So on the Monday Freeview, we have brought you some examples of free shows or games you’ve been able to get a hold of. Up until this point though we have ignored two very important “free” options in the gaming world. These are the downloadable gaming libraries available to those subscribed to the XBox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus services.

While these services are technically not free, the inclusion of downloadable titles has been added to them as an added value while both primarily serve as a way for gamers to play online for the XBox 360, XBox One and PlayStation 4.

First, let’s take a look at the PlayStation Plus service. Originally a waning service as it wasn’t required for online play, the Instant Game Collection was one of the features that had not been fully exploited. It wasn’t until about two years after the service launched in June of 2010 that they began offering full PlayStation 3 titles to the roster as opposed to mainly retro games or PSN titles.

This is it boys and girls. As the end of the week draws closer, so must our Best of 2012 awards from The Flickcast and Bitcast teams. Check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 from earlier in the week in case you missed them. And just remember to check back tomorrow for The Flickcast’s Game of the Year Award.

Most Epic Classic Mashup – Street Fighter X Mega Man

What makes a game a classic? Unlike some Facebook pages where the average age of the viewer is thirteen which refer to Super Mario Galaxy as “classic”, we believe that for a game to earn that title, it must stand the test of time. While many series have had ups and downs, a select few have endured and kept going for more than two decades since their inceptions. Two from Capcom actually both celebrated their 25th anniversaries in 2012 so what better way to end the year than with a mashup of the two.

To conclude the 25th anniversary of Street Fighter and begin the 25th for Mega Man, Capcom distributed a full length Mega Man format game entitled Street Fighter X Mega Man for free. Available on http://www.capcom-unity.com/mega_man, Street Fighter X Mega Man started as a labor of love by a fan of the two series. After going through all the legal red tape, Capcom not only accepted the Seow Zong Hui’s idea but actually funded the completion of the game (which was delayed for a week while Seow had to study for finals).

I think it’s safe to say that Borderlands 2 was the most popular game on the show floor last weekend at PAX East. Luckily, I got a chance to check out the game thanks to the people at 2K.

Partnered up with another player, I chose the Siren, assigned some talent points, and jumped into the game. I was thrown into a giant bunker which, when opened, revealed an industrial, barren landscape surrounded by green pools of slime. Our mission was to reach a locker, but it was by no means easy to maintain, as we were constantly barraged by enemies.

This particular level featured bug-like creatures- some that swarmed up above, others that burrowed underground and rushed us from below or behind- so I was constantly swinging my camera around to meet my next foe with a blast of gunfire. My character also had an ability to freeze enemies midair while my partner pelted them with bullets- just like Borderlands, co-op is well executed in Borderlands 2.

Much as 2011 was a year of sequels, some of the most anticipated games of 2012 look to be continuations on existing franchises. One of these titles came from one of the sleeper hits of 2009 called Borderlands, from Gearbox.

In Borderlands, players got the choice between one of four classes of characters and could play through the world by themselves or with up to three friends cooperatively online in an apocalyptic world with a cell shaded comic book art style. The game came from out of no where and would spawn its own community and garnered loads of DLC as well.

Coming in 2012, Borderlands 2 features new classes including the already famous gunzerker, new locations and new challenges. The four original characters from Borderlands are said to be returning nonplayable characters and favorites like Clap Trap will make appearances as well. This time, a man by the name of Handsome Jack claims responsibility for the deeds of the vault hunters from the first game and has used it to gain control of the Hyperion Corporation and has taken a strong hold on the world of Pandora and now is trying to expand his power.

The game will continue Borderlands’ FPS RPG style featuring quest lines, leveling up and loot drops all using the modified Unreal Engine 3 to power it. Take a peek below at the teaser trailer from the team at Gearbox for Borderlands 2, coming to the XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in July 2012.