NEWS: EA Giving Away Free Games

Whilst just one title is currently available to download free of charge, more games are to be added eventually.

A new promotion known as On The House has launched, which has an initiative to provide free content on a regular basis via the Origin webstore. Origin claims:

"There's no catch. Grab full games, expansions and more at absolutely no cost. Just make sure to act fast because On The House specials can appear and disappear at any time."

This could be an attempt to ease the frustrations of many PC gamers as recent criticisms against EA and Origin has emerged. Currently, the 2008 survival-horror Dead Space is available to download - the original price stands at £9.99..

NEWS: EU Nintendo eShop Update - March 24 2014

This week's update gives players the chance to experience the first Mario Kart title on the Super Nintendo.

Whilst the release of Mario Kart 8 is still a couple of months away, it would be a good idea to play the 1992 classic that started it all; Super Mario Kart. 

Those who decide to purchase Super Mario Kart before June 30 will be given a £5.49 discount upon downloading the digital release of Mario Kart 8.

Other highlights in the update include Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and the renowned NES title; Ninja Gaiden. See below for a full list of updates, including new releases and special promotional offers.

New Releases

Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

3DS

£39.99 / €44.99

Skater Cat

3DS

£4.49 / €4.99

Adventure Island II

3DS

£4.49 / €4.99

Wakedas (Demo)

3DS

FREE

Super Mario Kart

Wii U

£5.49 / €7.99

Mighty Bomb Jack

Wii U

£3.49 / €4.99

Ninja Gaiden

Wii U

£3.49 / €4.99

Special Offers

F1 Race Stars Powered Up Edition

Wii U

£9.99 / €12.49 

Snow Moto Racing 3D

3DS

£5.39 / €5.99

Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D

£4.49 / €4.99

NEWS: Games With Gold March 2014 - Civilization: Revolution and Dungeon Defenders

March's free content has been revealed as part of Microsoft's monthly Games with Gold promotion.

Those subscribed to Xbox LIVE Gold are currently able to download Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution completely free of charge until March 15. 

Revolution put's you in control of a settler in the year 4000BC, in which you must seek out fellow settlers in order to create cities, seek out food, and eventually achieve a state of victory through four different methods - taking over other players' cities, creating a culture full of wonders, racking up large amounts of money, or  researching enough technology to launch a rocket into space.

Beginning March 16, Dungeon Defenders will be up for grabs - featuring mulitplayer gameplay combining tower defense and action-RPG elements, players have to survive mulitple waves consisting of numerous types of fantasy-like enemies such as kobolds, orcs, and goblins.

NEWS: Killzone Shadow Fall - Free Multiplayer For One Week

Players will be able to access the game's multiplayer experience for one week in celebration of its first free map release.

Bart Suichies has posted details on official Killzone website regarding a week's worth online gaming at no extra charge at all. The decision was made to coincide with the release of one of two free to download maps - Suichies said:

"On March 4th, we are making the acclaimed Killzone Shadow Fall multiplayer available for free to all PlayStation 4 players for a week, starting 3rd of March 5PM PST. Best of all, you will not require PS Plus to play the Free Access client this week!"

Last month, the two free downloadable maps were revealed, but no release date was mentioned. Since it's initial release, Suichie says the multiplayer "has been going from strength to strength since its launch, with hundreds of improvements and constant balancing. There have been many new exciting developments including Clans, the First Killzone Invitational tournament, new Weekend Challenges, New Warzone options, expanded Personalisation options, and much more."

NEWS: PlayStation Plus March 2014 EU - Tomb Raider and Dead Nation Apocalypse

The next batch of PlayStation Plus content has been revealed.

PS Store and Plus Content Manager Chris Howe has listed the free games available in the march update throughout Europe via the EU PlayStation blog. 

Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition will be hitting PS4 - a "top-down shoot 'em up set in an apocalyptic zombie-infested world.", whilst PS3 users are gaining access to the 2013 reboot Tomb Raider and adventure-puzzler Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

Finally, tower defence "classic" Pixeljunk Monsters Ultimate HD and Smart As! - a game that will rack your brains in "math, memory, logic and word puzzles."

PS Plus users will be able to download the games mentioned completely free of charge starting March 5, in which the following games are to be removed from circulation: Outlast, Sound Shapes, Metro: Last Night, Guacamelee!, Dynasty Warriors Next, and ModNation Racers Road Trip.

NEWS: EU Nintendo eShop Update - February 10 2014

This week's update sees both Mario brothers fight off various diseases, as well as some promising 3DS and Wii U titles.

Nintendo has shared details regarding this week's eShop update, including an offer of a free download of Dr Mario if you purchase Dr Luigi before February 20. Other highlights include The Lego Movie Videogame on both 3DS and Wii U - for a full list of new releases and prices, see below.

New Releases

Inazuma Eleven 3: Team Ogre Attacks! 

3DS

£29.99 / €34.99

Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!

3DS

£34.99 / €39.99

The Lego Movie Videogame

3DS / Wii U

£34.99 / €39.99

Spot the Differences! 

3DS

£8.99 / €9.99

Games Festival 1 Demo 

3DS

FREE

Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party

Wii U

£8.00 / €8.99

Dr Mario

Wii U (NES Virtual Console)

£3.49 / €4.99 (free if purchased before February 20)

NEWS: Games With Gold February 2014 - Dead Island and Toy Soldiers

February's free content has been revealed today, offering Zombie slaying and playing with toy soldiers.

Available February 1 - 15, subscribers of the Xbox LIVE Gold service will be able to download Dead Island free or charge as part of Microsoft's continuing Games With Gold promotion.

First released in 2011, Dead Island puts you in the shoes of a group of survivors who appear to be immune to the ever-spreading Zombie outbreak, deeming you the most appropriate to perform certain tasks on the island - filled with addictive and fun gameplay, it's definitely worth a download.

Then, on February 16, players will have free access to Toy Soldiers: Cold War, sequel to Signal Studios' Toy Soldiers. This time around, you'll take control of an army much like the original but now set during the cold war of the 1980s.

NEWS: Microsoft Giving Away Killer Instinct

Xbox LIVE users with a respectable gamerscore and long-running membership could get Killer Instinct (2013) completely free.

Spanning across numerous regions, Xbox users have been receiving emails stating they have been given a free copy of the 2013 reboot; Killer Instinct. The message says:

"You're a fan of us and we're a fan of yours. Thank you for your dedication to Xbox. We want to show you our appreciation so we're giving you Killer Instinct. 

We've unlocked all characters so you can hit the ground running. Watch your inbox on 22 November for instructions on how to claim your free gift."

Microsoft have recently confirmed the email to be legitimate - Twitter user Aceattorney even received a free Xbox One, in which the official Xbox account replied:

"We appreciate your ongoing support. Thank you for joining us on this journey!"

The game will release alongside the Xbox One November 22.

NEWS: Uncharted 3 - New Multiplayer Map and Past DLC Maps Now Free

Previous DLC will now be completely free-of-charge, and a new map has also been unveiled.

Since its release 2 years ago, Naughty Dog are celebrating by making all the DLC multiplayer maps available to everyone, with no cost what so ever. Alongside this announcement, a new map titled Dry Docks has been revealed - set upon a very wet and slippery dock during the night.

Community Strategist at Naughty Dog praises the Uncharted community and fanbase, saying:

"It's been two years since Uncharted 3 was released. Our community is simply amazing, and we're looking to make it stronger than ever. To that end, we combed over a multitude of comments and forum posts to see what you wanted changed in the multiplayer game. We took the most highly-sought changes mentioned and made them happen. The list of those changes is below, and it's an epic patch that rivals patch 1.13"

You might remember Dry Docks in the beta gameplay videos released prior to Uncharted 3's release, but it never made it to the final version of the game - Naughty Dog are bringing that map pack with many improvements. 

There were various reasons the map never made the original cut, one of those being time investment:

"It made sense to prevent our art team from investing time into the multiplayer version of Dry Docks to match the level of quality we adhere to at Naughty Dog --- therefore the Dry Docks map was cut."

Heavy rain pollutes the docks, creating a hectic atmosphere.

A view of the map from a distance, displaying both the boat and dock area.

A full list of the new patch details can be seen below.

Maps

• All DLC maps are now available to download for free! Go to the in-game store and download the Flashback Map Pack 1, 2, and Drake’s Deception Map Pack.
• Dry Docks makes its triumphant debut and is available in all competitive playlists and custom games!

Co-op

• Old Quarter map has been added to Co-op arena mode.
• The drop rate for all co-op treasures has been increased.
• Old Quarter has been removed from the Hunter Arena playlist.

Weapons

• Hipfire accuracy has been greatly reduced on all weapons, along with the angle and distance at which the auto lock engages. But Blindfire from cover has not been changed.
• Increased recoil on the M9.
• Decreased recoil on FAL-SS.
• Rate of Fire mod has been decreased on the M9, Arm Micro, and KAL-7.
• The recoil of the last round fired in a G-MAL burst has been significantly reduced.
• The burst delay and recoil have been reduced on the Raffica.
• The accuracy mod on the Raffica has been slightly improved.
• The recoil has been reduced on the Tau Sniper and the weapon does not automatically scope.
• The rate of fire mod has increased effectiveness for the Tau Sniper.

Gameplay

• Sprint maneuverability moderately reduced.
• Mega Bombs and Cluster Bombs can no longer be thrown back (competitive mode only).
• The Marked Man power play now occurs when a team is up 8 kills instead of 6.
• The Exposed power play occurs when a team is up 10 kills instead of 8, and the range that player names appear has been reduced from 40 meters to 20.
• The Double Damage power play now occurs when a team is up 15 kills instead of 10, and the damage the losing team does is only x1.5 instead of x2.
• Deathmatch has been removed from Team Objective.
• Increase score limit in three-team Deathmatch from 20 to 25.
• Increase score limit of free-for-all from 15 to 20.
• Multiple steps have been added during the matchmaking process to help find games with lower ping. Wait times to find matches during off peak hours may increase.

Medal Kickbacks

• The Medal Kickback Creepy Crawler now costs 12 medals and lasts for 25 seconds.
• Quick Boom now costs 12 medals and lasts for 12 seconds.
• Explosives now costs 5 medals.

Boosters

• Slot 1 now has Kickback Endurance, Ammo Award, Bargain, and Team Safe
• Slot 2 now has Beast Mode, Regeneration, Explosive Expert, and Explosive Shell Expert.
• Bargain paid booster cost increase from $100k to $250k.
• PING paid booster cost increase from $100k to $250k.

New 3rd Buddy Boosters

• Cutter — Cutter KAL-7 — Jade Para 9 — Sugar Buddy
• Eddie — Eddie’s AK — Jade Para 9 — Booty Buddy
• Draza — Draza’s Dragon — Jade Para 9 — Thanks Buddy
• Flynn — Flynn’s G-MAL — Jade Para 9 — Explosive Buddy
• Lazarevic — Lazarevic’s FAL-SS – Jade Para 9 — Stealth Buddy

Map Adjustments

• Gate added to London Underground tunnel to block off dead end.
• Plunders chests have been rebalanced on Syria and Museum.

NEWS: Destiny - Beta Codes This Week

Bungie will be giving away beta codes at random throughout the week to lucky participants.

Bungie will be opening the beta for their first game since leaving Microsoft; Destiny during early 2014, but codes will already be given out this week at random.

The official Destiny page on Facebook has said the following:

"You might want to keep checking back in with us this week; we'll be posting #Destiny Beta codes randomly each day."

Of course, if you've already pre-ordered your copy, you'll be getting instant access to the beta, whether it be on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, or Xbox One.

With no release date known for the actual game, expect to see it on shelves a short time after the beta period has finished.

NEWS: Games with Gold Mid-October 2013 - Halo 3

Microsoft has revealed Halo 3 as the next free-to-download title.

If for some crazy reason you still haven't played Halo 3, it will be joining Microsoft's Games with Gold promotion on October 16-31. Of course, the game will be completely free to download, which usually sells for around £5-15 from most retailers.

Fancy playing Halo 3 matchmaking again? Now's your chance if you've got rid of your physical copy. The game was originally released in September 2007 and served as one of the most anticipated games on the Xbox 360, taking place directly after the cliffhanger ending of Halo 2.

NEWS: Dead Island Riptide - Free on Steam Temporarily

Steam users can download and play Dead Island Riptide completely free of charge for a limited time only - this special offer will end at 9PM Sunday 29 September.

If you decide to purchase the game whilst this free window is open, you will be able to purchase the game at a massive 66% discount, knocking the original price of £34.99 to £11.89. 

NEWS: Games with Gold October 2013 - Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

Released back in 2011 on consoles, Xbox LIVE's free game for the start of October will be Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes.

The game combines role-playing, real time strategy, and puzzle elements whilst maintaining themes from the Might & Magic series.

Subscribers of Xbox LIVE gold will be able to download the game free of charge from 1-15 October, it's original price is currently £9.99, so if you're a member, it's definitely worth a download.