Are you a gamer? Do you like free things? Of course you do!

We here at the Tech Deck are just like you: poor gamers looking for cheap entertainment. And nothing's cheaper than cost-free gaming. Each week, we'll bring you a title (or two or three) you can legally play at home without plopping down a single dollar. If you see games you think we should be featuring on the blog, email us at dang@spokesman.com or kiph@spokesman.com.

The Mass Effect series defined the seventh generation of home consoles for many players. The tale of Commander Shepard and his/her fight against the Reapers, a mechanical race bent on galactic destruction, debuted on the Xbox 360 in 2007, with ports eventually arriving on PCs and the Playstation 3. Mass Effect 2, which continued Shepard's story, was released in 2010. You can play it for free right now on your PC as part of Electronic Arts' "On the House" promotion, just in time for the March release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the fourth entry in the franchise!

To download the game, you'll need to register with an EA account and download the Origin client onto your computer. It's not aesthetically pleasing, but if you've been following this blog you should have already downloaded Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2, Syndicate and SimCity to this point, three great EA classics. Mass Effect 2 is another great entry in the "On the House" promotion. For questions on downloading, check out EA's help page.

Like many gaming trilogies, Mass Effect 2 is widely heralded as the best entry in the franchise, culminating in a final suicide mission where the fates of certain key characters are affected by your achievements throughout the game. Gameplay-wise, Mass Effect 2 is much more of a traditional third-person shooter than its predecessor, and developer Bioware added conventional mechanics like regenerating health and limited ammunition to up the ante in the sequel.

The sequel, Mass Effect 3, was lauded upon its release for improvements in gameplay mechanics, but it's ending left a bitter taste in most gamers' mouths. Bioware followed that title up with 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition, another RPG hit, and look to release Mass Effect: Andromeda - featuring new characters - in March for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.

What's your favorite Mass Effect game? Stoked for Andromeda? Let us know in the comments below, and check back soon for another free game. In the meantime, you can find me (sparingly) on Playstation Network playing Titanfall 2. Hit up kiphillreporter if you want to frag.