Microsoft has launched an Arcade Hits programme, offering some of the best-selling Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 games at permanently reduced prices. Timed with the Xbox Live summer update, Arcade Hits can be found within the Xbox Live Arcade section of the new Game Store, making it easier than ever to build a library of great downloadable games. The first games to become Arcade Hits:

* Bankshot Billiards 2 (PixelStorm). Bankshot Billiards 2 improves on the original with nine game styles: classic 8-Ball, 9-Ball, Cutthroat, Euro 8-Ball, 14.1 Continuous, 3-Ball, Trick Shots, Time Trial and Golf.
* Lumines Live! (Q Entertainment Inc.). Lumines Live! is enhanced with vibrant music and newly designed skins that players can custom-select in Skin Edit mode.
* Marble Blast Ultra (Garage Games). In Marble Blast Ultra, players compete against each other by navigating marbles through moving platforms and dangerous hazards, while collecting rare gems and power-up enhancements, in an effort to complete each course in record time.
* Small Arms (Gastronaut Studios). Small Arms is a frantic multiplayer action game with the feel of an arcade shooter.
* Zuma Deluxe (Oberon Media). Gamers can explore more than 20 realms in Adventure mode and put their skills to the test in this fast-paced puzzle game.

Last month, Xbox Live Arcade celebrated two major milestones: its 100th title release and its two-year anniversary on Xbox 360, highlighting the platform’s position as a premier destination for digitally distributed, high-definition original and classic games.

Xbox Live Arcade prepares to release several new titles in the coming weeks:

* Arkadian Warriors (Sierra Online). Gamers can play as one of three heroic shape-shifting warriors embarking on a trek of epic proportions to release the Land of Arkadia from the evil Gorgon’s stony gaze. An original title on Xbox Live Arcade, Arkadian Warriors features treacherous dungeons where cooperative hack-and-slash role-playing action enhances a deep single-player storyline. The game includes a robust Live-enabled cooperative multiplayer mode for two players online or on the same console.
* Brain Challenge (Gameloft). An entertaining brain training program, Brain Challenge boosts brain activity and helps players develop stress-management skills thanks to a wide variety of games. A personal coach helps players develop their abilities in several areas of cognitive function, including logic, math, memory and visual thinking, in a fun and entertaining way.
* GripShift (Sidhe Interactive). Through a mix of sky-high platforming and stunt driving, GripShift combines automotive and puzzle-solving skills across 120 challenge levels, 25 rubber-burning racetracks and 20 deadly Deathmatch arenas. Gamers can zoom to victory with four players over Xbox Live or race solo, all while enjoying a customisable music experience.
* N+ (Slick Entertainment and Metanet Software Inc.). Gamers can play as an acrobatic ninja in this action-puzzle platformer. N+ features inadvertently homicidal robots, stylish graphics, a level editor and intense multiplayer.
* Omega Five (Hudson Entertainment). Gamers can fly through dangerous 3D environments in this side-scroller and do battle with enemies that come at them from all sides, even the background. Omega Five comes to Xbox Live Arcade this Summer.
* Poker Smash (Void Star Creations). Players will experience a new puzzle game with a poker twist as Poker Smash delivers radical features such as super-slow motion and card-blasting bombs. Gamers should get ready for a fast-paced innovative game with amazing graphics and a custom soundtrack.
* Rez HD (Q Entertainment). The psychedelic, cult-classic shooter created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Rez HD makes its way onto Xbox Live Arcade early next year. A frenetic, wireframe adventure backed by industrial beats, the story of Rez HD takes players deep into the world’s computer network, where they must hack the system, alter the visual output and take over the music, creating their own rhythms and eye candy as they dig deeper into the cyberworld.
* Sensible World of Soccer (Codemasters). The game that inspired a generation, Sensible World of Soccer lets players experience both the classic and modern HD version. With multiple play modes, they can play a quick game, start a career mode, manage a team or take part in their own Champions league.

For more information, visit xbox.com/games/livearcade.