Mike Flacy

Just one week after the launch of the PlayStation 4, Microsoft has sold over one million Xbox Ones in the first 24 hours, and gamers are digging into exclusive games like Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5. We’ve had a chance to put the new console through some extensive testing and are fairly pleased with the results.

Xbox One Hardware

Everything you loved about VCR product design during the late ’80s!

At first glance, the Xbox One looks more like the original Xbox than the Xbox 360. The boxy, large casing definitely sticks out in a home theater setup. In addition, the large power brick returns, although smaller and lighter than the Xbox 360 version. The new Kinect also has a similar boxy design, but fits comfortably at the base of most television stands.

However, the upside to the large case is that the case (and likely the parts inside) remain cool during use, thus avoiding the high heat, red ring scenario of the previous generation. This can also be attributed to the vents on the left and right side of the system as well as the top. Of course, you will find the white Xbox One logo on the front of the console, the Kinect and the controller to indicate that all devices are on. There’s also a single USB 3.0 port on the left side for charging a controller.

On the back of the Xbox One, you will find an array of digital-only ports. Identical to the PlayStation 4, you will need HDMI to enjoy this console. The ports on the back include the power connection, HDMI IN and HDMI OUT, S/PDIF optical out, two more USB 3.0 ports, the Kinect port, a gigabit Ethernet port (also supports 5GHz wireless networks) and an IR Out port.

The Xbox One’s power usage is relatively low when in standby mode, ideal for quick boot ups. In fact, you can boot up from standby mode and resume playing your most recent game within about 15 to 20 seconds. Also, the Xbox One is just as quiet as the PlayStation 4. I had a hard time picking up on any noise, beyond the disc spinning when watching a movie.

User Interface

Snippitty Snap!

If you currently use Windows 8 or a Windows Phone device, you will be familiar with the design of the Xbox One menus and general user interface. On the main screen, you will find the content window, your gamertag account information, recently used applications and a features section to advertise new content. If you slide the menu to the left, you will locate pinned applications. To the right, you will find the Xbox Store for purchasing new games or media. Navigation is very simple with the controller and even the most advanced settings are easy to locate. It’s significantly less convoluted than the old Xbox 360 menu system.

Much like a traditional computer, the Xbox One can multitask two video functions at a time using a feature called Snap. For instance, you can play Dead Rising 3 while watching an episode of the Walking Dead on Netflix. In order to accomplish this, the second application plays in a window on the right side of the screen.

To be exact, the window takes up 25 percent of the television screen (480 by 1080 on a 1080p television) while the primary application fills up the other 75 percent (1440 by 1080). The performance of Snap is extremely slick and fluid, although I’d imagine there will be bandwidth issues with video stability when attempting to watch an HD stream on Netflix while playing an online multiplayer game at the same time.

Ultimately, Snap is incredibly useful when searching for tutorial videos on YouTube. Basically, you are able to sync up a walkthrough video on how to solve a particularly tough section of a game while playing through the game yourself. I tested this out with an early Dead Rising 3 video and it worked perfectly. It also works well for written walkthroughs using a snapped version of Internet Explorer. Besides video, Snap is useful if you want a real-time feed of what your friends are doing on Xbox Live, especially if you are attempting to keep an eye out for a close friend.

One aspect of the interface that certainly feels next generation is the speedy responsiveness. There are very few times where the Xbox One lags when navigating the menu or using applications. The load times seem much quicker than the Xbox 360, especially when pulling up information about friends. I also love the extremely visual achievement interface. Providing achievements that expire after a specific time period is also a fun addition, likely to spur on competition among the Xbox Live community.

Xbox One Controller

Development paid for by the disposable battery industry.

Microsoft’s hardware development team has done an excellent job fixing all the issues that gamers had with the Xbox 360 controller. All the buttons seem more responsive, especially the D-pad. The mushy D-pad on the Xbox 360 is no more. Instead, you can double or triple tap to your heart’s content in fighting games.

In addition, there’s a new textured feel around the top of the thumbsticks, the shoulder buttons are larger as well as easier to hold down, there are two independent rumble devices for directional effects and the size of the controller is less spread out than the Xbox 360 controller. All of these small improvements add up to an excellent design.

That being said, a couple downsides to the new controller include the proprietary connection for Xbox Live headsets as well as the inclusion of two AA batteries instead of a rechargeable version. That’s one area where Sony beats out Microsoft, since users can plug any microphone into the Dualshock 4 and it includes an internal rechargeable battery. It seems a bit cheap that Microsoft still makes users buy the Play-and-Charge kit, but I’d imagine the profit margin on that accessory is huge for Microsoft.

However, Microsoft has beaten out Sony significantly when it comes to the length of battery life. While the Dualshock 4 is about 6 to 8 hours on a single charge, many reviewers are reporting that it’s been a week or two of heavy use (20 hours) and the included AA batteries are still going strong. This is partly due to a neat power-saving feature that’s tied to the Kinect. If the Kinect camera sees the logged-in player put down the controller, a low-power mode is activated. This allows the controller to remain active when the user needs it, but dormant when the user is playing a motion-control game or watching a television show on Netflix.

Kinect / Voice Commands

Xbox, do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?

This was actually my first experience with using Kinect technology as I never picked up the accessory with my 360. The experience has been overwhelming so far, mostly because Microsoft does a poor job of explaining how voice commands work. I feel like I need a cheat sheet next to me in order to access all the commands. For instance, you have to say the full name of a game in order to launch it. You also need to say a specific phrase in order to launch apps or execute functions like turning the console off. If you need a cheat sheet, try these commands out.

Regarding accuracy, the Kinect performed significantly better than the PlayStation Camera, but it’s still not perfect. For example, I’ve had trouble getting the Kinect to launch Netflix (no issue with Hulu). Rather than Netflix launching, the Kinect will push me into another application or attempt a function related to the music player.

Overall, my accuracy on general “Xbox” commands has been around 80 percent so far, definitely enough to give me pause when I have the option of the controller or voice. The Bing and Snap commands seem to work particularly well though. My accuracy was around 90 to 95 percent on those commands.

Outside of voice commands, I absolutely love the Kinect camera. Sitting down in front of the console and having the Kinect recognize me automatically is fantastic. It’s vastly superior to the Xbox 360 login process. The quality of the camera is also top notch. Everyone whom I Skype video-chatted with commented on the clarity, both audio and video. Regarding gameplay, the Kinect works just as well as the Xbox 360 version for motion-controlled games. I also love the little touches in the launch games like yelling at a psychopath in Dead Rising 3 or making faces at animals to get them to react in Zoo Tycoon.

On an added note, I can’t tell you how amazing it is to scan QR codes to activate purchases like an Xbox Live subscription or DLC. Rather than typing out those ridiculous 25-digit codes, you can simply hold up the image of the QR code to the Kinect camera in order to activate a product. It’s incredibly fast and vastly superior to the old system.

Xbox SmartGlass

Replaces Xbox SmartGas, smell-o-vision fumes that shot out from the controller.

I’m impressed with Xbox SmartGlass. It’s significantly more polished than the PlayStation 4 companion app for mobile devices, mostly due to the design and integration with the Xbox One.

Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices, the app connects to the Xbox One through your home’s Wi-Fi rather than through Xbox Live. This provides an incredibly responsive experience that’s pretty much identical to any remote control.

Within the app, users can launch games / video / apps, check out profiles / achievements and use the virtual controller for specific Xbox One functions. There’s also some interactivity with games, but similar to the PlayStation 4, it’s limited at launch.

The most interesting implementation I’ve seen so far are updates from Dead Rising as if the virtual smartphone in the game was your phone in real life. It will be interesting to see how developers include second screen support in games in the future, especially since all three new consoles support the technology.

Home Theater Functionality

Wait until you have to explain to your girlfriend / wife that the Xbox has to be turned on to watch TV. Just wait…

As a next generation set-top box, the Xbox One is both delightful and disappointing at the moment. Setting up the Xbox One to interact with your television and cable box is a breeze, assuming both are fairly popular brands. In just a few minutes, I was up and running controlling functions on my Vizio HDTV as well as my TiVo box. Opposite from the PS4, the Xbox One does support universal remotes, definitely ideal for homes where some members of the family are more comfortable with a standard remote control over a gaming controller. The Kinect can also send out remote control commands, assuming you would prefer to use your voice instead of a remote control.

The beauty of integrating television content into your gaming console is that you are essentially always available for Skype video chatting or a quick game with friends. In addition, the Snap function feels like an evolution of picture-in-picture technology. If you are watching something live on network television, it’s extremely easy to pop back into a game for a few minutes while the commercial break is playing. With the snapped window in the top right corner, you can immediately see when the programming resumes.

However, there are some downsides. If you have a DVR, like a TiVo, there’s no option for recording shows through the Xbox One Guide interface. I often find myself defaulting to the TiVo user interface over One Guide, simply because I can schedule and navigate to my recordings.

In addition, One Guide pulls channel listings from a Web database rather than the cable box. If you are a cord cutter, this means all the HD channels being pumped into your cable box or DVR from an indoor or outdoor antenna won’t show up in the One Guide. There’s also no way to directly connect a coaxial cable connection into the Xbox One, thus an external box with HDMI output is a requirement.

Regarding video streaming applications, the usual suspects are all there with the exception of HBO GO (coming next month). Each are very easy to install and, as a cool addition, you aren’t required to enter in your login information for each app (like Netflix or Hulu Plus), assuming you had it installed on your Xbox 360. All the applications work smoothly, but I should mention the new layout Netflix recently rolled out on the PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360 feels superior to the custom Xbox One version.

When it comes to DLNA support, users can stream video from Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs to the Xbox One, but it’s a one-way street that has to be initiated from the PC. However, that’s still a step up from the PS4 which doesn’t have any DLNA support. Interestingly, you can upload content to your SkyDrive account and view it on your Xbox One. However, you cannot connect a USB flash drive or portable hard drive to the Xbox One in order to access media.

After downloading the Blu-ray player application, I had no issues playing multiple discs in the Xbox One. Every disc loaded quickly and the menus were all responsive.

Exclusive Games

The zombie death toll has never been higher.

Interestingly, Microsoft has more exclusive titles out for the Xbox One than Sony does for the PlayStation 4 right now. It’s odd that Sony pitched themselves primarily as a platform for gaming and launched with such a limited lineup of exclusives. A couple of Microsoft’s exclusives seem to be fairing slightly better with the critics than PS4’s top tier titles, but there are still a handful of stinkers in the mix. Take a look at the early Metacritic averages (at the time of this post):

The Good

The Average

The Terrible

Similar to Sony’s current predicament with the PS4, Microsoft will have to rely on multi-console titles available for the Xbox 360 / PS3 for the next 6 to 9 months while developers get a better handle on the Xbox One’s capabilities. There’s also vastly more money in creating multi-console titles at this point, thus exclusives will be limited. Assuming the title doesn’t get pushed back, March 2014’s Titanfall could be the first true exclusive that will push Xbox One systems out the door. However, both Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5 are strong launch titles.

One pet peeve I have with the Xbox One games is the ridiculous amount of time it takes to install new games. On the PlayStation 4, you are up and running in a few minutes. It took me about 15 minutes to install Dead Rising 3 from the disc, an aspect of the previous generation that has stuck around on the Xbox One. While I do like background downloading of games and being able to start before the entire installation is complete, it’s significantly slower than the PS4.

Xbox Live

It’s like Twitter now, but with real people. And games. And profanity-laden messages from 13-year-old idiots.

One of the most interesting tweaks to Xbox Live on the Xbox One is the adoption of a Twitter-like follower system. Users will be able to follow an infinite amount of Xbox One owners and view their daily activity. If the person being followed decides to follow back, that relationship becomes a friendship. Microsoft has also upped the total friends list to a new cap of 1,000 friends. That’s a 10x bump from the Xbox 360’s 100-friend cap.

Similar to the PlayStation 4, Microsoft has included video recording and uploading on the Xbox One. Using a voice command on the Kinect, the Xbox One will record the last 30 seconds of video and upload that clip to the player’s SkyDrive account.

You can also use the Xbox One’s Game DVR app to record longer clips, then edit those clips within the Upload Studio. Upload Studio (a separate app) is very easy to use and allows players to add commentary, multi-angle PIP views and video effects to spice up video.

Those 720p MP4 clips can be shared with Xbox Live friends and followers as well as uploaded manually to YouTube. It’s a bit odd that Microsoft didn’t include more direct access to social sharing within the video applications, but I’d bet that’s on the roadmap for the console if that feature becomes very successful on the PlayStation 4. Identical to the previous generation, many features are locked behind Microsoft’s Xbox Live gold subscription. Look for deals on Black Friday to drive the cost of Xbox Live down to $30 to $40 for a one year subscription.

Should You Buy the Xbox One?

If you already own an Xbox 360, you already have access to the majority of 2013’s best games. Purchasing the Xbox One for multi-console games like Assassin’s Creed 4 or Need for Speed would be unwise. Any level of improvement between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of these games is nominal at best.

Going head-to-head with Sony, there’s definitely a stronger argument for purchasing an Xbox One over the PS4 this holiday season. The exclusives are more plentiful on the Xbox One at the moment. The user interface has significantly more depth and features—for instance, Xbox Snap. Kinect 2 integration is more impressive than the PS4 camera. The impact on the home theater is vastly superior on the Xbox One, mostly due to the TV integration.

That being said, Remote Play is a big deal if you own a PlayStation Vita, a feature that Microsoft currently can’t match. In addition, the PS4 is the only console that streams video on Twitch / UStream, a feature that won’t hit the Xbox One until early 2014.

If you currently don’t own a gaming console, investing in the Xbox One now over the Xbox 360 will pay off significantly down the line. Microsoft has developed an impressive platform that will only become more useful with each software update. It will definitely be interesting to see how Microsoft continues to develop the Xbox One over the next several years.

Final Rating: Success Kid

Search for Xbox One Deals on Ben’s Bargains

Xbox One Review: A Solid Start With Strong Potential

Joe Warner

With this week’s launches of “next-gen” consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4, video games are poised to take another giant leap as an entertainment medium. Just what that will look like, nobody knows, but based on the last generation of gaming, it could be incredible.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” With that criteria in mind, you might find art and video games an odd pairing. Maybe you’ve associated art with high school field trips to the museum. And video games with Pac-Man. They don’t seem to go together.

The jolly ol’ chaps across the pond at Dead End Thrills aren’t really interested in the “games as art” debate. But after visiting their site, it’s clear “video games” and “art” have found a home together. Their curated collection of gorgeous in-game screenshots will take your breath away.

Check out some of our favorite video game screenshots below. According to DET, “there is no Photoshopping beyond subtle tweaks to gamma common to online publishing.” (You can also visit their Flickr community, where new images are posted daily by various contributors.)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009): Veteran (alt version)

Flight Simulator X (2006): Civil War

EVE Online (2003-present): The Cradle

Shogun II: Total War (2011): Near the Knuckle

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011): Here Be Dragons

Alan Wake (2010): Timber

Mass Effect 3 (2012): Superstructure

Rage (2011): Land of the Dead

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2010): Up All Night

Dead Space 3 (2013): Fatal Intertia

Visit Dead End Thrills

Video Games Never Looked So Good

Joe Warner

As we said good-bye to winter and welcomed spring this week at Ben’s Bargains, Walmart* honest-to-goodness dropped the price on the Xbox One Titanfall Bundle to $450 (not a price mistake) and Amazon celebrated the 3rd birthday of its Appstore by giving away free Android apps.

*Update: Best Buy has also dropped the bundle to $450.

And the Magical Ostrich Pillow popped up on eBay for $16, dooming sleepyheads everywhere to never-ending humiliation.

Before we check out the best deals of the week, let’s review the rest of the top 10 deals that expired or sold out. Don’t forget to set up deal alerts on Ben’s Bargains so you don’t miss out on any more great savings!

Here are the current hottest deals of the week on Ben’s Bargains, organized by category (prices include shipping):

Deals of the Week (March 21): Ode to Deals

Joe Warner

Another week and yet another Xbox One price drop, or so it has seemed the last few weeks.

On the heels of last week’s $450 Xbox One / Titanfall bundle price drop, Amazon went a step further and slashed the Xbox One / Forza Motorsport 5 bundle to an amazing $399 on Monday night. It seemed like an early April Fools’ joke, but it was real. Alas, the discount only lasted till the wee hours of Tuesday, but you can still find it for $450 at Walmart, Newegg and Best Buy.

Microsoft also continued its run of positive PR by giving away Microsoft Office Mobile for iTunes and taking $100 off new laptops and desktops for Windows XP users. In the past month, Microsoft has made OneNote free, upped the free storage on OneDrive and effectively dropped the price of the Xbox One by $100.

Get your charge card ready because the following deals won’t last much longer!

Here are the current hottest deals of the week on Ben’s Bargains, organized by category (prices include shipping):

* Holdover from previous week.

Top 10 Expired or Sold Out Deals

Don’t forget to set up deal alerts on Ben’s Bargains so you don’t miss out on any more of these great savings!

Deals of the Week (March 28): Deals Rush In

Joe Warner

This week at Ben’s Bargains, we saw some great deals on tool sets, Nike Store brought back its popular 20% off clearance deal and Haagen-Dazs gave away free ice cream for a few hours. Plus, coins were big at Amazon.

After months of criticism and armchair quarterbacking, Microsoft turned around and decided to sell the Xbox One sans Kinect for $399 starting in June. This alternately made prospective buyers happy and early adopters/current owners sad. Microsoft will also remove the head-scratching Xbox Live Gold requirement on apps like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. Hey, ma, it’s just like the PS4!

Now let’s check out the rest of this week’s best deals!

Here are the current hottest deals of the week on Ben’s Bargains, organized by category (prices include shipping):

* Holdover from previous week.

Top 10 Expired or Sold Out Deals

Don’t forget to set up deal alerts on Ben’s Bargains so you don’t miss out on any more of these great savings!

Deals of the Week (May 16): Giant Monster Deals!

Trevor Ruben

Microsoft is doubling the number of free games as part of the Xbox Live Games with Gold promotion next month (April 2015), with two going free on Xbox One and four dispersed about for the Xbox 360. According to Microsoft, the reason for this has something, or nothing, to do with April Fools. In any case, gamers benefit with some pretty substantial new and old games alike.

Remember, you need to be a paying Xbox Live Gold member to benefit from the Games with Gold promotion. It’s sort of in the name. Here’s the line-up:

Games with Gold on Xbox One

As always, both Xbox One games are available for free during the entirety of April, 2015.

Pool Nation FX

Cherry Pop Games’ budget pool simulator is going free for its first month of release on the Xbox One. Eventually it will cost $13.99, but you wouldn’t guess at that number by the looks of it. It’s running onthe  Unreal Engine 4, glamorous lighting effects and lavish environments included. Expect an extreme focus on realistic physics. Think Madden instead of NFL Blitz. A number of game modes, including a unique trick shot mode (shown in the video above) and, of course, online multiplayer, should keep the budding hustlers happy for a while.

Child of Light

Ubisoft’s experimental RPG/Moving Poem hybrid has been dancing from one console to the next for a while now. It’s freedom from the tyranny of dollar signs comes almost a year after release on the Xbox One, and still it stands alone in its visuals and thematic ambitions. It’s not a long experience by any means, but it goes for the emotional gut-punch most games can’t even see around the bullet-riddled corner. Whether it accomplishes its goals is another question entirely. Still, the turn-based RPG elements are a definite hoot.

Games with Gold on Xbox 360

The following will be free from April 1-15, 2015.

Gears of War: Judgement

The fourth installment in the Xbox 360’s juggernaut Gears of War franchise didn’t quite live up to all the numbered releases. Developed by a new team at People Can Fly, Judgement made some mildly ambitious changes in both the (Baird-focused) campaign and multiplayer, though the relative shortage of content could never match up to the ludicrous amount of stuff to do in Gears of War 3. Luckily, that doesn’t really matter when you aren’t paying for it. At the very least, you’ll get to experience a miraculous one-month burst in the online community population. The sixteen people that only ever see each other in the lobbies are sure to be rejoicing at this very moment.

Terraria

Think of it as a side-scrolling Minecraft. That’s what I do since I actually have no idea what or why this game is. You should probably just watch the video, especially if you’re interested in wandering around and collecting resources with only an ambiguous sense of purpose.

The next two games are free from April 16-30, 2015.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Expanding on the very popular ship-driving element to the colonial-era Assassin’s Creed III, the pirate-themed Black Flag ended up a far more polished and entertaining game. And, as the final Assassin’s Creed game gracing the previous generation of consoles, anybody still jamming on his or her Xbox 360 should jump at the opportunity. Ubisoft finally dropped the overly-serious tone of the earlier games in favor of some pure escapism. Never any less than confounding, they backtracked in a bad way a year later with Assassin’s Creed Unity. Black Flag may end up being the last great game in the series.

Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel

Frankly, Army of Two is a franchise that could only ever want to be really good. It only ever brushed up against cooperative greatness; the mechanics were just never quite there. That said, if you have a friend you can play anything with, Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel might just be worth your time, and that “might” includes the fact that it’s free. Cool name though.

Games with Gold: All the Free Xbox Games for April 2015

Trevor Ruben

April gave us quite the bundle of free goodies from the Games with Gold freebie promotion, scaling considerably from the tidbit titles to the massive, AAA stuff. Reality settles back in for Games with Gold May 2015, though, with only three newly free games across both consoles and one holdover from this month, according to Xbox Wire. Here they are, for better or worse:

Xbox One

As always, both titles will be free for the duration of Games with Gold May.

Castlestorm: Definitive Edition

The tower defense genre bloomed ever so loudly in the app stores, but lately such titles have been scarce on consoles. That’s just about the best reason why Castlestorm matters, delivering the kind of immediately addictive, but ultimately shallow, gameplay so intuitive to the genre. It’s bombastic fun, and definitely worthy as a free download.

Poolnation FX

Here’s the holdover. It’s a very fancy pool simulator, trick shots and online play included. Check out last month’s article for more details. Or, you know, just go download it. This thing might just be free forever.

Xbox 360

Mafia II

(free from May 1- 15)

This is your low-rent GTA clone of the past generation, taking players to the Godfather crime era and letting them loose in a narrative-driven open-world. There’s nothing particularly special about this game, but it does what it does well enough to keep fans of the genre entertained in the run-time.

F1 2013

(free from May 16-31)

The simulation masters at Codemasters deliver an acceptable F1 experience with F1 2013, neither bending the very fabric of our simulation expectations nor faltering in the delivery of a satisfying challenge. As such, this one should hit the radar of car and race enthusiasts. At the very least, it’s a quality sim title that isn’t Forza or Gran Turismo.

Microsoft Scales Back with Games with Gold May Offering

Trevor Ruben

Right now, it makes absolutely no sense to purchase a new Xbox One without also getting a game on the side. It’s Microsoft’s plan to catch the console up with Sony’s PS4, and every month or so it works. So I guess we should thank Sony for this latest update to the Xbox One bundles.

That’s the same white Xbox One Microsoft bundled with Sunset Overdrive when that game came out. Now, once it hits retailers at the end of this month, it’s bundled with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, another product in desperate need of marketing shenanigans. There’s always an incentive to bolster the online population of a game that failed to function over the internet months into its release. The game and the console together, which doesn’t ship with the Kinect camera, will cost $350, similarly to past bundles and equal to the standard console also without a Kinect.

The news comes directly from Xbox Wire, the least biased news delivery service on the internet. Microsoft didn’t put out any strict release date on the bundle. They did make sure to mention the fact that it’s going to be an extremely limited release, just one shipment and then the glory is over. Until another game needs a boost. Or maybe when Microsoft just wants to get our attention again. Hell,  let’s just assume they’ll emerge a green console bundled with Halo 5.

As pretty and life-affirming as that white Xbox One looks, there are actually a number of swell Xbox One deals featured through Ben’ Bargains, including those of the Master Chief and Assassin’s Creed variety.

Xbox on Ben’s

Unfortunately you won’t find a white Xbox One bundle through that link until, perhaps, later this month. You should keep checking back as often as humanly possible. You never know.

The White Xbox One Reemerges as a Halo Bundle

Trevor Ruben

There may have been experimentation in the last generation, but now we can say that free has finally come to consoles. Arguably, Microsoft has embraced the strategy in a way that Sony still seems afraid to. The result is a collection of free-to-play games on the Xbox One Store that aren’t completely barebones.

The simple advantage of the free-to-play model is the non-existent barrier to entry for curious gamers. There is another commodity you’ll be spending – your time. So, in the interest of not spending your youth on thankless experience grinding and so-so DLC plans, you should be asking: where to start? That’s so crazy, because I wrote this whole thing to answer that very question.

Search Xbox on Ben’s

AirMech Arena

Did you ever wonder it would be like if you mixed Starcraft with League of Legends? No? What about Transformers with Command & Conquer? No to that to? What if you didn’t predicate all of your joy on your predisposed comfort with a given piece of entertainment? Yes? Okay well here’s AirMech Arena, whether you want it or not.

Now that you understand everything about the game after looking at that screenshot, you should just go download it.

The tutorials, of which there are an alarming amount, do a much better job of explaining things, but here it goes: You control an Airmech unit (surprise) and work to overtake bases over the distance of the playing field, making your way from your base to the enemy’s. But you don’t do it on your own. In addition to one or two more teammates, it’s your ability to create and direct an army of diverse minion-like units that sets the whole game apart. Or, it’s the combination of that and the MOBA-like base crawl and character upgrading that sets it apart.

Frankly, since the game’s launch on PC way back when the developers have been tweaking and balancing all along the way, and they haven’t quite reached a place where the army of units feels acceptably balanced. Still, it’s an engaging and, more importantly, unique experience, especially with cooperative friends and decent competition in PvP. The slow process of unlocking and purchasing new units, through in-game or real cash, is surprisingly satisfying.

Killer Instinct

It’s rare that a reboot truly outdoes its predecessor. What’s more baffling is how Killer Instinct came to triumph in the new world and not falter in a futile desire to recreate the old. That’s my fancy way of saying that the game takes great advantage of its time, from a business standpoint and a development one, all without making you want to rip the cords out of your wall in frustration at the monetization.

At quick glance Killer Instinct looks nothing more than a Street Fighter clone. Once it’s under your thumb, though, you’ll realize the game is a much more visceral treat, visually and mechanically. Not to mention – and maybe this does have something to do with the reboot nature of the release – a sweet throwback narrator that calls out all your delicious combos.

The best part about Killer Instinct is it isn’t going to die anytime soon. Instead of putting out a new version year-over-year, the base game is being supported by multiple seasons of roster updates, meaning all that investment and time put into it won’t go wasted on an obligatory Killer Instinct 2. Instead, Killer Instinct: Season 2 just ups the ante on the original game. It also affords the developers a viable long-term business plan that doesn’t involve building an entirely new game every year. So many kinds of games would benefit from such an outlook. Sadly, very few do (I’m looking at you, Madden).

Project Spark

I can’t say that I personally enjoy this game, but I also can’t say I enjoy Minecraft, Disney Infinity or LittleBigPlanet, so clearly I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. Create-a-thons the likes of these games might have been called a niche genre had they not exploded into popularity. The fact that Project Spark survived this long the face of such competition means it’s got something to say for itself. Also, there’s Conker.

While the aforementioned titles are used as equally for creating game experiences as they are for creating pretty objects, Project Spark was created under the explicit ideal of creating little games inside this big one. It’s still growing and it suffers from s severe case of complexification. But it’s a fertile farm arming burgeoning creators with a waterfall of tools. Also, there’s Conker.

Happily, the free part of this game comes with access to a lot of the games created by other players, so you won’t need a builder’s spirit to have fun. Unfortunately, if Bob did inspire you as a child, the creation tools come at a price. It’s a strange way to make a book, and so far unproven. But, like I said, the game still exists for a reason.

Also…

Conker.

Pinball FX 2

Pinball simulation might not be the most exciting template for a game, but you won’t remember that when you’re actually playing Pinball FX 2, which offers up one free pinball table and an ever enlarging collection of Marvel, Star Wars and other themed tables.

What sets Pinball FX 2 apart from all those other simulators is its stringent reliance on realism bolstered by surprisingly creative table design. It’s almost like the 1980s aren’t over and your life hasn’t devolved into an ongoing trip of depressive nostalgia.

The point is, these guys would have been making great tables back in the day. Instead, they’re doing the digital thing and reaching a much wider audience because of it.

Future Potential: Smite

Smite is our representative of the ultra-competitive MOBA category, a rival to League of Legends and DOTA 2 that’s doing something neither of those two games dare to do: try for consoles. It’s already on Xbox One, sort-of. The closed beta is accessible through a sign-up on their website (with only a chance at being invited), or through purchasing a pricey Founders Pack ($30) that will net you each of the 60+ playable Gods. For this reason, it belongs on the potential part of this list for now.

Though it doesn’t do too much differently from those other games – from a layman’s perspective, at least – the camera dropped into a third-person perspective lends itself well to the Xbox One controller. Testimony to such is the fact that the Xbox 360 controller is used prolifically by players of the PC version. Also in the game’s favor are the playable heroes themselves, which aren’t so much random video game archetypes as they are literal Gods ripped from the more colorful mythologies of past civilizations. In other words, you get to pit Zeus against Thor and Ra against Cupid.

It’ll be a while until Jesus joins the ranks, though.

Future Potential: Gigantic

Microsoft scooped this game up as it was being developed. Now it’s touted as a Windows 10 and Xbox One exclusive, featuring cross-platform play and a whole host of other features only a partnership with Microsoft will net you. Here’s a quick preview:

As with many MOBA-inspired games, the objective here is, alongside four teammates, to topple the base at the other end of the playing field. It just so happens that base is a gigantic creature that acts more like a boss fight than a pile of bricks. Hopefully this one turns out as whimsical as it looks.

Free Stuff: The Best Free Xbox One Games

Trevor Ruben

Microsoft’s free Games with Gold June lineup is, frankly, anemic at best. It doesn’t quite match up to the enormously crowd-pleasing/promotional goldmine that is Playstation Plus free games next month. Oh well. This is where we say “free is still free” and somberly gaze across the street at the happy families and their ice cream cones.

Okay, it’s not that bad. Save for a repeat, the other three titles are worth your time. Probably. Maybe. Here’s the list, courtesy of Major Nelson.

Xbox One

(both Xbox One titles are free for the entirety of June 2015)

Massive Chalice

Have no idea what this is? I didn’t either until a day ago. It’s a turn-based, squad-commanding game from Double Fine (Psychonauts, Broken Age), representing an eerie parallelism between Microsoft’s and Sony’s offerings this month. The latter is putting out Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition. Massive Chalice is launching for the Xbox One on June 1, which should make downloading it for free on that day all that much sweeter.

Consider it an XCOM: Enemy Unknown-lite, swapping between the macro and micro strategies of managing your units. The most compelling feature – you can mate your units and create new fighters generated from their “genetic code.” With permadeath on thsoe units a prevailing feature as well, you’re bound to encounter some tragedy along the way.

Pool Nation FX

Somebody at Microsoft really, really likes billiards. Or really, really hates billiards. Either way, Pool Nation FX, now in its third month as a free Games with Gold offering, goes for realism in billiard simulation. I think we can officially put it down as a running joke, too. Nevertheless, it’s a decent pool simulator for all those people without a table in their basements.

Fair warning to Microsoft: next month the adjectives won’t be so kind.

Xbox 360

Just Cause 2 (available free from June 1 to June 15)

If Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is Sony’s promotion monster leading up to E3, Just Cause 2 is most certainly Microsoft’s. Avalanche Studios has two massive games on the horizon, both based around a familier open-world, destruction-happy framework, both with an IP to live up to. The obvious one is Just Cause 3, with the other Mad Max. Putting out Just Cause 2 for free is a smart move for the developer. It’s a great, pure escapism kind game.

Just Cause 2 is an open world game that wasn’t made by Ubisoft, which automatically makes it unique. But it’s better than that. You can blow up most buildings, grapple hook and parachute your way anywhere and generally wreak havoc in a tropical paradise that isn’t populated by privileged white people (that was a jab at Ubisoft’s Far Cry). So we don’t lose sight of what’s really important, here’s a trailer for Just Cause 3, just ’cause (I’m going to make that joke until I die).

Thief (available free from June 16 to June 30)

Thief was a disappointment. That’s a fact. Maybe it will feel like less of a disappointment when its free.

This long-gestating reboot for the first-person stealth franchise (which was a revolution at the time of the original’s release) suffered from the dichotomy of high expectations and little room to maneuver. It needed to be a good Thief game, but the only good Thief games could have ever existed when the original came out. Now the concepts are outdated, but the new team couldn’t afford to alienate the expectations of the built-in day-one purchasers.

In other words, a bummer of a position for any designer, and an unfortunate misstep. To leave things on a brighter note, here’s why you should just play Just Cause 2 instead.

Games with Gold June Lineup: Just ‘Cause We Can

Trevor Ruben

Microsoft had its first major console victory with the Xbox 360. The original Xbox was successful enough to justify a second generation, yes, but it wasn’t until that second generation when Microsoft touched the top of the mountain. And then the Xbox One came along. And then the company knew what it was like to be Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin just trying to get home again.

Backwards compatibility might just turn out to be the magical helicopter braving the winds of Microsoft’s current hurricane. At E3 2015, an event which many perceived as a “victory” for Sony (even though, really, it’s a victory for anyone with a booth), the announcement that a native Xbox 360 emulator would hit the Xbox One by the end of the year was, by far, the most competitive one. Sony has past games available to its PS4 via the paid PS Now streaming service, a drab comparison to the free, downloaded-to-console strategy Microsoft opted for. The payoff is almost immediate.

We’re talking about a couple things that have already been confirmed and the way they’re being used: Fallout 3 and the entire Gears of War franchise. Both are beloved, both are coming to the Xbox One through backwards compatibility, and both are going to be a free download for people that buy new Xbox One games: Fallout 4 on Nov. 10 and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on Aug. 25 (you need to pre-order Fallout 4 for Fallout 3 and play Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before the end of 2015 to get the four Gears of War games). Microsoft just announced the latter, but it’s the former that’s really interesting. Sony doesn’t have anything like that for Fallout 4 on PS4 – which is something Microsoft hasn’t really been able to say about itself for a while. Sony doesn’t have that.

Now out of Gamescom 2015 is the reveal that Games with Gold freebies on the Xbox 360, starting soon, will all be available as backwards compatible titles on the Xbox One, effectively doubling the rewards for those with only the newer console. I’m eating my shoe, from a minor rant I put up just recently about how Games with Gold seems more exploitative than Sony’s PS Plus free games. Instead, when just a couple days ago Sony had the advantageous position of offering cross-play (copies of a game on any console its on between the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita) on any freely offered title in its program, today, Microsoft’s strategy is the clearly superior, consumer-friendly option. Microsoft’s doesn’t need cross-play. They’ve made it redundant with backwards compatibility.

Also from Gamescom comes the announcement that Just Cause 3 will grant buyers a code for a backwards compatible Just Cause 2, turning that kind of perk from a novelty into a verified trend.

In fairness, backwards compatibility isn’t seeing an official release until the holiday season. Right now, only Preview Program members on the Xbox One have access to the 20 or so games currently on the program. That sounds pretty weak, but we aren’t talking about potential greatness right now. Microsoft is promising over 100 titles by the time Xbox One backwards compatibility is a reality for every owner of the console.

The Value of Games Already Done

For a moment, let’s look at last year’s Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The primary appeal of that game is the visually remastered Halo 2, while the rest of it (Halo 1: Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4) were, for the most part, exactly the same games as before, multiplayer included. Well, they were exactly the same excepting the fact that the online multiplayer was completely broken for months following the release of the collection. The Halo brand wasn’t irrevocably damaged, but Microsoft’s bottom line in that quarter took a hit. Developer 343 Studios likely relieved in the fact that this wasn’t the studio’s first entry in the Halo franchise; that being the case it might have been its last. It was ugly.

In 2015 we have the Gears of War collection, with one of the four titles visually remastered and all four originals included; only its not a collection, it’s just a really, really good deal on five different pieces of software, the majority of which will require little to no quality assurance because they’ve already existed in the public for many years. That’s the real trick of Xbox One backwards compatibility. The strategy that enables this: Microsoft put a rudimentary Xbox 360 inside the Xbox One, much like Nintendo did for Wii games inside the Wii U, tearing away all barriers to access but simple permission from the publisher of any given title. Naturally, Microsoft has said they intend to put all of its first-party Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One this way.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, which hits on Aug. 25, will only cost $40. The amount of work required to make this deal a reality, compared to the pre and post-launch efforts for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, is staggeringly trite, a win/win for Xbox One owners and Microsoft itself. I played Gears of War on the Xbox One (via Preview Program access to early backwards compatibility), and everything about it works perfectly fine, including online multiplayer.

On the flip side, the PS4’s Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection will ship at $60 and, to avoid the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, will only include single-player campaigns of the three titles in the franchise. It costs as much as it does because the development process required to put them all together justifies it. The Gears of War games, as mentioned, don’t need that process. None of the backwards compatible games do. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection even includes access to the beta for Uncharted 4, just like Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will for Gears 4. The parallels are obvious – both collections as marketing tools – but the superiority and ease of Microsoft’s approach is undeniable.

The Reality of Xbox One Backwards Compatibility

To be clear, I’m not actively rooting for Microsoft and the Xbox One. What’s happening this year is what’s happened in the multiple previous for the PS4 and Sony – a conjoining of intelligent marketing, consumer value and a borderline antagonistic competitive spirit that’s turning the tide of public perception. Turns out Microsoft’s ace in the hole is still the Xbox 360, ten years later.

But in a year or two from now, just as Microsoft reacted to Sony’s PS Plus free games, Sony will react right back to Microsoft’s backward’s compatibility. The only question is this – how much ground can Microsoft and the Xbox One make up in the meantime? This is what they have:

• More Games with Gold freebies for Xbox One owners.
• Better deals on choice multi-platform games – Fallout 4 and Just Cause 3 are infinitely more attractive with access to an entire previous game that’s a known (and very well-received) quantity.
• Renewed enticement to get Xbox 360 owners to make the jump to the Xbox One.
• The ability to market new sequels with old games – Gears 4 is just the start.

And then there’s this one final detail: Xbox One backwards compatibility is, whether it deserves it or not, exciting to the consumer. That in itself is an advantage for the console, and one that Microsoft will milk as much as it can as fast as it can. Every game added to the list (IGN has a good running one going) will pique the interest of those that own it and those that always wanted to play it. Every deal included with a new game will glare in Sony’s eyes. In an industry so rampantly fueled by antagonistic competition, putting the Xbox One in a position to regularly embarrass the PS4 is, perhaps sadly, a fast-track towards popular victory.

The Future of the Xbox One Might Be the Xbox 360

Trevor Ruben

Major Nelson claims that the Games with Gold October 2015 free-for-all contains four games. I have decided that he is wrong, that he has clearly lost his mind. There are just three games, Major. Three. And this is the third Xbox, for that matter, not number One, Major. Are you okay? We love you. You’ll be okay.

Xbox One Free Games

Valiant Hearts: The Great War (free from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31)

Voted “best trailer” of 2014 by me, Ubisoft’s second experimental, faux-indie game (following Child of Light) was far more interesting from a narrative standpoint, but essentially thrived and died on some pretty basic 2D puzzling gameplay. Simply put, divergent folks attempt to survive the first World War with varying success.

The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (free from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15)

And speaking of interesting narratives, Telltale Games’ first season of The Walking Dead was nothing short of groundbreaking for the studio and storytelling in games on the whole. All those random spin-off games (Game of Thrones, Borderlands, Minecraft) coming out of Telltale wouldn’t exist if not for Clementine and Lee’s five episode tearjerker. So play it, even if you don’t want to. You might as well know why.

Xbox 360 Free Games

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (free from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15)

This prequel went free for the Xbox One already, so why not, in the month after the real Metal Gear Solid V’s official release, do it for the Xbox 360? Yes, it’s essentially an advertisement, but it’s a fun, two-hour long advertisement. With Konami drifting away from AAA development and famed Metal Gear director Hideo Kojima completely out of the company now, these two titles might just be the last of Snake’s full-fledged adventures. But probably not.

The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (free from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31)

Major Nelson thinks this game isn’t the same as the one listed above. Sure, he’s technically right. But he’s wrong.

Xbox Live’s Free Games with Gold October 2015

Mike Flacy

As of this morning, the first major Black Friday ad dropped for the holiday shopping season. The Dell Black Friday 2015 ad is mainly focused on two core categories, laptops and desktops. However, there’s also fantastic deals in the home theater and gaming space as well.

Check out our top 5 picks below!

1. Vizio 60″ 4K Ultra HDTV ($799.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $1,100, a $300 savings.  This set has received high praise from reviewers in regards to picture quality versus price point. Some people are even using it as a giant computer monitor due to the 4K resolution.

2. Dell Inspiron Micro Desktop PC ($99.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $150, a $50 savings. While it’s not listed in the ad, the micro desktop PC likely comes with a Dell KB216 keyboard and MS116 optical mouse.

3. Xbox One 500GB Gears of War + Bonus Controller + Fallout 4 ($299.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $350, a $50 savings. It also comes with an arguably more popular game than previously advertised bundles, Fallout 4 instead of Rare Replay.

4. Dell Inspiron 14″ Laptop ($149.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $180, a $30 savings. While this laptop doesn’t include a touchscreen interface, it does come with Windows 10 and a bright, high definition display.

5. Bose SoundTrue In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic ($49.99)

This Black Friday price beats a historical low of $80, a $30 savings. This model receives high praise from Amazon reviewers, receiving a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on the retail site.

Top 5 Deals: Dell 2015 Black Friday Ad

Mike Flacy

While Sony and Microsoft continue to battle in the retail space, that competition has created plenty of options that will delight gamers this year. This guide will dive into video game hardware as well as some accessories to enhance those gaming systems.

Buy This Gift for Someone into Halo, First-Person Shooters

Taking advantage of the first new Halo game in years, Microsoft has released a custom Halo design of the Xbox One with a 1TB storage drive as well as a downloadable version of Halo 5: Guardians. However, there are also a couple other special editions; a Fallout 4 1TB bundle for $400, a Forza 6 1TB bundle for $400 and a Gears of War 500GB bundle for $350.

• MSRP: $499  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $450

Check Ben’s for Xbox One Deals

Buy This Gift for Someone into Uncharted, Adventure Games

Allowing gamers to revisit all previous Uncharted games before Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End released during March 2016, The PS4 Uncharted 500GB bundle includes digital versions of all three Uncharted games. Of course, there are other options this year as well; a 1TB Call of Duty bundle for $429 and a 500GB Star Wars: Battlefront bundle for $399.

• MSRP: $349  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $310

Check Ben’s for PS4 Deals

Buy This Gift for Someone into Mario, Platformers

Ideal for anyone that grew up with the old school Nintendo consoles, the Super Mario Maker Deluxe Set Wii U bundle offers up the 32GB Wii U console with a game that lets players build their own Mario levels. Other options this year include the Splatoon bundle, Mario Kart 8 bundle and the Super Mario 3D World bundle; all priced at $299.

• MSRP: $299  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Ben’s for Wii U Deals

Buy This Gift for Someone Who’s Brand New To Video Games

At this point, you really can’t go wrong with either the Xbox 360 or PS3 as a starter system for someone new to video games. Both will hit record-low prices during Black Friday—look for $150 bundles with the 500GB console and 2 popular titles—and both have an enormous library of catalog titles that are becoming cheaper by the day as the new consoles start taking over.

Both are easier to pick up than PC gaming and both have a few years of life left for new game releases. Both are the perfect blend of affordability, functionality and overall value, especially when compared to the new consoles.

MSRP: $199 to $299  | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $200 for 250GB bundles

Check Ben’s for Xbox 360 Deals Check Ben’s for PS3 Deals

Buy This Gift for Someone Who’s New To PC Gaming

Assuming your gift recipient recently received a PC capable of playing new games, the absolutely best gift you can give is a Steam Gift Card or Wallet Code of the $20, $50 or $100 variety. The Steam Holiday sale typically starts around December 20th and runs for about two weeks.

During this time, someone with a $50 Steam credit can stretch that into 5 to 15 games depending on the release date of each game. Some of the gaming packs provide even more value with 15 to 30 games rolled into one amazing deal. Make sure to read our Steam Sale guide for more tips on taking advantage of these deals.

MSRP: $20 to $100 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Best Buy for Steam Gift Card

Buy This Gift for a Gamer Who Travels all the Time

Ideal for service personal on deployment or anyone who jets around the country, the GAEMS Vanguard Personal Gaming Environment bundles a 720p 19-inch LED display with your Obox One, PS4, Xbox 360 or PS3. This allows the user to take their gaming system every place they go rather than having to rely on unknown options when they arrive somewhere.

It’s also TSA-friendly, thus you can plug it up at the airport to pass the time while waiting on a flight. In addition, the dual-headphone jacks mean a friend can join in on the fun without disturbing the people around you. There’s also a more expensive 19-inch, 1080i screen option, as well.

MSRP: $349 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $270

Check Price on Amazon

Buy This Gift for Someone Who Can Name All the Pokémon

Definitely targeted at a young audience, the Nintendo 2DS is a durable gaming system that’s designed to introduce Mario and other characters to a new generation of gamers. It removes the 3D effect on the 3DS and becomes much safer for children to play for extended periods of time.

Combine that with Pokémon X/Y and you will have a happy kid buried in their 2DS for hours upon hours upon hours. Did we mention Pokémon is addictive?

MSRP: $129 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $65

Check Ben’s for Nintendo 2DS Deals

Buy This Gift for Someone Who Loves Online Gaming on Consoles

While single player games are great, the enemies littering the levels of Battlefield 4 multiplayer aren’t going to just kill themselves. Someone has to do the dirty work! If your gift recipient has an Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One or PS4, don’t hesitate to pick up a 1-year subscription card to Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus.

While you don’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription for multiplayer on the PS3 (you do on the PS4), benefits like free games each month and exclusive discounts on the Sony store are awesome. The time from these cards also stack, thus your gift recipient can extend their subscription multiple years if needed.

MSRP: $50 to $60 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $40 for 1-year PS Plus, $20 for 1-year Xbox Live

Check Ben’s for PlayStation Plus Deals Check Ben’s for Xbox Live Deals

Buy This Gift for a Family Who Values Their Sanity

Listening to Junior play his umpteenth round of Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer, or any video game for that matter, on his Xbox One or PS4 will inevitably become annoying. To silence the noise, pick up the Kingston HyperX Cloud gaming headset. Compatible with PC, PS4 and the Xbox One, this highly praised headset is excellent for anyone that broadcasts on Twitch or YouTube.

MSRP: $99 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Price on Amazon

2015 Gift Guide: Video Game Hardware & Accessories

Mike Flacy

Looking for an awesome gift that will make a Fallout fanatic grin ear to ear? In honor of Fallout 4, we’ve collected a smattering of fantastic Fallout-related items sure to win you positive karma with a Fallout-obsessed player. Check out the full list below:

Fallout Bobbleheads 5″ and 7″ Sizes

If you haven’t taken the G.O.A.T. yet, we doubt you have the insider knowledge to know why these bobbleheads are so cool. In Fallout 3, the player was able to collect little Fallout bobbleheads in the game. When that happens, players receive a boost to a base stat or a particular skill. Returning in Fallout 4, bobbleheads will be one of the things that gamers spend hours, perhaps days, searching the ruins of Boston to find.

Anyway, Bethesda has created physical versions of the bobbleheads, available on November 13. There’s seven different 5-inch versions and five different 7-inch versions. The 5-inch versions ($15 each) are related to perception, energy weapons, strength, lockpicking,  endurance, melee weapons and the repair skill. The 7-inch versions ($20 each) are related to intelligence, endurance, strength, perception and the classic “arms crossed” pose.

See Bobbleheads on Bethesda Store

Fallout 4 Print: (A Long Road Ahead)

Starting at $20 for a print, this beautiful Fallout 4 poster is available in both 13 by 19 and 8.5 by 11. The poster depicts the survivor from Vault 111 as well as his trusty dog and the Mister Handy robot. Outside of the Fallout universe, you can find similar prints of characters in the Star Wars universe.

See Fallout 4 Poster on Etsy

Nuka-Cola Bottle Caps

Used as currency after the devastation of nuclear fallout, bottle caps were popular in both Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. While you can use an Instructable DIY project to make your own, there’s also plenty of people selling the caps on design DIY sites like Etsy. Here’s one such seller, offering up five caps as well as a nifty custom inked pouch to carry around those precious caps! Price: $5

See Nuka-Cola Caps on Etsy

Tranquility Lane Vault Boy Watch

Likely borrowing the concept from that popular watch featuring a Disney cartoon mouse, this watch features an adorable Vault Boy pointing out the hour with his short hand and the minutes with his long hand.  The watch is 43mm gold ion plated with a blue leather band and a scratch resistant lens. It’s water resistant up to 30 meters as well. MSRP: $60

See Watch on Bethesda Store

The Art of Fallout 4

Currently being developed by Dark Horse Comics, this 368-page hardcover book will include full color images from everything related to the world of Fallout 4. Some of the extras for true Fallout fans include concept art for weapons, characters and the game environment as well as “never-seen-before” designs related to the game’s long development. It will be released on December 22, 2015. MSPR: $49.99 (There’s also a special edition for $85.)

Check Price on Amazon

Fallout Monopoly

Featuring property from four different Fallout games, Fallout Monopoly follows the basic rules of monopoly. However, the game also includes currency in the form of caps and tokens which include a 10mm Pistol, a MiniNuke, a Nuka-Cola Bottle, a Power Armor Helmet, a Vault Boy, and the Vault 111 door. Unfrotuantely, it may be tough to get the game at the moment as Gamestop sold out quickly. Look for sales of the game on eBay or on the Bethesda Store. MSRP: $40

Check for Game on GameStop

Fallout 4 Xbox One Wired Controller

Usable on both the Xbox One as well as the PC, the Fallout 4 Xbox One controller features the classic blue & yellow design as well as a smiling vault boy giving you the thumbs up for ditching work to play a marathon session of Fallout 4. The controller includes vibration feedback as well as a detachable 10 foot USB cable. (MSRP: $60)

See Controller on Bethesda Store

Pip Boy 3D Printed Kit

Ideal for use with Bethesda’s iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps that work with the game, anyone that’s crazy serious about getting into the head of a vault dweller can snag a 3D-printed version of the Pip-Boy worn by the game’s main character. Assuming your phone fits, you will be able to check tons of stats related to your ongoing game as well as play mini-games. This would be ideal is you can’t find the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition in stores. Price: $90

Check for Pip Boy Models on Etsy

Fallout 4 Nuka-Cola Quantum Soda

Rolling out Target stores on November 10, Jones Soda repacked their neon blue berry lemonade flavor as Nuka-Cola Quantum. In the Fallout universe, Nuka-Cola Quantum was a radioactive drink that offered a boost to your Action Points at the expense of additional radiation poisoning. Jones Soda hasn’t specifically announced a price for a 6-pack of Nuka-Cola Quantum, but it will likely be at a premium compared to their regular soda flavors.

Check Price on Target

Fallout 4 Ultimate Vault Dweller’s Survival Guide Bundle

While there’s definitely a less expensive version of this book for $23, this premium version is bound in a special edition hardcover and includes the protective slip case. It also includes multiple nuka-cola collectibles; a Nuka Cola metal bottle opener, five magnetic bottle caps, and a Nuka Cola embroidered patch. If that wasn’t enough, the set includes seven lithographs and a poster-size world map as well. It’s the ultimate fan set for anyone that needs help in Fallout 4. (MSRP: $130)

Check Price on Amazon

“I Speed Up for Deathclaws” Car Decal

Available in eight different colors, this decal will let all the motorists know you aren’t taking any crap from terrifying Deathclaws that happen to be roaming around the suburbs. It will also keep anyone that doesn’t understand what a Deathclaw is far away from your car. It’s a win-win scenario. (Price: $4)

Check Price on Etsy

Fallout 4 Pop Vinyl Figures

Available in six different figures related to Fallout 4, these $10 Pop Vinyl figures are less expensive than the bobbleheads as well as more varied. Characters included in the set are the female & male Lone Wanderer, Brotherhood of Steel soldier, Deathclaw, Super Mutant and Feral Ghoul. There’s also a seventh Vault Boy character as well.

Check Pop Vinyl Set on ThinkGeek

Fallout-Inspired Bottlecap Mine

Nailing the design of the lunchbox bottlecap mine from previous Fallout games, this replica is the perfect collectible to sit next to your Mini-Nuke from the PC anthology collection or perhaps your replica pip-boy. Other cool items from the same designer include Jet inhalers and Nuka grenades! Price: $55.

Check Price on Etsy

Honorable Mention: Fallout 3 Vinyl Soundtrack

While not technically related to Fallout 4, this awesome vinyl box set is a would bring tears to the eyes of Three Dog. Featuring the amazing music of Fallout 3,  the records include 29 different tracks featuring the score of the original game. Ships during early November 2015. MSRP: $85

See Records on Bethesda Store

Honorable Mention 2: Fallout Anthology

Shipped in a super-cool Fallout-inspired mini-nuke with an audible bomb sound feature, the Fallout Anthology is a fantastic refresher course for anyone that wants to get all caught up on narrative prior to the release of Fallout 4. The nuke includes the original Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. (MSRP: $50)

Check Price on Amazon

Get Fallout 4 on Amazon!

Fallout 4 Collectibles that Will Make any Vault Dweller Smile

Mike Flacy

Rolling out a broad range of electronics deals per usual, Best Buy’s Black Friday 2015 ad isn’t as strong as previous years. However, we may see additional deals when the paper version of the Black Friday ad drops. In any case, we have looked through the entire 37-page scan to bring you the best of Best Buy’s Black Friday deals. Check out our top 10 below:

1. 49″ Toshiba 1080p LED HDTV ($150)

Definitely a fantastic price for a name-brand television, this 49″ Toshiba HDTV (49L310U)normally sells for $429. Prior to this point, the lowest price on the 1080p television was $350 based on our deal history. While it will likely be tough to snag this model without camping out in front of a local Best Buy store, it’s great to see a name brand television at this price rather than off-brand models.

2. Dell Inspiron 5000 Core i3 15.6″ Touchscreen Laptop ($300)

Beating a historical low of $375 for this model at Dell, this model actually comes with an additional 4GB of RAM (8GB total) and a 1TB hard drive. Definitely a solid model for teens or college students that need a start Windows 10 laptop.

3. Bose SoundTrue On-Ear Headphones ($60)

To date, the best price we have seen on these Bose headphones was $80 during an Amazon sale limited only to Prime members during July. Chopping 60 percent off the original MSRP, this is an excellent price for a set of well-reviewed Bose headphones.

4. Acer Chromebook Dual-Core 16GB 11.6″ Laptop ($99)

According to our data, the lowest price this Chromebook has dropped to in the last six months was $130. This is an ideal computer for kids that are just starting to get online, specifically due to Google’s supervised users software.

5. Samsung 40″ 1080p LED HDTV + Xbox One: The LEGO Movie Bundle ($499)

Definitely a solid bundle deal for anyone that’s looking for both a television and a Xbox One, getting both of these products for $250 each is a bargain. Of course, this bundle is limited to stores only, thus you should get in line in order to snag your bundle.

6. Logitech Ultimate Ears BOOM Bluetooth Speaker ($100)

Beating a historical low of $118 (offered by Amazon earlier this month), this is a killer price on a speaker that rarely falls below $125 when on sale. In addition to these colors, look for more models on the Best Buy site on Thanksgiving.

7. Microsoft Surface 3 64GB Windows 10.8″ Tablet ($400)

Matching a previous price low of $400 from Quill, this is another product that rarely goes on sale. If you are in the market for a Surface computer, this is an excellent deal; likely not to reappear for months.

8. LG 49″ 120Hz 4K Ultra HD Smart LED HDTV ($500)

Beating a historical low of $520 on eBay during October 2015, this a fantastic deal for anyone that wants to take the leap into 4K content without spending a ton on those additional HDTV inches. It’s unlikely this price will drop this low until the model is discontinued shortly after CES.

9. Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE 5″ No-Contract Smartphone ($30)

Beating a historical low of $60 at Best Buy last month, this is a killer deal on a no-contract Window 10 Phone (assuming you have service through AT&T).

10. Xbox One 1TB Console Tomb Raider Bundle + Extra Controller ($350)

While the price point on this bundle is pretty standard compared to other stores on Black Friday, the fact that it includes an additional $50 wireless controller is pretty fantastic for anyone purchasing a Xbox One for a 2-player household. That’s a $100 savings when factoring the sale price and the controller value.

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on HDTVs, laptops & gaming systems

Thomas Spurlin

At the end of 2015, to the delight of many gamers, Microsoft began to roll out the backwards compatibility feature for the Xbox One. After starting off with a batch of titles through its beta program, they’ve gradually added to that number over the months following the public release. Now, Microsoft has started to highlight its potential with their Games With Gold program, which increases their subscribers’ monthly freebies with select 360 games that can also be played on their next-generation console.

The number of available titles is still fairly slim — under 150 — but it already includes a few hits that everyone should check out if they haven’t already: Mass Effect, Gears of War, Fallout 3, and others. Along with those, there are also a few other great titles on the list that might have been overlooked at release, or simply deserve a second look.

Here, we’ve rounded up eight of these other must-play titles that are worth those precious Xbox Live gift card bucks.

Get Ready With an Xbox Gift Card from Amazon

Beyond Good and Evil HD

Ubisoft

A cult hit from two console eras ago, this gem from Ubisoft received a well-deserved HD overhaul in 2011. Set a few hundred years in the future on a remote planet covered in water, Beyond Good and Evil focuses on a female photographer, Jade, who investigates the link between the planet’s oppressive military force and their constant alien invaders. Standard third-person controls are boosted by smart puzzles, unique weapons, and taking snapshots with the in-game camera, complimented by one of gaming’s best soundtracks as Jade unravels the truth. Who knows if we’ll ever get that sequel, but at least the updated original remains available for this generation.

Beyond Good and Evil HD at Xbox Marketplace

Braid

Number None

Often considered to be one of independent gaming’s masterpieces, Number None’s temporal journey is a wondrous example of what can be achieved with the proper blend of storytelling and innovative design.  Featuring a character named Tim who’s searching for his princess through shifting environments and dangers, the game’s novel use of moving back and forth through time weaves together with a plot that has sparked different interpretations over the years. Everything about Braid looks traditional on the surface, but its deliberate twist on classic ideas and the beauty of its painterly visuals entwine into a memorable experience.

Braid at Xbox Marketplace

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Eidos Montreal

Prequels usually don’t reach the quality of the originals that inspired them, but Deus Ex: Human Revolution comes close to doing so, in its own augmented way. As we follow a modified human, Adam Jensen, through an earlier version of the cyberpunk world from the original Deus Ex, Eidos Montreal unites familiar role-playing and first-person concepts into a glimpse at the world of transhumanism: using mechanical body parts and the heady discussion of where man ends and machine begins. Stealth, tech, and combat ability get Jensen through attractive semi-futuristic areas across the globe, which generate tense action and foster numerous solutions to moving through the spaces. It’s the reactive dialogue options and the choice between lethal and non-lethal attacks on enemies that deserve recognition, though.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution at Xbox Marketplace

Mirror’s Edge

EA DICE

Early on in the life cycle of the Xbox 360, EA and DICE announced that they were developing a project that would break away from what’s expected of first-person genre. The result was Mirror’s Edge, the story of covert message carrier Faith and her fight against government surveillance. Instead of rewarding deadly force, DICE’s realistic graphics focus on her fast, parkour-style sprints through a dystopian city. Since slowing down to aim or rack up a body-count works against the courier’s objectives, the pipes, ladders, and walls in front of her become tough obstacles that she must quickly conquer to keep moving. While the narrow (color-coded) solutions might take away from the freedom of Faith’s movement from Point A to Point B, landing on the answers and timing things just right becomes a brisk and rewarding rush. The superb music doesn’t hurt, either.

Mirror’s Edge at Xbox Marketplace

The Secret of Monkey Island

LucasArts

Originally released in 1990 by LucasArts, The Secret of Monkey Island blends lovable characters and a deft sense of humor in the antics of Guybrush Threepwood. The tale of this wannabe pirate proving himself to the pirating community and earning the love of a governess, Elaine, led to a delightful point-and-click adventure series, one with enough of a reputation to bring it into the HD generation. Polished graphics and voiced dialogue add something new to an otherwise faithful copy of the ’90s experience, including the offbeat puzzles and their amusing solutions.  Both the first and second chapters are playable on the Xbox One, which provide the kind of swashbuckling  nostalgia that’s well worth paying juuuuust under $20 bucks for both. Guybrush would be proud.

Secret of Monkey Island at Xbox Marketplace

Shadow Complex

Epic Games

Chair Entertainment and Epic Games smartly combined action designs both old and new within Shadow Complex, still one of the best examples of the “Metroidvania” subgenre on the market.  Mixing a 3D layout for a high-tech underground facility with the shooter styling of classic side-scrolling adventures, the game sends a capable hero, Jason Fleming, into the headquarters of a military resistance group out to spark the next American civil war. What starts as a search for his missing girlfriend through the compound turns into an investigation and takedown of the group, fueled by gradual improvements to Jason’s gear that grant access to elusive areas within his sight.  Lots of tense action  goes down in the mentally-engaging complex, which leads to tough battles and a few big set pieces that defy the game’s two-dimensional appearances.

Shadow Complex at Xbox Marketplace

Torchlight

Runic Games

For a while, fans of isometric dungeon crawlers like Diablo and Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance dealt with a dry spell on the 360, where they had to settle for other action-RPGs that couldn’t quite fill that void. Thankfully, Runic Games came to the rescue with their console port of Torchlight. As the camera tilts in that familiar angle and a charming artistic style surfaces in the hack-‘n-slash framework, the game explores randomly generated caverns underneath the city of Torchlight, a mining community built atop a deep supply of magical ore. The player selects from a trio of predefined characters and begins their descent into expansive levels filled with monsters, sidequests, and tons of loot for perfecting their adventurer. Once you dig into the fierce action and switching out of gear, playing Torchlight feels like the gaming equivalent of comfort food.

Torchlight at Xbox Marketplace

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

CD Projekt Red

Before CDProjekt Red took the current generation by storm with The Wild Hunt, the open-world third installment in the saga of Geralt of Rivia, the studio delivered a phenomenal second entry with The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. A more political tone than its successor guides the famed monster hunter throughout several large areas during his search for Letho,  the brawny killer who framed him for murdering a king. Natural developments in a well-paced plot force Geralt to lug his pair of swords along branching story paths, where the player makes big choices in the fate of the realm that result in quite a bit of replay value to experience the many outcomes. Combine that with the building of skills in magic, alchemy, and swordplay and tactical third-person combat involving dodges, parries, and trap-setting, and you’ve got a ton of variety built into a mature role-playing adventure.

The Witcher 2 at Xbox Marketplace

Noteworthy 360 Games Now Backwards Compatible on Xbox One

Thomas Spurlin

Microsoft kept things small and relatively indie with the Games With Gold offerings for the month of May. From an unassuming RPG set during Halloween to a fast-paced defense simulator and a longstanding casual puzzler, they’ve gathered together a low-key batch of sequels and old favorites that strays from blockbuster fare. It’s not a flashy or particularly noteworthy collection, sure, but there’s a bit of outside-the-box consideration to the selected titles that’s worth some appreciation.

Xbox One

Defense Grid 2 (May 1-31)

Hidden Path Entertainment leads the charge with a follow-up to their triumphant entry into the isometric tower-defense genre, Defense Grid, which boasts a hefty campaign built around a futuristic environment where the player guards structures from waves of alien intruders. DG2 aims to preserve the tactical experience  from the original game while expanding upon the combat’s strategic depth and amplifying the visual presentation, adding online multiplayer functionality and the ability for the players to construct their own levels.   Despite claims that this is more of a refinement of the original than a new benchmark for the tower-defense genre, the general consensus is that DG2 stands firm as a solid successor and worth taking on.

Costume Quest 2 (May 16-June 15)

The minds over at Double Fine discovered a charming and surprisingly polished formula with the first Costume Quest, combining an interactive turn-based combat system with a delightful story built around kids trick-or-treating on Halloween. Understanding these strengths, the developers concentrate on keeping on with the combat and furthering the quirky tale of twins Reynold and Wren for the sequel, who must save Halloween this year from Dr. Orel White and a horde of dental hygiene-obsessed baddies. Similar in length, in personality, and in role-playing depth to its predecessor, Costume Quest 2 once again wins over its audience with Double Fine’s brand of cheeky writing and accessible gameplay.

Sunset Overdrive (April 16-May 15)

Don’t forget that the hyper-caffeinated sandbox game from Insomniac will still be available to download until May 15th.  Sunset Overdrive centers on a FizzCo employee who’s thrown into the chaos of Sunset City, a coastal metropolis overtaken by monsters created by the toxic energy drink produced by their former employer.  After choosing either a male or female character and customizing their looks, the player unleashed mayhem on the city by way of bizarre makeshift weaponry — a gun that fires records, an automatic fireworks cannon,  an exploding teddy-bear launcher — and rapid movement along rails, wires, and other edges worthy of grinding on throughout the metro area. Zany, self-referential humor that often breaks the fourth wall collides with an incredibly silly but entertaining plot, making Sunset Overdrive a blast of an experience whose strength lies in how not-seriously it takes itself.

Xbox 360

Grid 2 (May 1-15)

Grid surprised a lot of folks with exactly how much fun it could deliver within its arcade-style racing, making the most of a limited selection of cars by sending them flying and drifting along with minimal customization and maximum excitement.   Codemasters’ sequel doesn’t seem to have garnered the same kind of reception,  lacking the noteworthy vigor of its predecessor and coping with some repetitiveness. A bountiful new roster of vehicles and licensed tracks from around the world can be tackled with the racing game’s finely-tuned controls, though.

Peggle (May 16-31)

And then, there’s Peggle. Somewhere between a pachinko machine, a pinball cabinet, and the ping-ponging casino level from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, this laid-back puzzle game from PopCap Games finds the player enrolled at the Peggle Institute, where they then drop metallic balls from underneath a unicorn’s head onto an assortment of red and blue obstacle orbs.  Even amounts of aiming strategy and pure luck make for a brightly-colored, amusing distraction.

Xbox Playing Defense, Trick-or-Treating With May’s Games With Gold

Thomas Spurlin

An alien invasion, a red cubic hero, and a renegade goat make up the players in Microsoft’s odd, marginally satisfying freebies for Gold members in the month of June. Each console seems to have a little bit of a theme going for it. For the Xbox One, they’re offering two radically different open-world games, one made for driving around and one made for head-butting around. And for the Xbox 360, they’ve delivered two games that pride themselves on their difficulty among radically different genres, from the nostalgic reflexes of platforming to turn-based strategy in a science-fiction environment.

Click Here to Grab a 12-Month Xbox Live Gold Subscription at Amazon

Coffee Stain Studios

Xbox One

Goat Simulator (June 1-30)

Originally released for the PC, Goat Simulator began at Coffee Stain Studios as little more than a joke wrapped around an early alpha tech demo. As seen in early YouTube videos, the studio had produced an insane, at times barely-functional experience devoted to unleashing chaos upon an open-world space from the perspective of a goat, driven by style points and filled with quirky bugs throughout. By request of viewers, and with the wackiness intact, Goat Simulator eventually dropped in on the Steam platform as a (relatively) finished game, and then galloped over to the Xbox One.  The enjoyment someone will get out of this critic-proof oddity will likely depend on the longevity of its novelty value: a blend of world demolition, Tony Hawk-esque freestyle traveling, and glitchy surreal humor.

The Crew (June 16-July 15)

Ubisoft paired up with the folks at Ivory Tower, the French development team made up of Need for Speed and Test Drive veterans, to assemble the newest riff on the next-gen racing experience, simply titled The Crew. An online-centered action racer, it features a sprawling environment to zoom through and a story mode that seems like it’d feel right at home in the Fast and the Furious movie franchise. While critics were kind to the vast landscape and narrative, they were equally harsh to its visual presentation and other issues familiar to Ubisoft with the likes of Assassin’s Creed: Unity: the online integration and the frequent microtransaction functions.   Noble intentions and novel design concepts are left in the dust because of its other pursuits.

Firaxis Games

Xbox 360

Super Meat Boy (June 1-15)

Following up on the success of their Flash-based game, Meat Boy, the duo of Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes furthered the platforming goodness with the aptly titled Super Meat Boy. As the titular hero in search of his girlfriend, the equally square Bandage Girl, the player scales walls and avoids the sharp ends of spikes and twirling blades across over 300 levels, leaving gory little stains in the little guy’s wake. In a style reminiscent of Super Mario Bros., both in its level design and its precise control handling, Super Meat Boy has justly earned its reputation for being both a blast from the past and quite punishing in its difficulty.  It’s not going to be for everyone, but it really hits the spot for those who relish a challenge.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (June 16-30)

Microsoft continues its run of demanding games this month with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a tweaked remake of a mid-’90s strategy game. The team at Firaxis Games tries to land in that mythical space between real-time and turn-based strategy combat with their science-fiction outing, which depicts the XCOM military organization embroiled in a modern-era defense front against invading aliens. Between commanding a squad of soldiers during tactical strikes from a top-down perspective, the player uses their strategic maneuvers to navigate the research and development initiative against the invaders, improving the base of operations and allocating resources. What resulted from Firaxis’ efforts has been regarded as a taxing yet rewarding experience that transcends its turn-based roots, driven by the tension of its atmosphere and combat.

Xbox Rams Ahead With Indies, Toughies With June’s Games With Gold

Thomas Spurlin

Microsoft runs the gamut of age with the free games they’ve made available in July for their Gold subscribers. The pair of 360 offerings dates back almost ten years, including a movie tie-in and the sequel to one of the Xbox 360’s first tentpole shooters.  Their Xbox One freebies, however, both carry the 2016 brand on them: one is the acclaimed second chapter of a Kickstarter role-playing series, while the other, a briskly-paced puzzle game, won’t be released until later in the month.  It wouldn’t be unreasonable to conclude that the 360 received the short end of the stick this time around, considering how many Gold members have played copies of one of those games until they’ve turned to dust. At least there’s a celebrated indie RPG in the mix, though. Let’s dig into the games.

Click Here to Grab a 12-Month Xbox Live Gold Subscription at Amazon

Stoic

Xbox One

The Banner Saga 2 (July 1st-31)

Excitement brewed when it was announced that a trio of designers who once worked for the role-playing juggernaut BioWare would be splitting off to develop their own turn-based RPG, The Banner Saga. Basing the game in a fantasy setting inspired by Norse culture added fuel to the fire, all of which amounted to a successful Kickstarter campaign that really ignited the project. The end result from the newly-formed developers Stoic was universally well-received, an RPG whose meaningful choices, mythology, and epic scale overshadowed the dated and monotonous combat. The Banner Saga 2, the second chapter in what’s presumed to be a trilogy, continues that legacy by acknowledging the choices made in the prior game as it spins a striking extension of the first game’s emotional journey by caravan. The art style, the adjusted gameplay,  and the narrative’s scope and dialogue have earned it praise for being a worthy and equally polished follow-up, leaving its fans hungry for the next chapter.

Tumblestone (July 16th-August 15)

Also coming to the Xbox One later this month is Tumblestone, an action-puzzle game from The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild, the folks responsible for the grayscale sleeper hit The Bridge.  Since the game won’t officially be released until further in July, all we’ve got to go by is a few fan reaction videos at conventions — unsurprisingly, they seemed to enjoy it — and gameplay videos that frame it to be a cross between Tetris and Space Invaders. With streamlined but colorful backgrounds and competitive multiplayer battles, it’s possible that this could end up being an enjoyable diversion.  For zero cost outside of the data used up to download it upon release, it’ll probably be worth giving it a shot.

Ubisoft

Xbox 360

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (July 1-15)

Usually, the recipe for a good military shooter boils down to sharp, challenging tactics and an interesting location within which the level designers can build elaborate and eye-catching maps. The original Rainbow Six Vegas provided exactly that, using the sun-baked streets and casinos of Sin City as the warzone for calculated stealth-based team missions, both in its single-player campaign and multiplayer. Ubisoft brought more of the same the next year with Rainbow Six Vegas 2, employing the series’ precise controls, polished graphical realism, and rewarding tactics inside a package containing solid new maps and expanded multiplayer offerings. Many Gold subscribers already know this, though, considering the volume of online and co-op players who have already stealthily maneuvered through those Nevada streets.

Tron: Evolution (July 16-31)

Joseph Kosinski delivered mesmerizing and energetic visuals atop a shallow story with Tron: Legacy, the decades-later sequel to the original Tron. It’s not much of a surprise that this tie-in, Tron: Evolution, received the videogame version of those critiques upon its release, where many remarked on the graphical design along with its liberal borrowing of other roaming action games and lackluster narrative. It’s also not surprising that, much like the neon-lit sequel to the ’80s cult classic, Evolution appears to also strike a few chords with the flashy, futuristic atmosphere and the quick combat.  Designed to bridge the gap between films, it’ll largely be worth a look for fans of the property and for those who don’t have any other God of War or Prince of Persia clones in their backlog.

Xbox Journeys Forth With Indies, Classics For July’s Games With Gold