Microsoft Canada sends word about two cool deals during the month of December. Free Multiplayer gaming for the month of December for select games on the Xbox 360 and starting this coming Monday December 8th, Canadian gamers will be able to buy select Xbox LIVE Arcade games, Xbox Original or even Maps for a discount.

Sorry no cheap movie rentals or anything of the like, but the discounts for the games will be posted on the Xbox Canada website starting on Monday.
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Players with Xbox Live Silver Memberships will have the opportunity to taste some of the multiplayer experience before they upgrade to gold memberships. Microsoft is calling this "Friendship is Free" and for a month these players that have yet to upgrade will see the multiplayer functionality functions for eight games be unlocked for them to try out.
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Five Xbox Live games and one game are to get avatars. The games to get avatars are Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, Small Arms, UNO, and Bomberman Live are to get avatars. Scene It? Box Office Smash is also included. Also, a new Xbox Live arcade game will have playable avatars.
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Todo Juegos (translated) is reporting that Microsoft is planning a new promotion for Europe. Said promotion should run between November 1st, 2007 until January 31st, 2008. The gist of it is pretty simple. Just get a friend to purchase a new 360 at some point during the promotion, attach a copy of the receipt to a special coupon (PDF link), mail it in, and both you and your friend will receive ten free Xbox Live Arcade games. The games reportedly offered are:

* Sensible World of Soccer
* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
* Bomberman LIVE
* Marble Blast Ultra
* Spyglass Board Games
* Small Arms
* 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures
* Assault Heroes
* Zuma Deluxe
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Aug 31, 2007 Good news cheapskates; Microsoft is slashing the price of a handful of Xbox Live Arcade games by half - for this weekend only. Gauntlet, Dig Dug, Zuma Deluxe and (something worth buying) Small Arms have all been slashed for the weekend, the first two down to 200 ($2.50 or £1.70) points and the latter two for 400 points ($5.00 or £3.40). The last one - a Power Stone-style fighter/platformer from Gastronaut - is definitely worth picking up if you've got some points ... » Read More

Score a touchdown this week or compete in the match of the millennium ¿ "Cyberball 2072" and "Fatal Fury Special" are coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade! Both titles will be available for download on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT). Additionally, four Xbox LIVE Arcade favorites will be available for half their regular price this weekend. See below for details.

Limited Time Xbox LIVE Arcade Price Drop

Celebrate this Labor Day weekend by downloading four Arcade favorites for half the price! For the 48 hour period beginning at 12:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday, September 2 (5:00 p.m. PDT on Saturday, September 1) and continuing through 11: 59 p.m. GMT (4:59 p.m. PDT) on Monday, September 3, the following Xbox LIVE Arcade games will be available for half their usual price:

· "Small Arms" ¿ 400 Microsoft Points (normally 800 Microsoft Points)

· "Zuma Deluxe"¿ 400 Microsoft Points (normally 800 Microsoft Points)

· "Gauntlet" ¿ 200 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points)

· "Dig Dug" ¿ 200 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points)
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Gastronaut has launched the official site for Small Arms.
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Major Nelson posted the following information regarding the XBLA Challenge:

"For all the players who have registered for and are competing in the Global Arcade Challenge, there is an update on the Small Arms competition. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the Small Arms TruSkill Rankings Leaderboard was not wiped on 12/24 at 12:01AM GMT. To ensure all players have a level playing field, we are moving the competition to early January. We are in the process of working out the details and will post them later this week. When the new date is posted, all you have to do is play; all registrations will continue to be valid. Thanks you for your participation in the Arcade Challenge and hope you are having a happy holidays!"

It is apparent that last nights server crash was the cause for this.
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Microsoft opened today the registration for the first two events in the Xbox Live Arcade Challenge. The first two events feature the recently released Xbox Live Arcade titles "Lumines Live!" and "Small Arms."
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In their latest edition, the Official Xbox Magazine has again rated all new Xbox 360 game that have been released last month. Sonic the Hedgehoc is the only game that scores below average, the other rates are pretty good.

The full list:

Lost Planet (Xbox 360, Capcom): 8,0
Star Trek Legacy (Xbox 360, Bethesda): 8,0
Sonic The Hedgehog (Xbox 360, Sega): 4,5
DOA Xtreme 2 (Xbox 360, Tecmo): 6,5
Viva Pinata (Xbox 360, Microsoft): 8,5
Phantasy Star Universe (Xbox 360, Sega): 6,5
Call of Duty 3 (Xbox 360/Xbox, Activision): 8,0
Superman Returns (Xbox 360, EA): 6,5
Tony Hawks Project 8 (Xbox 360, Activision): 7,5
College Hoops 2K7 (Xbox 360, 2K Sports): 9,0
Roboblitz (Xbox 360 XLA, Microsoft): 8,5
Small Arms (Xbox 360 XLA, Gastronaut Studios): 7,5
Contra (Xbox 360 XLA, Konami): 6,5
Novadrome (Xbox 360 XLA, Stainless Games): 7,0
Defender (Xbox 360 XLA, Midway): 6,5
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TECH NEWS:
-Vista and direct X 10.
-Casual Games start to dress for success.
-Sony changes its staff. Is it related to the PS3 launch?

GAME NEWS:
- WOW keeps track of its stats. Plus new updates on the way.
-Texas Hold em updates its online game play. Shall we ante up again?
-Christians wont feel left out of gaming. The will get Left Behind.
-100000 Gamerscore. StripclubDJ is defending his Achievements.

GAME REVIEWS:

-COD3: Join in as XBL Radio Enlists in this new addition to the Call of Duty series.
-Contra for the Xbox Arcade. -Defender for the Xbox Arcade. -Small Arms for the Xbox Arcade. Are the New Arcade releases worth your MS Points?

GUI J with the MARKETPLACE MINUTE:
XBLR Signs into the LIVE Marketplace to find out whats available and whats worth downloading.

PLUS: Console Crimes. Gears of War contest winner announced.

And we pay tribute to a fallen comrade.

"He was so young."
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The PS3 and Wii have launched! We talked to 360 owners who happily purchased the competitions consoles and guess what, they didn't put em up on ebay! Our 3 regular gamers, just like you, include HALooVER XP, Cognative and Mik.

Roundtable Topics:
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We go in depth comparing the controllers, graphics and the games. Hear our guests share their expeditions about securing their consoles on launch day. Get their take on the coolest features and whats laking. Then find out how these new systems compare to the 360.

Show Wrap-up Discussion W/ Surprise Third Co-Host
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Carpal's Xbox Takes a Dump: Is XBL Radio done for? Maybe we'll become PSWii Radio?
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GoW Achievements: If people quit > the match doesn't count > NO achievment. How are we supposed to get them?
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Hear a real life Gears of War chainsaw story.
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The Video Marketplace, Download inDemand movies in just days, not hours!
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Website news, XBLRadio.com is acitve!
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Racingfreak92 wins the XBL Vision Camera.
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Marketplace Minute Segment Announcement for the .0 shows! Find out who's gonna do it and what it's all about.
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Gamertag Radio vs. XBL Radio, SMALL ARMS Tournament Announcement!
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XBL Radio Live Vision Camera Givaway contest Ends November 20, listen now to play.
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Gastronaut Studios reminds us why the Live Arcade is a good idea.

From the review: "It took a full year from the release of Geometry Wars for the Xbox Live Arcade to receive another original title that made me sit up and take notice. Small Arms may be a Smash Brothers clone that doesn't quite live up to its inspiration, but that doesn't mean it isn't a heck of a lot of fun. It's simple to pick up and play, has a great multiplayer online game, looks fantastic with a style all its own, and clocks in at just 800 Microsoft points ($10 USD). This is what the Xbox Live Arcade was meant for."
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Networking with friends reaps new rewards with this highly anticipated Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release. The frantic multiplayer brawling game "Small Arms" will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 from Wednesday, 22nd November, after 0800 GMT.

Social gaming innovation in Small Arms, which begins with the four developers at Gastronaut Studios, will pass to Xbox Live Arcade gamers from around the world. Small Arms includes a unique social networking Achievement called "Six Degrees of Small Arms" that can only be earned by playing with someone who already has it ¿ and which only the game's creators will possess at launch!
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This week's Arcade Wednesday will feature the much anticipated Small Arms, the innovative side-scroller from Gastronaut Studios.

Billed as a "social-networking" game, Small Arms will feature one of the most creative Achievements to date. The Achievement "Six Degrees of Small Arms" is one that can only be obtained by playing with someone on LIVE that already has the Achievement...
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In addition to its robust classic arcade roster, Microsoft also delivers a great mix of original development and independent game titles to Xbox Live members this holiday season and into the New Year
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Beginning in January 2007, Atari will release six titles on Xbox Live Arcade throughout the year. Both classic and evolved versions will be available for each of the following titles:

Centipede®/Millipede®: defend your village against an onslaught of centipedes, spiders, army ants and more. In addition to the classic mode, the evolution mode offers high definition graphics and special effects like motion blur, trails and particle-based explosions to make the experience as enjoyable today as it was decades ago.

Battlezone®: the original tank vs. tank action classic has received an Xbox Live overhaul, adding in exciting new multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. This updated version is truly a must-have for any fan of the original, which is also included. Additionally, players can use the Xbox Live Vision camera to watch live video of their opponents. Combine these features with new special effects for weapon firing, impacts and explosions and you have one killer classic as you've never experienced it before.

Asteroids/Asteroids Deluxe
Missile Command
Tempest
Warlords

....

Xbox Live Arcade's diverse library of titles is going to keep growing, with a particular emphasis on new, originally developed games from indie developers and big studios alike. Over 100 indie developers and virtually every major console publisher in the world are working to develop games for Xbox Live Arcade. Some of the diverse titles we will be releasing by this holiday include:

Small Arms (Gastronaut Studios) ¿ an indie-developed original title designed specifically for Xbox Live Arcade, featuring frantic multiplayer brawling combined ...
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Gastronaut Studios released these awesome images from their upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title, Small Arms, a while ago but we missed them earlier. This side-scrolling fighting game offers up to four players to beat eachother to death, and it looks impressive even for a full price game. The game will be released this autumn.
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