Saw creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell, Dawn of the Dead remake writer Janes Gunn and Friday the 13th remake director Marcus Nispel are among the talent behind seven original Xbox Live Video Marketplace short films due out this fall.

Created exclusively for the Xbox 360's online Video Marketplace, the seven comedies will be a free download "to all members around the world," according to Microsoft. Official descriptions of the programs, as provided by Microsoft, follow:

• "Doggie Heaven (Woof!)"
  The creative team behind the smash hit "Saw" films, James Wan ("Saw," "Death Sentence") and Leigh Whannell, tell the story of a young man who is having a dog of a day. He's just been shot dead, but his real problems are only just beginning because of a clerical error that has sent him to the wrong heaven.
  
  
• "The Miracle of Phil"
  From director Andrew Douglas ("The Amityville Horror"), "The Miracle of Phil" shows that the best relationships are full of screaming, shouting and cursing, but when Phil gets knocked up, Chris is the one who feels screwed.
  
  
• "Humanzee!"
  James Gunn ("Slither," "Dawn of the Dead") directs and stars in a sitcom about his human-chimp hybrid son, the Humanzee (played by Gunn's brother, Sean Gunn, from "Gilmore Girls"). It's a delightful mix of "South Park," "Wonder Showzen" and "Small Wonder."... Read more

A pack of three downloadable songs from legendary guitarists will be available this Thursday, July 24 for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock owners on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, publisher Activision today announced.

Entitled the Guitar Virtuoso Track Pack, the bundle includes the following master tracks:

• "Surfing with the Alien" - Joe Satriani
• "For the Love of God" - Steve Vai
• "Soothsayer" - Buckethead

No price point or any indication of a cost was provided for the pack. Past Guitar Hero 3 DLC has ranged in price from free to a three-pack bundle for $6.25.

Microsoft today issued more details on the Xbox 360's upcoming Community Games program, which will allow independent developers to release downloadable Xbox 360 games through the Xbox Live Marketplace later this year.

Developed using the Microsoft-issued XNA software, the games will be priced depending on their size. 50MB titles will go for 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50), with 150 MB games going for either 400 ($5) or 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

In terms of royalties, game creators will receive 70% of the title's total sales revenue, though an additional 10-30% may be subtracted based on promotional fees.

Developers are not able to opt out of the royalty-cutting promotions... Read more

The Xbox edition of BioWare's Jade Empire today hit the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace, marking the latest addition to the downloadable Xbox Originals line.

Priced at 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15) and weighing in at 6.2 GB, the oriental action-RPG arrived on Xbox in 2005, followed by an enhanced PC version in 2007.

A sequel to the game was purportedly revealed last year, but no further details have arrived.

Microsoft has announced that it will provide coverage of next week's E3 Media and Business Summit via the Xbox 360's Xbox Live online service, offering a playable demo of Silicon Knights' Too Human (360) and other downloads.

Rounded up as E3: Bringing It Home, the new content will kick off on Monday, July 14. In addition to the Too Human demo, Xbox 360 owners can expect playable versions of other games on the E3 show floor, similar to previous Bringing It Home events. Videos, Xbox 360 dashboard themes and other content will also be on offer.

The oft-delayed action RPG Too Human will land at retailers on August 19.

Update: More shots have popped up on Plaza.Fi, JeuxVideo Kotaku and V2.fi.

Given the flood of screenshots from various outlets and languages, it is likely that the port has appeared on PartnerNet, a closed Xbox Live network only accessible through development kits and debug units.

PartnerNet availability would also suggest that the price point of 1337 Microsoft Points ($16.71), as specified in one of the shots, is placeholder.

Shacker ease one reports that the 83 MB Xbox Live Arcade port of Duke Nukem 3D is indeed downloadable through the closed PartnerNet network, though the current build only "displays a rotating poly and that is it."

Original Story: Two alleged screenshots showcasing the downloadable Xbox Live Arcade port of Duke Nukem 3D in the Xbox 360 dashboard have appeared courtesy Joystiq and tipper SV.

The enhanced XBLA release will arrive this year with co-op and online multiplayer in tow, according to a Dallas Business Journal report that contained... Read more

Lionhead Studios' downloadable compilation of gambling mini-games from its upcoming RPG Fable II (360) will arrive in August, publisher Microsoft has announced.

Allowing users to transfer earned money into the retail edition of Fable II, the release sports three mini-games: "a combination of Craps and Roulette" known as Keystone, the luck-based Fortune's Tower, and the slot machine-esque Spinnerbox.

"It's not going to throw the balance of [Fable 2] unduly, because you can't buy magic, for example, with money," designer Peter Molyneux told Shacknews earlier this year. "You can't buy the skill levels on melee combat and on range combat with... Read more

Developer Harmonix has unveiled next week's downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of its multi-instrument music title Rock Band:

• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Snow (Hey Oh)"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Tell Me Baby"
• Rush - "Closer to the Heart"
• Rush - "Working Man (Alternate Take Master)"

A cover of Rush's "Working Man" was previously released as DLC this past January.

"This version, however, is an alternate-take master from the same session [Rush] recorded the hit with an alternate solo," Harmonix's Sean Baptiste explained on the game's forum. "It has never been released."

Individually priced at 160 Microsoft Points ($2) a piece, each master track will be available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace beginning Tuesday, July 8.
As usual, the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store will receive the songs on the following Thursday, July 10.

A new multiplayer map for Halo 3 (360) will be released as a free download on July 7, now-independent developer Bungie announced on its site today.

A remake of the original Halo's Chill Out map, the revamp is known as Cold Storage.

In addition to the free map, Bungie revealed that the price of the recently released Legendary Map Pack will be permanently lowered from 800 Microsoft Points ($10) to 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) beginning that same day.

In celebration of July 4, Activision has announced that the "Top Gun Anthem" will be available as a free download for the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions of Guitar Hero 3.

"The instrumental, guitar-heavy theme was immortalized in the hit film that inspired a generation of young men to awkwardly serenade women at bars, perform perfectly-timed 'flipside' high fives and threaten to 'buzz the tower,'" noted Activision.

Initially released in 1986, the aviation-oriented film starred a number of now-renowned actors and actresses, including Tom Cruise (pictured), Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, and Meg Ryan.

Due out for "mavericks and their wingmen everywhere" on Thursday July 3, the track will be downloadable from the online PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.

Following up on this morning's revelation that PS3 and 360 Rock Band owners will be receiving a best-of The Who compilation, the band has detailed the bundle's 12 tracks.

Compiled with the assistance of surviving band members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, the pack serves as a replacement for the promised release of The Who's entire "Who's Next" album as DLC, which proved impossible due to missing master tracks.

The Best of The Who Rock Band Edition (All Master Tracks):

1. Amazing Journey
2. Baba O'Riley
3. Behind Blue Eyes
4. Eminence Front
5. Going Mobile
6. Leaving Here
7. My Generation (Live At Leeds) -- "Special edited version"
8. Real Good Looking Boy
9. Sea & Sand
10. Summertime Blues (Live At Leeds)
11. Who Are You
12. Young Man Blues (Live At Leeds)

Available to Xbox 360 gamers on Tuesday, July 15, each song will sell individually for $1.99, with the whole package going for $19.99. The band claims the PlayStation 3 pack will hit the same day, though it is more likely that it will, as all past Rock Band PS3 DLC, arrive the following Thursday, July 17.

Mega Man 9 is slated to appear as a downloadable title on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in addition to Wii, reports Ars Technica.

Last week, Capcom confirmed the sprite-based side scrolling sequel would arrive as a downloadable WiiWare title, and is being developed by Mega Man Zero and ZX veterans Inti Creates.

Ars claims that Capcom's E3 roster lists PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions, but curiously, does not mention the Wii. The site chalks up the Wii exclusion to Nintendo Power's recent revelation, though it is also possible that the platform text is placeholder.

When reached for comment, a Capcom representative told Shacknews that the company "has not officially announced our complete E3 lineup at this time," and added that "Mega Man 9 is one of the best, most challenging games you'll ever play!"

If the title really does come out on all three systems, Mega Man 9 will be the first game to hit all three online marketplaces. Capcom's recent PC support indicates a PC version is feasible as well, though the company has yet to make an official statement.

Namco's re-release of the Dreamcast and arcade fighting classic Soul Calibur will arrive as one of the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade downloads this Wednesday, July 2. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), the game runs in high-definition and, according to Namco, features "no major additions or subtractions" from the Dreamcast edition. To see the port in motion, check out Shackvideo.

Though Soul Calibur includes online leaderboards, it does not sport online multiplayer. That feature is reserved for the upcoming full-fledged sequel, Soul Calibur IV, which hits PS3 and 360 on July 29.

A 12-track compilation of The Who songs will be released as downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Harmonix's Rock Band the week of July 15.

The upcoming bundle replaces the promised debut of The Who's entire "Who's Next" album, which proved impossible after several master tracks turned up missing. Only 2 of the pack's 12 tracks--"My Generation" and "Who Are You"--have been revealed.

Each song will sell individually for $1.99, with the whole shebang going for $19.99.

"We were trying to release 'Who's Next' in its entirety, but we were unable to locate all the masters," Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos told The Associated Press. "In the face of that, [surviving band members] Pete [Townshend] and Roger [Daltrey] helped curate this best-of soundtrack of everything we were able to find."

Compatible with the fall release of Rock Band 2, the compilation will be available to Xbox 360 gamers on Tuesday, July 15, with the PlayStation 3 edition following on Thursday, July 17.

PC gamers were able to sample LEGO Indiana Jones more than a month ago, but people with an Xbox 360 can finally do the same as the Xbox Live Marketplace now also has a demo for the action adventure game. The 620mb download includes the opening scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Developed by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts, LEGO Indiana Jones is currently available for every platform imaginable.

For all you tennis fans, a demo for the newly released Top Spin 3 (PS3, X360, Wii, NDS) can now be found on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The 394mb download features a tennis school option to familiarize yourself with the game's controls, and also sports the ability to play an exhibition match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.

Now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace is a demo for Don King Presents Prizefighter, the new boxing game from 2K Sports and Venom Games. A 620mb download, the demo features a bout between Joe Calzaghe and Luis Collazo in Madison Square Garden. Don King Presents Prizefighter is currently out for Xbox 360, with a Wii and Nintendo DS release following later this year.

While the Pixies' Doolittle album won't arrive until June 24, Harmonix has pulled back the curtain on this week's downloadable content for Rock Band on PS3 and Xbox 360:

• Avenged Sevenfold - "Afterlife"
• Avenged Sevenfold - "Critical Acclaim"
• Crooked X - "Rock N Roll Dream"
• The Offspring - "Hammerhead"

The Avenged Sevenfold tracks, one of which was previously rumored, and that Offspring tune will sell for 160 Microsoft Points ($2), while the Crooked X single will go for 80 Microsoft Points ($1). All songs utilize the original master recordings.

As usual, the content will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, June 17, with a PlayStation Store release following on Thursday, June 19.

A pack of three tracks from piano-rock group Coldplay will be available for PS3 and 360 Guitar Hero 3 owners to download on June 19, publisher Activision revealed today.

Meant to promote the new Coldplay album that arrives June 17, the pack will contain:

• Violet Hill
• Yellow
• God Put a Smile Upon Your Face

The pack marks the third of the five GH3 track packs Activision vowed would arrive in June. No price point or any indication of a cost was provided, suggesting the trio could be a free download from the online PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.

Rock Band developer Harmonix has announced that it will release the Pixies' "Doolittle," the game's third downloadable album, on PS3 and Xbox 360 the week after next.

Per the typical Rock Band DLC schedule, Doolittle will debut in the Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, June 24, and hit the PlayStation Store on Thursday, June 26.

While the entire record actually runs for 15 songs, only 14 tracks will be offered as one of the 15--"Wave of Mutilation"--is already included on the Rock Band disc itself.

Those 14 tracks will be available in a 1520 Microsoft Points ($19) bundle, with each track going individually for 160 Microsoft Points ($2).

A complete list of the 14 master recordings follows, provided by... Read more