In the month of September Xbox Live Gold members will have access to four free games. These games are free to qualifying Gold members and can be downloaded through Xbox Live.

Super Time Force

The first of these four is Super Time Force which will be available all month and is a side-scroller action game full of shooter fun and frenzy. This title is available on Xbox One. You can check more out about this game at http://supertimeforce.com/.

Monaco: What's Yours is Mine

On September 1st through September 15th, Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine will be available as a free download. Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine is a top view rogue game made by Majesco Entertainment. This title is available for download on the Xbox 360. To see more about this title view it at http://www.monacoismine.com/.

Halo Reach

On September 16th through September 30th, Halo: Reach will be available as a free download. This first person shooter released in 2010 was the last entry Bungie made into the Halo series and still hailed by some fans of the Halo series as the best of the bunch. This title is available for download on the Xbox 360. To see more about this title view it at http://halo.bungie.net/projects/Reach/.

Crimson Dragon

Crimson Dragon continues to be available as a free download for the month of September. This spiritual successor to the Panzer Dragoon series made by MobyGames is available to download for Xbox Live users with a Xbox One. To see more information on this title view it at http://www.mobygames.com/game/xbox-one/crimson-dragon.

The Xbox One is set to release in a little over two days now and there are a lot of people (myself included) that are excited for the console's launch.  A few months ago, Microsoft announced that their employees that worked on the Xbox One would be getting their own special consoles.  These Xbox Ones are white instead of black and have the words "I MADE THIS" on the front of the consoles.

These white Xbox Ones are not being sold to the general public but there is a possibility that they will sometime in the future.  However, Microsoft has offered two of these consoles in auctions for charity and both have gone for a high price.

The first Xbox One that was to be auctioned was aimed towards the European market and raised money for GamesAid.  That particular Xbox One ended up raising $7,958 when the auction was finished.

However, the second white Xbox One was auctioned off in the United States with the proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project.  The console ended up selling for $11,300 which is very, very cool.

The Wounded Warrior Project was started in 2003 to help aid soldiers that have been severely injured in combat.  The program works to raise public awareness about the needs of injured veterans as well as provide them with other programs to meet their needs.  This is a program that is deserving of some extra assistance, so I am glad Microsoft donated the console to charity.

The console includes a white Xbox One controller and Kinect but Microsoft included some extra incentive as well.  The buyer of this Xbox One will also receive a year subscription to Xbox Live and will also receive all of Microsoft's first-party launch titles.
Those titles are Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome, Project Spark, Killer Instinct and Crimson Dragon!

What do you think of these white Xbox Ones compared to the standard black Xbox Ones that will be sold to the public?  Personally, I have only owned black Xbox products but this exclusive white Xbox Ones look pretty cool.  Looking forward to seeing when Microsoft decides to start selling Xbox Ones in both colors.

Wave two of next-gen fever hits this week as Microsoft's Xbox One console launches Friday, November 22nd. This morning, the review embargo was lifted and the gaming press has been putting up early reviews.

One game I particularly had my eye on is getting some very unfavorable reviews. Lococycle is currently sitting on a Metacritic score of 53 right now. Many reviews are complaining that the game has sloppy controls, dull/repetitive gameplay, and the visuals are not next-gen at all. I see this as a very rare miss for the game's developer Twisted Pixel, but I have a feeling the game might have been rushed to release to make it as a Xbox One launch title.

Another rushed Xbox One launch title seems to be fairing much better. Killer Instinct is sitting on a healthy Metacritic score of 73. It's no secret the game is being rushed to launch with only 6 fighters, with the rest of the modes and characters coming by March 2014. It seems what is available now is a very solid fighting game that stays true to the original Rare classic. It is somewhat head-scratching that, since the game is online match focused (we don't get arcade mode until next year), it lacks an online lobby... a feature that's become very standard in online fighting games. 

The scores have been a scatter-shot so far, hitting lows in the 50's with Crimson Dragon, and Dead Rising 3 currently breaking into the 80's. 

The real surprise of the morning is how well Dead Rising 3 is reviewing. The original Dead Rising was a Xbox 360 launch title, so it was a fitting choice for Microsoft. What comes as a surprise though is that Dead Rising 3 is currently sitting on a higher score than any of Sony's PS4 exclusives.

Much like how the original showcased the horsepower of the Xbox 360, Dead Rising 3 is a technology showcase in how many on-screen enemies it can display, along with large open environments with no loading. Welcome additions to the series include the ability to craft weapons without having to find a workbench and the ability to manually save at any time. The only real complaint I've seen so far is the tone is noticeably darker than the earlier titles... and the humor that is present seems like an added afterthought. 

So despite having some serious public image problems, it looks like Microsoft's new console is off to a very strong start. Maybe the world is just ready for multiple titles with Hispanic mechanics as lead characters.