Microsoft sure do love their promotions - and actually, so do we, as a load of new, downloadable Xbox Live Arcade games is never a bad thing. Their latest promotion, bringing back last year's 'House Party' is kicking off on the 16th February. And for once, not every game in it's going to cost 1200 Microsoft points!
To get your avatar in the spirit for the aforementioned House Party, a load of avatar outfits and props are being released on the 16th February - so if you've ever fancied a Hard Corps: Uprising helicopter, dreamt of being able to do some fancy tricks with poker chips or wanted a blinging Bejeweled Blitz ruby dress, now's your chance.
And if avatar items aren't your thing, read on to discover the games you'll be able to download over the next five weeks.
Hard Corps: Uprising
Release Date: 16th February
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about £10.20)
A prequel to Contra: Hard Corps, Hard Corps: Uprising is a classic side-scrolling shooter, in which you play as the burly Bahamut, an ex-soldier who leads the Resistance, a group fighting against the oppression of the Commonwealth empire. With any luck, this'll be a bit easier than the hard-as-the-nails-of-a-particularly-hard-marine-in-the-midst-of-a-snowstorm original game, but we're not holding our breath. Much.
Bejeweled Blitz
Release Date: 23rd February
Price: 800 Microsoft Points (about £6.80)
Everyone's favourite gem-swapping game is back - but this time, there's a twist. While classic mode has you trying to make as many matches of three as you can within 60 seconds by simply switching adjacent gems, the new Twist mode has you twisting groups of four gems, like built in Xbox game, Hexic HD, in order to make matches.
Beyond Good & Evil HD
Release Date: 2nd March
Price: 800 Microsoft Points (about £6.80)
The once peaceful planet of Hillys is under siege by an alien race, who are either draining the inhabitants of their life force or enslaving them. Playing as Jane, you'll need to run, jump and solve puzzles on your quest to rescue all the abducted people, and save the planet from the aliens. This is revered across the internet, and has the potential to be the star of the line-up - for 800 points too!
Torchlight
Release Date: 9th March
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about £10.20)
The mining town of Torchlight has become rich thanks to it's large reserves of the magical ore, Ember. As you journey into the dungeons beneath the city, you begin to learn of the Ember's corrupting influence and how it's led to the demise of many a past civilisation. In this hack and slash role-playing game, you must fight your way to the bottom of the dungeon and put a stop to the corruption once and for all.
Full House Poker
Release Date: 16th March
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Supposedly the replacement for 1 vs 100 (except this one isn't free!), Full House Poker has you and your avatar playing Poker against your friends and in tournaments against the rest of the world, building your bankroll as you go, with real world prizes for the people who come top of the leaderboards.
A strong line-up, we're sure you'll agree - and one that has a refreshing amount of 800 point games. For more information on House Party, keep an eye on Everybody Plays, as we'll be bringing you full reviews of each and every game as they go live - or, check out our Facebook page, and get all the information as it happens.
