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Sleeping Dogs, Payday: The Heist are cheap on Steam this weekend
Sleeping Dogs and Payday: The Heist are both discounted this weekend, and one of them gets a free weekend as well. Guess which one. We'll give you a hint: It's the one with guns. OK, another hint: It tells the story of career criminals. Got it? That's right, Payday: The Sleeping-Dogs Heist.Fine, it's Payday: The Heist that gets the free weekend, from now through Sunday at 1 p.m. PST. If you try it and want to buy, it's 75 percent off ($5) now through Monday at 10 a.m. PT. Sleeping Dogs is 50 percent off ($25) during that time.
RIFT gives previous subscribers a free weekend of play, hosts Conquest event
To prepare for the coming of RIFT: Storm Legion, Trion Worlds is throwing open the doors to previous subscribers in an attempt to lure them back to Telara. From July 25th through the 29th, anyone who's previously played the paid version of the game can access the full version for free. Trion's also putting the spotlight on its new three-faction Conquest PvP during the week. Players have a limited opportunity to snag special titles if they engage in combat or craft with excellence in Conquest, but these titles are going away as of the 30th. The dev team will be joining the fun as well; the devs plan to make appearances in each Conquest wargroup for those foolhardy enough to take them on. These grudge matches are scheduled on the 26th and 27th.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is free to play this weekend
Your frugality has paid off: Star Wars: The Old Republic is free to play this weekend. Starting on Thursday at 12:01am CT, you'll be able to create a new character and play up to level 15, and have access to Origin World, Capital World, the Fleet, all Warzones, and your character's first Flashpoint. No trading with other characters, though.The free weekend comes to a close on Monday at 2am CT, at which point BioWare and EA will freeze your character in carbonite. If you decide you want to purchase the game, you may resume that character.
Aventurine hosting free Darkfall weekend, quadruple XP
If you've ever wanted to see what all the Darkfall fuss is about, this weekend would be a great time to clear your calendar. Aventurine is making the fantasy sandbox accessible to everyone for free, and the devs are also quadrupling the normal experience gain through Sunday. Previously active accounts have been reactivated, and new players can sign up on the game's official website prior to rolling a character. Darkfall is set in the harsh realm of Agon, a huge medieval fantasy world filled with dungeons, dangerous mobs, and open PvP. The game also features full corpse-looting, crafting, and clan-based warfare. Check out our Darkfall Choose My Adventure series for an in-depth look at the title's gameplay and community, and be sure to hit up the gallery below for the latest screenshots. %Gallery-139865% [Source: Aventurine press release]
Brink on Steam playable for free this weekend, on sale 50% off
If you've been debating about playing Brink, this deal could push you over the edge. Splash Damage's team-based FPS is free on Steam until Sunday at 1PM Pacific. The game is also 50 percent off, so if you have a good time, it'll only set you back $25. But wait, there's another option: Brink is also included in the Steam QuakeCon pack, a $495 value available for $70. It includes Brink, along with what appears to be every game available on Steam from publishers Bethesda Softworks and id Software. Give Brink a spin and see if it's right for you -- we weren't too keen. [Thanks, Ethan Lewis]
Enjoy free days of Dino D-Day this weekend
There is a game called Dino D-Day, and you haven't played it. Doesn't that thought just kind of eat away at you, like a Nazi dinosaur in slow motion? Luckily, you'll get a risk-free chance to experience the multiplayer shooter this weekend, as Steam is opening up Dino D-Day to free play until Sunday at 1PM PST (4PM EST). If you decide it's the game for you (once again, this is a game about human soldiers, fighting in World War 2 aside dinosaurs), you be able to buy a for-keeps copy at a discount. That's $5 for one copy or $15 for a four-pack. It's half the normal price, and one-quarter the launch price.
Allies once again invited to saddle up for RIFT's world event
This weekend's shaping up to be an exciting one for the citizens of RIFT. First up is the long-awaited second phase of the River of Souls world event. As you may recall, the first phase was prolonged by an additional week while Trion Worlds worked out some technical issues. According to in-game notices, the second phase is scheduled to go live tomorrow. To celebrate the event -- and hopefully entice additional players to the game -- Trion is offering another Allies of the Ascended weekend trial to anyone who hasn't purchased the game. By going to the Allies page, new and returning trial players can snag a code for a weekend of free RIFT game time. The Allies of the Ascended weekend will go up at 1:00 p.m. EDT today and will continue until Monday, April 18th at 1:00 p.m EDT.
RIFT offers another free trial weekend for friends of players
So you didn't get a chance to take part in the last free trial weekend in RIFT. Maybe you didn't have time to play over the weekend, maybe your friends ran out of keys, maybe they're just useless at giving you those keys, or maybe you're avoiding the game anyway and want no part of a free event. If you belong to any group other than the last, however, you're in luck -- another free weekend is coming, starting this Friday and running through Monday, April 11th. As with the last event, players who sign up will be granted access to a limited version of the game during this second iteration of Allies of the Ascended. Existing players will be receiving special ally codes via email to distribute to friends, neighbors, and anyone else who hasn't yet tried RIFT but might enjoy it. So if all of your friends won't stop talking about the game, be sure to grab a key and enjoy some soul-filled action for the weekend.
Free Love for the holiday weekend
Those who lament that nothing innovative and interesting is being done in the field of MMOs are probably unfamiliar with LOVE, a project seeking to redefine pretty much any core assumptions about the genre. Players build and create, levels are based upon relationships with other players, and the entire world is a surrealistic masterpiece of a landscape. Oh, and the entire project is the work of one man, Eskil Steenberg. It's the sort of thing that would be well worth checking out, and during the holiday weekend, you can do precisely that. From 6 PM GMT on Friday until noon on Monday, LOVE will be having its first free weekend, giving players curious about the actual mechanics of the game a chance to log in and take a close look at how the game works. That runs the majority of the Labor Day weekend, a fine time to log in and get some serious construction going. Keep an eye on the official site or on GamingLove for more information on registration. [Thanks to bartillo for the tip!]
Play Champions Online for a week without paying a dime
How much of a game can you experience in a week? Do you think you could hit the level cap? Could you make a full army of alts? Could you make friends and have a reason to keep playing? As part of its anniversary celebration, Champions Online is inviting players to see what they can do with a week of unfettered access to the game. From September 1st to the 7th, anyone can register and play the game completely free, whether or not the player has purchased the game in the past. All that players have to do to take part is sign up on the official page, which means registering an account if you haven't done so previously. Then, for the whole of that week, you'll be able to access everything in the game as if you were a normal subscriber. To sweeten the deal for existing players, there will also be a promotion running in the C-Store, with nearly everything at a 20% discount. It's hard to say no to a free week of a game, so if your interest is piqued, sign up for a free week's worth of Champions Online now.
Star Trek Online offering veteran rewards and free trials
Star Trek Online players and former players got a little surprise in their inbox this morning -- the promise of rewards if you were still playing, and the chance to get back in if you stopped. Quite apart from the recent update to the game's first large content patch, Cryptic is rolling out three new features to players: Veteran Rewards, a demo, and an upcoming free trial weekend. The demo, not quite available yet but promised in the very near future, will work along the lines of the Champions Online demo: unlimited time, but gameplay itself limited to the first few missions and areas. For lapsed players or new players who prefer limited time and unlimited content, there's a free weekend coming up starting on May 7th. Again much like its sister game, there are no limitations on gameplay, just time: May 7th at 10 AM PST until May 10th 10 AM PST. Of course, if you're an extant player none of these options are terribly engaging to you -- but the newly-added veteran rewards most likely are. Rolling in each 100 days, the rewards allow another free respec each interval, special costume pieces, and a small skill point buff on low-level characters. Take a look at the full page for all the rewards, which are the latest in a large dose of good news for Star Trek Online fans.
PSA: Xbox Live Gold free from April 1 to 5
Stick rocking that Xbox Live Silver account but have an itch to play some online sessions of [insert flavor of the month online game here]? Just a friendly reminder that from April 1 (12PM ET) until April 5 (12PM ET) Xbox Live is free for everyone. That means you can finally participate in social media programs like Facebook and Twitter as well as video chat with all of your friends! (Because those are the real reasons Gold members pay for the service). You could participate in online multiplayer sessions and create Xbox Live Parties to save your ears from the gutters of Xbox Live, but then you won't be Tweeting! The free weekend also means everyone has access to Microsoft's Xbox Live Deal of the Week program -- not to be confused with the "Inventory Blowout" promotion ending April 7, which is already available to Silver members. As you can see, the possibilities are endless! As long as those possibilities specifically include social media, talking to people on camera and playing games. Any other ideas you have are just greedy.
Champions Online gets 'Revelation' expansion, goes free for 72 hours
In celebration of today's launch of the free "Revelation" expansion for Champions Online -- or, really, just because it can -- Atari is opening the game up for free play (installer link) beginning at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, March 26 through 10 a.m. EST on Monday, March 29. This isn't the first time the publisher's done so for the Cryptic Studios title. This time, however, you can also play sans real-world pants.* *Only in the privacy of your own home
Champions Online to offer free weekend
If you've been watching the news on the Champions Online front, you know that big changes have come to the game and even more are in store. Players who canceled their subscriptions may even be thinking that Champions Online might be worth a second look, particularly with the addition of Revelation. If you're one of those players, or have been considering giving the game a first look, you're going to want to clear some time next weekend. Cryptic is offering a free weekend for new and returning players, and it's a pretty generous definition of "weekend". The event -- which will give visitors completely unrestricted access to CO -- begins Friday morning, March 26th at 10 AM PDT, and runs through Monday the 29th at 10 AM PDT. Inactive accounts will be revived for the event, so former players can revisit their old characters. And don't worry, you won't spend half that time downloading and patching. Cryptic has made the game available for pre-download now, so you'll be completely ready to go Friday morning. We definitely recommend that you check it out -- free is always good and you'll have a lot to see in those 72 hours! [Thanks to Electrobix for the tip!]
Bill Roper on Champions' free weekends, nemesis and content updates
With two content updates behind the game and 2010 looming just over the horizon, we spoke briefly with Bill Roper on a multitude of Champions Online topics. Specifically, you'll find discussion on Cryptic's free weekends, Nemesis Confrontation and even a hint at future updates in the coming weeks and months. So follow along after the jump for our talk with the executive producer, and be sure to keep up-to-date with the latest news on the game through our Champions Online page.
The Daily Grind: Have you been playing the Champions Online free weekend?
It was certainly a nice surprise when we found out that Champions Online was going to run another free weekend over the Thanksgiving holiday. Not the biggest news, certainly, but nice in a "finding two dollars in your wallet that you didn't know you had" sort of way. And of course, there are always people who will take a gander at something if it's free, people who've been interested in seeing the latest updates to the game, and folks who wanted to take part in the Blood Moon event but had certain... technical issues. There's a bit more than a day left, so today we ask: have you been taking part in the free Champions Online goodness? Has it improved or gotten worse, if you played before? If you're new the game, was it enjoyable or underwhelming? And if you had specifically opted out, why did you decide not to give it a chance? We're interested to hear your impressions, positive and negative. And if you're already playing the game, have you noticed more new faces running around this weekend?
Thanksgiving surprise: Four free days in Champions Online
This ain't no ordinary free weekend. Cryptic is offering a full four days worth of free time in Champions Online starting Thanksgiving day at 10am PST -- or Thursday, November 26th to the American holiday challenged. The free time will go on until the following Monday and end at precisely 10am PST. The timing isn't too surprising, as returning players will be able to check out the recent Nemesis Confrontation update that went live just yesterday. Hopefully things go much more smoothly than the last time there was a free weekend. Although, we're curious as to who'll be watching the servers on Thursday. We expect a vast majority of people to be lined with food and edging on the precipice of nap time. Maybe Cryptic is employing robots or Canadians to run their servers for a day. Unless... unless they're the same thing...
Anti-Aliased: It pays to be paranoid
Blame Shawn Schuster. No, really, it's applicable this time and I'm not just pulling your leg.Many of you were wondering why we hadn't talked about the Champions Online failures this past weekend -- The "Blood Moon Blunder." Well, it was because pretty much the second we started getting reports from you guys about the client not working on Steam, or subscribing players complaining of the lag that the servers had over the weekend, Shawn turned to me, slapped the story on my desk and said, "All yours for Anti-Aliased."And I sat there, smiled, and politely responded, "Oh crap. This is going to drive them all up the wall even further than last week's article. I'll do it."So was the Champions free weekend a failure? Absolutely, but not for the reasons you may think. Come on, follow me after the break, and we'll go into yet another (and hopefully the last for a while) opinion column on Champions.
Champions Online offers free weekend during Blood Moon
Player response has been great since the launch of Champions Online September 1st, and Blood Moon generated even more excitement. If you haven't tried it yet, Cryptic Studios is aiming to change that in the same way so many games do: give you a little bit free to draw you in. Next weekend, you can give the game a try during their free Blood Moon Weekend. The official site asks you "Hate zombies? Abhor mummies? Detest the dreaded undead? Like to play MMOs for free? You could be the one. You could be the Champion we need!" It's probably safe to say that most of us meet the criteria, especially that last one. A free weekend combined with the ongoing buzz about Champions Online should be all of the reason you need to try it out if you haven't yet. The free weekend begins Friday, October 30th and runs until Monday, November 2nd. (If only employers had such a generous definition of "weekend") Since the Blood Moon event begins on the 27th, you'll get to experience that along with the rest of the game. Visit the official site to sign up, download, and log in.
Lord of the Rings Online experience: It comes in pints?
If you were a Lord of the Rings Online subscriber and were thinking about getting back into the game, now's your chance. In celebration of Volume 2: Book 7, Turbine has opened the doors to all former subscribers, reactivating everyone's accounts so you can play starting tomorrow and ending on the 31st. Accompanying this five day "free weekend" is a 25% increase in the experience provided by all monsters that everyone can enjoy. This bonus experience stacks with rest experience, so that means you're going to be flying through levels at a rapid pace. Speaking of flying through the levels, Turbine is also promising that "recent game enhancements" will allow players to immediately gain multiple levels upon receiving any experience. So yes, experience, it does come in pints.
