Xbox bargains always have us giddy with excitement; who doesn’t like a good deal? We’ve returned this fine Thursday evening to offer you our choice picks from the current selection of discounted games.Welcome back to another TA Team Picks, the weekly article that allows us to highlight some of our favourite games while they’re discounted in the Xbox sales. This week, we’re heading on an adventure with our collectable cards, breaking blocks with our balls, fighting our girlfriend’s menacing exes, and attempting to traverse an upside-down world. Here is what we have picked out for you, fine and wonderful people.Bargains from the latest Xbox salesHeidi — Slay the SpireSlay the Spire is another one that almost feels like stealing when it’s at a discount — if only because it seems nuts that you can pay under £10 for a game that’ll give you hundreds of hours of playtime. Sure, TA gives it an estimated completion time of around 150 to 200 hours to get all of the achievements, but the level of enjoyment you get from every run in Slay the Spire, coupled with the howl of despair as that perfect run betrays you and the immediate urge to start over from scratch, means you can easily lose far more time to it — especially since the layout of the Spire changes every time. Slay the Spire can definitely be filed under “easy to learn, difficult to master” with its range of fearsome enemies and the challenge of building and curating your deck. It’s a game to play whether you’ve only got five minutes or a couple of hours free, and while some great alternatives might have launched in the years since Slay the Spire, there’s a reason we all keep heading back to it. It’s available with Xbox Game Pass too, but Slay the Spire is definitely worth buying for keeps.Slay The SpireWe fused card games and roguelikes together to make the best single player deckbuilder we could. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and Slay the Spire!Kes — Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols AdventureTwin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure is a god-damn brick-breaker. In 1997? Sure. In its 2020 year of release? A rarity. How about this for a slab of cracked brick: it has a wildly deep story. It’s deeper sci-fi than it has any right to be and it’s surprisingly compelling. In fact, it’s so deep for a brick-breaker that it’s a bit of a joke – writer and podcaster Colin Moriarty has said as much. I think the joke kind of goes full circle back into seriousness, though, which gives it a unique charm. The gameplay is solid through all of its levels, as are the Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure achievements, keeping the difficulty ramping up every level without totally butchering your enjoyment. In fact, one section begins introducing a wild four-paddle mechanic that is totally ludicrous and totally fun. The only negative here is the randomised power-ups, which I think was a mistake given that a lot of the later achievements require you to get very specific powers to even have a chance at getting the required scores for A+ grades. This is great retro content for the price though, I highly recommend it. Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols AdventureTwin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure is a story-driven brick breaking game molded in the style of ‘80s arcade classics like Arkanoid and Breakout, but with a plot, characters, and meaning!Featuring 40 stages, four boss fights, New Game+, multiple extra features, plenty of story and dialogue, collectibles, a rocking soundtrack, and a fun achievement system, Twin Breaker is an ode to both the past and the future.Luke — Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete EditionWhile I do think there are better examples of retro-style side-scrolling fighters out there (River City Girls and Streets of Rage 4 say hello), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World still has a lot going for it. The chunky sprites and vibrant backdrops look great, the Anamanaguchi soundtrack is incredible, and even if it’s not the deepest game in terms of combat, it makes up for it with a degree of creativity and energy most of its peers can’t match. Grab some friends, punch a bunch of bad guys, and watch as all manner of madness unfolds… it’s a really good time.Xbox Live Gold members can currently grab this great little game at 67% off — as cheap as it has been since it came back from the dead last year and a steal at that price. Do give the achievement list a look before you jump in, mind… while it’s not the most challenging of lists in general, there are a good few that are types which some folks can’t stand (online, no-damage, speedruns, etc.) so that might be a dealbreaker. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World™: The Game – Complete EditionRediscover the beloved 2D arcade-style beat ’em up inspired by the iconic comic book series and movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World! Play as your favorite characters – Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Knives Chau, Stephen Stills, and more! Team up with three of your friends as you battle your way through waves of tough enemies to defeat the League of Evil Exes!Tom — Far Cry 6 I figured it was well worth offering up Far Cry 6 as this week’s choice and not only because it was my GOTY for 2021 — no, because it features a free Stranger Things crossover mission called The Vanishing. If you’ve been watching the fourth season of Stranger Things on Netflix and have bought yourself a Hellfire Club tee as I have, you’re probably well aware that you’re going to have a few weeks to wait until the second part of the season airs in July. Well, if you pick up Far Cry 6 in this week’s sales, which is currently rocking a 60% discount, you’ll be able to get your Stranger Things fix while you wait, via The Vanishing free crossover mission. Can I get a woo?Unlike the rogue-lite nature of the game’s paid DLC, The Vanishing offers you stealth survival horror gameplay in an Upside-Down-inspired version of Yara. Yarans seem to be mysteriously disappearing, but who cares about them — Chorizo disappears as well, so as any dog owner worth their salt would, you go out hunting for him. While it doesn’t add any Far Cry 6 achievements, it’s a great bit of fun and features a ton of references to the show, as well as a Demogorgon… yeah, it’s ace! Far Cry® 6Welcome to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. Far Cry® 6 thrusts players into the adrenaline-filled world of a modern-day guerrilla revolution. As the dictator of Yara, Antón Castillo is intent on restoring his nation back to its former glory by any means, with his son, Diego, following in his bloody footsteps. Become a guerrilla fighter and burn their regime to the ground.Will you be grabbing any of these awesome games, or will you be grabbing something else? You know where to go, drop a comment below!
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