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Automated Xbox Live Marketplace blog now available

by Justin McElroy { Nov 12th 2009 at 3:00PM }

We try to do our best to keep you updated as to all the interesting new content on Xbox Live Marketplace. But if you have a creepy level of interest in draping your Avatar in the very latest Marc Ecko gear before all your friends, you'll want to bookmark this new Microsoft blog that automagically posts whenever new content is added to the store.

Just think, if you had been following it already, you could have beaten us to this Cool Papa G coat. But instead, you have to live with being "that guy who stole Joystiq's taste in coats." It's kind of sad, now that we think about it. Here, you take the Cool Papa G coat. No, we insist.

Reminder: Left 4 Dead demo now available 4 all

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 10th 2009 at 12:00PM }

For those who have yet to face the shambling, undead hordes of the south in the Left 4 Dead 2 demo, now's your chance. Previously available only for pre-order customers and Xbox Live Gold members, the demo is now open to all Xbox Live members. That means everyone can enjoy the hacking, slashing, shooting, shuffling goodness of Left 4 Dead 2 ... well, two sections of it, anyway.

You might as well give it a try. It's not like there's anything else going on, right?

Add the Left 4 Dead 2 demo to your Xbox download queue

XBLM Deal of the Week: Saints Row 2 DLC

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 9th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Though that other open-world crime drama just got a huge booster shot in the form of the release of Ballad of Gay Tony, Volition's Saints Row 2 is getting a helping hand from its ol' pal Microsoft. Major Nelson recently announced that the game's DLC pack, "Ultor Exposed," is the Xbox Live Marketplace Deal of the Week. The pack, which offers three new missions, a new co-op mode and a playable character modeled after real-life porn star Tera Patrick, has had its price cut to 560

($7). That's a 30 percent discount from the add-on's usual 800

($10) price point.

With that, we'd like to welcome the naughty folks who ended up here after searching Google for "porn star Tera Patrick." Welcome! Sorry, there's no images of your erotic quarry to be found here, but take a look around, anyways! You might just like what you see.

Civil War breaks out on XBLM, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 demo released

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 5th 2009 at 12:45PM }

If this Thursday finds you in a superheroic mood, a recent addition to the Xbox Live Marketplace might just serve as an excellent outlet for you to dish out some costumed justice. Major Nelson recently confirmed that a demo for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has been added to the service. Sure, it's a bit tardy, considering the game came out nearly two months ago. Still, we'll happily accept any free opportunities we can get to pretend to be Gambit for a few minutes. We kin' try talkin' like dis', ma cherie, but ... well, it doesn't really cut it.

Scare Me makes your Xbox spooky

by Justin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 9:00AM }

We know that Xbox Indie Game creators have been programming non-game apps for all sorts of odd purposes, but we thought this one was especially interesting. Scare Me lets you use your console to horrify your loved ones with cheap scares when they least expect it for just 80 points ($1). There are some generically scary sequences filled with screams and spooky imagery (you can even program your own) but we're partial to the "Shock Game" section, which lets you bait friends into playing mocked up games for a few seconds before startling the bejeezus out of them with a screaming death mask.

But Joystiq, why would I be interested in doing something this cruel to friends and family after Halloween? A fair question. But we, in turn, ask you: When will they ever be expecting it less?

Deal of the week: 50% off CoD 4's Variety Map Pack

by David Hinkle { Nov 2nd 2009 at 11:45AM }

This week, Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers will be able to snag Call of Duty 4's Variety Map Pack for half off, Activision announced. We've seen this with car dealers a million times. With next year's model -- Modern Warfare 2 -- about to hit the show floor soon, Activision is looking to get as much as it can out of the older model.

Still, if you're happy fragging folks in the older model, then you may want to check out the Variety Map Pack -- which has been discounted by half to 400

($5) on Xbox Live and $4.99 on PSN, culminating in a double XP event for both consoles this coming weekend. Though odds are, if you care about this dinosaur of a game still, you and a majority of the other 13 million or so players probably already own this content.

Gallery: Call of Duty 4: Variety Map Pack

First DJ Hero DLC mix pack today; David Guetta pack dated Nov. 24

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 29th 2009 at 1:20PM }

Activision and FreeStyleGames aren't wasting any time in expanding DJ Hero's already fairly expansive 93-mix-long track list. The "Extended Mix Pack 01" DLC will be added to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store today and includes the following two mixes for 480

and $5.99, respectively (and not sold separately):

"All Of Me" by 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige vs. "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen
"DARE" by Gorillaz vs. "Can't Truss It" Performed by Public Enemy

In a recent interview with IGN, FreeStyleGames' Chris Lee explained that the $3-per-track price can be attributed to the extra work and licensing required to synthesize the two songs in each mix. The Extended Mix mash-ups will be making their way to Wii sometime in late November -- around the same time the game's second DLC bundle, the "David Guetta Mix Pack," is scheduled for release on PSN and XBLM. That pack, which is slated for November 24, incorporates three of Guetta's songs: "When Love Takes Over," "On The Dance Floor," and "Sexy Bitch," which was presumably written about us. Rawr.

Show your college pride with Avatar university apparel

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 29th 2009 at 12:45PM }

Disruptive Media announced today that it has released new university Avatar apparel on Xbox Live. The clothing covers thirty different universities, with apparel ranging from 40

($0.50) wrist bands to 250

($3) varsity jackets. Unfortunately, if you happen to root for -- or have attended -- one of the universities that isn't on the list, you're out of luck (no OU? Seriously?). The press release does mention "plans for collegiate expansion," so you might consider holding onto your money until then. Or, you know, you could spend it on games. Up to you, really.

Browse the University Collection on Xbox Live Marketplace

CSI: Deadly Intent demo investigates Xbox Live

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 27th 2009 at 12:15PM }

Major Nelson has told the internets that a CSI: Deadly Intent demo is now available on Xbox Live. Developed by Telltale and featuring the cast of the show, the game tasks players with solving grisly murders in Las Vegas. Presumably, this will be done by pointing, clicking, zooming, enhancing and analyzing reflections. And by spouting one-liners, of course.

Add the CSI: Deadly Intent demo to your Xbox 360 download queue

First Brutal Legend DLC dated Nov. 3, initially free on PS3

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 27th 2009 at 11:41AM }

EA announced today that the "first DLC" (that means there'll be more, right?) for recently released Brütal Legend will be arriving November 3 and November 5 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, respectively. Named "Tears of the Hextadon," the two, totally not RTS maps ("Circle of Tears" and "Death's Fjord") will set you back 400

($5) on Xbox 360. If you're a PS3 owner, however, the map pack will be free of charge for the first two weeks. "We love the PS3," EA's Brent Dady said over on PlayStation Blog, speaking on the publisher's decision to offer the DLC for free on PSN until November 19.

Those who get the DLC on either console will also get a free in-game axe -- the intimidating "Blade of Ormagöden." We suggest you start looking for the game's creative lead Tim Schafer, who claims in the release that he plays online "every night." Get him Joystiq Biomass! Get him.

Gallery: Brutal Legend

Reminder: XBL Deal of the Week is RE5 Versus Mode

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 20th 2009 at 11:50AM }

As promised, this week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week is the Versus Mode DLC for Resident Evil 5. The content has been discounted by forty percent, dropping from 400

($5) to 240

($3). We can't imagine there being too many fence-sitters out there waiting to buy this initially controversial DLC (which we liked).

Over in Japan, they're getting a different deal: Golf: Tee It Up for 400

($5), fifty percent off the normal price. Remember when you could just call a game "Golf" and be done with it?

[Via Major Nelson]

L4D2 pre-order demo out Oct. 27, public demo Nov. 3

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 15th 2009 at 12:40PM }

Remember when Valve announced that the Left 4 Dead 2 demo would launch on October 27th? It turns out that date is actually the early access date for those who pre-order the game on Xbox 360 or PC (via Steam). Starting November 3rd, the demo will be available to all PC players and Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Xbox Live Silver members, as usual, will have to wait an additional week to demo the game on November 10th. Then again, if you only have a Silver account, you probably aren't too excited for a predominantly multiplayer game anyway.

The Left 4 Dead 2 demo will allow up to four players the opportunity to survive "The Parish" campaign. The PC version will be playable online or through a local network, while the Xbox version will feature the same options -- plus two-player split screen. Valve notes that the demo includes "all the new boss infected zombies and all the new melee weapons." So, please, do yourself a favor: grab a katana and start cutting fools down.

Band Hero demo walking on Xbox Live

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 15th 2009 at 12:00PM }

The Major sends word that a Band Hero demo is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo allows players to try out three different songs in the new, family-friendly Hero title and offers both the Party Play mode and the new Sing-Along mode. The three playable songs are:

Finger Eleven - "Paralyzer"
Katrina & The Waves - "Walking on Sunshine"
Taylor Swift - "Picture to Burn"

That's right, Taylor Swift is right there. With some clever positioning and a few mirrors, you might be able to convince your daughter this is the full game, saving you the trouble of actually buying it. Good luck.

Avatar Halloween costumes have scary prices

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 15th 2009 at 11:30AM }

In the spirit of the season, Microsoft has released some Halloween costumes for Avatars. There's quite a spooky selection to choose from, including ghosts, cowboys, werewolves, vampires, wizards, witches and Frankenstein's monster. For good measure, Microsoft even threw in a skeleton and a mummy. All of the outfits cost 240

($3), but you'll need to pay another 80

($1) if your outfit of choice features a hat.

Perhaps the most frightening of all is the male Sheriff's outfit. It's something about the combination of the incredibly tight fit, coupled with the standard, effeminate Avatar pose. It just don't look right.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2's first DLC character is another Spider-Man

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 10th 2009 at 4:00PM }

We can only imagine the meeting at Vicarious Visions where the development team behind Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2's DLC was arranged. "Well, we've already got Spider-Man and Venom, but we really feel like the game's still lacking in the Spider-Man spinoff department -- what about that other Spider-Man guy?" And thus, Carnage enters the fray as the game's first downloadable character.

Known for his stint in the super-violent Spider-Man mini-series "Maximum Carnage" and, um, that SNES game we played so long ago, Carnage will assuredly lend an over-the-top je ne sais quoi to MUA2's proceedings. We're not exactly sure what happens when you pair him with Spider-Man and Venom on screen, but we worry they might get eaten by Carnage, which could be really awkward.