In case you've been under a rock lately (or you're not an obsessive RSS reader like myself) you may not have heard that Xbox Live is turning 5 years old. That's right, Xbox Live will finally be enrolled in Kindergarten to learn the joys of show-and-tell, recess, and eating paste.

To celebrate the next step in the maturation of the Xbox Live experience, Microsoft is giving us all a little something to reward us for our loyalty.

First, if you've been with Xbox Live from the beginning (in other words, you have been on Live since 2002) you'll get 500MSP deposited into you account. Not too shabby.

Second, starting at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on November 15th, you'll have 48 hours to download Carcassonne for FREE (Korean members will get Hexic 2 instead). And who doesn't like free games? (Put your hands down you misers!)

There are other freebies to be had as well, so follow the link for the full details.

[via Xbox.com, thanks VinnieDaMac]

When Gamerscore Blog announced the list of "upcoming" games last week the inevitable guessing game of what titles would show up when started. While we've learned from previous "upcoming" lists that these are not necessarily the next seven titles that we will be seeing on the service, as other games may pop up while titles on the list may going mysteriously missing.

With my skepticism over with, TeamXbox has announced not only that they absolutely love the game (giving it the highest score that they've ever given to an XBLA title, 9.4) but also that we should be seeing it this week.

We'll find out today for sure if it is indeed coming out this week when the Gamerscore PR comes out (oh wait, I was supposed to be done with my skepticism :) ), but I personally can't wait to play it.

Congratulations certainly have to go to Sierra for what looks like it could be one of XBLAs best.

It's official. Battlestar Galactica will finally arrive on XBLA next Wednesday.

The PC version of the game will go on sale on the day before but it will cost a full $19.99. The XBLA version clocks in at half that or 800MSP. Not a bad deal for us console lovers.

Are you ready to blast some Cylons?

Requisite feature list after the break. Oh, and Destructoid has a review up too. Or you could peruse the site Sierra has created for the game. Plenty of options for all of you.

[via Yahoo Biz, DaKing240]

We got another one. Switchball has been added to the achievement list over at x360a.org.

The achievements are very straightforward. Get some points for completing each world, for getting medals, and for winning multiplayer races. The one that catches my eye is called Spyglass and it requires you to find 3 hidden paths. That's the kind of stuff I love finding on my own. And if this game has anywhere near the replay value that Marble Blast Ultra does, I'll be playing this one for a long time to come.

The release of the achievements is another good sign that this game is close. Since the PC version was just released, anyone ready to guess when this one will finally arrive on XBLA?

[via x360a.org]

Switchball is finally getting a full retail PC release this week after weeks (months even) of being available for purcahse as a downloadable PC title. I'm sure everyone must be thinking that this must be a sign that the XBLA release is just around the corner, right? Yes and no. Sierra will release the title close to the release date of the XBLA version, which is sometime before the end of the year. However, recall that Roboblitz was released for PC a few weeks prior to the XBLA release. Who knows maybe Microsoft will announce it as one of this weeks titles, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

This'll be a quick post. (Must sleep at some point.) I just wanted to share this video with everyone right when I found it. Here's your first taste of the hack-n-slash fest (guest starring randomly-created dungeons) that Sierra calls Arkadian Warriors. Post your impressions of the video in the comments. Do we have a winner here or not?

[via The Xbox Domain]

Gametrailers has gifted upon all Battlestar Galactica fans a set of three new gameplay videos. As is obvious, this game will probably only appeal to Battlestar Galactica fans or those who liked the recently released Wing Commander Arena. After watching these videos how do you feel about this title? Is it fan service or excitement? I'm in the boat that would have loved to see something closer to Battlestar Galactica for the Xbox; however, I will still definately probably be buying this title for fan service.

Sierra Online (a division of Vivendi Games) has been a strong supporter of the XBLA platform. Go figure, since their leader, Ross Erickson, comes straight from the XBLA mothership. Even so, this has become an embarrassment of riches.

Adding to their list of four previously announced XBLA games (Arkadian Warriors, Battlestar Galactica, Commanders: Attack!, and Switchball), Sierra has just announced an on-rails shooter titled Aces of the Galaxy and a Bust-A-Move-style puzzle game, Boogie Bunnies.

Previews of all of their games have gone up on IGN and can be found through this single handy-dandy page.

Thankfully (for my wallet), Boogie Bunnies is slated for Q1 2008 and Aces of the Galaxy has a vague "winter" release scheduled (meaning sometime before February of 2008).

Add to the revelations above the fact that Commanders: Attack! has lost its emphasis and added some words to become simply (or not so simply), Commanders: Attack of the Genos. I guess Sierra lost that little game of chicken with Screwjumper!.

After the break, a list of the remaining horribly vague release dates stated by IGN.

[via IGN, thanks Blue_Falcon]

The ESRB got a tad jealous when it found my little love letter to the USK hidden under my pillow. It was upset (understandably) and after the screaming and breaking things concluded it went about trying to reclaim my affections. And thus, a new rating.

This time, it's Commanders: Attack! coming in at an E10+. Of course, it didn't include the "!" so maybe it's been dropped. We shall see.

All these ratings make me wonder what poor game will come out next week, hidden under the shadow of a certain retail game released this Tuesday. Any ideas?

Usual list of ESRB lurkers post-breakage.

[via the ESRB]

Daydreaming about slaying some Cylons? Good. Kill 175 of 'em and you'll get an achievement in XBLA's Battlestar Galactica.

Xbox360Achievements has the full skinny on all the achievements for the game. Overall, the list looks nicely balanced between single and multiplayer and between ranked and just "online". But my most favoritest achievement of all has to be the Picon Presidential Commendation: 5,000 kills total - Online Ranked.

...[crickets, crickets]

If you couldn't tell, I am not amused. An achievement that marks progress through a game? Sure. Demonstrates a player's skill (even if it's nearly impossible to attain)? Yes. One that is quirky or viral or outside the norm in some respect? Absolutely. An achievement that merely forces you to grind and adds no fun to the experience whatsoever? Boo designers. Boo.

[via x360a.org]