Five titles worth a look in Xbox Game Studios’ publisher sale on Steam

Xbox Game Studios is holding a publisher sale on Steam that began on Monday and runs through May 2. The sale comprises Microsoft’s deep bench of in-house studios, including Obsidian Entertainment, Ninja Theory, and inXile Entertainment, as well as Xbox Game Studios itself, home to the Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon, and Halo series, among many others.

Just about everything Microsoft has published over the last decade is available at discounts ranging from 35% up to 80%. Here are some picks that caught our eye, as much for their sale price as for the deep experiences they offer. In no particular order:

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, from Ninja Theory, is 90% off and marked down to $2.99. The dark fantasy adventure inspired by Celtic and Norse mythology was developed and published before Microsoft acquired the studio in 2018. Hellblade:  Senua’s Sacrifice was a critical success, winning four awards at The Game Awards 2017 and taking another four from BAFTA’s 14th British Academy Game Awards in 2018. A sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, is due to launch on May 21 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X. ReCore: Definitive Edition is a third-person action-adventure with platforming elements, which launched in 2016. The sci-fi open-world tale drew middling reviews upon release, but is now being offered at 80% off, or $3.99, making it a low-risk purchase if it ends up not floating your boat. ReCore was written by longtime Bungie and 343 Industries veteran Joseph Staten, with conceptual work from former Capcom developer Keiji Inafune. The Definitive Edition re-release addressed some of the pacing issues critics originally didn’t care for, as well as patched out bugs and poor frame rate performance that had dinged its original scores. Forza Motorsport needs practically no introduction; it’s the latest in turn 10 Studios’ critically acclaimed driving simulation, launching in October 2023. Forza Motorsport is now 50% off, or $34.99. It packs in more than 500 vehicles to race on 20 re-engineered tracks. Forza Motorsport won Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2023, and Racing Game of the Year at the 27th Annual DICE Awards earlier this year. Quantum Break, Remedy Entertainment’s time-traveling sci-fi narrative, is available either on its own at 75% off ($9.99) or bundled with Tell Me Why, As Dusk Falls, and Pentiment, for a total of $29.48. A heavy-hitting cast including the late Lance Reddick (The Wire), Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings, Lost) and Shawn Ashmore (The X-Men) lend narrative chops to Remedy’s high concept adventure. Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, is Obsidian Entertainment’s classic fantasy role-playing game, and launched in 2015 billed as the spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate series, which of course just picked up an armload of awards for last year’s Baldur’s Gate 3. Both games are 75% off, $7.49 for Pillars of Eternity, and $9.99 for Deadfire. Age of Empires Definitive Edition is just $4.99, or 75% off, offering very strong value through the acclaimed real-time strategy title by Forgotten Empires. The definitive edition is a remaster of 1999’s Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, and launched in 2019 to celebrate that title’s 20th anniversary.

A very deep bench to beef up your games library

Again, just about everything Microsoft has published over more than a decade, from 2020’s Microsoft Flight Simulator to 2019’s Gears 5, as well as mainstays like Halo The Master Chief Collection, are all on sale through May 2. It’s a good opportunity to add some depth to your gaming library for not a lot of money.

Featured image via Steam