February's list of free games available to Xbox Live Gold members is now out and on it we see three games for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles that are sure to keep you warm through the cold winter month.
First up we have #IDARB for the Xbox One. The indie game regularly retails for $14.99 but will be entirely free for Xbox Live Gold members from February 1 through the 28th.
#IDARB stands for "It Draws A Red Box" and it features an 8-bit palette of chaos as designed by various fans all over the internet. This crowd-designed game lets up to eight players battle it out in this "eSport jumping future arena ball game."
The game defies most conventional descriptions, but as it states on the website, you can: "Create characters, teams, team logos, tournaments, even your theme music, in this highly customizable experience complete with disruptive "hashbombs" which dynamically change the game itself via Twitch and Twitter!"
The unique game not only was created by gamers, but it also has enough customization options to allow you to add to it the way you see fit.
For the Xbox 360, Microsoft traditionally splits the month with two games. For February, we have Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (regular price $14.99) offered from February 1st through the 15th and Sniper Elite V2 (regular price $29.99) from the 16th through the 28th.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an emotionally charged action-packed puzzle game where you control two brothers (simultaneously with the analog thumbsticks) to scale difficult terrain, solve puzzles, fight epic boss battles, and stretch the limits of your imagination in a heart-wrenching story set in a gorgeous fantasy world developed by Swedish film director Josef Fares.
And then we have Sniper Elite V2, a World War II sniper simulator that pits you up against some of the era's worst enemies. As the game's description reads, "An army of German and Russian soldiers stand in your way. Make every single bullet count or the world dies with you. X-RAY KILL CAM see organs tear and burst, bones and teeth shatter, as your bullet passes through your enemy ADVANCED SNIPER SIMULATION allow for gravity, wind, distance, breathing and more. SNIPER'S CHOICE leave yourself exposed with the easy shot, or decide a more difficult but stealthier approach. CO-OP MULTIPLAYER battle through 4 war-torn online modes."
In addition to the free game offerings each month, Xbox Live Gold membership also provides discounts at the Xbox store for up to 50-75% off, smarter matchmaking in online modes, and the availability of online multiplayer for everyone in your home.
If you don't want to sign up on the Xbox site, you can also grab discounts for Gold Membership at retail stores like Best Buy who is currently offering a 3-month membership card for $16.99, a savings of $8.