Xbox Live Gold Subscribers Divided Over Final Two Free Games

Xbox Live Gold is set to end on September 14, which means August is the final month Xbox Live Gold subscribers on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X will be getting free games as part of Games With Gold. After August, Games With Gold will no longer exist. If you missed the announcement of the final two games, they were announced this week. One of the games is called Blue Fire, and the other is called Inertial Drift. Both games will be made available for free to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers starting on August 1 and until August 31. Once downloaded, each game is yours to keep. 

That said, subscribers of the subscription service, at least over on Twitter, are seemingly divided by this pair of games. Some think by the standards of Games With Gold -- which are low standards -- it's a competent send off. Of course, no one is going to argue either $19.99 game is extremely significant, but plenty will be testify to their status as hidden gems. Meanwhile, others are less impressed with the final two Games With Gold games

Don't disrespect Blue Fire. That game is legit great.

— Chiru Kobra 🇵🇷 🐍 #YearOfTheKobra (@Chiru_Kobra) July 27, 2023

People talk shit about these 2 games but let me remind you. Blue Fire is awesome I bought it last year and men it deserves more respect.

— William Meyer (@WilliamMeyer1) July 27, 2023

I’ve been thinking about picking up Inertial Drift during an Indie Sale. This is great to see, because I’d like to play it before buying it.

— Mike aka xero sKill (@xerosKill1) July 27, 2023

Kinda sad selections to end the service on

Should’ve picked some real high quality ones to end with a bang

— Jewels 💎 (@JewelsVEVO) July 27, 2023

..."not with a bang, but a whimper"
T.S. Elliot

— Paul Raftree 😈 █ 🎮 (@J3RS3Y_DEVIL) July 27, 2023

GWG is over, here's some mid games

— TheBlackxRanger (@TheBlackxRanger) July 27, 2023

If you're not familiar with either of these games, Blue Fire debuted back in 2021 via developer Robi Studios and publisher Graffiti Games. Meanwhile, the other game, Inertial Drift, debuted back in 2020 via developer Level 91 Entertainment and publisher PQube. Neither game lit the world on fire when they released, nor did either perform particularly well critically, however, both were generally received well by consumers who played them, and Blue Fire, of the two, seems to have resonated with quite a few who gave it a try, as evident by the tweets above. 

Blue Fire: "Journey through the desolated kingdom of Penumbra and discover the hidden secrets of this long-forgotten land. Explore mystical temples, where you'll need to master the art of movement to survive increasingly difficult 3D platforming challenges. During your adventure you'll slash your way through daunting adversaries, encounter survivors and take on strange quests to collect valuable items."

Inertial Drift: "Set in a 90's retro future, Inertial Drift is an Arcade Racer with a devastatingly unique handling model and unbelievably satisfying twin-stick drift mechanics. Inertial Drift offers a whole new level of accessibility and challenge to the arcade racing genre – for a driving experience genuinely unlike anything you've played before."

As always, feel free to weigh in on the discussion with a comment or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. What do you think of the final free Xbox Live Gold games? Are they two hidden gems or did the service go out with a whimper?