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

Xbox original Max Payne 2 is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Max Payne 2 is available in all Xbox Live regions and costs 1200 points.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne is a tragic Film Noir love story set in the night of New York City.

An intense, visually staggering third-person action game, Max Payne 2 sets a new standard for cinematic, narrative-driven gameplay.

Xbox original Max Payne is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Max Payne is available in all Xbox Live regions and costs 1200 points.

Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose. A fugitive, undercover cop framed for murder, he is now hunted by cops—and the mob. With his back against the wall, Max is fighting a battle he cannot hope to win.Prepare for a new breed of deep-action game. Prepare for Payne …

Developed by Remedy Entertainment and Neo for the Xbox, and produced by 3D Realms, Max Payne is a relentless, story-driven game about a man on the edge. Help him fight for justice, while uncovering plot-twists and twisted thugs in the gritty bowels of New York during the century’s worst blizzard.

Xbox original Grabbed by the Ghoulies is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Grabbed by the Ghoulies is available in all Xbox Live regions and costs 1200 points.

Grabbed by the Ghoulies is a humorous beat-’em-up adventure game that takes place in a haunted house full of crazed ghoulies.

Take on the role of Cooper, akid on a mission to rescue his girlfriend, who has been “grabbed by the ghoulies.” Venture through haunted and ominous Ghoulhaven Hall and battle it out with a variety of monsters, while trying to escape the many tricks, traps, and shocks along the way.

Grabbed by the Ghoulies is filled with unexpected surprises. But be careful … all that fail to get through Ghoulhaven Hall will be imprisoned within and never seen again.

Xbox original Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is available in the Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States Xbox Live regions and costs 1200 points.

Five years ago, Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas, a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption. Now he’s back in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

But Carl’s family is in dire straits and his friends are headed for disaster. To make matters worse, he’s just been framed for homicide.

Join Carl on his journey across the state of San Andreas as he fights to save his family and take back control of the streets.

Xbox original Destroy All Humans! is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Destroy All Humans! is available in all Xbox Live regions (except Japan and Korea) and costs 1200 points.

In Destroy All Humans!, use destructive weapons and innate mental powers to take on the most feared enemy in the galaxy—mankind! You are Crypto, an alien warrior sent to Earth to clear the way for the Furon invasion force. Your mission is to infiltrate humanity, control them, harvest their brain stems, and ultimately destroy them. You choose the method—infiltration or disintegration.

Xbox original Intellivision Lives! is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Intellivision Lives! is available in the North American Xbox Live region and costs 1200 points.

Relive the eighties with Intellivision Lives! Play more than 60 classic Intellivision games all in one package. Check out the historical information and fun facts about the games, including interviews with the original Intellivision developers. View original Intellivision commercials and archival footage!

Titles include Armor Battle, Astrosmash, B-17 Bomber, Backgammon, Baseball, Body Slam: Super Pro Wrestling, Bomb Squad, Bowling, Boxing, Buzz Bombers, Checkers, Football, Frog Bog, Golf, Hockey, Horse Racing, Hover Force, Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack, Las Vegas Roulette, Motocross, Night Stalker, Pinball, Reversi, Sea Battle, Shark! Shark!, Skiing, Snafu, Soccer, Space Armada, Space Battle, Space Hawk, Space Spartans, Spiker!: Super Pro Volleyball, Stadium Mud Buggies, Star Strike, Sub Hunt, Tennis, Thin Ice, Utopia, Vectron, and more!

Xbox original The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning is available in all Xbox Live regions (except Germany, Japan and Korea) and costs 1200 points.

Explore the origins of the one and only powerful purple dragon in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. Uncover Spyro’s secret history as you embark on a dangerous quest to face off against the ultimate creation of the Dark Master, Cynder.

Xbox original Guilty Gear X2 #Reload is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Guilty Gear X2 #Reload is available in the North America and Asia Xbox Live regions and costs 1200 points.

In Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, a newly discovered form of energy has been used to create devastating bio-weapons from fused human and animal DNA. Known as the Gears, they are now intelligent, self-aware creatures set loose upon the populace and threaten human control of the planet.

Xbox original Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is now available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is available in all Xbox Live regions (except AJapan or Korea), costs 1200 points and weighs in at 1.17 GB.

The legendary arcade classic Gauntlet is reborn with a new vision, story, and gameplay in Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows.

Seeking to undo the past, a powerful emperor is lost in his own dreams and nightmares. After being imprisoned by the emperor for two centuries, four immortal heroes set out to undo their tormentor’s lifetime of regrets. In the process, they must deal with the consequences of their own actions and watch as the world shakes apart around them.

Seven Sorrows is the fusion of fantasy fighting action with the strategy and fascination of user-friendly RPG elements, challenging gamers in solo play, co-op, and a thriving online community.