TA Team Picks (February 4th)

Once again, the TA news team has dived into this week’s Xbox sales to see what goodies they can find amongst the discounted games across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC.

We always enjoy putting these round-ups together, as it gives us a chance to talk about our favourite games, not just tell you about highly awarded games. Sometimes we have similar picks, and sometimes they’re ridiculously different from each other. What does remain a constant, though, is that the Xbox sales offer discounts on games across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, so there should be something for everyone!

This week we’re exploring a host of exciting worlds, some filled with excitement and others that are a little more on the chaotic side. Whether you’d like to grind down rails on a skateboard or feel the rush of adrenaline by launching a huge truck over a ramp, this week gives you ways to do both. Prefer to take it slow? Have no qualms about the incessant use of provocative language and fart jokes? Well, we’ve got you covered there as well. Sharpen your sword, strap on your helmet, and start your engine, because we’re in for quite the ride!

Bargains from the Xbox sales

Luke — OlliOlli World

I’ve still got some OlliOlli World achievements left to mop up — the endgame Radysus Challenges are absolutely brutal — but I’m looking forward to getting stuck back into it soon because this seemingly simple skating game is an absolute blast. The depth to the trick system is fantastic and as you get more and more comfortable with it, you’ll be pushing your luck with all kinds of extravagant spins, flips, and transitions on the same verts on which you used to be happy to just land a kickflip. The online system is a really neat way of keeping you coming back for more, with regular challenges that pool together a few other players from the same league to see who can hit the top score on a specific spot before the deadline, and you can even watch back the top runs to see where you can squeeze a few more points out of every jump or grind. OlliOlli World is the cheapest it has been this week at 40% off, plus the Expansion Pass (which adds 12 achievements) is reduced as well if you want even more colourful and compelling trick-based fun.

OlliOlli World

OlliOlli World is a bold new skateboarding action-platformer that’s bursting with personality. Flip and flow through the vivid and vibrant world of Radlandia, meeting colorful characters as you grind, trick, and air your way to discover the mystical skate gods on your quest for Gnarvana.

Sean — South Park: The Stick of Truth

South Park: The Stick of Truth was everything I wanted from a South Park game. It gave you the freedom to explore the world from the TV series and interact with its colourful cast of characters while absolutely nailing the humour. Up until The Stick of Truth, South Park games had been a huge letdown, but this turn-based RPG from Obsidian absolutely stuck the landing. Playing as The New Kid, you’re invited to play a fantasy role-playing game with the other kids in town that involves humans, wizards, elves, and eventually, once things begin to spiral out of control, Nazi zombies and aliens. The humour and the faithfulness to the source material are commendable, and the writing just doesn’t get old. Spending 15 hours in the world of South Park could easily become a chore, but thankfully, the humour never becomes trite or feels out of place. The Stick of Truth also has a pretty decent battle system, with a number of different attacks and options to choose from. Sure, the game is pretty easy overall and doesn’t put up much of a challenge, but it’s still incredibly enjoyable. If you’ve got $9.89/£8.24/€9.89 to spare, you could do so much worse than South Park: The Stick of Truth. I am yet to play the sequel, The Fractured but Whole, but there is a decent bundle available that offers both games for $23.09/£18.14/€23.09, so that might be worth picking up.

South Park™: The Stick of Truth ™

From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes an epic quest to become…cool.
Arm yourself with weapons of legend to defeat underpants gnomes, hippies, and other forces of evil. Discover the lost Stick of Truth and succeed in earning your place alongside Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny as their new friend. Fail, and you will forever be known…as a loser.

Bundle: South Park™ : The Stick of Truth™ + The Fractured but Whole™

SOUTH PARK™ : THE STICK OF TRUTH™
From the perilous battlefields of the fourth-grade playground, a young hero will rise. Earn your place at the side of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny.
SOUTH PARK™: THE FRACTURED BUT WHOLE™
Darkness has spread across the land. As the newest member of Coon and Friends, create your own superhero, build up your notoriety, and use your superpowers to save South Park.

Tom — Monster Jam Steel Titans: Power Out Bundle

While not shown on the list of this week’s game sales, as it was discounted last week, you can currently pick up Monster Jam Steel Titans and Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 for a hell of a good price via the Power Out Bundle. It’s currently rocking a 75% discount and includes both games, as well as some DLC trucks, for $14.99/£13.43. It’s a crazy good bargain for anyone that enjoys Monster Jam as a sport — or anyone that just wants to perform wild stunts in awesome monster trucks.

Both games have fairly straightforward achievement lists, so completions are pretty easy to earn, albeit time-consuming, but you’ll have a ton of fun while doing it. From performing stunt-based showcases to prove that you can jump, flip, spin, and demolish for higher scores than your competitors, to full races around dirt tracks, and in the case of the second game, across environments like haunted woods. The cherry on top is the inclusion of split-screen support, which for those of you with little ones, makes for some super fun bonding time. Honestly, I love these games, even if some of the challenges can be rage-inducing — looking at you, Steel Titans 2! Seriously, whoever decided it was a great idea to have trucks, driving on what can only be described as balloons, race across bumpy, debris-ridden tracks, and expect us to keep full control of the vehicle, has a very dark sense of humour!

If you don’t fancy spending any money this week, why not check out some of the best free Xbox games or the best games on Game Pass? If you’ve found something in the sales that you’d like to tell us about, drop down below and let us know!