New family-friendly Xbox 360 Arcade bundle and game discounts at Amazon

by JC Fletcher on May 4th 2010 11:30AM

There's still over a month of spring left -- that's plenty of time for a new "spring 2010" Xbox 360 bundle to join the Spring 2010 Elite set! Amazon has taken the wraps off a new Arcade bundle, featuring two of Rare's recent, weird 360 games: Viva Piñata and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. The family-friendly package, shipping May 7, sells for the same $199.99 as the standalone Arcade unit -- which makes it a good deal even if you would only use the games as trade-in or eBay fodder.

But if it's family games you're after, you can get them on the cheap right now. Amazon is also offering a buy one, get one half-off deal on a selection of family-oriented 360 games, including Pure, Lego Rock Band, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

[Thanks, Tom!]

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Tags: amazon, banjo-kazooie, Banjo-Kazooie-Nuts-and-Bolts, Microsoft, rare, spring-2010, spring-2010-arcade-bundle, viva-pinata, Xbox-360, xbox-360-arcade

Reader Comments (26)

No Banjo faceplate!?

Worst bundle I've seen offered yet.

I dunno. The FF13 bundle with 2 controllers was pretty bad too. Understandable people will get use out of the second controller with the purchase of another game, but at start? Nah.

Yeah but you at least got an engraved HD. I mean yes it's a tiny thing but still. I'd rather have a pointless engraved HD, than to have this rehash.

Ditto. Considering the costs of both these games these days. Much better deal. Plus you land a 250 GB HDD. I need to upgrade mine still but putting that $130+Tax toward a PS3.

Yeah PS3 currently is something you need to get on!

Not a bad deal. Only problem is that's about the extent of family freindly games for 360. Add in all the lego games and the rest of the pinata line up and thats really about it.

Original Viva Pinata?
Why not Lost in Paradise?

It's cheaper to bundle. This is also a bundle to aimed to kick off family orientation of gaming. So if the family has fun with Viva 1, then they will be inclined to purchase the second. Marketing, my friend. It's tricky.

But why buy the second? It's not a sequel, it's pretty much a remake, thus why it's odd they don't include that.

Ha! So the slim 360 is coming!!!!!

Can you explain how you deduced that there is indeed an Xbox360 slim from reading this article?

I mean, I want a slim as much as the next guy...but that thought didn't even cross my mind reading this post.

Once you get an hour or so into it and the part-collecting rush kicks in, Nuts & Bolts is actually a great game. It's just not a great Banjo game. The writing is hilarious and pure Rare, but the gameplay is too different for hardcore fans to accept. I've been saying forever that Microsoft should bundle this game with the 360 instead of these lego games and atv racers.

so this its the answer to the new black wii bundle. lets see what sony will bring to the table.

It's too bad more people aren't paying attention to the Viva Pinata series. I love Trouble in Paradise. One of my friends noted that he didn't think it's was a casual/hardcore audience issue as much as people were expecting more of a Harvest Moon title as opposed to Viva Pinata's more sandbox approach.

I'd hardly call the Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection "family friendly"!!!

-Bonanza Bros: This entire game is about stealing! It destroys American values!
-Sonic the Hedgehog: I did a Google Image Search for the name of this game and got results that can only be described as appalling, confusing, and wrong
-Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & 3: Teaches children that if you collect enough material wealth, you can earn "extra lives" or even become a godlike character. Everyone knows there is only one God, and he's not a hedgehog.
-Ecco the Dolphin: Undermines everything I've taught my children about the innate superiority of humans over all other life on Earth.
-Altered Beast: A game about becoming an ANIMAL? The only thing I could imagine that would be worse is a game about becoming a comic book character.
-Dynamite Headdy: Puppets are a tool of Satan.
-Flicky: Are we supposed to learn that working together against "predators" is the way to succeed? That's SOCIALISM and I won't have it in my house!

In fact, Columns is the ONLY family-friendly game in the UGC, because it reinforces the benefits of trickle-down economics. Glad to see Sega could muster together at least ONE game that espouses traditional AMERICAN values.