Burnout Paradise, Sleeping Dogs December Xbox Live Games with Gold

Each new month is a dice roll when it comes to the list of bonus games that accompany Xbox Live and PlayStation Network’s premium services. Sometimes, there just isn’t anything on offer. This month, though, the dice are on our side, with some genuinely good games on offer, including a long-awaited backwards compatibility title and a solid open-world game.

The first half of December will feature Sleeping Dogs, the 2012 open-world title that was eventually ported to Xbox One. Developed by United Front Games, Sleeping Dogs put you in the shoes of an undercover cop infiltrating the Chinese Triads while trying to maintain your sense of right and wrong. While jump kicking lots of dudes. It didn’t do anything revolutionary, but it was a good-looking game filled with fun characters and solid action. Also on offer in the first half is Outland, a platformer from Housemarque filled with lush backgrounds and deep shadows.

Welcome to the Jungle

The second half of December, starting December 16, is where it gets really good. Just in time for Christmas, the long-awaited Burnout Paradise finally arrives. Criterion’s crash-fueled open-world racer has been one of the most-requested titles since the Xbox One Backwards Compatibility program launched, and now it’s just a few weeks away. On the Xbox One side, we can look forward to Outlast. Not to be confused with Outland, Outlast is a first-person horror game that puts you in an asylum where things have gone, as they so often do, horribly wrong.

Burnout Paradise and Sleeping Dogs are both stellar games offering up tons of gameplay, and Outlast and Outland are smaller packages but worth a look all the same.