You can claim this 2024 video game flop for free on Prime Day

By Carli Velocci July 12, 2024 11:49AM

The Suicide Squad looking shocked. — WB Games

If you ever wanted to try out the early 2024 flop Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but didn’t want to spend any money on it, your chance is coming soon. Starting on Prime Day (July 16-17), you can claim the DC game for free — but you only have 48 hours.

Starting at 3 a.m. ET, Prime subscribers can claim an Epic Games Store code for the game, which pits Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot against Brainiac, who has brainwashed members of the Justice League to do his bidding. And in classic Suicide Squad fashion, they have to do it or risk getting their head exploded.

It’s not the only freebie this Prime Day. Amazon is also offering Chivalry 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration for the Epic Games Store. There are also a ton of games you can claim ahead of Prime Day that are now available:

Deceive, Inc.
Tearstone: Thieves of the Heart
The Invisible Hand
Forager
Card Shark
Heaven Dust 2
Soulstice
Wall World
Hitman Absolution
Call of Juarez
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Samurai Bringer

You can check out the Amazon blog for more information on where these titles will be available, but it’s a mix of Epic, the Amazon Games App, and GOG. You can find them all on the Prime Gaming hub.

Suicide Squad was a troubled production, getting delayed multiple times. According to Bloomberg, developer Rocksteady — known for its Batman: Arkham games — struggled to jump from single-player to a live-service title with four characters, resulting in an inconsistent vision. After its February release, Warner Bros. Discovery revealed it had taken a $200 million loss on the game.

Despite having uninteresting microtransactions, repetitive gameplay, and a poorly received Season of the Joker story expansion, it’s a fascinating failure, a cautionary tale about the industry’s live-service troubles. It’s not all bad either, with an sometimes risky story and some decent traversal mechanics. And for free, it might be worth trying out.

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Contributor, Games

Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

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I reviewed Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Here’s why I think it can still be saved

Joker in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Is Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League a salvageable live-service game? That question was top of mind as I reviewed the latest DC Arkhamverse game from Rocksteady Studios.

The antihero game is a co-op multiplayer shooter, and Rocksteady and WB have already committed to seasons of post-launch content. It's set to follow a live service approach with its endgame and in-game store. Historically, games like this have gone both ways after a rocky launch. Titles like Anthem and Marvel’s Avengers stand out as notable failures. They both seemed initially promising, launched in a rocky state, failed to garner the needed support through post-launch updates, and eventually shuttered.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s biggest villain is its own legacy

Harley Quinn lays down while speaking to Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's reveal trailer

Frank Miller set the standards for most modern Batman stories with The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One in the 1980s. That same legendary creator thoroughly disappointed with All-Star Batman & Robin in the 2000s due to subpar writing and odd character moments. The latter might have been less infamous if the Batman stories that came before from Miller weren't so influential, but that's not the universe we're living in. Modern comic book universes like DC and Marvel have a problem dealing with their own legacy. With so many decades of iconic characters and stories, it can be tough not to introduce new people to the universe but to live up to the high mark of older books. That makes it harder for great new stories to stand out and exacerbates criticism of newer works.

With Rocksteady Studios' Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, that problem has finally hit comic book video games. I've spent over eight hours with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League so far in both single-player and multiplayer after receiving code the day after its early access launch. My time with the game has yielded mixed results. It's not an absolute disaster like Redfall of The Day Before, but it's disappointing in the context of Rocksteady's legacy.

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Which character should you pick in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?

Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Each playable member in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is its own distinct character. Beyond the obvious visual differences, there's a good amount of mechanical differences that make playing as Harley a unique experience compared to King Shark, for example. If you're playing alone or with friends, you probably will want to focus on just one member of the team to learn and go through the story with first. Since these "heroes" aren't all that common, especially in the world of video games, it isn't immediately obvious what type of character each one will play like. Between unique traversal methods and skill trees to ultimate attacks, here's a breakdown of which character you should pick.
Best character to play as in Suicide Squad

No one member of the squad is objectively the best, but rather, each one excels in different methods of combat. While you can switch between characters easily, it is best to know what role each one is best suited for and what to expect jumping into their shoes.
Harley Quinn
Harley is the easiest to understand if you're coming from the past Rocksteady Arkham games. She uses a grappling hook to traverse, which can be a little awkward to get a feel for at first, but she is your most well-rounded character. She uses pistols and SMGs in conjunction with melee attacks and explosives. If you want to play an aggressive, slightly spongy character, Harley is all about getting into the thick of combat. Her ability to regen health for kills pushes you to constantly be on the offensive.
Captain Boomerang
Using his teleporting boomerang to control the flow of battle, Captain Boomerang is perfect for flanking. You will want to play a mix of long and short-range with him, thanks to his use of both a sniper and shotgun. You will be rewarded for hit-and-run tactics here, making ample use of your boomerang's ability to get you out of danger before enemies know you were there. Once you get into the flow with him, you will turn the battlefield into your personal playground.
King Shark
King Shark is the most obvious when it comes to understanding his style. The big, bulky shark-man simply charges up massive jumps to get around, and his fishy skin can take a ton of abuse. You will be tanking hits as you either rush in to deal powerful melee attacks or shrugging off shots as you shred enemies with your heavy weapons and assault rifles. If you're not too confident about being able to dodge and zip around during a fight, go with the king.
Deadshot
Also, to be expected, Deadshot is a very easy character for people who cut their teeth on third-person shooters. He can use pistols, assault rifles, and snipers, so you are always prepared, and none of his abilities are terribly confusing or require a lot of thought to use. His jetpack makes him a perfect support character who can pelt enemies from above or afar without getting into danger. Just remember to watch that fuel gauge.