Vampire hunters, artillery-toting worms, rambunctious aliens and trailblazing settlers are among the “likeable” characters that will soon make their debut in living rooms via Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. Starting with the first release in February, ten titles will begin making their way to Xbox Live Arcade, including the following:

    * 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures, from developer Wanako Games and publisher Sierra Online, allows gamers to putt their way through 36 holes of manic minigolf action on wild courses that range from the Old West to outer space and feature a bevy of crazy hazards and obstacles.
    * Alien Hominid HD from Behemoth features side-scrolling cartoon action with a quirky twist and exclusive Xbox Live Arcade features.
    * Band of Bugs from NinjaBee is a fast-paced tactical strategy game that offers gameplay deep enough to satisfy tactical genre fans and friendly enough to appeal to casual gamers. Creative gamers can even design their own levels with the built-in level editor, then play them solo or over Xbox Live with friends.
    * Castlevania: Symphony of the Night from Konami is a faithful version of the legendary classic updated for Xbox Live Arcade and featuring the game’s full soundtrack and memorable side-scrolling vampire-hunting action.
    * Catan, from developer Big Huge Games Inc. and publisher Microsoft Game Studios, is a faithful remake of the popular strategy board game.
    * Eets: Chowdown from Klei Entertainment Inc. is a completely revamped version of the popular PC title of the same name. It offers new items, 120 new levels and the exclusive debut of Marsho Madness, a high-adrenaline action game in which players must keep the impending evil marshmallows at bay.
    * Luxor 2, from developer MumboJumbo LLC, sets a new standard for action puzzlers as players match and shoot their way through the land of ancient Egypt.
    * Paperboy, from developer Digital Eclipse and publisher Midway, is a classic coin-op hit, specially enhanced for Xbox Live Arcade.
    * Root Beer Tapper, also from developer Digital Eclipse and publisher Midway, features fast-paced reflex action as players scramble to keep thirsty patrons happy without dropping root beer mugs in the scramble to earn the biggest tips.
    * Worms from developer Team 17 Software features armies of adorable weapon-toting worms locked in tactical combat.

The popularity of Xbox Live Arcade continues to grow as downloads have surpassed 20 million games.

Several of these games mark significant firsts for Xbox Live Arcade, including the first turn-based strategy game to be released on the service (Worms), the first Xbox Live Arcade board game release (Catan), and the first Xbox Live Arcade outdoor sports game release (3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures).

All these games are scheduled to become available during Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays in the coming weeks, and specific game information will be announced closer to each game’s launch date. A new game may not be launched every week.