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‘Killer Instinct’ leads January’s free Xbox Games With Gold lineup

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Microsoft has unveiled 2017’s inaugural Games With Gold lineup, announcing that service subscribers will get free access to all characters, modes, and stages in Iron Galaxy’s one-on-one fighting game Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra.

Xbox One owners with an active Xbox Live Gold membership will also receive free copies of World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap in January, while Rayman Origins arrives as next month’s featured freebie on the Xbox 360.

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Before landing a starring role in next month’s Games With Gold lineup, Killer Instinct premiered as a launch title for the Xbox One in 2013. Available as a free download for all Xbox One owners, Killer Instinct includes a single playable character by default, while the remainder of the game’s roster can be unlocked via microtransactions.

Xbox Live Gold subscribers will get access to a slate of nine playable characters by downloading Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra for free via Games With Gold next month, including returning series favorites Riptor, Maya, Cinder, and T.J. Combo. Other characters bundled with Season 2 Ultra include franchise newcomers Kan-Ra, Omen, Aganos, Hisako, and Aria.

Players who download Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra will additionally unlock eight costumes, 16 premium accessory packs, and a fully featured port of the 1996 arcade game Killer Instinct 2.

Also on tap for Games With Gold next month is World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap, an Xbox One tower defense and action-RPG hybrid that boasts a cooperative campaign in addition to a single-player story mode. Xbox 360 owners, meanwhile, can look forward to free copies of Double Fine’s adventure game The Cave and Ubisoft’s vibrantly colorful side-scrolling platformer Rayman Origins. Both The Cave and Rayman Origins are also playable on the Xbox One via backward compatibility.

World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap and The Cave will be free to download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers starting on January 1. Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra and Rayman Origins will join the Games With Gold lineup on January 16.

Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
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Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
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