup with friends, it surely won’t disappoint, assuming there are enough people to matchmake with.
The second offering comes in the form of a well-known puzzle series from the early 2010s. Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary Edition (Sept. 14, 2014) and Q.U.B.E. 2 Deluxe Edition (Mar. 13, 2018) are bundled. The Q.U.B.E. the series contains well over 200 different puzzles across many unique levels (primarily featured within Q.U.B.E. 2); the game initially gained popularity due to its combination of the puzzle-solving and platforming genre (putting it along the likes of another immortal franchise, Portal). What separated Q.U.B.E. from others in its genre was its approach to their puzzles, making them more interactive for the player. The Q.U.B.E. Ultimate Bundle is worth checking out, even if you aren’t a fan of the puzzle genre, as the games do provide some entertaining activity for whenever you are secluded and bored.
Blazing Sails and the Q.U.B.E. Ultimate Bundle will be eligible for free acquisition until Oct. 19, when Eternal Threads and The Evil Within take their place.
Counter-Strike 2
Counter-Strike 2, more widely known as CS2, is the official sequel to one of the most, if not the most, popular F.P.S. games in history, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (also known as CS:GO). Taking the foundation laid out more than a decade ago, CS2 is essentially the expanded and enhanced version of CS:GO. Outside of numerous mechanical and engine changes as Source 2 (the game engine both CS: GO and CS2 run on) has progressed. CS2 features all from CS:GO, however, with changes to graphical rendering and the overall pipeline, along with some minor changes to the map structure. The game also features new server technology and several game mechanics, character models, and other functionality adjustments.
That said, the game itself has received a mixed launch. Given the eleven years between CS2 and CS:GO, players were expecting more changes and content to the base game itself; in reality, they essentially received a glorified update to the game they’ve been playing for the past decade. Alternatively, others are content with what Valve (developer of Counter-Strike) has offered them in CS2, enjoying the fact there isn’t much change from the game’s predecessor (Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 would serve as an example of changing too much and failing to deliver on promises end up ‘killing’ a game). Despite the mixed reactions, the release of Counter-Strike 2 has been very successful and beneficial for Valve and the franchise, as the new title has brought in countless new players and returning veterans, who also actively contribute to the game’s adaptive marketplace. CS2 has indirectly revitalized CS:GO., which, despite its age, remained one of the most actively played games on Steam until CS2 replaced it by cleaning up the parts in which it was rather rough or outdated.
Additionally, the new game brings new media attention to the franchise, exposing the storied game to younger players who may have yet to be interested or old enough to experience the original Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. As it currently stands, Valve does have much in the way of content to implement into CS2, along with some bug fixing and tweaking as the players adjust to the new systems. The future looks bright for a franchise whose flame has never been extinguished since its initial launch.
New Releases This Week
This week, two major titles are returning their first reviews from users and critics alike—Forza Motorsport, developed by Turn10, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, developed by Ubisoft.
Forza Motorsport is the thirteenth installment in the Forza franchise (including both Horizon and Motorsport titles). Released on Oct. 10, 2023, Forza Motorsport acts as a reboot of the Motorsport sub-series of Forza, as its last game, Forza Motorsport 7, was released in 2017. Forza Motorsport features twenty tracks across the globe for players to race on either single-player or multiplayer, along with over 500 vehicles from modern and past car generations. With the power of fifth-generation consoles, the game delivers near-hyper-realistic visuals conjoined with meticulously crafted sound design, continuing Forza’s reign in the commercial driving sim genre. Despite the significant advancements in the game’s interactive and visual qualities, Forza Motorsport comes under fire for similar problems found in Counter-Strike 2. Changes from Forza Motorsport 7 to Forza Motorsport itself are either too little or simply pointless. Early reviews of the release from users mainly focus on the game’s lack of racing disciplines, unpolished features, and numerous bugs. The game feels like a rushed product more so than a finished Forza game; while it may look visually stunning, its gameplay is lacking on many fronts. Naturally, many players still believe the game is Turn10’s best work thus far. Critics have received the game better than the consumers, saying it is quite an enjoyable experience and continues to cement Forza as one of the best racing franchises in history. However, there are still some common sentiments in terms of the content produced by Turn10 within the game, some believing the game is unable to showcase its best or distinctive features at times. Forza Motorsport scores an 85 out of 100 from critic reviews and a 7.9 out of 10 from user reviews on Metacritic. Considering the game’s $69.99 price point, issues like these aren’t expected to come with the product; thus, the release isn’t the best display from Turn10. Forza Motorsport is available exclusively on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows OS.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the latest installment in a franchise dating back to 2007. Mirage is the thirteenth installment in the series, following Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in 2020. A.C.: Mirage follows a young boy, Basim Ibn Ishaq, who finds his footing in 9th-century Baghdad. A.C.: Mirage returns Assassin’s Creed to its roots in stealth-centric gameplay (a concept the series had drifted away from in recent releases). However, most of the game’s praise isn’t centered around how it plays more than the world built by the Ubisoft team. Mirage showcases a world that pays great respect to Arabic culture and tradition, and it’s vibrant throughout their recreation of 9th-century Baghdad. The streets are teeming with life and unique expressions, dialogue in the game is filled with Arabic sentences, phrases, and slang, and the world truly feels as if it is of the time it’s intended to be. Aside from the world itself, the story of Mirage is relatively short, being marketed at up to 15 hours of gameplay. That said, reviews thus far call the game enjoyable and a good product from the Ubisoft team. According to themselves, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is Ubisoft’s most significant launch on next-generation consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X). Regarding reviews, Assassin’s Creed Mirage has received slightly above average, with critic reviews averaging a score of 77 out of 100 on Metacritic and user reviews landing a 7.4 out of 10.
