An offer you can’t refuse

Microsoft and Sony have a few free games for Xbox and Playstation users

With the year drawing to a close, Microsoft and Sony ought to be laying down the red carpet in an effort to woo more customers to adopt their console as their favourite gaming platform. ‘The Games With Gold’ and the ‘PS Plus initiative’ have always been that little olive branch that these companies have dangled towards the users to keep them invested in their respective platforms and pay the extra premium that Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus requires.

Xbox Live Gold users are getting a grand total of five games, now that backwards compatibility brings all Xbox 360 games with gold games to the Xbox One. First up is the Xbox One line-up lead by The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, a rather enjoyable action rpg that made its way from PC to console. The second offering is the 2014 Thief Reboot, not one of the best additions to the franchise, but this would be a great way to check it out for free.

Xbox 360 owners are getting three games this month, however it’s still a rather lacklustre line-up for old gen users. First up is Castlestorm, a Knights vs Vikings mashup of 2D based angry birds like destruction and tower defence! The other two games are Sacred 3, a hack and slash brawler and Operation Flashpoint,: Dragon Rising a Military Simulator; both of which aren’t the most exciting or enjoyable offerings around.

Over on the PlayStation side of things PS4 owners get two games as opposed to the one for Xbox One owners. The first of which is a top-down hack and slash dungeon crawl RPG video game called Gauntlet: Slayer Edition, which allows gamers to search for gold, slay atrocious foes and discover powerful weapons with their friends. The second is the reimagining of the King’s Quest franchise, the rebooted adventure game A Knight to Remember. Here players must quest till their fame spreads and they are hailed as a gallant knight.

PS3 owners who are still stuck with their consoles will enjoy FarCry 3 Blood Dragon, the epic and extremely funny stand-alone DLC to FarCry 3 which I believe might be one of the finest standalone additions of all time. The second free game is EA’s SSX, an arcade snowboarding racer that may not have achieved critical acclaim, but is a ton of fun with a great soundtrack.