free xbox live

At 60 dollars a year or more outside the USA, Xbox live isn't very cheap and whether you just don't have the money or your parents aren't willing to pay for it, there are still ways to get online and become part of the LIVE community.

Currently there are only 6 ways to get online without paying:

Method 1. Using the free trial that came with your Xbox 360
Method 2. Using a free trial that came with a game
Method 3. Getting it through a site like Prizerebel - The BEST way at the moment
(Update)
Method 4. Swap Microsoft Points for Subscriptions on trading websites
Method 5. Free Xbox Live Weekends (rare)
Method 6. Free giveaways (NONE at the moment)

EDIT: Latest news!!! Microsoft is currently running a "Friendship is Free" program which lets all XBox LIVE Silver members.

The program, scheduled to run until the end of December, allows those gamers with free Xbox Live Silver accounts to enjoy online play in a handful of Xbox 360 games including the phenomenal Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

Other games on offer include Bomberman Live, free shooter Aegis Wing, city-building strategy title A Kingdom for Keflings, Hardwood Hearts and Spades, Uno and Contra-esque action title Small Arms.

Unfortunately this offer only allows a few select games to be played online, for full, normal LIVE functionality follow Method 3 below.

This tip is for people who have NOT signed up for Xbox Live yet. To give you a taste of what you are missing, Microsoft provides a free 1 month trial with each Xbox 360 they sell, BUT they are very clever at hiding it hoping you will buy one instead.

1. Make sure you Xbox 360 is plugged in to a broadband internet connection.
2. Turn it on and choose the 'Join Xbox Live' option.
3. Create a Gamertag name and start entering your personal information.
4. Once you get to the point during signup where you have to select from: 'Silver, Gold, or Redeem' choose Silver.
5. It will ask you if you're sure you want Silver and not Gold. Even if you have a 48 hour trial redemption card, don't use it. Select yes, you are sure you just want Silver.
6. After confirming the Silver account Xbox Live should say you've just qualified for a free 1 month trial of Xbox Live.

Boom!
One months free gaming

This method can only be used once with each gamertag and only when setting it up for the first time on your console (not if you set it up on your PC). Each console allows a maximum of 3 free trials, so if you have already used all these trials, or have a second hand console you are out of luck. Finally remember, you only get 1 month free with each different gamertag and when you set up a new gamertag you lose all of your achievements and rewards!!

Some, not all, games contain a free trial for Xbox LIVE but these are generally 48 hours trials (they used to be more but now you'll be lucky to get a month free at most) and obviously require the purchase of a $60 game. Halo 3, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and GTA 4 Special Edition are some examples.

This method is probably the worst way of getting a free trial so I only save the cards for the occasion that my subscription expires and it will take me 2 days to get another one; a worry I don't have anymore if you read about method 3.

* LATEST UPDATE * Quantum of Solace includes a 48 hour Xbox Live trial as well as a code for a Netflix trial (for more about Netflix see here). Grand Theft Auto is now confirmed to contain a 1 MONTH FREE TRIAL for Xbox LIVE. This is very unusual these days. It's a saving of $8 making GTA 4 even better value for money.

Now I had the same reaction as you when I first saw Prizerebel (in fact I saw a different site before that where my suspicions were justified), it seems like one of those classic scams that will waste your time and in the end you wind up with nothing. But being desperate enough to get on LIVE, I gave it a try and definitely don't regret it.

UPDATE: For information check out this instructable -- Link down will try and get it up as soon as possible

The purpose of my site is to tell you about my epxeriences with Prizerebel and how it works, so that you can make your own, informed decision. If after reading this you think it's worth a shot, feel free to sign up but if you think it's a waste of time then don't that's your choice too.

The way it works is pretty simple, you just sign up to Prizerebel and then fill in some of the surveys/offers, none of which cost you any money or need a credit card. For each form you fill in, you get some points and once you have 8 points you can ask Prizerebel to email you a LIVE code. 8 points is quite a small number so it doesn't take that long to get, in fact it took me 2 days at 15 minutes a day (that's half an hour in total) to get that many. The reason I did it over 2 days is that some of the points take up to 24 hours to register so you just need to sit back and wait.

So where's the catch? Well as with everything that seems to good to be true, there is one. The offers that you fill in send A LOT of junk to your email address, clogging it up with adverts and offers, but there is an easy way around this. Simply set up a new email address at one of the major email providers like Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail and once you have got your LIVE code or are done with PR, just forget about it.

Here's another tip, sometimes the sites ask for your postal address and phone number. If this is something you are unwilling to share, then simply make one up - remember Google is your friend. But you need to make sure that the Zip Code/Postal Code and the street name actually exist and that they match, you cant just pluck one out of thin air. For extra safety, if any offer has a box saying it might send you adverts through the post, just click NO.

To prove that this isn't a scam, just check out the photo. This a real snapshot of my account and the prize I claimed (an Amazon Gift Certificate).

Finally, if you want to save a lot more time, then you can simply download a program called Roboform. You enter the details that you want to save into this and it fills in most parts of the forms automatically with just one click, but it is a bit complicated to use the first time round so definitely one for the more advanced computer users. If you are interested simply click here and download the trial version for free.

For a video on how to use Prizerebel check here--Link down will try and get it up as soon as possible

If you are interested, just click on the links above or the banner below. For more information, go to the bottom of the page for some Frequently Asked Questions.

Some of the more popular forums contain boards where members can trade points for subscriptions with other members. There are strict rules governing the exchange and it is moderated by the person in charge of the board. As a large amount of trust is involved reputations are very important so generally swaps are only made between people who have been forum members for a long time or can prove their reputation on other sites such as ebay. I do not currently have any links to these pages but will keep you updated.

Occasionally Microsoft offers a 48-72 hour period where all the Xbox LIVE Silver members are upgraded to Gold and can play their games online. These do not happen very often and only when sponsored by a corporation. The last free weekend was March 31st to April 2nd 2006 and was sponsored by Verizon in the US but there is currently none scheduled for at least the next two months (according to MS's official LIVE timetable)

NONE at the moment
The best way to get free Xbox LIVE codes, these generally involve you filling in a form and being sent a code in return. Much like Prizerebel as mentioned above except you generally only get a 48hr trial, whereas filling in a few forms on Prizerebel gets you much longer.

The last major giveaway was the Tropicana "Keeping It Twisted" Giveaway at the beginning of the year (ended on 01/31/08). Since then there have been none, but as soon as there are you can read about it here first. So remember to keep checking.

If you found this website useful, please add it to your favorites, del.ici.ous or Digg. And keep checking back for more information and the latest updates and tips.

Good Luck,

Soup

How many times can I do this?
There is no limit, I have used it about 3 times now. When you get a free subscription, you have aaaages to fill in more offers before the subscription runs out so you should never need to worry.

Does it matter what details I enter?
You are asked for these details so that the companies can email you with further offers. Of course, if you do not want to be sent these offers, you can just make up these details. Just set up any email address, and it will still work.

Is this illegal?
No. Don't worry the police will not come knocking down your door as you are not breaking any laws. Basically you have put in work to fill in the forms (even though its not much work) and the free subscription is like you're getting paid for it.

Is it really free?
Yes definitely, if you follow my advice and stick to the free offers which simply require an email address they can send junk to.
But there are some offers which require credit cards and some which require cell/mobile phones. They may award much higher points but there is a large degree of risk with them too. With the credit card offers you must remember to cancel any trials before you get charged and I would highly recommend you stay away from the cell phone offers unless you really want what they advertise and are willing to pay what they ask for it.
Personally, I have not paid anything so far for the site and so my subscriptions have been completely free.

Is Prizerebel better than Gaming Lagoon and Rewards1?
Remember how I said I had suspicisions which were justified using some websites? Well you guessed it, these are the ones. I have a membership to Rewards1 but have never used it since joining Prizerebel. The reason being they are too hard to get points on!!
Although they offer similar rewards to their members the other websites have a habit of not giving you all the points you have earned! I spent at least a week using Rewards1 and was only half way to getting an Xbox LIVE subscription, I was about to give it all up when I thought I would have one last go with a different site. After using Prizerebel I was not only astonished at the speed I gained points but actually quite annoyed at the time I had wasted with Rewards1.
GamingLagoon on the other hand required not only an address but a valid phone number that they would verify too! This was too many details that I didn't want to hand over when other websites required less. If you don't like anything I have to say on this blog, just listen to one piece of advice, stay away from Rewards1 and GL.

Is this only available in the US?
NO. Prizerebel can be used by anyone in the USA, Canada, Australia or the United Kingdom.

I have seen some sites offering a hack which will get me 999 points, does this work?
No. If anything like this worked, believe me I would tell you. This is a trick people use to get your account details so they can take any points you have earnt.

I heard you can email someone your Xbox LIVE code and they will send you 10 in return?
Again this is a scam. The scammer basically makes you enter your code in what seems like a computer language and send it to an email address saying it is a glitch in the system that will give you 10 codes in return. In reality, it is their email address and they will simply use the code you provide so you will be left with nothing.

1. Connect your Xbox 360 to an internet connection.
2. Hit the Xbox Guide button, and in the Xbox 360 Dashboard, select Xbox LIVE.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your Xbox LIVE account.
4. Sign in to Xbox LIVE from Xbox 360 Dashboard.
5. Select Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
6. Select Redeem Prepaid Card or Promotional Code when prompted, enter your code, and enjoy!

So here's the problem with the huge number of game releases its hard to just choose one. So i won't.

So here's my nomination for single and multiplayer game of the month:
Call of Duty:
World at War

This is an insane game. A first-person shooter which provides one of the best online experiences of the year. A huge improvement on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, already one of the best multiplayer games on Live!

With its immense popularity and insane level of multiplayer choice how can anything else compete? For more of my opinion about COD read my spotlight on the game of the month otherwise read on...

Don't take my word for it, here's what others have to say: "The new multiplayer for "World at War" the latest in the Call of Duty series is fantastic. Let's look at gameplay, the player progression and perks system and the maps to get a feel for why I think this is a better multiplayer game than CoD4.

Gameplay: World at War is a more deliberate and strategic. CoD4 is more run and gun. In CoD4 players are funneled down corridors or through alleys and meet each other in high noon fashion. There is less cover to hide behind and consequently less strategy and tactics. It is a first person shooter (fps) determined solely by who has the better guns, perks and connection speed. World at War is much different. For one, it is slower. I think that has a lot to do with map size and they way the maps are laid out. It does not have to do with weapon speed. Sure it sucks to have a bolt action rifle, but you can eliminate that by customizing your character's profile in the game with the perks you have unlocked and frankly I didn't notice a difference in weapons afterwards. Also, the entrance of armor in some of the bigger maps causes you to slow down and think. A well placed tank can control a map strong point until your opponents load up with bazooka teams. More than once we assaulted a tank with grenades and submachine guns. Don't do it. It almost certainly results in death. You need bazookas.

The Treyarch designers have smartly retained the 3 straight kills, 5 straight kills and 7 straight kills system of in game benefits. At 3 kills instead of a UAV drone there is a recon plane, the artillery is the same at 5 kills (but I swear this barrage lasts longer and is more deadly) and instead of helicopters at 7 kills there are a pack of ferocious german shepherds that are released by your opponents. Say what? That's right a pack of dogs. And while it may seem silly, it is in fact one of the best changes of the game and everyone I played with last evening thought so as well. The dogs are black shepherds, there are about 10 of them in the pack and they can cause sheer panic, especially if you are in the open when you hear them howling and running towards you. You can't see them initially and that only causes the panic to build. Especially if you have seen what they can do.

Here are two things I saw last evening when the dogs were released:

The first instance was on a map called "Airfield." I was the third man of a string of players from my team trying to outflank a sniper. We heard the dogs howling and immediately tensed. I reloaded as fast as a I could, the player in front of me panicked and tried to hop over a railing and the point man froze. At least 8 dogs descended on us leaping up and grabbing for our throats. Three of them swarmed our point man he went down quickly. The guy trying to hop over the railing was pulled down and died. I emptied the clip in my thompson machine gun and killed two more with a pistol before I died. If I had been the point man I would have died. Two many dogs and not enough bullets. I had a chance, I made a mistake with my weapon switch and died.

The dog effect was paralyzing on future maps. Players irrationally start running around trying to hide or flee their perfect hiding spot because they feel too exposed. Opposing players are also learning to follow the dogs especially to find players that are using camouflage (in game perk) to avoid aerial recon planes. I can't tell you how many times I killed the dog or dogs chasing me only to have an opposing player kill me on the reload because he had followed the dogs.

This is one of the best features of the multi player game.

Maps: The maps are bigger and more vertical and that has caused more of an emphasis on grabbing strategic ground than in CoD4. For instance on a map called "Seelow," with an elevated railway bridge running along an embankment in the middle of the map, controlling this elevated position for the majority of the game almost always results in a win. By vertical I mean more up and down combat. Aside from the maps "Creek" and "Pipeline," there is almost no vertical play (fighting up and down stairwells and hills.) in CoD4. By introducing vertical play in World at War, the designers have made the maps feel much bigger and caused the players to develop new offensive and defensive strategies. On one of the maps (can't remember name) there is a church steeple that much of the combat centers around. When I played this map my opponents controlled that steeple and pinned us down in a corner of the map until we died multiple times and eventually respawned out of sight from the steeple. "Castle," another vertical gameplay map which looks like a Japanese feudal castle, has opposing players fighting up and down a series of stairwells. When defending the castle, we quickly learned where to place our snipers and heavier machine guns. In some ways this makes the game more like Ghost Recon but with CoD4 technology and character development.

Perks: The perks system is almost identical to CoD4. Their are five perk options which get cooler as you unlock content with player progression (time spent playing equals more kills equals better stuff). One of the perk weapon items is a Flame thrower. No one was a high enough level last evening to unlock this weapon and I can't imagine how it will impact gameplay.

Overall I can't say enough about the game. I am partial to World War two shooters and so far this is the best I have played. I like that it blends a Ghost Recon's reliance on great settings with Call of Duty's gameplay."

Already the number 3 on the XBox Live! Top 10 List, it can only get higher. So what are you waiting for, get a copy, get a LIVE subscription and get online!!

Now for my real favourite, and the top solely multiplayer game:

LEFT 4 DEAD

I LOVE THIS GAME, the director makes every level a challenge and i cant describe the feeling when you win the levels by the scruff of your pants - a feeling you'll get quite often! Every level starts a movie poster showing the players and your gamer tag and ends with credits detailing your achievements.

Again there's more on my spotlight of the month Here's what wikipedia has to say:
Left 4 Dead is played in a first-person perspective. In Campaign and Single-player mode, the player takes control of one of the Survivors; if four human players are not available, then the remaining Survivors are AI-controlled bots. They play through the levels fighting off the "Infected"-living humans who have been infected with a mutated rabies virus to which the Survivors are immune.

The game is focused on cooperation and team play; colored outlines of teammates are visible through walls to help players stick together and coordinate their movement. If a Survivor falls off a ledge, then they may automatically hang onto it and can only be helped up by another Survivor. If a Survivor's health is depleted, then they become incapacitated and can only be revived by another Survivor, at which point they continue playing with a low amount of health that decrements over time. If a Survivor has been incapacitated and revived twice without tending to their wounds, then they will experience distorted black-and-white vision, and the next incapacitation will kill the player. If an incapacitated Survivor incurs further damage or is neglected by teammates, then they will die. If a Survivor is killed, then they will respawn in a closet after a period of time, but must be freed by another Survivor to rejoin the team. Otherwise, the player must wait until the next level. Survivors can share first-aid kits and help each other heal. Left 4 Dead has friendly fire that cannot be disabled, increasing the need for caution around other Survivors.

The Survivors communicate by voice commands that are accessed by quick menus, and some sound off automatically when performing actions such as reloading or spotting Infected. Over 1000 unique lines have been recorded for each Survivor. Additional communication of player actions is conveyed through character lights. Also, weapon-mounted flashlights and muzzle flashes help the players in determining whether their companions are shooting, performing melee attacks, reloading or moving. Due to control issues and the likelihood of players using a LIVE headset, the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead omits the quick phrases feature.

The game is experienced through four campaigns that take place in various urban and rural locales. Multiple visual in-game hints, including license plates, park signs, and markings on airport equipment, imply that these locations are in Pennsylvania. Each campaign is divided into several chapters marked by safe rooms, which are checkpoints where players can heal, re-arm, and revive players who were killed. Specifically, the four campaigns are: "No Mercy", an urban setting; "Death Toll", a small-town and countryside setting; "Dead Air", an airport setting; and "Blood Harvest", a woodland and nature setting. The levels are essentially linear, with distinct beginnings and ends, but there are a number of alternate routes to follow with more supplies and alternate objectives, helping to create a sense of non-linearity. In the final chapter of each campaign, the players must defend a position from an onslaught of Infected until rescue arrives. Each campaign lasts between 45 and 75 minutes.

Xbox 360 Top 10

1 Halo 3
2 CoD: World at War
3 Gears of War 2
4 Call of Duty 4
5 GTA IV
6 Left 4 Dead
7 Madden NFL 09
8 Fable II
9 Fallout 3
10 FIFA 09

Stream Movies Directly To Your XBox 360, with XBox LIVE! and Netflix.

Now there's another reason to get XBox LIVE!, Netflix. Ever since the New XBox Experience update there has been a blade which allows you to stream Netflix movies directly to your XBox. This gives you access to thousands of movies that you can watch straight away, no having to wait for the movies to be delivered to you or worrying about returning them.

To take advantage of this service you need to have Xbox LIVE! and a Netflix subscription. Download the application from the videomarketplace and then simply go to http://www.netflix.com/Activate

Unfortunately this service is only available in the USA, but hey, XBox live is still an amazing deal.