Origin Games reveals that Nox is the latest game being offered as a free gift through their On the House program. Nox is a well-regarded action/RPG from Westwood Studios that was first released in 2000, drawing comparisons at the time to the Diablo series. As with other games offered for free through this program, the only requirement is an Origin account, and once downloaded, Nox will be yours to keep. Thanks jimnms.

Another free weekend is now underway on Steam for PAYDAY 2, OVERKILL's heist game sequel. Whether overshadowed by the Steam sale or just the number of previous free weekends, this went unannounced on Steam News, so thanks to Steam Database via Ant for the heads-up. The game can be played for free all weekend, and can be picked up for 75% off during that time as part of the Steam summer sale.

Developer nDreams offers a pair of new trailers from The Assembly, saying the game will be released on July 19th for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive along with a non-VR mode which can be played on a traditional computer monitor. There's this Progress trailer that they say is the official preview trailer for the game, as well as a Game Overview trailer featuring more gameplay. Here's word on the overview clip: "Welcome to our guided tour of The Assembly’s gameplay, where nDreams’ Art Manager Martin Field and Senior Designer Jackie Tetley give you an in-depth look at our game’s early chapters, environments and storyline. The Assembly is our first-person interactive story inspired by real-world anxieties, and is our first long-form game designed for VR. The game is coming to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on July 19th, and PlayStation VR following the launch of that platform." Continue here to read the full story.

• Fragmented version 16.6.6 Build.

• Kickstarter seeing steep decline in money pledged to video games in 2016, says analysis.

• ESL One Cologne sells out 14,000-seater Lanxess arena for CS-GO finals.

• Xbox Play Anywhere Feature Goes Live in September.

• Mozilla Thunderbird version 45.2.0. Thanks Ant.
• Amazon and PBS Come To SVOD Deal. Thanks Ant.

• AMD Releases Statement On Radeon RX 480 Power Consumption; More Details Tuesday.
• The WRT54GL- A 54Mbps router from 2005 still makes millions for Linksys. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.

• Cooler Master MasterBox 5 Case on APH Networks.
• Fractal Design Node 202 Case on Technic3D.
• Techman XC100E5C 1.6TB Enterprise PCIe NVMe SSD on TweakTown.

• 5 Tragic Overwatch Backstories that the Game Doesn't Tell You. C'mon, we all know Mei ate the other scientists. Thanks Ant…

We're in the midst of what will be a long holiday weekend, as Monday is Independence Day here in the U.S. of A. We got some much-needed rainfall overnight, but it looks like we're going to have nice weather in these parts for the occasion. It does look like there are storms forecast for other areas, but hopefully these won't ruin too many plans. As for us, the plan is to lay low, so I think we have a pretty good shot at success.

Successful Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Heroes in Super Action Adventure.
Story:	Kurt Sonnenfeld, His Dead Wife, and the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory That Explains Everything. Thanks Digg.
Science:	No, the Earth’s jet streams are not spinning out of control.
Media:	LEGO STAR WARS (Honest Game Trailers). Gun Juggler. Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion. Thanks Digg.
The Funnies:	Dilbert.