Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is available in all Xbox Live regions.

In a frantic battle to the checkered flag, Sonic and his friends speed around tracks all taken from the universes of Sonic and SEGA inSonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Each character has a specific All-Star move for a quick way to get back into the race. Collect power-ups and weapons around the tracks and use them against the opposition to ensure they’re not a threat for that number one position. Battle it out in single or multiplayer mode, with up to four friends racing in frantic split-screen action, or with up to eight players competing online in the ultimate racing showdown.

Dear Xbox LIVE Members,

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.

Seven years ago we laid out our vision for the connected console when we launched Xbox LIVE. We believed then that the power of the Internet to connect people would revolutionize living room entertainment. It started with amazing multiplayer games, and we’ve since seen that bet pay off again and again with the launches of Xbox 360, Marketplace, Netflix and powerful social features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. None of this would have been possible without the success of LIVE as a multiplayer gaming network.

There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2” has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on Xbox 360.

Your Xbox LIVE community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process.

We’ll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE. I believe we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we have in store with “Project Natal” and LIVE. The LIVE community is the driving force behind everything we do, and it’s because of the community that ground-breaking experiences on Xbox continue to be possible.

See you on LIVE,

Marc Whitten
Gamertag – Notwen
www.twitter.com/notwen

Source: Xbox Press

Aliens vs Predator demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is available in all Xbox Live regions (except Germany, India and Japan).

Hunter. Survivor. Prey. Which will you be? Will you lock and load as a United States Colonial Marine? Fight for honour as the savage Predator? Or go in for the kill as the murderous Xenomorph? And will you be the hunter… or the prey? Demo features one map in Deathmatch multiplayer. Full game features eight maps, seven multiplayer modes and three single-player campaigns.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is available in all Xbox Live regions (except Asia).

Create your own “strikeforce” and embark on a quest to conquer Ancient China in this team-based Tactical Action epic. Fight as a unit with up to four players, or battle it out as a single-player with AI-controlled team mates. Communicate with friends using voice chat to coordinate assaults on heavily-armed fortresses and colossal beasts. Storm the battlefield with heart-pounding “air” fighting techniques, and startling “Fury” transformations. Play as your favorite warriors, including the newly-added Meng Huo. Even trade characters online. Do you and your friends have what it takes to rule the land? Prove your mettle with this white knuckle, high-flying adventure!

This weeks top Xbox Live games, based on Xbox Live connectivity.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1. Modern Warfare 2
2. Halo 3
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Demo
4. Call of Duty: WaW
5. FIFA 10
6. Mass Effect 2
7. Call of Duty 4
8. GTA IV
9. Left 4 Dead 2
10. Madden NFL 10
11. Assassin’s Creed II
12. Gears of War 2
13. Forza Motorsport 3
14. Borderlands
15. Halo 3: ODST
16. Mass Effect
17. Trials HD
18. NBA 2K10
19. NHL 10
20. Rock Band 2

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Portal: Still Alive
2. Trials HD
3. Castle Crashers
4. Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment
5. Battlefield 1943
6. Worms 2: Armageddon
7. Serious Sam HD: TFE
8. UNO
9. Hasbro Family Game Night
10. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
11. Magic: The Gathering
12. Madden NFL Arcade
13. Peggle
14. Shadow Complex
15. Zombie Apocalypse
16. Pinball FX
17. KrissX
18. A Kingdom for Keflings
19. ‘Splosion Man
20. Marble Blast Ultra

Top Community Titles (Full Versions)

1. Avatar Drop
2. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
3. The Impossible Game
4. Head Shot 2
5. Soul
6. Miner Dig Deep
7. Glide
8. Avatar Alarm Clock
9. Mind Warp
10. KGB Episode One
11. Avatar Golf
12. Avatar Run
13. Beat Hazard
14. Physics Lab
15. ZP2K9
16. Avatar Aquarium
17. Inside Lacrosse’s CL2010
18. RC-AirSim
19. Dont B Nervous Talking 2 Girls
20. Solar

Source: majornelson.com

Chime is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Chime is available in the all Xbox Live regions and costs 400 points.

An exclusive Zoë Mode production for OneBigGame, the video game industry-wide charity initiative, Chime pits gamers against the melody in this all-new puzzle experience. Place blocks against the clock and remix famous artists’ music tracks in this challenging and addictive puzzle game. More than 60 percent of the purchase price of Chime will be donated to children’s charities around the world, helping those who need it the most.

Superstars V8 Next Challenge demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is available in all Xbox Live regions (except North America and Japan).

Hear the tyres scream with the top V8 production class cars of the official Superstars Championship. Incredible vehicle models and photo-realistic environments will rip you out of your seat and put you behind the wheel to compete at the highest level. Up to 16 players can battle for first place in adrenaline fueled online multiplayer action.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is available in all Xbox Live regions.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 brings the Battlefield gameplay to the forefront featuring best-in-class vehicular combat with unexpected “Battlefield moments.” New vehicles like the ATV and a transport helicopter allow for all-new multiplayer tactics in the warzone. With the Frostbite-enabled Destruction 2.0 system you can take entire buildings down, and create your own fire points by blasting holes through cover.

Compete in four-player teams in two exclusive squad-only game modes, fighting together to unlock exclusive team awards and achievements. Battles are set across eight expansive sandbox maps, each with a different tactical focus. The game also sees the return of the B Company squad in a more mature single player campaign.

KrissX is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. KrissX is available in the all Xbox Live regions and costs 800 points.

Join Wordsworth the Owl on his mission to solve “KrissX”-ed word puzzles, for the first time on Xbox LIVE Arcade! Switch around letters to complete mind boggling terms and use helpful hints to achieve reward badges and high scores. Venture through 150 colorful stages, time yourself, or play at your leisure for hours on end. Uncover thousands of different word puzzles and test your skills in quick thinking, trivia, and knowledge!

This weeks top Xbox Live games, based on Xbox Live connectivity.

Xbox 360 Top Live Games

1. Modern Warfare 2
2. Halo 3
3. Call of Duty: WaW
4. FIFA 10
5. Left 4 Dead 2
6. GTA IV
7. Call of Duty 4
8. Madden NFL 10
9. Assassin’s Creed II
10. Forza Motorsport 3

Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles (Full Versions)

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Serious Sam HD: TFE
3. Trials HD
4. Worms 2: Armageddon
5. Castle Crashers
6. Battlefield 1943
7. A Kingdom for Keflings
8. UNO
9. Shadow Complex
10. Hasbro Family Game Night

Original Xbox Top Live Games

1. Halo 2
2. Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3. Counter-Strike
4. Splinter Cell Chaos
5. Fable
6. Conker: Live Reloaded
7. Star Wars: Battlefront
8. Doom 3
9. SW: KOTOR
10. SW: Republic Commando

Top Community Titles (Full Versions)

1. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
2. Head Shot 2
3. The Impossible Game
4. Avatar Drop
5. Avatar Golf
6. Avatar Run
7. Mind Warp
8. Dont B Nervous Talking 2 Girls
9. Miner Dig Deep
10. RC-AirSim

Source: majornelson.com