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Get Civilization V or Mafia II (PC) for free!

Who says you can't get something for nothing? Choose either game absolutely free when you cast some votes and fill out a short form. Plus: three bonus deals!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read
Take your pick. Keep your money.
Take your pick. Keep your money. Green Man Gaming

Woo! Free! Woo!

That's my little written happy-dance way of celebrating today's deal. For a limited time, and while supplies last (yes, even digital downloads can have a fixed supply), Green Man Gaming is offering your choice of Civilization V or Mafia II (Win) absolutely free.

Yeah, but you'll have to "like" it on Facebook, right? Or tweet it to all your followers. Or subscribe to something. Or folk over your credit card. There's always a hoop to be jumped.

Actually, you don't have to do any of that. The only "hoop" is voting for your favorite games in something called the Golden Joystick Awards, after which you'll complete a short online form that basically creates a Green Man Gaming account. E-mail confirmations and activation codes will follow.

Update: You need to vote before you can claim your free game, and as of around 7:45 a.m. PT, the voting page says "temporarily unavailable." I don't know if that's due to heavy traffic or what, but keep checking back. Hopefully they'll work out the glitch so you can get your game.

So, which game should you pick? Civilization V is a classic, arguably one of the top strategy titles of all time. GameSpot awarded it a rating of 9 and called it " another wonderful addition to a classic franchise."

Ah, but Mafia II (also published in 2010) has its charms as well, especially if you like open-world action and "Godfather"-inspired narratives. Check out the highs and lows on MetaCritic.

Whichever game you choose, you'll need a Steam account to activate and install it. Here's hoping the voting system gets fixed so GMG doesn't have an e-riot on its hands!

Bonus deal: With smartphones increasingly playing the role of navigation system, a good car-mount is essential. Tanga has the iOttie Easy One Touch universal car mount for $9.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. If you have an oversize device like the Galaxy Note 2, the Easy One Touch XL is also $9.99 plus shipping. Tanga has several other iOttie mounts on sale as well.

Bonus deal No. 2: Calling all Mac designers and developers. Starting today, StackSocial has the SuperStacked Mac Bundle of developer and designer tools for $35. Total value: just over $3,000! Interestingly, the price goes up by a buck every day the bundle is available (which is 13 more days), so if you wait until tomorrow, it'll cost you $36, then $37, and so on.

Bonus deal No. 3: The most criminally canceled-too-soon show of all time? "Firefly," definitely. But a very close second: "Deadwood." If you've never seen it, you're missing out on one of the greatest TV dramas ever. Indeed, it's worth owning, and today you can own it for less: Amazon has "="" on="" blu-ray="" for="" $58.99="" shipped"="">"Deadwood: The Complete Series" on Blu-ray for $58.99 shipped. The DVD version is $48.99 shipped.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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