backdraft123's space: Xbox Live Marketplace

Marketplace Monday

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 16:42:38 GMT

Out of nowhere downloadable content was just released today. Not your typical 1 or 2 items. Nope we've got Family Guy DLC, Splinter Cell DLC, and much more. Check it out!

Family Guy Picture Pack

Cost: Free

Description: 9 gamerpictures, free of charge, brought to you by Fox Home Entertainment

Family Guy Theme

Cost: Free

Description: 1 dashboard theme to make your dashboard a tad bit more fun. Free of charge courtesy of Fox home Entertainment

Medal of Honor Airborne Theme

Cost: 150 Points

Description: Concept art from EA's next WWII-Shooter; Medal of Honor Airborne

Splinter Cell Double Agent Theme

Cost: 150 points

Description: A special made theme from Ubisofts blockbuster; Splinter Cell Double Agent

Splinter Cell Double Agent Picture Packs

Cost: 60 points/each

Description: A total of 4 picture packs. 2 picture packs of Sam Fisher as a double agent, 1 picture pack of the main lady character, Enrica, and 1 picture pack of Splinter Cell Double Agent, online play.

Family Guy Vol. 4: Sneak Peak

Cost: free

Size: 26.65 MBs

Description: Take a look at the next volume in the Family Guy series.

Enjoy the content, i know i am!

--backdraft123

Totem Ball Rolls onto the Arcade

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 16:04:23 GMT

Following up the release of the Vision Camera, Totem Ball rolled onto the arcade on Wednesday. The first "Vision Camera Required" game is more of an exercise than anything else. After playing for 5 minutes, i quickly realized that i not only look like a complete fool, but i was also working up a sweat waving my arms around like a retard trying to swim.

Move: Control Pterry through this musical platforming adventure using your Xbox Live Vision camera.
Cooperate: Join in with a friend to juggle your totem collection using the camera and a controller.
Roam: Use Free Play mode to practice and explore environments without affecting your progress.
Groove: Sway to the sounds of the music generated in-game by you!

Hey, i cant really complain though. If you love free stuff and already have the camera, head to the arcade section of the marketplace and download this game at no cost. Review to come soon.

--backdraft123

Dead Rising Demo now on the marketplace

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:35:26 GMT

One of the summer's most anticipated games now has a demo released for the marketplace. The zombie thriller "Dead Rising" is set for release on August 8th, 2006.

My thoughts

Zombie games....there are not nearly as many zombie games as there are movies. Resident Evil set the bar for zombie type games, so high that no other zombie game has a chance. But, Dead Rising seems to think otherwise. The demo itself is pretty fun. It takes place in a mall where you can look for certain items and use them as weapons. Benches, plant pots, night-sticks, axes, sledge-hammers....the list goes on. Be creative and find different weapons to use on different zombies. My one gripe is that fact that they dont set the boundries for you. During the demo, i go to a cut-scene figuring something important is about to happen....nope, i apparently left the boundries of the game and was taken back to the start screen. Its just a demo and i think they should let you know your regulations as how far you can play it.

This game looks promising. Not too sure about the online play, if it has any. But it looks like a solid campaign to give it a buy. Maybe some co-op over Xbox Live would be fun!

--backdraft123

The Post about Gamerpics & Themes

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 06:19:23 GMT

Last Weeks Gamerpictures

Current Gamerpic

Gamerpictures and Themes have shaped the way we look at people while playing against them on Live. Some people show some love for their favorite NFL, MLB, or NHL team. So show some support for their old school side by rockin' some Rare gamerpics. Others like to feel a bit on the darkside and go with gamerpictures from F.E.A.R, Condemned, and even the Evil Picture Pack for Oblivion. Some of us are corky and go with something that is funny looking, some of us are more layed back and select one that is easy on the eyes.

I find it to be simply amazing how i was "anti-marketplace" when i was following the 360. I thought it was just another way for Microsoft to suck every penny out of me (i should say my dad's wallet..). Well, the pleasant surprise was that i was completely wrong. It has now achieved rock star status among the gamers in the 360 world.

While selecting a gamerpicture or shopping for one, i like to take a look at my friends list and just scan through it. I dont like to have the same exact one as somebody else, unless its a sports GP. It makes me feel like i own that gamerpic, and no one can take it. And when someone does take it, i hunt them down and scream in their face while chanting how dull they are because they cant come up with something on their own! All kidding aside, selecting a gamerpic usually ties into the "mood" i am in. Some of my friends may have noticed that i was going with the good 'ol USA flag not too long ago. Well that all changed when they got waxed by Czech Republic in the World Cup, 3-0.

I have a feeling that i am not the only one, who just cant keep the same gamerpic for an entire month or a week for that matter. I've been sucked into the whirlwind that is the Xbox Live Marketplace. I refresh Major Nelson's blog to get the latest gamerpics and themes update. It's becoming an addiction!

The Theme that graced my dashboard during winter

My Current "Summer" theme

Themes are a different deal for me. Im not as addicted to them as i am gamerpics. With themes you spend 150 points most of the time for just 1 theme. With GPs you can spend 20 for just 1 picture or 100 for a crapload of them. Still, themes are just another way to make you feel that you made the console your playing on. It's your own personal console and its customized the way you want it.

I can usually stick with a theme for a good solid 2 months before i get bored. I have 1 theme that i have dubbed "the winter theme" mainly because i used it through an entire winter and never changed it. I like my themes to be bland with not a lot going on in the background. I can hardly see past the items that you can select on the dashboard anyway.

If you dont want to spend those precious points on them without seeing them follow this link over to the Marketplace section on Xbox.com

To wrap it up, i have an addiction and the first step is admitting it. Next step....BUY MORE GAMERPICTURES!!!!!!!!!!

--backdraft123

FREE Marketplace Downloads

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 03:44:42 GMT

Last weekend we witnessed a lot of "free" stuff handed out over Xbox Live and the Xbox Live Marketplace. Infact "The Outfit" was the first to arrive with the free GamerPictures Pack. Then that weekend, Xbox Live hosted its very first Free Xbox Live weekend which was sponsored by Verizon.

Now, here is some even better news! 2 Picture Packs and 2 themes are now available for....yes you guessed it, FREE.

Mission Impossible III Picture Pack:

Nacho Libre Picture Pack:

I was not able to find any theme pictures available yet, but you can always check out the Xbox Live Marketplace section on Xbox.com for any updates.

--backdraft123

DEMO: Amped 3 is now available

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:39:52 GMT

A brand new demo is out on the marketplace. Amped 3, which has been out since the console release, has finally released a demo out on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is 767 MBs and can be found in "Demos & Trailers" section of XBLM.

I played the demo for a bit last night, and I think it is one of the better demos that is available in the Marketplace. The basic goal is to get 50 people to be impressed with your moves. Pull of longer and more combos, the higher your meter fills.

Also themes and gamer pictures are also available for Amped 3. They have been out for some time now, but the theme is 150 points and the 10 gamerpics are 20 points each.

--backdraft123

New Download: Tomb Raider: Legend DEMO

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:41:00 GMT

Are you missing Lara Croft in your daily life? Is she that "special someone" that you can spend hours talking too? Well, if you answered yes to those two questions, i got good news. No, i didnt save money on my car insurance by switching to Geico, but, the new "Tomb Raider: Legend" demo has finally hit the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The demo is a whopping 640 MB's and is completely free, just like all marketplace demos. There is also a "Tomb Raider: Legend" trailer available in both 720p and 480p!

You can pick up Tomb Raider: Legend when it is expected to hit stores April 11th, 2006.

--backdraft123

New Demo: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 23:34:01 GMT

EA's dominate FPS, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is expected to be released on April 11th, 2006. But if you can't hold off till then, a new demo is now available. Head over to the Demos & Trailers section of the Xbox Live Marketplace to check it out. It is a total of 382.14 MB's. There are also themes and gamer pictures available for this game in the Gamer pictures & Themes section of the Xbox Live Marketplace.

I ended up playing the demo soon after i made this entry. The first time i tried i couldn't get connected to the EA servers, which doesn't surprise me. It kicked me back to the dashboard and i tried it again. I made it through, but there where only about 6 people in the game. The graphics look a bit better from the Xbox version, the guns are pretty big and take up a large amount of the screen. I've never seen what those type of guns look like in real life, but the assault rifle looked fat and round.

Anyway, there wasnt any lag at all, but as i said before, there where only 6 people in the game. Hopefully this game is totally revamped, and not just an improvement graphically and some minor tweaks here and there.

--backdraft123

Xbox Live Marketplace FRENZY

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 06:45:09 GMT

Monday was a huge day for the Xbox Live Marketplace. A ton of content was released, so let's run through it real quick.

G.R.A.W themes are now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. It is currently priced at 150 Microsoft Points. No picture packs are available yet. Check out the mini pics of the themes below.

The Outfit theme and picture pack was also released to the Marketplace. The theme will ring in at 150 MP's while the Picture Pack is an easy 160 MP's.

And lastly, a Burnout Revenge demo has also found its way onto the hot Marketplace. As usual, this demo is a FREEBIE and it rings in at 546.22 MB's. Go spend your Tuesday wrecking some people and driving like the crazed madman (or woman) that you are!

Enjoy!

--backdraft123

New Content on the Xbox Live Marketplace

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 06:32:08 GMT

As of late, the Marketplace has been dishing out some good quality content. Most of us have already checked out the Oblivion themes and picture packs that became available a few weeks ago. The Outfit demo has also been a success reaching the number 8 spot on Xbox Live's Top Played Games.

But now, a massive amount of content has now became available. Mainly you will notice the many gamerpics and themese for EA's Xbox 360 title: "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat." As of right now, now actual previews of the themes and gamerpics are available right now. They should be up on Xbox.com in the Xbox Live Marketplace section, in a matter of days. Here is what you will find:

Picure Packs:

US Picture Pack (120 Microsoft Points)

European Picture Pack (120 Microsoft Points)

China Picture Pack (120 Microsoft Points)

MEC Picture Pack (60 Microsoft Points)

BF2MC Picture Pack (50 Microsoft Points)

Themes: (150 points each)

Engineer Theme

Sniper Theme

Special Op Theme

Support Troop Theme

Action Theme

Also, a special St. Patrick's Day Picture Pack & Theme is also available just in time for the Irish Holiday that is on March 17th.

Picture Pack: (60 Points)

Themes: (150 Points)

Guide Tile

Live Blade

Games Blade

Media Blade

System Blade

So, now you have something to blow your Microsoft Points on. I personally dig the St. Patrick's Day Theme, but 120 points is a bit much. Id like to have some freebies now and then, and this would be a perfect one!

--backdraft123

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Marketplace Downloads

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 01:23:19 GMT

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion downloads can be found on the Xbox Live Marketplace. There are a total of 4 items up for grabs.

Oblivion: Good Picture Pack-- 100 Microsoft Points

Oblivion: Evil Picture Pack-- 100 Microsoft Points

Oblivion: Theme -- 150 Microsoft Points

Oblivion: Trailers (480p, 720p) -- Free

I will get the pictures as soon as they become available along with the theme. I hope this means that the release of Oblivion is not that far away, I-CANNOT-WAIT!

--backdraft123

backdraft123's space: Xbox Live Marketplace

Marketplace Monday

Totem Ball Rolls onto the Arcade

Dead Rising Demo now on the marketplace

The Post about Gamerpics & Themes

*FREE* Marketplace Downloads

DEMO: Amped 3 is now available

New Download: Tomb Raider: Legend DEMO

New Demo: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

Xbox Live Marketplace FRENZY

New Content on the Xbox Live Marketplace

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Marketplace Downloads

FREE Marketplace Downloads