Mass Effect Legendary Edition is free for members of Amazonās Prime Gaming service this week. Itās one of six games being given out by the e-commerce giantāwhich has struggled, despite pouring gazillions into various projects, to produce an acclaimed game of its ownāfor Prime Day, its annual ritual about bleeding you dry at the altar of capitalism. They join roughly two dozen other games Amazon put up last month as a promotion for Prime Day.
Every year, Amazon runs a series of promotions called Prime Day, meant to spur you into spending money on products you otherwise wouldnāt have looked twice at. In other words, as our friends at Lifehacker note, unless you approach the process thoughtfully and methodically, shopping on Prime Day doesnāt actually save you any money in the long run. But between the lines, thereās the occasional solid deal, especially when it comes with a $0 price tag. (Of the offers that do have a price attached, our colleagues at The Inventory will be monitoring to see whatās actually worth your time.)
Mass Effect Legendary Edition, a bundled 4K re-release of BioWareās landmark trilogy of space RPGs, is the big one. Amazon is also giving out the racing games Grid Legends and Need For Speed Heat, alongside three Star Wars games: the terrific squad shooter Republic Commando, and two entries from the Jedi Knight series of action games, Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy. Amazon refers to the act of claiming these games as āfreeloadingā (how fun). You can grab them tomorrow and Wednesday.
Beyond roving space operas and two singularly competent racing games, Amazon is also giving away a handful of under-the-radar titles, including the excellent co-op puzzler Death Squared and two entries from the classic fighting series King of Fighters. Theyāre currently availableāhave been since the middle of Juneāand will continue to be through Wednesday. Hereās the full list:
10 Second Ninja X
8Doors: Arumās Afterlife Adventure
Addling Adventures
Bang Bang Racing
Clouds & Sheep 2
Death Squared
Fatal Fury Special
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
Gone Viral
HUE
Manual Samuel
Metal Slug 2
Metal Unit
Pumped BMX Pro
Puzzle of the Year ā 10 Pack
Rain World
Road Trip ā 3 Pack
Samurai Shodown II
Serial Cleaner
The Crowās Eye
The Darkside Detective
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2002
The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor
The catch to all of this is that you need to be signed up for Prime Gaming, which costs $15 a month and includes all of the stuff, like the streaming service and the āfreeā shipping, you get with Amazon Prime. (You get Prime Gaming access at no extra cost with a standard Prime subscription; theyāreā¦basically the same thing.) Amazon says games are yours to keep āforever.ā Hereās where I point out you can register for a 30-day trial for free
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