Back at E3, Microsoft promoted their new Games for Gold program during their keynote. This program gives away two free games between the beginning of July and the launch of the Xbox One. Fable III was the first game given away under this promotion and Assassins’ Creed II and Halo 3 were announced as the first two games that would be given away as part of “Games with Gold.”

Well, funny I should mention that. Today was the release of the first Games with Gold game and it wasn’t Assassins’ Creed II or Halo 3. It was actually 2008 tower defence game Defense Grid: The Awakening.

Now, I’m not knocking a game Defense Grid: The Awakening, a game that’s otherwise available for $10 (800 MS Points) and was released in 2009, but that’s not the sort of triple-A splash that was promised at E3.

Not only do I remember the promise of AC2 and Halo 3, but the Official Xbox Magazine says that July’s free Games with Gold giveaway games were Assassins’ Creed II and Halo 3. Even Kotaku and The Verge say the same. How can everyone seem to recall or write that we’re getting two triple-A games in July but Microsoft says that they were promised eventually? Smells to me like a bait and switch.

Making the bait and switch worse is that the last month saw Sony include the likes of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Uncharted 3, Saints Row: The Third and LittleBigPlanet Karting as part of the PlayStation Plus Instant Games Collection. Each of those games were released in the last two years. If you look at the four released or confirmed Games with Gold games, they range from six years old (Halo 3) to three years old (Fable III).

Back when Microsoft announced this program during their E3 keynote, I commended them for trying to compete with PS Plus and add value to Xbox Live Gold memberships beyond the friends list. However, they still don’t get it. Doing something new like Games with Gold is only really worth doing if you do it well. Microsoft is clearly half-assing it after getting the good PR from it.

Microsoft should know that while some people are quick to forgive and forget, gamers tend to have long-term memories when you do them wrong.

Source: OXM, Joystiq, @MajorNelson