Get Crazy First-Person Puncher Game Zeno Clash Free from Onlive This Weekend

What do you get when you combine the craziest, most original, indie first-person action game with a beyond belief method of games delivery? Well, you get this post. And one heck of a chance at free stuff!

Onlive, the cloud gaming system we’ve discussed many times before, is running a special promotion this month that offers up a bundle of free indie games just waiting for you to claim them. Today begins the first of three Indie Free Game Weekends. This weekend, the title up for grabs is the bizarre first-person punch fest from Chilean developer ACE Team, Zeno Clash.

If you haven’t heard of Zeno Clash before… well, you’re missing out. The game puts you in the role of Ghat, a fairly normal looking man in a surreal world of masked men (?) where you must escape the pursuit of your brothers and sisters after your attempted murder of Father-Mother while experiencing the events that led you here through flashbacks. So… yeah, just another Call of Duty clone It’s safe to say you’ve never played a game like this before.

Head on over to Onlive’s Facebook page to get your free game code (Spoiler alert: NDFREEUS - for US, NDFREEUK – For UK, NDFREEBE – For Belgium) and click the Like button while you’re there. Because we all Like free stuff. To redeem the code, just select Zeno Clash from the Marketplace, click “Get Game”, and apply your promo code. Also remember to keep watching Onlive’s Facebook for the next couple weeks as the free games keep coming.

Big Fish Launches Unlimited: A Cloud Based Streaming Service With Free Games

We’ve been following the emerging technology of cloud gaming for a few years now. Heck, we were even so enamored with the concept we pronounced the traditional video game console dead (probably more than once if I felt like searching the archives). Today we have a new titan entering the ring of this truly next-generation gaming technology: Big Fish Games.

Whaa? You mean the guys who make all those point-n-click and match-3 games? That’s right! Founder and CEO Paul Thelen announced the casual gaming giant’s first live foray into the Azure, Big Fish Unlimited, at Casual Connect 2012. Big Fish Unlimited will bring a device independent, instant on gaming experience to those that prefer their entertainment a little more seeky-findy than shooty-killy (although there still seems to be a whole lotta horror and murder involved).

Microsoft Says OnLive’s Windows 7 App for iPad Violates Licensing

On January 10, cloud virtualization service OnLive proved they were more than fun and games with the launch of OnLive Desktop, an free, five megabyte app that delivered Windows 7 and Microsoft Office to your iPad. Our launch review found it to be an impressive technical trick, if lacking in any real usefulness.

Microsoft seems even less impressed. Joe Matz, Corporate VP of Worldwide Licensing and Pricing (how’s that for a job title that just screams “I am a tool”?) posted a nit-picky dissection of Microsoft's various licensing policies and states:

“Our licensing terms provide clarity and consistency for our partners, ensure a quality experience for end customers using Windows across a variety of devices, and protect our intellectual property. It’s important to us and to our partners that we’re serious about issues of compliance.”

Matz goes on to blame the media for shedding light on this possible usage violation and states that they are “actively engaged with OnLive with the hope of bringing them into a properly licensed scenario”. The whole post reads more like damage control than any actual statement. I’d wager that some vendor working on a similar product complained to Microsoft.

While virtualization is not a new wrinkle in the classic ‘one user, one license’ software usage scheme, virtualization on the scale of the OnLive Desktop certainly is. Obviously new rules will need to be created to ensure the proper use of programs in this new technology (leading to three more pages in that EULA you never read). It is a shame that this software giant elected to sight the elaborate ‘if-then-else’ terms of currently existing policies as opposed to simply fixing what will, no doubt, continue to be a sticky wicket in the future, especially two months after said product was released.

OnLive Desktop was also released for Android systems last week on the Android Market Google Play.

Review: OnLive Desktop Puts Windows Surface and Microsoft Office on Your iPad. But Why?

Cloud computing service OnLive proves they are more than fun and games with the reveal of OnLive Desktop: A free app that gives you a Windows 7 operating system, the multi-touch experience of Microsoft Surface, and a fully functional copy of Microsoft Office. Need more? You also get 2GB of free cloud storage.

But what to do with it?

OnLive Android App Passes 50k Installs, iOS Version Stuck in Apple Approval Limbo

Since bringing console quality gaming to your favorite ‘Droid exactly one week ago, the app has gone on to rack up a brisk 50,000 installs. Using remote data centers to run the actual game software itself, OnLive’s video game streaming service allows even the most modest of hardware to handle the most technologically advanced of software. Like Deus Ex. Man, that’s a cool game! Get it in the Android Market.

As for the user’s of Apple’s iOS devices? Well, if you’re a iDevice guy, you know what’s going on. Geek.com calls out “hints” that the OnLive app for iOS is stuck in that ‘will they/won’t they’ alternate dimension known as the Apple Approval Process. As is the case with the many revolutionary apps who skirt a little too close to Apple’s bread and butter, there is no known release date at this time.

Still don’t believe? Here’s a video of the graphic powerhouse Dirt 3 in the OnLive app side loaded into the $200 Kindle Fire :

OnLive Puts PC Gaming on Your Phone; Puts Consoles in Their Grave

Welcome to the next great disruption in the gaming market! As if tablets and smartphones weren’t already changing the way we think about darn near every dedicated computer device we own, the new OnLive app for Android has just dropped a bombshell on both the handheld and home console gaming markets.

Now available from the Android Market (and iOS version is expected “soon”), this tiny, free application (2.3MB) is available for Android devices running v2.3 or higher and alows you to stream PC gaming straight from OnLive’s data centers to your phone or tablet, on WiFi or OTA (just be sure to watch your data plan using OTA mobile networks!). Think of it as the NetFlix of gaming.

Don’t like touchscreen controls? They thought of that too. For $50, you can order the Universal OnLive Wireless Controller. Loosely resembling the classic Xbox 360 gamepad, this controller connects to Windows, Macs, and mobile devices. I’m sure I don’t have to explain the ramifications of a phone that runs high end PC games with a HDMI out and a wireless Bluetooth controller

Think it can’t get better? Download the OnLive app now and you’ll also get a free copy of Lego: Batman!

Free app, free service, free game. Drop a few bucks and you can be playing all of this season’s newest games like Assassin’s Creed, Saints Row, Batman: Arkham City, or L.A. Noir anywhere.

Onlive Halloweekend Offer: Free 3 Day Rental of Orcs Must Die, Metro 2033, Fear 3, and Amnesia

Onlive is having a Halloweekend promotion where you can play scary fare such as Fear 3, Metro 2033, Amnesia, and the all new Orcs Must Die for free.

Onlive is free to sign up for with no strings attached should you not already have an account. More than that, I’ll work on any ol’ clunker PC or Mac you’ve got lying around. Just make sure you’ve got a decent internet connection.

Our pick for this collection is Amnesia: The Dark Descent. With a 85 Metacritic score, this indie darling is every bit as terrifying and taxing as you’ve heard. If you have ever enjoyed a horror game in the past, don’t miss it.

Deal: Sign Up for Free OnLive Gaming Service, Get Any Game for $1

OnLive is running a sale where if you sign up you’ll get a coupon code that will net you any game on their service for just $1. This deal is even good on new releases such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Orcs Must Die, and Space Marine.
OnLive’s innovative cloud gaming service let’s you run high end PC games on any ol’ system, Windows or Mac. All you need is an Internet connection and you’re set to go.

To get in on this deal, visit OnLive.

For more information and real world tests using OnLive, check out GUO’s video feature Onlive Online Gaming with a $150 Netbook (amongst others). After seeing it in action, we’re big fans!

Death, Insanity, and OnLive’s Technical Support

Remember when I told you about GeekDads? Remember that OnLive console I showed you? Good. Now that we’re up to speed: My OnLive Micro Console died. This is that story. And then some.

I plugged the little guy in on a Friday morning following the procurement of a new game compliments of OnLive’s $5 Fridays sale. Hmm. No lights, no video, no sound, not a single luxury. Lemme double check that power cord. Yep, put it in the audio jack. Oops! Well, that should fix it! Super tech to the res- hmm. Still dead. This thing’s got a button. Lemme push that… Hold that... Hmm. There are buttons on the controller. Maybe those? Nope. How ‘bout if I press the controller button AND the console button at the same time? Hold both? Nothing.

GameStop Removing OnLive Digital Copies from Deus Ex Retail Package

I actually saw this story starting last night, but decided to wait until there was confirmation as it was simply unbelievable. Guess what? Confirmation is here.

 

The retail version of the new PC game Deus Ex: Human Revolution includes a surprise bonus: A coupon code for a free OnLive digital copy of the game, a $50 value! Well, it does unless you buy it at GameStop.

It seems that North America’s largest brick and mortar retailer doesn’t like the fact that a cloud based copy of the game is getting into its customer’s hands. You see, GameStop is preparing to launch their own digital space in the future and they’re not very happy that some of us live there now.

So what’s GameStop’s excuse? GameSpy gave ‘em a call and asked:

We then contacted GameStop public relations representative Beth Sharum. In an email reply, Sharum said she needed to further research the issue before providing a detailed response.However, she did confirm GameStop intentionally removed the OnLive coupons:

Update: Gamestop has now pulled all copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution from their shelves.

Kotaku has the following statement from the game’s publisher Square Enix:

"As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution's boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third party coupon", says a statement released by the publisher. "GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion and Square Enix respects the right of GameStop to have final say over the contents of products it sells and to adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies."

It’s a shame GameStop couldn’t remove the stupid boss fights from the game

OnLive Speed Test: Quality versus Bandwidth

During last month’s OnLive experiments I was able to connect with a lot of members of the OnLive community. The most common questions I saw were regarding exactly what class of Internet connection you needed to use the service to its fullest. Usually I‘d just brush off most of these inquiries thinking “Well, its free. Try it yourself.”

There were two incidents that caused me to investigate this issue a little further. The first was when listening to the OnLiveFans Cast podcast where one of the hosts attempted to test if the service worked at 1.5Mbps by running BitTorrent in the background. The second was a great conversation with YouTuber keyotikdragon in the comments for the Metro demo. After doing some digging, I found… well, nothing. There was a lot of guesswork and some quotes pulled out of context from press releases, but nothing even resembling actual data to answer the most commonly asked question about OnLive: How much bandwidth do I need? Growing Up Otaku to the rescue!

 

OnLive PlayPack Subscription Now Includes 30% Off New Titles & Pre-orders

Cloud gaming service OnLive may be free, but it also has a $10 per month subscription offer that gets you access to over 70 of the 100ish titles on the service. This week, that deal just got a little sweeter. Here on out, PlayPack subscribers will also get a 30% price break on anything else OnLive offers: consoles, controller, newer games, or even pre-orders. You can even cancel anytime.
With new games costing $50 and some pre-order deals coming with free games or consoles, I don’t have to explain what a difference this can make to expanding your OnLive library. Get the details from OnLive.com. 

In case you missed ‘em, here’s my video overviews of the both the OnLive micro console and PC service. OnLive is also available for Macs.

The Video Game Console of Tomorrow is No Console at All

It has been a big day for game news here at GUO! If you look over our content today, you can’t help but come to one conclusion: The days of a dedicated video game system are numbered. When Call of Duty becomes the biggest entertainment launch in history and then breaks that record the following year, you know that gaming has arrived as the medium people want to spend their leisure time with. Zynga’s numbers don’t lie. Games are a multi-billion dollar, world wide industry and everyone is going after a piece of it. Content is King, and now content is everywhere.

Advances in in miniaturization and computer technology has given us the ability to put small, low power, blazing fast processors in everything from televisions to telephones. WiFi and cellular service allows cordless, hassle free connections to the Internet. When playing high end video games is as easy as changing a channel and your cell phone plays World of Warcraft styled MMOs, why even consider spending $300+ on yet another power guzzling box with more cables?

Sure, dedicated console systems will hang around for a while, fueled by hit franchises and fanboy fervor. Eventually they will be relegated to the ‘hardcore’ niche, much like what has happened with the ‘hardcore’ PC gaming crowd. Once that happens, Sony and Microsoft will likely notice that the billions of dollars it takes to design and produce these machines simply cannot be recouped by a niche audience. They’ll drop out of the hardware market and Xbox Live will become just another icon on your television between Gameloft and Netflix.

3DS Software Canceled and Delayed : Is the 3DS Nintendo’s Sinking Ship?

Onlive Online Gaming with a $150 Netbook using WiFi : Consoles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Consoles!

New Roku Media Streamer will Have Motion Controls and Angry Birds

Onlive Online Gaming with a $150 Netbook using WiFi : Consoles? We Don’t Need No Stinking Consoles!

GrowingUpOtaku.com is back with a second look at the Onlive cloud based video gaming service. In the last video we looked at how Onlive worked using the hardware designed by and for the Onlive service. Today we roll our own!

Gape in as we as we take a 4 year old Eee-PC 900 netbook and attempt to run the games Split/Second, Red Faction: Guerilla, and, current PC benchmarking darling, Metro 2033.

Is it possible to replace $300 video game consoles and $800+ ‘Gaming PCs’ with some old piece of junk lying around? Join us on our lulzy quest to find out!

An extended look at Metro 2033 on this same system can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIB0nYdQIzQ

Our unboxing and demo of the Onlive Micro Console is here:
http://www.growingupotaku.com/2011/07/video-onlive-cloud-gaming-console.html

Internet: My Favorite Melting Pot

I adore having the world at my fingertips! My television comes from Japan; My music from France; 35% of my readers from the UK; My news from around the world; And, during tonight’s Onlive session, an eight year old and his brother shrieked and giggled in excitement from Brazil while I blasted my way through a Marauder base.

We call America the melting pot, but it is cyberspace that truly allows to know and understand each other.

They also wanted to know if I played Club Penguin

Video: Onlive Cloud Gaming Console-Unboxing, Setup, and Demo. Like a Review, but Not

Join Growing Up Otaku's Managing Editor Krutzler (For realz! Not a CG puppet!) for an "impromptu unboxing" of the Onlive MicroConsole.

This honest, uncensored, barely edited video takes a look at the Onlive cloud based video game console starting with opening the Fed-Ex box and climaxing with some Red Faction: Guerrilla gameplay.

I have attempted to provide every technical detail I could think of in this video. Subtitles are used liberally throughout to correct errors, misconceptions, fill in blanks, and provide the odd laugh or two. Behold as the snark of GUO is turned inward on itself. Meta!

Run time is just over 38minutes. I hope you enjoy watching!

If you have any other questions, check out Onlive.com, Onlivefans.com, or just ask away in the comments.

*In support of this video (and because I think Onlive is one of the coolest things to happen to gaming since SVGA graphics), I will try to be on Onlive every night from 9:30PM to 10:30PM EDT in July 2011. My ID is ryte2byte  You can watch and berate me using the free client for PC, Mac, or iPad.

OnLive Drops Monthly Access Fee

THe Onlive service is now free. Head on over and check out the service for yourself. Games will still cost you, but the "demo" system allows you to play the first 30mins, so nothing to loose.

Check out The Future. OoooohOOooo