Gaming: Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, PC Thread

[Kimbo]

This week's full lineup of deals, divided by platform, is available below. Offers are good through January 18, and in all cases, an Xbox Live Gold membership is required.

Xbox One:

Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition -- $4
Blue Estate -- $3.90
Forza Horizon 2 Alpinestars Pack -- $1.50
Forza Horizon 2 and Forza Motorsport 5 Bundle -- $55
Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion -- $5
Forza Horizon 2 VIP -- $10
Forza Motorsport 5 NuTrburgring Booster Pack -- $1.50
Forza Motorsport 5 VIP -- $10
Forza Motorsport 6 Car Pass -- $19.50
The Jackbox Party Bundle -- $37.50

Xbox 360:

Crysis -- $4
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition -- $4.94
Syndicate -- $4

[Kimbo]

Electronic Arts is rewarding Xbox Live Gold subscribers with a bit of a treat next week... well, it's more like a big treat. Up to 15 games from the EA Access vault will be made available for free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers for one week only.

Game Informer picked up the news from over on Major Nelson, where it was announced that between January 19th and January 24th gamers who are currently subscribed to Xbox Live Gold will be able to play the following games from the EA Access vault for free.

• Battlefield Hardline
• EA Sports UFC
• Battlefield 4
• FIFA 15
• Madden 25
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• NHL 15
• Titanfall
• Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare
• Need for Speed Rivals
• NBA LIVE 15
• Peggle 2
• FIFA 14
• Madden 14

I have to admit that those are a tempting batch of games. The regular $4.99 a month price tag will be waived for one week only for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to get a taste of some of EA's top name games. While Battlefield Hardline was a huge step back from Battlefield 4, it's still cool that both of them will be playable and gamers can decide for themselves if either or both are worth investing in thereafter. EA is likely hoping that gamers will get lured in and then subscribe to EA Access over the long haul.

Older eighth gen games like Titanfall are also available, which might help lure in gamers tired of Call of Duty and Battlefield. And then there's the troubled but moderately competent Need for Speed Rivals, which was probably best known for the 30fps hard-lock that gave modders a real headache when it first released. I doubt Need for Speed will be winning over anyone at this time, especially coming off the player-panned Need for Speed game that released last fall that came jam packed with always-on DRM.

EA Sports UFC is a good bet from EA, though. The game is about to get a sequel that's due to drop for the PS4 and the Xbox One in March... giving Xbox One XBL Gold subscribers an opportunity to play the game for free for an entire week is a nice way to help build hype for EA Sports UFC 2. That's not to mention that the original game was actually very well made, and despite being a bit thin on the content side, it was actually a really fun and tactically immersive fighting game. It required a lot of strategy, thinking, timing and cage control. Hopefully they can capture that same feeling with the sequel.

If you're a sports fanatic (and according to the strong sales of sports games and shooters on the Xbox platforms), you'll likely enjoy the free opportunity to get in on EA Access since they have FIFA 14, FIFA 15, Madden NFL 14, Madden NFL 25 and NBA Live 15 to test out for a week.

Once the trial ends, players will be presented with an option to continue using EA Access for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. All progress made during the EA Access free trial period will carry over into the games that you decide to keep if you choose to subscribe to the service. You can learn more by visiting the official EA Access

[Kimbo]

Playstation games for February

PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to download Helldivers, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and more for free next month, Sony announced today.

The edition of Helldivers that's part of the PlayStation Plus lineup is Helldivers: Democracy Strikes Back, which includes the free Democracy Strikes Back expansion that developer Arrowhead Game Studios released last October. The game is a cross-buy title across PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3. The other PS4 title for February is Nom Nom Galaxy, a collaboration between Q-Games and Double Eleven.

PS3 players will get Grid Autosport, a racing game that Codemasters released in June 2014, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Atlus and Arc System Works' sequel to the fighting game Persona 4 Arena. The two games for Vita owners are Lemmings Touch and Curve Studios' Nova-111.

All six titles will be available free starting Feb. 2, the first Tuesday of the month.

XBOX

Xbox Live Gold members will be able to download a new batch of free games starting Feb. 1. The company revealed next month's offerings today, which include four games across Xbox One and Xbox 360. Since November, all Xbox 360 offerings on Games With Gold have been compatible with the Xbox One.

From Feb. 1-15, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can grab Sacred Citadel for Xbox 360. From Feb. 16-29, Xbox 360 game Gears of War 2 will be available as a free download.

Styx: Master of Shadows for Xbox One is up for grabs from Feb. 15-March 15. Xbox One game Hand of Fate will be available for the entirety of February.

[Kimbo]

Xbox Live Gold members will be able to grab Borderlands, Lords of the Fallen and more for free in March, courtesy of the Games With Gold program. In the promotional video above, posted by the official Spanish Xbox YouTube page, the full list of titles for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 are shown off.

On Xbox One, players can grab Sherlock Holmes: Crime and Punishment and Lords of the Fallen. Gold subscribers on Xbox 360 will be entitled to copies of the first Borderlands and Supreme Commander 2, according to the video.

Typically, Games With Gold titles are available for a period of two weeks each. The availability of the March offerings hasn't been announced.

There's still time to grab some of February's Games With Gold, including Xbox 360's Gears of War 2.

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the Games With Gold line-up, revealing just when Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to download each of the free titles.

From March 1-15, Xbox 360 owners can get Supreme Commander 2 for free. Borderlands will be available March 16-31.

On Xbox One Sherlock Holmes: Crime and Punishment will be free for the entirety of March, while Lords of the Fallen will be offered from March 16 until April 15.

[Kimbo]

This week's specials:

Xbox One Weekly Deals (Thru April 25)

Batman: Arkham Knight Season Pass -- $14
Blood Bowl 2 -- $12.50
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection* -- $24
ClusterPuck 99 -- $6.70
Destiny: The Taken King -- $30
Destiny: The Taken King Collector's Edition -- $40
Destiny: The Taken King -- Legendary Edition -- $36
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition -- $24
Farming Simulator 15 -- $20
Gems of War Legendary Starter Pack* -- $30
Infinity Runner -- $3.50
Never Alone -- $3.75
Never Alone Arctic Collection -- $4.75
Zombie Driver Ultimate Edition -- $3.75

*These offers are valid for all Xbox Live members.
Xbox 360 Weekly Deals (Thru April 25)

Destiny: The Taken King -- $30
Destiny: The Taken King Collector's Edition -- $40
Destiny: The Taken King -- Legendary Edition -- $36
Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen -- $10
DuckTales Remastered -- $4.50
Farming Simulator 15 -- $13.20
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Season Pass -- $7.50
Lost Planet 2 -- $5
Lost Planet 3 -- $10
Strider -- $4.50
Zombie Driver HD -- $2.50

The PS4 sees deals on games like:

Grand Theft Auto V -- $44.99
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas -- $10.49
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City -- $10.49
Grand Theft Auto III -- $10.49

PS4 owners can also grab all three of the PS2 Grand Theft Auto games in the Trilogy bundle for $20.99, among other deals listed at the bottom of the article.

PS3 users are offered discounts on game such as:

Grand Theft Auto V -- $31.79
Grand Theft Auto IV -- $11.99
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $19.79

Vita and PSP owners can take advantage of sales like:

Persona 4 Golden -- $9.89
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars -- $11.99
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories -- $11.99

[Kimbo]

May 2016 Games With Gold Lineup:

Xbox One:

Defense Grid 2 (normally $15) - May 1-31
Costume Quest 2 (normally $15 -- May 16-June 15
Sunset Overdrive (normally $20) -- April 16-May 15

Xbox 360:

Grid 2 (normally $15) -- May 1-15
Peggle (normally $10) -- May 16-31

[Kimbo]

August Xbox Live free game:

Earthlock: Festival of Magic

The current free games on offer include Warriors Orochi 3 (August 1-31) and WWE 2K16 (August 16-September 15) for Xbox One and Beyond Good & Evil HD (August 16-31) on Xbox 360. It's worth noting that every Xbox 360 Games With Gold is playable on Xbox One through the system's backwards compatibility program.

[Kimbo]

Microsoft has now officially announced that Forza 6 is free all weekend as part of the Free Play Days promotion. You can download it now and play all you want through Sunday, August 28, ending at 11:59 PM PT that day. You need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play.

The original story is below.

Looking for something new to play this weekend? Microsoft's racing game Forza Motorsport 6 might be joining the Free Play Days promotion this weekend, letting you play it free for a limited time.

This rumor comes from Reddit (VideoGamer.com). Someone there posted a picture that shows Forza 6 listed as a "Free Play Days" game, letting them download and play for free.

[Kimbo]

Forza Horizon is free for Xbox live user

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha28aYygQ5s&feature=youtu.be

[Kimbo]

January 2017 Free games for Xbox Live Gold members:

• World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap — January 1-31 on Xbox One
• Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra Edition — January 16-February 15 on Xbox One
• The Cave — January 1-15 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One
• Rayman Origins — January 16-31 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One