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A 'Quake Live' Steam update raises the game's price from $0 to $10
Quake Live, a highly competitive first-person shooter from Doom studio id Software, has been free since it launched in 2010. Rather, it had been free. On Wednesday, long-time players booted up the game to find it now costs $10 on Steam and no longer offers subscription options for serious fans. The move is part of Quake Live's transition to Steamworks, which allows players to use their Steam display names in-game, receive Steam stats and achievements, and download new content through the Steam Workshop. "By retiring our services and subscription service, all players now have the same benefits and features in-game," the Quake Live team says. The move also erases all previous game data, which, for some players, is five years' worth of clan-building and killing. Many players were surprised (and some were enraged) by today's news.
Telltale's 'Game of Thrones' first season ends next month
Beware, for the night is dark and full of terrors folks: Telltale Games is wrapping the first season of its Game of Thrones series, Iron from Ice soon. When the season finale, dubbed "The Ice Dragon," releases next month on the 17th, Telltale says it'll be the first time that an episode hits each platform simultaneously (Android, iOS, Mac, PC, Playstation and Xbox). What's more, the story-focused developer says that the finale will provide "a uniquely harrowing conclusion" for every player based on the decisions you've made thus far. If I know anything about Telltale and Game of Thrones that means a number of characters are going to die. Probably viciously. Need a place to start? Telltale's using a classic pusher move and is offering the first episode for free. Try not getting attached to anyone.
Adobe ditches the Creative Cloud requirement for Lightroom mobile
Adobe's Lightroom mobile apps were already free to download. However, the software still required a Creative Cloud login or for you to own the desktop version to get any real use out of it. Well, that's not the case anymore. Adobe nixed the membership requirement for Lightroom on iOS this week, and it'll soon to the same for the Android version that debuted earlier this year. Now that the photo-editing app is really free to use on your phone or tablet, you're free to add it to your photo-editing arsenal. There's a smattering of new features as well, including a Dehaze filter to improve photo quality, Targeted Adjustment tool for focused tweaks, an in-app camera for snapshots and more. As we previously reported, you can also select photos for retouching in Photoshop Fix before easily returning to Lightroom thanks to the newfangled Creative Sync technology. New versions of both Lightroom mobile for iPhone and iPad are available in iTunes now.
Experience bullet time in Epic's crazy VR demo
Game-tech powerhouse Epic Games and its Unreal Engine are capable of some seriously impressive stuff, and now the North Carolina-based outfit wants you to experience what it's capable of in the virtual reality space. "Showdown" is the demo that the outfit's been showing off at industry events for the past year or so (I got to try it at CES back in January) and it's by far the most bad-ass bullet-time walk toward a hulking, missile-happy, bipedal robot I've ever experienced. The path is predetermined, sure, but as the street explodes into chaos around you, it's entirely possible to duck down or peer around objects like pop cans or even cars as they hurtle toward you in slow motion.
Sprint's offering a year of free service for DirecTV customers
DirecTV and AT&T are sitting in that proverbial tree, but that isn't going to stop any telecom competitors from throwing rocks their way. Case in point: Sprint is running a promo that gives DirecTV customers a year of free cell service by switching to the Now Network. Of course you need to either be a new customer or adding an additional line of service through the telco, and even then it has to be either a Sprint Lease, iPhone Forever, Easy Pay or you have to cough up full retail price for a phone to take advantage of this. If you qualify for this sweet action you'll need to upload your recent satellite bill to the carrier's website. A $36 activation fee applies as do taxes and service charges that accrue on a monthly basis. Should you want in on this deal it'd be wise to hurry as it ends September 30th.
PlayStation Plus members will soon vote on what games go free
Sure, PlayStation Plus subscribers are used to getting "free" games every month, but they haven't had any say about what the gratis titles would be. Until now. With Vote to Play, you'll have a chance to make your voice heard. PlayStation VP of platforms marketing John Koller writes on the PlayStation Blog that the game with the most votes will automatically be added to the upcoming month's offerings, and that in the first round of voting the runner-up will be available at a discount. Pretty cool, huh? Exactly how the voting process will work (if there will be videos or whatnot to help make informed choices) isn't clear just yet, but Koller writes that more info is coming soon enough. The real question though is if you would've voted for Rocket League, the dark horse from last month's promo that's absolutely dominating the gaming conversation right now.
Microsoft now rolling out free Windows 10 upgrades
Today's the day! Windows 10 is now available in 190 countries as a free upgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1 owners. Replacing an OS is no one's idea of fun, but we're actually looking forward to this one. First off, we'll be leaving behind the most hated version of Windows ever (sorry, Vista). In return, we'll get one Microsoft was so confident in that they skipped version 9 altogether because hey, Windows 10 sounds better. So how to get it? We've got a handy guide, and Microsoft has info here, but if you already reserved your free upgrade, hang in there, as Microsoft says it's rolling out in waves.
Google Chromecast celebrates its second birthday with freebies
Today marks two years since Google debuted Chromecast, the small and affordable streaming device. To celebrate its second birthday, the company's letting owners get in on a couple promotional offers: a free movie rental and access to 90 days of Play Music. Google did something similar last year, but back then it only included the complimentary subscription to its audio-streaming service. For those of you who don't have a Chromecast yet, the deal will be available until December 31st, so there's still some time to take advantage of it.
EE's free Power Bar chargers are back in stock
Mobile operators aren't often recognised for their benevolence, but EE caught everyone's attention when it started handing out free portable mobile chargers to customers. In fact, it received over a million requests in just four days, forcing it to "power pause" signups and tell people to try again in a couple of months. If you were one of the unlucky ones, the good news is that EE's self-imposed embargo is now up, meaning you can again claim a free 2,600mAh Power Bar via a 35p text message. As long as you're an EE, Orange or T-Mobile customer, all you have to do is send "POWER" to 365 and wait for your unique code. Once you have that, it's a simple case of popping in to your local EE store to pick it up. Those very same stores will also swap a dead Power Bar out for a fully charged one whenever you want.
The original number-pushing puzzle game, 'Threes,' goes free
Threes is a deceptively simple puzzle game. You slide numbered tiles across a 16-slot board, combining twin numbers to rack up the highest score possible. It seems like something timeless, like it should have been next to the crossword puzzle in The New York Times back when your grandpa was a kid (if newspapers supported touchscreens, that is). In reality, it took Threes creator Asher Vollmer and artist Greg Wohlwend over a year of careful planning to create the perfect number-squishing puzzle game. When they released Threes, Vollmer and Wohlwend charged $1.99 on the iOS App Store. Just 21 days later, clones of Threes began popping up in mobile stores, most of them for the low, low price of free. You've probably heard of 2048, the Threes clone that refuses to disappear. Now, Threes is closing the gap between itself and those clones, and opening itself up to even more players by launching -- you guessed it -- for free.
Windows 10 launches on July 29th, here's how to get in line
Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 is coming on July 29th, and you don't even need to get out of your chair to get a spot in the upgrade line. Take a gander at your Notification Area in the Taskbar and you should find a Windows icon that, when clicked, reveals a shiny new Windows 10 upgrade panel. It's currently being rolled out to select users, since plenty of you have emailed in screenshots, but we've yet to see it ourselves. As before, users will have a year to climb onto the Free Windows 10 bandwagon, but once they do, they'll get free security upgrades for the life of the device.
Amazon Prime same-day delivery is now free in 14 cities
Amazon can get you a package in an hour, but if you "only" need it the same day, delivery is now free in 14 metropolitan areas. To get the service, you'll need to place an order of $35 or more and be an Amazon Prime subscriber at $99 per year. You'll also need to be in specific urban centers, including San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle/Tacoma (check your zip code here). The move is yet another carrot for Prime subscribers and probably a blow to brick-and-mortar stores, who now rely a lot on impatient shoppers.
Amazon's Android appstore loses one of its best features
Free. It's a price we love. Ironically, free usually comes at a price. Today, that price, is the loss of Amazon's try-before-you-buy TestDrive service for Android apps. It turns out, with more and more apps being free (at least to download), there was less demand for a service that let you test 'em out in the browser/virtual machine. Makes sense. Accordingly, Amazon has pulled the TestDrive feature from the appstore -- this has no effect on any apps that used it, just the feature is gone. The downside being there's no longer a way to (easily) check out apps that don't use the free-to-play/freemium model on Amazon's store any more. But, coming full circle... that's the price you pay for having more free apps, right?
Transistor, Yakuza 4 heading to PlayStation Plus next month
Sony has revealed next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive free downloadable copies of Transistor, Yakuza 4, and more starting next week. Featured PlayStation 4 freebies for next month include Supergiant Games' Bastion follow-up Transistor and Alien Trap Games' side-scrolling action game Apotheon, while PlayStation 3 owners can expect to see Sega's open-world crime drama Yakuza 4 and Eidos Montreal's first-person stealth game Thief. The PlayStation Vita will host Jaywalkers Interactive's Kick & Fennick, and Cellar Door Games' roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy will be freely downloadable across the PlayStation 4, PS3, and Vita. All featured games will be available as free downloads for PlayStation Plus subscribers after the PlayStation Store updates on February 3. [Image: Sony]
Grab a pint with free Dragon Age: Inquisition tavern songs
The songs that fill the tavern at Skyhold are now yours for the downloading, for free until February 9, when they will be sold on "popular digital platforms," BioWare says. The download includes sheet music, as well. "If you've indulged in the opportunity at Skyhold's tavern to enjoy a break from the demons and Venatori, chances are you've heard some of the bard's lovely songs," BioWare writes. "Although bards do perform to entertain travelers, they also serve a greater purpose: to carry the tales of triumph and tragedy across the land. We've received many inquiries from our fans asking where they can get these songs, and we're thrilled that you're enjoying them as much as we do." The tavern songs from Dragon Age: Inquisition are performed by Elizaveta and written by Hollywood composer Raney Shockne. [Image: BioWare]
Spend 48 hours torturing loved ones for free in The Sims 4
- EA's latest addition to its Origin Game Time vault is The Sims 4, meaning you can download it now and enjoy a free 48 hours of playing God. To do just that, get your godly ass to Origin. Those 48 hours are real-time rather than in-game, so unless you're planning an unadvised binge you won't get the full two days of free-ness. You can start the free time whenever you want, however, as the 48-hour countdown only begins after you launch the game for the first time. Also, if you later buy The Sims 4 then your Game Time progress does transfer over.
Litter-bomb warning! Theme Hospital is free on Origin
Theme Park may be the Bullfrog game that led to many a follow-up, but for my money Theme Hospital is just as good if not better. It's not just the amusing illnesses - such as Slack Tongue, Bloaty Head and Baldness - or its proficiency at filling up your hospitals with patient barf. The 1997 classic is also an excellently balanced management sim, and it still stands out as unique. How many other hospital management games are there? Luckily, my money isn't on the line, nor is anyone else's. For a limited time Theme Hospital is free to download and keep via EA's PC portal Origin, as part of its On the House program. If you've never tried the game, we'd recommend checking in with this page - doctor's orders. [Image: EA]
Grand Theft Auto 5 pre-orders go live with free game offer
Pre-order the digital version of Grand Theft Auto 5 for PC via Rockstar starting today and get some free goodies – GTA$500,000 to spend in the game's Story Mode and GTA$500,000 to spend in Grand Theft Auto Online. Plus, through February 1, get an extra GTA$300,000 for Online, plus a free game from a list including Max Payne 3, LA Noire, Bully, and Grand Theft Auto 4, 3, San Andreas, Vice City and Liberty City. Here's how pre-orders and that free-game deal work out: "Upon checkout, a non-refundable 15 percent deposit will be charged and the free game code will be immediately provided. Once Grand Theft Auto 5 is released, the remaining amount will be charged and the activation code for Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC will be provided via email." Grand Theft Auto 5 is due out on PC on March 24, a delay from its initial January release date. See PC requirements here. [Image: Take-Two]
Nuclear Throne owners to receive giftable copy in January
The gift-giving season will last until at least January 1, the day that developer Vlambeer intends to give one free copy of Nuclear Throne to "every single person that has ever bought [it]," according to Vlambeer's Rami Ismail. As Nuclear Throne's community has gotten "too damn good at this video game," the extra copies are meant to attract new, novice-tier players to help diversify the feedback Vlambeer receives from the game's community. The announcement video's text description explains that this will be a one-time gift and that date or timezone-related exceptions will not be able to be made due to logistics. Further terms and conditions will be tied to the gift, which Vlambeer will spell out in a future blog post (presumably for future posting to Nuclear Throne's Steam newsfeed). Nuclear Throne has received 57 updates since its arrival to Early Access, though Ismail noted that version 1.0 will "hopefully" launch sometime in 2015. [Image: Vlambeer]
Christmas brings 'Madden 15' demo to Xbox One and snow to 'GTA Online'
You know what goes really well together? Christmas and video games. This year we've noticed a bit of a trend: games giving away free stuff in light of the holiday. Weather, err, whether it's snow covering Los Santos in GTA Online, a six-hour trial of Madden or online multiplayer for Killer Instinct Classic, there's no shortage of goodies to keep your console (maybe you recently unwrapped a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One?) busy for the next few days. Let's recap, shall we? In addition to the aforementioned inclement weather southern San Andreas is experiencing, for a limited time you can don a gingerbread mask in GTA Online and start lethal snowball fights in addition to getting a few unspecified gifts for your inventory tomorrow.