Posts Tagged ‘free’
DirectX November 2008 Update Released
Microsoft put out the newest version of DirectX, the newest release since August 2008. DirectX, for those of you who don’t know, is what developers use to help power games on Windows-based computers. DirectX 10.1, which is the latest version on the market, allows things in-game like motion blur, god rays, and other sweet effects. If you are currently having any problems with your games or would just like a little speed boost in-game, upgrading to the latest version of DirectX is always a good way to try and fix it.
DirectX Runtime Download (this download installs any versions of DirectX you may not have)
November 2008 Only Download (just get the latest version)
Free Rock Band 2 DLC Released
Harmonix announced on October 21st that they would be giving 20 free songs away to everyone who had purchased new copies of Rock Band 2 (on any platform), and now today they have released the songs for everyone to enjoy. To get the songs, you must register your code found in the game manual, and another code will be emailed to you with that will allow you to download the songs. Have fun with your new free songs!
* The 88 – “Sons And Daughters”
* Authority Zero - “No Regrets”
* Between the Buried and Me - “Prequel To The Sequel”
* The Cab - “Bounce”
* The Chevelles - “Get It On”
* The Cocktail Slippers - “Give It To Me”
* Dealership - “Database Corrupted”
* Endeverafter - “I Wanna Be Your Man”
* The Ghost Hounds - “Ashes To Fire”
* Hollywood Undead - “Young”
* Kutless - “The Feeling”
* The Len Price 3 - “If I Ain’t Got You”(Please Drink Responsibly)
* Lesley Roy - “I’m Gone, I’m Going”
* Opiate for the Masses - “Burn You Down”
* Semi-Precious Weapons - “Magnetic Baby”
* Shaimus - “Like a Fool”
* Thenewno2″ - “Crazy Tuesday”
* Tickle Me Pink - “The Time Is Wrong”
* Underoath - “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures”
* X Japan - “I.V.”
Portal: Prelude Trailer, Download, and More!
As Portal comes to its first anniversary today, the one of the first full mods for the game releases in its full glory. Portal: Prelude puts players into the pre-GlaDOS era of Aperture Science where real scientists did the dirty work, not that cake-promising machine. This story has great potential, so great in fact the Valve announced back in June 2008 that they were working on a prelude to Portal themselves, but the man behind the mod, Nicolas “NykO18″ Grevet, continued to create and now release his vision of the game.
Update: Download links are now available at Filefront, Fileshack, Mininova (torrent), and more.
FilePlanet managed to get 24-hour exclusivity rights from Grevet (a bad decision in my opinion, mods should be free to everyone at all times), and the mod is set for release to the general public tomorrow. You can watch the trailer below for the mod while the 775 MB gets onto your computer. If you are unsure of how to get a mod properly working on Steam, Planet Half-Life has a tutorial on installing mods.
Black Isle’s Fallout 3 Demo
“Van Buren” by Black Isle would have been Fallout 3 if Interplay hadn’t closed down the Black Isle project in 2003. This is the tech demo that was leaked in 2007, which is freely available over on StrategyInformer. There’s not a great deal to it, but the very existence of an alternate Fallout 3 makes for an interesting compare and contrast. Also, since Bethesda has said there isn’t going to be a demo for their Fallout 3 and it’s still a long way till October 28th, it’s worth a try.
You can check out 136 screenshots of Fallout 3, gameplay videos, and more over at the Different Pixel Blog.
Desktop Tower Defense – The Best TD Game on the Web
I discovered this little game while surfing the net today. Desktop Tower Defense is a flash game where you have to protect your desktop from invaders by spending money on attack turrets and building a maze for the invaders to go through. It’s strangely addictive and before you know it you just want to play more and more. I really enjoyed seeing other people’s mazes and how many points they scored with it. You can play the game on Kongregate with achievements, or just play it on the creators’ website, HandDrawnGames.com. Check out the videos below for some awesome in-game action.
Get the Flash Player to see this content. Get the Flash Player to see this content.
Scour – The Social Networking Search Engine With A Bonus
Out of the top 5 most visited websites in the world, three of them are search engines. All of them show results for the same keyword differently though, based on different techniques to show you what they think is the most relevant to your search. But what if you could see the results from those three websites in one place? Scour is the answer. Scour takes the results from the search engines and displays them when you search, giving you the “perfect” search. What separates Scour from other sites like Dogpile are the social networking aspects of it. Scour lets users rate and comment websites, and the ratings are factored into future searches. Scour also gives users points for searching, rating, and commenting. After reaching a certain amount of points (like 6,500), you can get $25 bucks in cash sent to you via Paypal or a prepaid Visa card.
The great thing about Scour is how you can earn money for searching exactly like you used to with Google, and the results are better too. Scour makes money by sponsored links like Google does, but instead of keeping all the money to themselves, they want to say thanks to their loyal users with a little cash present.
For Firefox users: If you would like to make Scour your default search engine in the URL bar, type in “about:config”, search for “keyword” in the filter bar, then change the “keyword.URL” value to “http://scour.com/search/web/” without the quotes. Have fun with Scour!
DirectX August 2008 Update Released
Microsoft put out the newest version of DirectX, the newest release since June 2008. DirectX, for those of you who don’t know, is what developers use to help power games on Windows-based computers. DirectX 10.1, which is the latest version on the market, allows things in-game like motion blur, god rays, and other sweet effects. If you are currently having any problems with your games or would just like a little speed boost in-game, upgrading to the latest version of DirectX is always a good way to try and fix it.
DirectX Runtime Download (this download installs any versions of DirectX you may not have)
August 2008 Only Download (just get the latest version)
Bubble Tanks 2 – Message in a Bubble
Bubble Tanks 2, sequel to the excellent Bubble Tanks, is an incredibly creative shooter. As the name implies, you play as a Bubble Tank in a bubble world flying around shooting other bubbles so as to absorb their bubbles to make your own bubble bigger and better. The game has a lot of bubbles, to say the least, as well as many improvements over the original Bubble Tanks, and is easily one of the best Flash-based games this year.
In Bubble Tanks 2, the tutorial has literally not changed at all from the original. This is quite a blessing, actually. Bubble Tanks and Bubble Tanks 2’s tutorials consist of writing on the background of the first couple bubbles. That’s it. Also the core gameplay is virtually unchanged. You still move from bubble to bubble using W-A-S-D and aim and shoot using the mouse. BT2 also adds an entertaining “Arena Mode” in addition to normal mode. In Arena Mode, you can choose to do battle against any of the bubbly foes you have previously encountered, as well as start your bubble off at any stage you unlocked in normal mode. This brings me to my next point. Players of the original Bubble Tanks probably noticed that there are literally no customization options. Now in BT2, as your tank “levels” up, you can choose which specialization you want. You can go as an agile Fighter Tank, a slow powerful Heavy Tank, or a nice balanced Balance Tank. It adds a nice level of customization to the game, in addition to adding a lot to the replay value. There’s also a new Secondary Weapon feature, which affects your overall strategy in the game. If you’re playing as a balance tank, for instance, shields are useful for fighting bigger enemies so you can block their attacks. Though there are also plenty of useless secondary weapons as well, such as mines. No enemy ever ran over any of the mines I ever laid down, ever.
Overall, Bubble Tanks 2 is a huge improvement over the original Bubble Tanks, which is saying alot because Bubble Tanks is one of my all time favorite flash games. The only real problems I have with the game are the lack of balance between the classes, with many profoundly useless classes such as Sniper, as well as absolutely no carried over traits when you upgrade your tank. The customization really ends with which tank you pick. Also, it ocassionally has lag spikes when there are a bunch of enemies on screen. Overall, however, I’d say this game is an excellent way to spend a little time while in the interwebs.
Battlefield: Bad Company Gets Conquest Mode Free Online
Today, a couple months after the release of the wildly popular Battlefield: Bad Company for the PS3 and Xbox 360, DICE, the developers of the game, are releasing the first content pack. The download contains small engine updates, such as lighting and other visual improvements, along with Conquest mode. Conquest mode brings the gamemode that made Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2 to the top to consoles. With multiple capture points scattered across large maps, teams battle to drain the other teams’ points before they lose their own. Here’s a video created by DICE to show you about it:
Get the Flash Player to see this content.
To download the content pack, go to either the Xbox Marketplace or the PS3 store.
Mass Effect Releases Free DLC “Bring Down The Sky”
Mass Effect was released in 2006 for Xbox 360, and later “converted” it with extra features to the PC. Now Bioware, the developers of Mass Effect, are releasing the first downloadable content (DLC) for Mass Effect, titled “Bring Down the Sky.” This expansion will bring features like:
- Introduces a new race: The vile batarians
- A new achievement to unlock on the 360
- A new uncharted world
You can purchase the expansion on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 400 points, or download it on PC for free. You can learn more about the expansion pack, or just hurry up and download it for PC. Here are some screenshots for you to enjoy:
