Feature: Touring the Xbox Live Marketplace on $30 Subscribe to this RSS feed

Premium Game Content

If your life on Xbox Live involves playing one particular multiplayer game over and over, you already know you have to have the extra map packs for that game. If you're looking to extend your other games for just a few points, here's some suggestions. First of all, don't ignore free content. For example, there's free agents for Crackdown, and for Project Gotham Racing 3, you can pick up a group of Cadillacs and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage gratis. Since PGR 3 offers so much play, we'd suggest picking up two more cars. Rather than buying the whole PGR 3 Speed Pack, try picking your two favorite cars for 60 points apiece. If you aren't sure which, try the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti for style, and the Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe for American muscle car entertainment (120 Points).

If you value entertainment for your dollar, you'd better have The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. With its story and world to explore, it's more entertainment than most people have time for. Through Xbox Live! Marketplace, you can then purchase The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Mehrune's Razor Quest (250 Points), that adds a huge dungeon and a kick-ass weapon to the game.

Movies & TV Shows

On November 22, 2006, Microsoft started offering television shows for sale and films for rent through Xbox Live! Marketplace. There's tons of television shows and quite a few movies. Just about everything Comedy Central airs is available, as are some hard-to-find classics like MTV's The State. Additionally, there are a few first episodes available for free, like The Sarah Silverman Program, T-Bones and Trucker, Skyland, and for a limited time, the HD premiere version of South Park's "Good Times with Weapons" But if you want to enjoy your HD TV, only some of the films and channels (like CBS) offer HD video content.

This month, we'd suggest renting something recent that you won't otherwise see in HD. Employee of the Month (480 points) is lowbrow humor, stupid enough to be laugh-out-loud fun and clean enough to suffice as a date movie. Since it's out on Blu-ray, this is your chance to watch it in 720p without having to find a Blu-ray player. If comedy isn't your thing, try substituting the gruesome Saw III for the same price. Just remember to leave an hour or two to start the download before you plan to watch.

Gamer Pictures & Themes

Xbox Live gives you lots of ways to customize your experience: you can change the picture your Gamercard shows the world, and the dashboard screens you stare at every time you boot up the console. There's a lot of free content available, so don't overlook the free themes and gamer pictures like the Family Guy pictures, or themes and pictures from films like Nacho Libre and Borat.

Still, it's nice to have a somewhat unique gamerpic--seriously, 25% of the Xbox Live community must have a Stewie pic--and to build your wardrobe, it helps to buy a picture pack. The greatest variety at the moment comes from that gamers' favorite comic, Penny Arcade. The Penny Arcade Picture Pack 5 (200 points) gives a variety of recognizable characters. If you don't like the cartoonish look, the Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires picture packs offer a lot of choices (with the Wei Gamer Picture Pack) giving the most variety. Sure, the game may be downright derivative, but you can't beat a sweet selection of ancient warrior pics.

Themes are a lot more personal, but the three BattleStations: Midway themes offer hot babes from Midways WWII game. BattleStations: Midway Theme 1 (150 Points) is retro-racy while clean enough that your grandmother could walk by the TV (unlike Dead Rising Theme 6). If you'd rather have high-fantasy, or just prefer beefcake, consider substituting The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion theme.

Xbox Live! Marketplace on $30
(Through February)

400--Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
800--Cloning Clyde
250--The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Mehrune's Razor Quest
120--Two Cars from the Project Gotham Racing 3 Speed Pack
150--BattleStations: Midway Theme 1
480--Employee of the Month (in HD)
200--Penny Arcade Picture Pack 5

Total-- 2,400 Microsoft Points ($30.00)