Xbox Live’s Next “Free” Game? Defense Grid

If Defense Grid, Fable III, Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed II are the kind of titles Gold members have to look forward to, I'll have to cancel my Gold subscription right now (especially since I'm not planning on getting an Xbox One).

Soft launch my arse, Defense Grid is one of the best TD games ever made for any platform. Doubters would do well to try it out before judging. And for the almighty price of one Aylesbury duck, it deserves that at least.

Having said that, I'll give up gaming before I own a Microsoft console.

I agree completely. Defense Grid is a great game, and Hidden Path is a fantastic studio. It bums me out that people are shitting all over this great game because they want better free stuff.

So what? They also were the only ones doing anything like that at the time. Microsoft is directly competing with them and not keeping in step, meaning that the competitor service is a better deal. This is inarguable.

There's something to be said about "go big or go home."

@sirdesmond said:

I'm not sure what alternate reality you come from, if Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed II are bad games, but I'm sure glad I don't live there. ;-)

Sass aside, I do agree that opening this service with the weakest Fable title and an XBLA tower defence game is pretty lame, especially since they don't even have a schedule up to tantalize users with future releases.

It's not really free...you're paying $60 a year, and this is Microsoft's attempt to justify the price.

1. Defense Grid is fun as hell

2. Defense Grid is not available on PS

3. You can keep the game even if you decide to cancel your Xbox Live subscription (unlike PS+)

4. It's only day one

@maximusartimus: So I can pay for a $60 subscription that gets me a couple of $10 games that I get to keep? Wow, what a deal.

You know what this is great news for me. I've always heard Defense Grid is awesome so might as well play it.

And I know I'm going to start sounding like a defensive fanboy but PS+ started with PS Minis and then started getting awesome months later right? Of course I've also heard Microsoft only plans to do this program for a year.

I don't think even Microsoft is stupid enough to think that compares to PS+, and that's why I disagree that it's designed as a direct response to the Instant Game Collection. I think it's throwing a bone to current Gold subs who are starting to wonder where their free games are, but my guess is they haven't seen enough of a drop off overall to go full bore. Nobody could be dense enough to think this competes.

The problem isn't the quality of games that they are releasing for free, it's the fact that they are games you can buy for less than $20, or maybe even $10 or less in certain situations. Certainly not much of a gift. Their selections seem far more stingy, as if they don't want to give you anything that's actually worth any money.

This is what I call a "soft launch" of a comment.

Fuck. I didn't even know they had started free games for XBL. I wish I would of known about it then, because I'm certainly not going to buy it now. And fuck defense grid, I have negative interest in that game.

So what, Halo 3 and AC2 are the highest-profile games they could secure to be free, so those are the ones they advertised? This is going to suck ass.

This is why I have no problem paying 50 bucks a year for multiplayer.

Yes, you can only play those games with plus status and they remove games every month (though you can still download and play them if you got them while they were available) but the amount of great and often recent games that come with the service is kinda crazy.

At this point you should especially pay for PS+ if you don't have a ton of money to spend on games since the biggest problem I have with PS+ is that I played most of the titles (either on PS3 or PC) already.

Still, from time to time there are titles that I wouldn't have bought otherwise and that end up surprising me (throwing out big blockbuster titles like U3 and BF3 in conjunction with "weirder" games like Catherine and Malicious is a great way to handle a service like this).

MS going down that route is a (necessary) step in the right direction even if Defense Grid (or Fable 3 for that matter) is not the best possible starter.

Well I never played Defense Grid, so yay for me I guess.

I never bought this game before so I'll pick it up. I hope it's good.

This borders on trolling their own fan base. One PR misstep after another recently. Pretty f'ing annoying as a 360 owner.

Defense Grid is a great game, not sure why people are so bent out of shape over it. I do wish that Microsoft would extend this program indefinitely, would make it more competitive with PS+.

It's a hell of a lot better than Fable 3.

That's probably because that would actually cost them some money aswell. I dont know what the specifics are but i imagine the developer and/or publisher will get paid either a lump sum or a per download/per subscriber amount for their "free" games.

Wich is why they are doing Fable 3 and Halo 3, since they published those themselves. So yeah, Stingy is the right word for it i guess. ;-)

lel?

Playstation Plus new additions for July 2013 (North America)

• Battlefield 3 (PS3)
• Metal Slug XX (PSP, Compatible on Vita)
• Jet Set Radio (PS3)
• Dokuro (PS Vita)
• Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD (PS3).

But yeah, Defense Grid is comparable, right?

Update to the update, I think Fable III was a mistake, it's not showing up as free on either the xbox.com website or on the actual Xbox store on my 360... missed my window to play around in Albion for free... in a game I heard wasn't great anyway. What a shame.

I think you forgot the part where you pay for Xbox Live.

really? That's pretty cool. That's a huge plus actually.

Well, you know, they can't exactly give us Undertow again...

Why the fuck doesn't the DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING know when shit is getting released? Seriously?

This might be a weak offering compared to what Sony gives, but I don't think this game should get a bad rap because it's small, it's actually pretty good (but you have to like tower defense).

Which never once claimed to give you free games, up until E3. Adding value this late in the game is good, regardless of how they go about it. We already got one full retail game for free, and from what I understand Defense Grid is not too shabby, either. So let's not split hairs, here.

This really says it all about XBL v. PS+

@neurallink: Sad but typical. That goes for both the community and Klepek.

Hold yer head up HP.

So we already know the two best free games that will come from this --- Halo 3 & Assassin's Creed 2.

I'm legitimately curious how many Xbox 360 owners haven't already played those two titles.

I didn't watch E3, but if Microsoft implied that Halo 3 and AC2 were going to be part of it's launch, than the frustration is a little understood. However, I don't know if that is actually the case. I think this is a good sign that Microsoft is finally learning from their mistakes, and hopefully they can make me as excited for the beginning of a month of free content as PSN+ has.

WHO OWNS AND 360 AND NEEDS TO PLAY HALO 3!!!!?

Here's a blu ray player and some episodes of Growing Pains...

The specific quote was:

"And to kick off that program, I'd like to share just two of the titles we're going to offer over the next few months: Assassin's Creed II and Halo 3."

Which in no way says they will be the first games, however a lot of news outlets reported them as such which probably caused most of the confusion.

I'm looking at Fable III on Xbox.com right now, and it is still twenty dollars.

Yeah, because it's the 1st. It was free until today.

I just feel that is a very lackluster first (or second) choice for this service. This is a game you throw out there in mid-September after you start with a few bangers (AC II and Halo may be old, but they are recognizable and pretty good games.)

Whether it's fair or not, starting with this doesn't really give people confidence that this promotion will be anything but MS halfheartedly attempting to match Sony.

Because comparing a service that just launched to one that has been going for a year + is comparable, right?

Look at the first game PS+ put out compared to Fable III, lol. Also, on MS service you get to keep the game forever!

I actually wanted to play this game, but not pay for it, I WIN.

No doubt Defense Grid is a really soft launch for the Xbox Feature. It seems that they want to give you a good feature in the free games, but don't want to spend the resources on giving you the games you really want. Right now PS+ is making it look like child's play with Saints Row 3, Uncharted 3, Deus Ex, and GBs GotY: XCOM along with Battlefield 3 in the next few days.

This is the start of "thousands of dollars of value" according to Don Mattrick. Better strap myself in.

yeah and it was hidden on the bottom 1/16th of the screen on the 4th tab over. What a total joke. The lack of respect for its customers that M$ is showing these days has me grating my teeth.

A weak start is better than not giving us anything at all.

This is a cool game, I played it on PC. But seeing PS+ will get BF3 and such it feels strange.

According to this, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_Game_Collection, the first PS+ games given away were:

So, yes, not that comparable.

However, the when the "Instant Game Collection" initiative began in June 2012, PS+ users got these in the first month:

That is a better line-up, also take into account that a lot of those free games were released on or around that date.

The problem with MS free games is that they know the exact numbers of people who have played or own Halo3 or ACII. My guess is that if you really wanted to play those games, you already have.

Still maybe we will all get a surprise and on the 16th we will get Battlefield 3 (this months PS+ freebie)!

this gemes ar 100% free. u get to keep the games for ever.. PS+ is more like renting...so come down

How is it less restrictive? I'm genuinely curious, I have both consoles and both services.