Microsoft has officially revealed Defense Grid: The Awakening as the first title to be made available by the Games With Gold promotion. The game will be available to Xbox Live Gold members for free between now and July 15.
The game was originally released through the Xbox Live Arcade in September 2009. It was developed by Hidden Path Entertainment, who previously worked on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Age of Empires II HD. It is regularly priced at 800 Microsoft Points.
Defense Grid: The Awakening was originally launched on the PC before being ported to the Xbox 360. The tower defense game tasks players with defending bases from waves of attacking aliens by strategically placing weaponized towers.
Initial reviews were very positive, with Gamasutra placing it on their Best Of 2009: Top 5 Console Downloadable Games list. Since its release, four packs of downloadable content have expanded the initial experience.
The game has strong Microsoft ties, and was originally promoted by the company during the 2008 Game Developers Conference keynote.
This giveaway itself is part of Microsoft's Games With Gold promotional campaign. The company announced the promotion during its E3 2013 press conference. It is similar, and most likely meant as a direct competitor, to Sony's PlayStation Plus service. The promotion offers Xbox Live Gold members a free game every two weeks.
On July 16, a new game will be revealed. So far, Assassin's Creed 2 and Halo 3 have been confirmed as future titles that will be available for free.
On Sony's end, PlayStation Plus has so far offered 64 free different games on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita since it launched the "Instant Game Collection" program a year ago. Currently, PS3 players can download XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Saint's Row The Third for free this month.
In comparison, many gamers have expressed that Microsoft's initial foray into such a system is a bit underwhelming.