Tag Archive

March’s Games With Gold Title Announced


Posted on February 20, 2018 by Joshua Rust

It’s that time of the month like clockwork, where Microsoft announces their Games With Gold title for the upcoming month. As always, the lineup consists of two Xbox One games and two Xbox 360 games. We will see Trials of the Blood Dragon, SUPERHOT, Brave: The Video Game, and Quantum Conundrum as March’s Games With Gold titles.

 

Here is the list of when you can download these free games:


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Your February Xbox Games With Gold Titles Are Revealed


Posted on January 25, 2018 by Joshua Rust

With February fast approaching, Microsoft has just revealed its Games With Gold lineup. Offering over $69 in value this month and 3200 Gamerscore for you achievement hunters out there. The month will start off with Shadow Warrior, followed by the second side scrolling Assassin’s Creed game, India. Also are two Xbox 360 games that are backwards compatible. One being a long time classic!

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Microsoft Announces October’s Games With Gold


Posted on September 21, 2016 by Joshua Rust

October’s Games with Gold have been announced today by Microsoft. As with last month, we are getting two Xbox one games and two Xbox 360 games that are backwards compatible. Which really means four Xbox One games! Score!

Here’s how Microsoft describes these games on Xbox Wire:

And here’s how Microsoft describes these games over on Xbox Wire:

  • On October 1, step up to the plate with Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings. This is a deep, detailed baseball simulation with a lighthearted, friendly look. Blending realistic physics, per-player difficulty control that allows beginners and seasoned vets to play together seamlessly, and tight, responsive controls, this is a baseball game you won’t want to miss!
  • Then on October 16, there’s only one thing standing between you and your freedom in The Escapists. A clever plan. Get a light-hearted glimpse into prison life with an eye towards escaping once and for all. Mixing simulation, strategy, stealth, and plenty of surprises, you may not want to live in The Escapists’ prisons, but you’ll definitely enjoy the visit.
  • On Xbox 360 (and Xbox One via backward compatibility), the best-selling off-road racer returns with all new tracks and mechanics in MX vs ATV Reflex. With the revolutionary Rider Reflex control system, you can move your rider and vehicle independently, lean into tighter turns, pull off sudden spins and slides, and smoothly stick landings. Oh and did we mention that the very track itself will deform and change under you as you run each lap?
  • Then on October 16 you are a lone survivor in I Am Alive™. After a worldwide cataclysmic event that wipes out most of the human race, you must explore a desolate city and try to survive long enough to find your family. Uncover secrets, deal with potentially deadly survivors, and intimidate your enemies into submission to conserve ammo… but be careful, some may call your bluff!

* Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings ($19.99 ERP): Available from October 1-31 on Xbox One

* The Escapists ($19.99 ERP): Available from October 16- November 15 on Xbox One

* MX vs ATV Reflex ($29.99 ERP): Available from October 1-15 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One

* I Am Alive ($14.99 ERP): Available from October 16-31 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One

There is still time to pick up some of September’s Games with Gold titles, don’t miss out on these free games!


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September’s Games With Gold Titles Announced


Posted on August 24, 2016 by Joshua Rust

Microsoft has announced the September line-up for their games with gold program. Before we get to next month’s line-up, be sure to pick up this month’s offerings before they are gone. Those being Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate and Beyond Good & Evil HD.

For those of you with a Xbox One, you will be treated to Earthlock: Festival of Magic – which you can grab from September 1st – 30th.  The other Xbox One offering is Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China – which will be available from September 15th – October 15th. As for the Xbox 360 games, you’ll get Forza Horizon September 1st-15th and Mirror’s Edge September 16th – 30th.  It’s also worth noting that both of the Xbox 360 games have been added to the backwards compatibility catalogue for the Xbox One…so technically you’re getting four games that you can play on the Xbox One this month!

 


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Xbox One Games With Gold For August Really Missed The Mark


Posted on July 26, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

I can’t help but get excited towards the end of the month because we get to find out what free treats both Microsoft and Sony have for subscribers. Next month’s line-up of free software for the Xbox One & Xbox 360 is not only underwhelming but also proves the thousands of players who cry out for “AAA titles” that they should be careful what they wish for. Just because a title is from a AAA developer or costs more than another indie title doesn’t necessarily mean it is going to cater to every Xbox Live subscriber.

Case in point – the inclusion of WWE 2k16 – here we have a game made by a AAA publisher (published by 2K Games and developed by Visual Concepts) that isn’t going to offer much for those of us who don’t follow the beat’em up soap operas of wrestling.  I’m sure it can be fun to play casually and maybe try some online matches but the majority of features I’ll probably never touch or truly appreciate.

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Here is a summary of WWE 2K16 available from Steam:

The authority in WWE video games returns with WWE 2K16! The newest addition to the flagship WWE video game franchise will deliver fun, authentic and hard-hitting action, including returning fan-favorite features and game modes, new innovations and more! Play as the greatest WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends of all time. Includes all DLC content!” 

Authentic hard hitting action? Okay, yeah. I can get behind that. Returning fan favorite features and game modes? Nope, I’ve never played a WWE 2K title before so I wouldn’t know what was so great about the last entry. Play as the greatest WWE Superstars? I followed wrestling for maybe a few months in my teens 15 years ago, clearly if I downloaded this game next month it’d just waste space on my hard drive.

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What’s that I hear you say hypothetical reader? The service offers more games? Of course, the Xbox One will also receive Orochi Warriors 3 from Tecomo Koei. It is an action game where characters from the Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and guest characters from Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive attack hordes of enemies on a variety of battlefields in a similar fashion to the existing Dynasty Warriors games. In fact, Orochi Warriors could almost be considered a “best of” collection considering most of the levels actually come from Dynasty Warriors 7. This one sounds like it might have a little more appeal than WWE 2K16 considering it not only introduces players to the mechanics of the Dynasty Warriors series but is also seems to be a great way to check out characters from other series you might not have played.

With that out of the way this brings me to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 picks for next month which honestly out class the entire Xbox One line-up by a long shot. First up is Spelunky an older indie darling that tasks players with navigating procedural generated caves for loot. If you want an easily approachable title that can provide hours of fun, make sure to add this one to your library. Also included in August’s Games with Gold is Beyond Good and Evil HD, Ubisoft’s update to the 2003 original. Players take the role of Jade, a photojournalist turned heroine who uncovers a deep space conspiracy. It is honestly one of the most enjoyable puzzle platformers from the late 2000s era and shouldn’t be missed.

August’s Games With Gold line-up just goes to show you that just because a title is “AAA” or has a high price-tag it doesn’t mean that it will have the wide appeal outside of niche audiences. In this writer’s humble opinion the Xbox 360’s picks of classic & well received older titles is the way to go for the gratis games.


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A Chat With Ty Taylor About Tumblestone & Working With Microsoft


Posted on July 16, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Ty Taylor‘s unique take on the match 3 puzzle formula, Tumblestone, is now available for free to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers on Xbox One and we got a chance to ask him a few questions. In our brief discussion we talked about what it was like to work with Microsoft on Games With Gold, the local Seattle indie games scene and what Ty’s plans are for the game post launch.  

Ty Taylor of The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild with his game, The Bridge.

Ty Taylor of The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild with his game, The Bridge.

Broken Joysticks: How does it feel to have Tumblestone finally complete and about to be in the hands of potentially millions of players?

Ty Taylor: It’s certainly nearing complete! We’re still working 20-hour days to put as much into the game as we can, fix any last bugs, and just generally polish the game. I’ve been so busy it seems I haven’t really had time to stop and reflect on the project’s soon completion. In terms of number of players, that’s always an interesting and surreal experience. I remember with The Bridge, on our first Steam sale with a front-page feature, we sold nearly 90,000 copies in one day. I opened up a picture of the Seattle soccer stadium that was at full capacity with around 70,000 people, and I ended up starring at that for about an hour. More people had bought my game in one day than people in that picture, and that visualization was literally paralyzing. I try not to think about it at that scale. I try to think about it at an individual level. If my games can make a single person feel smarter, smile, laugh, grow a friendship…then it’s worthwhile. Having that effect on millions of individuals is just millions of times more rewarding.

Broken Joysticks: What was the experience of collaborating with Microsoft like? Did you ever expect Tumblestone to be chosen for Games With Gold?

Ty Taylor: Microsoft has been pretty excited about Tumblestone since early on. It helps considerably that I live and work 10 minutes away from the Xbox (and Nintendo, and Valve) headquarters, so I somewhat regularly see these people at local Seattle game developer events and can talk to them and show them updates on Tumblestone, but more importantly, they can watch other people play Tumblestone. The game has this magic to it that is hard to describe, but when we take it to events like PAX, it gets huge crowds and so much enthusiasm that is contagious. Microsoft themselves has sponsored the game at six different shows, even though there is a soft rule where they usually only sponsor an ID@Xbox game at a show one time. When I started having conversations with them about Games with Gold, I definitely got the feeling that Microsoft was already extremely interested in the prospect.

Four player competitive mode of Tumblestone.

Four player competitive mode of Tumblestone.

Broken Joysticks: What can players expect in terms of post launch support and release on other platforms?

Ty Taylor: No software is ever free of bugs or issues, and we’ll fix them as they come in on all platforms. Updating Steam is something we can do in a matter of hours. Updating the game on consoles is a bit more of a hassle, but we will likely patch each game with some minor touch-ups and bug fixing/usability fixing/balancing a handful of times after launch as needed. And we’re still going to be working on it. My philosophy is to release on as many platforms as I possibly can, and while that is unfortunately not happening at the first launch, platforms such as mobile and micro-consoles are on our radar within the next year. If the game is well-received, we might even consider some sort of DLC packages for it down the line.

tumblestone

If you own an Xbox One make sure to grab the game on the Xbox Store, if you’re playing on PC the game is available on the Steam Store. Congratulations to Ty and his team on completing the game!


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June 2016 Games With Gold: Super Meat Boy, The Crew & More


Posted on May 24, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Major Nelson has revealed the latest titles that will be given to subscribers free of charge next month on Xbox Live. With E3 coming in just a few weeks fan’s expectations are of course pretty high and MS has secured two AAA titles for next month’s freebies.

Xbox One owners will get be able to collapse clumsily into all of the things with Goat Simulator, the indie hit from June 1st thru the 30th. Ubisoft’s cross country racer The Crew will join the library of millions of Xbox One owners from June 16 thru July 15th.

Xbox 360 players (and Xbox One players via backwards compatibility) can feel their frustration rising with the classic platformer Super Meat Boy from June 1st thru the 15th. Finally Firaxis’ well received reboot X-ComEnemy Unknown will be available from June 16th thru the 30th.

[Source]

 


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Sunset Overdrive Is Now Available On Xbox One For Free (For Gold Members)


Posted on April 16, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Just a reminder to all of our readers who also might be Xbox One owners that Insomniac’s 2014 sleeper hit Sunset Overdrive is currently available on Xbox One’s Games With Gold service for free until May 15th. If you missed out on action packed third person shooter with a lot of attitude then now would be the perfect time to snag a copy for free from Microsoft. It’s too bad that Sunset Overdrive was a bit of a sleeper hit, it looked like it had the right balance of colorful graphics, tongue-in-cheek humor and vibrant nature to counter the dull boring shooters we usually get.

If you checked out this game let us know what you thought of it in the comments section.


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Microsoft Brings Its AAA Games With April’s Games With Gold


Posted on March 25, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Microsoft is bringing it’s AAA games, literally, with April 2016’s Games With Gold line-up. Heavy hitters from the likes of Insomniac, Deep Silver, Telltale Games and Vicarious Visions make next month possibly one of these best months to be a subscriber to Microsoft’s online platform on either Xbox One or Xbox 360.

Xbox One owners can enjoy last year’s critically acclaimed, colorful & punk inspired third person shooter Sunset Overdrive from Insomniac from April 15 – May 15th. If you’re on next generation hardware but looking for something a little bit more store driven, the complete season of Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us will be free from April 1st thru April 30th.

Players who are still hanging on to their Xbox 360 (or want to play these games thru backwards compatibility on Xbox One) can enjoy Vicarious Vision’s 2008 horror title Dead Space from April 1st thru the 15th on the house. From April 16th thru April 30th the President of the United States is re-elected for another super powered term in Saint’s Row IV. 

Check out the sizzle reel MS released alongside the announcement below. What do you think of this month’s Xbox Games With Gold line-up? Perhaps it is time to jump on that $1 Xbox Live Gold trial (US only) before it runs out.

[youtube id=”c-cvEPkF1D0″]


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Rumor: Games With Gold For March 2016 Leaked


Posted on February 18, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

It looks like the Games With Gold for next month might have leaked out before the official announcement according to a post on gaming forum Neo Gaf. If the rumor is true then Xbox players can look forward to complementary copies of Sherlock Holmes: Crime & Punishment  and  Lords of the Fallen as long as they have an active Xbox Live subscription. Xbox 360 owners may receive Gearbox Software’s classic FPS Borderlands as well as the RTS title Supreme Commander 2.

Users in the original forum thread say that not only is the original Borderlands backwards compatible on Xbox One but also is all of the game’s DLC. We’ll see whenever Major Nelson makes the official announcement if Borderlands will include all of its’ add-ons.

Are you excited to try out the Dark Souls like Lords of the Fallen on Xbox One? Let us know!


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This year was great, but when can I play all of these games?


Posted on December 31, 2015 by Chelsea Richards

Let’s be real, 2015 was a fantastic year for gaming. Of course, there were some misses like the monetization for Battlefront and EVOLVE, and… whatever the hell happened to the PC release of Arkham Knight. But, stepping away from those, it’s after Christmas, so let’s look at our definite hits that we have, and enjoy 2015’s gifts to us.

We were rewarded with not-one-but-two solid MMO expansions, through Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, and Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, both building significantly on the groundwork by their previous launches and content updates. Keeping in the multiplayer line, we were graced with StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, Rocket League, Heroes of the Storm, and Nintendo’s smash hit of Splatoon.Read More


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Here Are The Free Xbox Live Gold Games For January 2016


Posted on December 21, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Xbox One

It might not even be 2016 yet but Xbox’s Major Nelson has taken the wraps off of the free games that Xbox Live subscribers will gain access to at the beginning of next year.

On the Xbox One front – Owners of Mircrosoft’s Xbox One can go for broke in an all out brawl with Killer Instinct: Season 1 Ultra Edition. This season pass is normally $40 and gives Killer Instinct players access to all 9 fighters and extra costumes included in Season One. Also coming to Xbox One is Zheroes an Indies @ Xbox game – basically a stylized side scrolling beat’em-up.

For owners of Microsoft’s last generation console, Xbox 360, Microsoft will be giving away DIRT: Showndown and Square Enix’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Unfortunately this is the vanilla version and not the Director’s Cut re-release which includes New Game+, Improved Textures, Reworked Boss Fights and Developer Commentary.

As is the case with all Xbox 360 games released on Games With Gold – both DIRT: Showdown and Deus Ex are backwards compatible on Xbox One.

Here’s the full line-up with dates:

Xbox One
Killer Instinct Season One Ultimate – Jan 1st Thru 31st
Zheroes – Jan 16th Thru 15th

Xbox 360

DIRT Showdown – Jan 1st Thru 15th
Deus Ex Human Revolution – Jan 16th Thru 31st

[Source]


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December 2015 Games With Gold Unveiled – Extra Games For The Holidays


Posted on November 25, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Microsoft has taken the wraps off of the games that Xbox Live gold subscribers will be receiving for free over the holidays (heh heh .. it’s a pun!). Sneaking into the shadows is Thief for Xbox One, exploring ancient dungeons are The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing for Xbox One and Sacred 3 for Xbox 360. Bringing up the rear is Flashpoint: Dragon Rising for Xbox 360.

Here’s the full line-up with dates and MSRPs

December 1 – 31st

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing – Xbox One – $14.99
Dirt 3

December 1 – 15th

Castlestorm – Xbox 360 – $9.99

December 16 – 31st

Sacred 3 – Xbox 360 – $19.99
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising – Xbox 360 – $9.99
Thief – Xbox One – $29.99 (free until Jan 15th)

Remember that all Xbox Games with gold are guaranteed backwards compatible on Xbox One! What do you think of Microsoft’s free holiday offerings? Let us know in the comments.

[Source]


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Xbox Games With Gold For November 2015 Announced


Posted on October 29, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Microsoft has revealed the Games With Gold line-up for the month of November and it looks like Xbox One owners will be receiving access to four games instead of two thanks to backwards compatibility.  This isn’t a one month promotion either – from now on all Xbox One Gold Subscribers will get access to four games, two for Xbox One and two for 360.

For Xbox One games MS will be offering both Pneuma: Breath of Life an indie exploration game narrated by Jay Britton and Knight Squad.  For Xbox 360 owners two older titles will be on tap – 2011’s Dungeon Siege III from Square Enix and Dirt 3 from Codemasters.

Here’s the rundown including availability dates:

Pneuma: Breath of Life / DIRT 3 – Nov 1 thru 15th
Knight Squad / Dungeon Siege III – Nov 16 thru 30th

Trailers

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[youtube id=”KzIVjKvAecs”]

[source]


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Games For Gold Announced For August 2015


Posted on July 28, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

If you are a fan of action games than this month’s crop of free titles for Xbox Live’s Games With Gold might interest you.

First up for Xbox One – just before the launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is MGS V: Ground Zeroes for free from August 1st – 15th. Top down zombie apocalypse survival title How To Survive: Storm Warning Edition will be free from Aug 16th – August 31st.  

Xbox 360 owners in for a bit of a treat with a pair of games from the folks at 4A Games. Both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light will be available during the first two weeks and last two weeks of August respectively

Microsoft is certainly killing it when it comes to AAA titles on their subscription service. MGSV: Ground Zeroes was already free for PlayStation Plus subscribers last month and Metro: Last Light appeared on Plus in 2014.


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