Xbox 360

After an eight year hiatus spent lazing about and celebrating after Gruntilda’s latest defeat in Banjo-Tooie, Banjo and Kazooie have used the lengthy period of peace to take an extended vacation from their adventuring roots. Not seen taking any such break of the sort is Gruntilda, who has used her time to bounce fervently back to Spiral Mountain after their last meeting left her a disembodied head. Their inevitable confrontation is put on hold by the omnipotent Lord of Games who has grown bored with their constant feuding and proposes to transport them to a world of his own creation to sort things once and for all. The worlds of Nutty Acres, BanjoLand, Terrarium of Terror, LOGBOX 720 and the Jiggoseum await them therein, with the deed to Spiral Mountain hanging in the balance.

Released alongside Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts as an anniversary treat of sorts, the original Banjo-Kazooie adventure returns triumphantly on Xbox Live Arcade. Tasked with rescuing his sister Tooty after she manages to get herself snatched by the physically repugnant Gruntilda, Banjo the Honey-bear aligns himself with his pet Breegul Kazooie as the unlikely duo explore the depths of the Witch’s Lair before it’s too late. With the advent of Xbox Live, Banjo-Kazooie: XBLA isn’t without a pack full of new features, including online leaderboards, Achievements and unlockable features including the defunct Stop ‘N’ Swop feature. Complete the package with glorious high definition detail and remastered audio, and you have an adventure that only Rare and 4J Studios can deliver.

The Bear and Bird are back, stirred twice-over from their arch-nemesis Gruntilda rising from her grave and their second appearance on Xbox Live Arcade since Banjo-Kazooie: XBLA. Reluctantly thrust into their second even larger adventure, Banjo and Kazooie must explore neighboring Isle O’ Hags before the wicked witch has managed to purge the land of all energy for herself. With Rare and 4J Studios returning to the helm, Banjo-Tooie: XBLA has been rendered all-the-more impressive with smartened visuals and a bevy of new features along for the ride, including online leaderboards, brand new Achievements and even an interesting connection to Banjo-Kazooie: XBLA and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts via Stop ‘N’ Swop. Banjo-Tooie: XBLA is a must-have for any Banjo fan!

In a remake nearly twenty-four years in the making, Jetpac Refuelled sees itself the brilliant successor to the first Jetpac title on the ZX Spectrum which marked Rare‘s very first steps into the gaming world back in 1983. In this intergalactic tale of strange worlds and hostile alien forces, Jetman is tasked with piecing together his ship with the far-flung components and stocking it up with fuel. His journey is anything but uninterrupted as the airborne aliens will hardly leave Jetman unscathed. With Jetpac Refuelled packing itself full of impressive planetary visuals, stellar sound score and extra goodies like weapon power-ups and achievements, the fundamental gameplay for the first Jetpac title remains intact, with Jeptac Refuelled managing to uphold its timeless legacy to this day.

After a great struggle between the Elfin Empire and the brutish Troll Army, the Elfin Queen Theena imparts the fabled Elements of Power to her youngest daughter, Kameo, which allows her to assume the form of several Elemental warriors and utilize their unique abilities. Not seen celebrating is Kameo’s sister, Kalus, who in a fit of jealously releases the previously cursed King Troll, Thorn. Still possessing the Elements of Power, Kameo will have to use her varying forms to restore order to the Elfin Empire and inspire some true change. In a fairytale of revenge, rivalry and redemption, Kameo: Elements of Power sees the shape shifting femme fatale to a rich adventure with a cast of unforgettable characters, hardened foes, awe-inspiring landscapes, and powerful magic at her command.

Setting world records all its own as one of the launch titles for Microsoft’s Kinect add-on for the Xbox 360, Kinect Sports serves up a plethora of sporting events that will have you awakening your inner-athlete to best your own scores and take on all challengers! The court is yours from Football, Bowling, Track and Field, Table tennis, Boxing and Beach Volleyball, all of which are available to play solo, with friends or heated online competition. Take a breather with a range of frenzied mini-game events found inside Party Play to switch things up and come back stronger. Monitor your progress as you rise through the ranks, earn achievements and unlock special avatar accessories, all from the comfort of your living room. With Kinect Sports you are the champion, and you are the controller!

The greatest events from the Kinect Sports series are yours to hone and master with the Kinect Sports Gems collection! Jump into Ping Pong, Penalty Saver and 10 Frame Bowling taken from Kinect Sports, then try out Prize Driver, Darts VS Zombies and Reaction Rally from Kinect Sports: Season Two! Free weekly trials from Rare and BigPark Games will make leaping into Kinect Sports Gems easier than ever, with the full experience offered to aspiring athletes on top of their game and ready to set some records! Take up the challenge in all ten Gems, with over thirty bonus mini-missions that will have you earning achievements, climbing the leaderboards and ranking up your profile via Xbox Live Kinect Central. Get ready for all of your favorite sports in one complete package!

With one widely successful Kinect exclusive title under their belts, Rare has returned to the world of competitive athleticism to bring us the second installment of Kinect Sports for play on the Xbox 360. This star studded sequel sees the inclusion of six new events! Test your skill on the driving range with Golf, and serve up some heat with Tennis. Show off your power swings in Baseball and hike a pass with American Football. Shred the slopes with some Skiing and finish it off with a thrilling game of Darts. Play alone to best your personal score or with friends to determine the real sports champion amongst you. Kinect Sports: Season Two showcases the absolute best that the Kinect peripheral has to offer with an intelligent way to play that will shape both your body and mind.

Rare‘s latest clash of titans sees the emergence of Kinect Sports: Ultimate Collection, a double bill offering of everything you’ve competed over from the previous releases of both Kinect Sports and Kinect Sports: Season Two found within one convenient package. Jump into some serious competition with Boxing, Bowling, Football, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Track & Field featured in the original Sports title, then bring things home with the thrilling additions of Golf, Darts, Baseball, Tennis, Skiing and American Football straight from the seasonal sequel. Push for the extra mile with a cavalcade of bonus content from Kinect Sports add-ons, including the Basketball Challenge Pack, Maple Lakes Golf bonus suite and Midnight Mountain Ski courses! It’s the ultimate collection!

Predating the first Perfect Dark title by three years in the year 2020, Perfect Dark Zero follows the exploits of Joanna Dark prior to her joining the Carrington Institute as an agent. After her father is taken captive by dataDyne forces, Joanna attempts an ill-advised rescue mission that sees her father killed at the hands of Mai-Hem, son of dataDyne founder, Zhang-Li. Marking her personal vendetta against dataDyne, Joanna Dark soon finds herself immersed in the extraterrestrial world that was hidden from her, and the budding agent-in-training attempts to intercept the megacorp and botch their plans to use the alien devices for corruption. With her fathers death driving her ever onward, dataDyne is all too unaware of the perfect match it’s made for itself…

Carrington Institute’s finest Agent has returned on Xbox Live Arcade to relive her most important mission. Perfect Dark: XBLA tasks Joanna Dark with investigating the dataDyne corporation before a world of conspiracy and interstellar corruption can catch up with her. Returning to the helm, Rare and 4J Studios have given Joanna’s debut considerable polish with high definition graphics and an increased framerate as perfect as the Agent herself. Taking things into the future, Perfect Dark: XBLA features an impressive offering of new achievements and avatar awards, along with exhilarating online multiplayer with up to eight simaltaneous players to keep the action at an all time high. Restored and remastered for a new generation, this perfect offering is a must-have!

Welcome to Piñata Island, a pastoral paradise for its candy-filled inhabitants. It is their ambition to be selected for parties all around the world, and while this hadn’t been difficult at a time, the state of the gardens has put a damper on their plans. Each Piñata will require special attention to become a resident in your garden, where an enticing world of selective horticulture, elaborate Papier-mâché, and swooning romance dances await. Challenging your efforts are the rouge of Ruffians lead by the dastardly Professor Pester who hope to stir up trouble and disorder during garden rampages. You’ll learn to grow along with your garden, coaxing new wild creatures into your plot and matching the requirements of your residents to satiate the whims of even the smallest Whirlm.

When Professor Pester and his meddlesome Ruffians compromise Piñata Central’s electronic records, chaos ensues as the wiped data leaves any knowledge of the Island inhabitants irrevocably damaged. Already in quite the predicament, players are tasked with revitalizing Piñata Island by growing their own garden, and rebuilding the entirety of the Piñata database as new residents move in. The newly-discovered Piñarctic and Dessert Desert regions will introduce previously undiscovered species of Piñatas to your garden, and tackling the online mode can allow up to four players to join in simaltaneously. With a little gardening know-how and a little luck, you might restore Piñata Island – and the extensive Piñata Central database – back to its former glory.