If you've been eyeing February's free games offered to Xbox Live Gold members all month but you don't know if you should throw down the money for a membership, Gamestop can help make the decision for you with a special discount on an Xbox Live Gold membership card.
The card is currently going for $39.99, which is $20 off the regular price of $59.99. That discounted price gives you 12 months of Xbox Live Gold for your Xbox 360 or Xbox One console, special 50% - 75% off select games in the Xbox Live store, access to the online multiplayers network, and a selection of free games every single month.
But the best part about ordering through this special Gamestop deal is that when you pay online, you get the access code right away, allowing you to enjoy Xbox Live Gold membership as soon as you get that code emailed to you, without the hassle of heading to your local store or waiting for a card to be sent through the mail.
Amazon.com and Best Buy are also offering the same deal if you'd rather go that route, with 12 months of service for only $39.99. All offers are only valid for U.S. customers and are non-refundable.
These deals are just in time for February's free game offerings that began on the 1st with a total of three games available for free to Xbox Live Gold members though the Games with Gold program.
For the Xbox One, we have the brand new indie hit #IDARB which is available all month long. #IDARB (which stands for It Draws A Red Box) is an 8-bit action game that was actually developed through feedback from early adopters. Those users made gameplay suggestions through Twitter (hence the hashtag in the name), letting the developers know exactly what they wanted to see in the final product. The final product is best described as chaotic, but in a good way.
The game allows up to eight players access to an e-sports-style futuristic arena where they can battle it out in unique fights each time. A range of customization features allows you to create the complete identity for your team along with logos, characters, and even your own theme music.
For the Xbox 360, Microsoft usually splits the month in half with one game offered in the first half and another offered in the second half. For the period between February 1st through the 15th, we have Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. This emotional action platformer is heavy on the story as you use both analog thumbsticks to control the two brothers through mountains, caves, rivers, and more.
And the final free game for February is Sniper Elite V2, a World War II sniper simulator that lets you play as a true army of one against Russian and German forces in the 1940s. With the X-ray Kill Cam that lets you see the internal damage you do with each shot, to the inclusion of gravity, wind, distance, and breathing effects to add an extra challenge to each shot, this sniper game is not like anything you've played before.
Sniper Elite V2 is available from February 15th through the 28th, so you still have time to get all three February games free when you sign up. Plus, you'll have 12 more months of free games to look forward to. With three a month, that's a total of 36 free games, plus the other benefits included with Xbox Live Gold, for that low price of $39.99.
