New details about free Xbox Live Gold games

CORRECTION: The first free game is Defense Grid: The Awakening. Microsoft only specified that Assassin's Creed II and Halo 3 will come at some point in the program, not in July. We apologize for the error.

Microsoft has provided new details about its plan to offer Xbox Live Gold members a number of free games for the remainder of 2013. Alongside the announcement of a new Xbox 360 model during its E3 press conference last week, the platform holder revealed that it would be giving every XBL Gold member two free Xbox 360 game downloads per month starting on July 1 and running until December 31.

Fable 3 is currently free to download until June 30, 2013. New games will become available on the 1st and 16th of each month, with Assassin's Creed 2 and Halo 3 coming in July, OXM reports. “Each specially selected, fan-favourite game will be available to download only for a limited time, so grab them before they’re gone and keep them no matter what,” Microsoft says on Xbox.com.

Inspired by the look of Xbox One, the new 360 model is slimmer and lighter than previous versions. It is available now at the same price points as the last model: $199.99 estimated retail price for the 4GB console, $299.99 for the 250GB edition and $299.99 for the 4GB Kinect Bundle.