Microsoft’s end-of-year Countdown Sale 2022 is now live and offering discounts on games across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. The TA news team has looked through it to offer you their top picks.
As expected, the Countdown Sale 2022 discounts have spread to numerous games across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, meaning you can pick up some quality titles for a tidy price ready for the holiday break. We’ve had our usual rummage through the list to see what we, the TA news team, personally recommend as good pickups.
While our fearless leader Luke has been thwarted by a nefarious seasonal bug this week, so has had to miss out on the fun, Heidi, Sean, and Tom are all here to carry on the adventure. Join us below for overwhelming dino hordes, cuddly cults, northern raiding parties, and the dangers of technological advancement.
Bargains from the Xbox sales
Heidi — Cult of the Lamb
I am so pleased Cult of the Lamb is finally on sale so I can talk about it — this game is great. It’s just pure fun. Just like its art style mashes together cute and creepy elements, Cult of the Lamb’s gameplay combines dungeon-crawling and base-building, and, like with the art style, this mix really works. The game starts off with our sacrifice — or at least it would, if we weren’t saved at the last minute by a mysterious stranger. In return, we have to build a cult in the stranger’s name; recruiting members, caring for them, and venturing out into the world to destroy rival cults and gather resources. One of the ways in which this combination of base-building and dungeon-crawling works is that there’s always something to do. Fancy a change from decorating and upgrading your base? Head out on a run to defeat your enemies and explore the world. Tired of combat? Return to your cult to tend to the needs of its members — and believe me, they are needy. Really though, Cult of the Lamb’s gameplay loop will likely keep you from getting bored with any part of it, and things will be further thrown into chaos by your cult’s bizarre requests — they want you to murder them! They want to eat poop! They want to resolve their differences in a battle! And all the while, you’ll need to perform rituals, give sermons, maintain your cult, defeat your enemies, and watch out for dissatisfaction amongst your followers. At 20% off, it’s a great deal for Cult of the Lamb.
Cult of the Lamb casts players in the role of a possessed lamb saved from annihilation by an ominous stranger and must repay their debt by building a loyal following in his name. Start your own cult in a land of false prophets, venturing out into diverse and mysterious regions to build a loyal community of woodland worshippers and spread your Word to become the one true cult.
BUILD YOUR FLOCK
Collect and use resources to build new structures, perform dark rituals to appease the gods, and give sermons to reinforce the faith of your flock.
DESTROY THE NON-BELIEVERS
Explore a sprawling, randomly generated world, fight off hordes of enemies and defeat rival cult leaders in order to absorb their power and assert your cult’s dominance.
SPREAD YOUR WORD
Train your flock and embark on a quest to explore and discover the secrets of four mysterious regions. Cleanse the non-believers, spread enlightenment, and perform mystical rituals on the journey to become the mighty lamb god.
Sean — Assassin’s Creed Valhalla + Watch Dogs: Legion Bundle
A huge Assassin’s Creed game and a decent Watch Dogs title for $32.99/£32.99/€38.99? You can’t go wrong there! My sales pick this week is the Assassin’s Creed Vallhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion bundle, which for the price previously mentioned, I think is a pretty good deal. You’re getting the fantastic, if not a little bloated, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which will keep you entertained for absolutely hours on end, and Watch Dogs: Legion, which is a perfectly serviceable Watch Dogs game — it’s no Watch Dogs 2, sure, but it’s still decent enough. In Valhalla, you play as the Viking warrior Eivor, who sets out to establish a new Viking clan in England, but quickly finds himself (or herself) caught in a conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templars. Valhalla’s base game by itself is an absolute monster, thanks to its huge open world that will have you explore every inch of Viking-age England and beyond. On the other hand, Watch Dogs: Legion whisks you off to a dystopian London set in the not-so-distant future. In Legion, the hacker group DedSec is framed for a series of terrorist attacks, which leads to a private military company taking over the streets of London to enforce harsh new laws. It becomes your job to clear DedSec’s name while recruiting new members to your cause. Legion features an interesting mechanic where you can play as any of the game’s NPCs who are roaming the streets. It’s an interesting and bold mechanic, but it ultimately falls a little flat. Still, Legion is a good open-world game that will provide some entertainment.
Tom — Second Extinction
If you missed your chance to play Second Extinction before it left Xbox Game Pass in October, now is a great time to pick it up, as it’s currently rocking a 20% discount. It’s not the cheapest it’s ever been, but I think it’s certainly worth the price that it’s going for. If you enjoy co-op shooters but have had enough of zombies, aliens, and monsters, Second Extinction’s dinosaur-themed gameplay could be what you need. One of the coolest parts of the game is the open-world, non-linear approach to each mission, which gives a ton of opportunities to explore the area and tackle objectives in the manner that you want. The final extraction sequences that see you swarmed by flesh-hungry beasties are also particularly fun to partake in. While it’s not loved by everyone, I certainly think it’s a great game, and you might too.
Second Extinction™ (Game Preview)
This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.
Big map. Big dinosaurs. Big guns. Face an ever changing threat level with your friends. Second Extinction is an online FPS with a bite.
Will you be picking up any of these games, or do you have some suggestions of your own? We’d love to know what you think, so let us know down below!
