The Banner Saga 2 kicks off your Games with Gold summer with a bang.

It’s July, and Microsoft is eager to get some free games into your hands if you’re an Xbox Live Gold Member (God bless ’em). This month’s lineup is a bit hit or miss, but there are a couple of incredibly solid games on offer here. The big one, though you may not know it yet, is The Banner Saga 2. This is the sequel to Stoic’s acclaimed tactical RPG The Banner Saga, where you follow a tribe of vikings as they ward off an evil threat in the search of a new home. The striking visual style, riveting tactical combat, and compelling narrative driven by some gut-wrenching player decisions make this a game that you won’t soon forget. If you haven’t played the original, you can find it pretty cheap by now, and it’s worth checking out.

Also up for grabs is the multiplayer action puzzler Tumblestone, which Xbox Live’s Major Nelson swears you’ll get addicted to (though I have my doubts). As always there are two Xbox 360 games available through backward compatibility. The first is Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, which is hailed as the greatest Rainbow Six game ever made by many because of its single-player campaign, something my beloved Rainbow Six: Siege is sadly lacking. Tron Evolution will also be available but, let’s face it, that’s a game that you will all add to your library and never actually download and play. And that does it for July! The price of your Gold membership is worth the chance to play The Banner Saga 2 alone, so enjoy that one and let us know what you think of the lineup in the comments below.