Defense Grid: The Awakening Joins Free Xbox Live Gold Titles

[Earnest Cavalli]

Defense Grid: The Awakening Joins Free Xbox Live Gold Titles

Microsoft has revealed the second game coming to its Games With Gold promotional offer: Defense Grid: The Awakening.

About two weeks ago we brought you news of the inaugural Games With Gold release. Fable III kicked off the promo, which offers a selection of free downloadable games to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers. If this scheme sounds familiar, that's because it's essentially the same thing Sony offers to those with PlayStation Plus subscriptions, though we won't fault Microsoft for plagiarism too much as free games are always a welcome offering.

This week Microsoft rolls out the second Games With Gold title, Defense Grid: The Awakening. This title is a tower defense game initially released in 2009. Critics remain largely positive on the game, though it has aged somewhat poorly in the years since its debut. Those of you desperate to snag this free title need only log onto the Xbox Live Marketplace to download the game, though the standard Games With Gold caveats apply here.

Most crucially, you'll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to download Defense Grid: The Awakening. If you satisfy that requirement, you can grab the game at any time until it's removed from the Games With Gold promotion. Once that happens, the game is more or less gone completely, but those who had previously downloaded the title from the Xbox Live Marketplace can still find and download the game from their Xbox Live account's download history list.

Those of you who suddenly want to throw down money on an Xbox Live subscription can find all the necessary information on Microsoft's official Xbox Live Gold site [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/join/gold] (though it should be noted that Amazon regularly sells Xbox Live Gold membership cards at two-thirds the price Microsoft will charge you for a year of service).

Expect the next Games With Gold title to appear on July 16. We think. Honestly, Microsoft isn't being very forthcoming on this promotional effort, so we're as in the dark as you are on what might be coming next.

Source: Gamespot [http://www.gamespot.com/news/xbox-360-offers-defense-grid-as-next-free-download-for-gold-subscribers-6410938]

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[Blindrooster]

I have this game on Steam. It's actually a pretty fun tower defense.

 

[FoolKiller]

So far its 2 for 2 in games I already own.

I just hope there will soon be games that I don't have yet.

 

[Falterfire]

... Yay? I mean, it's a solid game, but I seem to remember promises of Halo and Assassin's Creed, not older XBLA titles. I mean, I love Defense Grid and all but this is not really what I was hoping for out of this promotion.

 

[MCerberus]

There are two main issues here.
1: AC2 and Halo 3 were slated to be first by the language used. Then this was confirmed on an xbox support twitter account.
2: The promotion isn't working. Fable has been pulled. There is currently no free games with gold game available. The tile that used to house the free thing has been replaced with an ad for a full price Catan game.

 

[duchaked]

glad I can still grab these online since I'm away from home at the moment lol

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

A for effort, Microsoft. At least they're trying.
F- for execution.

'nuff said

 

[roguewriter]

Yeah, this is much better than Halo 3 or Assassin's Creed 2 >.> (And, yes, that's sarcasm. I don't care if you like this game, it *isn't* as good as the titles they now "appeared" to have promised for July. Also, way to come up with excuses Major Tom, or Nelson, or whatever the -bleep- your name is...)

Seriously Microsoft, you want to compete with Sony try to provide more than just shitty XBLA titles. While Sony started off their free-games program with titles like Uncharted and Infamous, you start with Fable 3 and a lame defense tower game. That'll show 'em (eye-roll)

If you want people to be enticed to sub or resub to Xbox Live Gold then you've got to give something with way more substance. Ever heard of "Spending money to make money?" Yeah, there you go.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Defense Grid: The Awakening Joins Free Xbox Live Gold Titles

Microsoft has revealed the second game coming to its Games With Gold promotional offer: Defense Grid: The Awakening.

About two weeks ago we brought you news of the inaugural Games With Gold release. Fable III kicked off the promo, which offers a selection of free downloadable games to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers. If this scheme sounds familiar, that's because it's essentially the same thing Sony offers to those with PlayStation Plus subscriptions, though we won't fault Microsoft for plagiarism too much as free games are always a welcome offering.

How is competition plagiarism? By that logic, anyone making a tablet or smartphone right now is just plagiarizing Apple.

 

[SeventhSigil]

-_- Oh, Microsoft, how have doth failed? Let me count the ways.

-You didn't give any specific indication that arcade games would be included, going so far as to use Halo 3, AC2 and Fable 3 as your only specified examples, thus making it look you'd be handing out disc-y based games.
-Your promotion uses the words 'fan favorite.' Hahahahahahahahha!
-You didn't bother releasing a statement ahead of time (i.e. more than 24 $$%&$# hours ahead of time) with regards to the fact that the vast percentage of the gaming media, including the website of the Official @*#$## Xbox Magazine, had gotten it wrong by stating that AC2 and Halo 3 were forthcoming games. There is simply no conceivable way you could not have noticed this. -_-
-For that matter, you didn't just quietly move those games to the front of the line JUST to keep the relatively positive buzz going, instead staying the course with that rather familiar bull-headed determination that only serves to emphasize how bad the pre-order numbers must have been to make you switch out your old policies so fast.
-You, well, mostly your supporters, were then apparently @*#&# insane enough to point out snidely; "I never SPECIFIED they'd be the first ones out, go on, check the E3 conference on Youtube, here's a link, skip to so-and-so many minutes. See the phrasing?" Just condescending the irritated fanbase that remained and making them even angrier as a result.
-Rather than, say, releasing two games for an entire month span, such as a title game and an indie to actually create the illusion of value, you've decided one game at a time, no exceptions, making your post-Fable 3 step into the program more of an 'OHGODMYANKLETHUD.'
-You remain cryptic as hell about the NEXT title upcoming; normally used to cultivate excitement, this instead seems to be cultivating dread and negative impatience in more than a few.
-You, let's face it, began this program to try and coax your angry former fans back to your camp... only to prove that the hand you'd originally slapped them with was more than ready for the backhand. Though this incident was relatively minor, the timing could not have been worse, as the reaction- even could be said overreaction- is due entirely to the steady stream of BS you've been feeding, finally regurgitated back in your faces.
-This program will inevitably be compared to PS+, already is, in fact. You're completely doomed.
-To top it all of, I've been hearing for a few people that marketplace issues meant the game didn't even go on the free list til hours after July began; way to look professional, guys.


Am I missing anything?

 

[RADIALTHRONE1]

The problem I have with this isn't that Defense Grid is a bad game, its the fact that if you really wanted to, you could hop on any (internet connected) computer and play ~5 million games just like it, just as good if not better.