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.

Yesterday, Activision gave the first detailed glimpse at Onslaught, the first DLC pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts. As has become the standard, the pack will include four regular multiplayer maps, one new weapon and one survival map, this time for the Extinction game mode. As you’ll see in the trailer after the break, the multiplayer levels are more goal oriented than ever before with a “reward” system that looks to really change the dynamic of each individual match.

The most exciting new map has to be Fog. A dark and spooky backwoods map with cabins and a barn, the real excitement comes from the completed field order which turns a player into Michael Meyers. Yes, from Halloween. When you’re Michael, you get armed with an axe… and his signature theme music. When you get close, your victim knows it’s coming and hear it before you take them out.

If you’ve been to McDonald’s recently you may have seen their latest pull tab giveaway is focusing on XBox. While Taco Bell is backing the PlayStation 4, Mickey D’s is going gung ho with Microsoft to push the XBox One, XBox Music, XBox Video and the XBox Live Arcade. Unlike previous giveaways like Monopoly where McDonald’s food items were up for grabs, everything that can be won from this promotion is XBox related. You’ll find the full breakdown of prizes below including the top prizes, XBox Ones with a copy of Forza Motorsport 5.

The one thing that stood out though were the XBox Live Arcade titles. All of them are on the 360. Now I understand the idea is to give people something they are more likely to be able to use like XBox Music, Video or Gold since they can be applied to either the XBox One or 360, but it seemed strange to not give games for the previous gen system and none for the XBox One. It’s true not every game could be redeemed for XBox One yet, especially since these seem to have limited codes, but it feels a little like the early adopters are getting ignored for their fervor to get the system early yet again.

That said, I was able to win the only game from Twisted Pixel Games that I didn’t already own, The Maw. It is currently downloading on my XBox 360 as the XBox One cools down from another busy weekend.

Take a look below at the full list of prizes and chick out One Hot Holiday for more details.

• XBox One & Forza Motorsport 5
• XBox Music Pass & XBox Live Gold 1 Month Membership
• XBox Live Gold 1 Month Membership
• The Maw for XBox 360
• Ms. Splosion Man for XBox 360
• Aqua for XBox 360
• The Wolverine Digital HD movie download
• Episode of a Fox Series: Enlisted, Bones, Raising Hope

The lines were drawn some time ago in this latest generation of the console war. With shots being fired all around since the consoles were officially announced to feature sets and launch titles, things have gotten messy.

And even though we are lucky enough to get review copies of games here on a regular basis, we didn’t get our hands on a freebie for either the XBox One or PlayStation 4. When budget came in to effect, I had to choose which side I’d be backing and since there could be only One… (You see what I did there?)

In the end, it came down to two things. The first is that I have bought both a PlayStation 3 and a Vita but the majority of my collection of games in the last generation were for the XBox 360. More people I knew played multiplayer on XBox 360 so for things like Call of Duty: Ghost and Grand Theft Auto V, that’s where people already were.

And as silly as they might be, I have become an achievement whore over the past 8 years and try as they might, Sony’s trophies don’t have the same effect on me. I cracked over 50,000 in one generation, I need to top it in the next.

Let me start off by saying this is by no means an attack on Sony or the PlayStation 4, so put your flames away. This is just my own opinion on the situation and not meant in any way to talk negatively about the PlayStation 4 and any of its features.

It was announced on Wednesday that Microsoft had changed the DRM features they announced for the XBox One would be removed. Microsoft stated that XBox One owners would now have the ability to play without being logged online every 24 hours or having to worry about the disc being console locked. Immediately, there was a massive outcry saying that it was a huge win for the PlayStation 4.

But that’s not entirely accurate. When you think about it, the huge lead given for the PlayStation 4 announcement happened where it was shown that one console would have these DRM rules while one wouldn’t. As we’ve seen in every race, it’s not over until it’s over.