Games on Demand

Xbox Live Games on Demand and User Ratings Inbound
Written Tuesday, June 09, 2009 by Jason Debelyak

Last week we posted about the Games on Demand feature that was announced at Mirosoft's post-press conference luncheon. However, we got some more details on the feature, as well as other features, that will be coming to Xbox Live members.

First and foremost, the Games on Demand feature will be available in August, and will allow members to digitally download retail games instead of buying a hard copy. There will be around 30 games available in the system at launch, and will be available for purchase without the use of Microsoft Points. Users will be able to use credit cards directly to make their purchases instead of buying blocks of points. We'll have to wait and see if there are any benefits to the system, such as price breaks, because who wouldn't rather have a hard copy of a game instead of a digital copy they won't be able to get rid of if they decided to? However, a nice feature that is revealed is the fact that games can be redownloaded (even to a friend's 360), as long as you have your gamertag handy.

Another key feature that will be coming to Xbox Live is one that we have been expecting for quite some time now. User ratings will allow players to rate games and DLC on a 5-star basis to show how much they enjoyed the game. This will make searching much easier, particularly in the area of Xbox Live Arcade games. Want to search for the highest rated games at the click of a button? Soon you will be able to, which will lead to less mistaken purchases of games such as Space Giraffe.

There will also be a brand new Avatar marketplace, which will allow users to purchase more types of clothing, including game-based items. Not to mention, you will now be able to deck your Avatars out with new items such as a remote control Warthog. All I have to say to that is bring on some Gears chainsaws!

Another feature that has finally been confirmed is unlocking Avatar items through your in-game achievements. Not only will you get gamerscore for your achievements, but now you'll unlock some nifty items for that Avatar of yours.