Xbox LIVE Newsbeat June 26th – July 9th: Mass Effect Fans finally get Closure

The Xbox LIVE Summer of Arcade may not have started yet, but this week sees a huge amount of brand new content, some game add-ons for a few real triple-A titles, and some great reductions on offer.

Perhaps the biggest – or most well-publicised addition of Xbox LIVE this week is the Extended Cut of Mass Effect 3. Fans of the series who were left wanting by the original endings in the game will now get to view extended cutscenes and extra exposition, explaining how the effects of their actions were felt across the galaxy, after the final battle.

Aside from that, we have new add-ons launching for Skyrim, Forza 4 and Battlefield 3 – meaning that some of the biggest games of last year can still be enjoyed anew. And if those add-ons don’t excite you – howabout some Kinect-based Ninja action, as the Mini Ninjas make their return? All of that and more have been added to Xbox LIVE Arcade this week.

And finally, we also see some top multiplayer games reduced in week one of this Newsbeat – including the impressive Trine 2 and the retro fun of X-Men Arcade – and a whole host of Call of Duty content gets a reduction in the following week.

Find all of the latest releases and deals below (all prices listed in MS Points):

Xbox LIVE Arcade:

Jeremy McGrath Offroad Racing (D3 Publisher) – 27-Jun – 800
Mini Ninjas Adventures (Square Enix) – 29-Jun – 800
Spelunky (MGS) – 04-Jul – 1200
Bellator MMA Onslaught (345 Games) – 04-Jul – 1200

Game Add-ons:

Skyrim Dawnguard (Bethesda – English version only) – 26-June – 1600
Battlefield™ 3: Close Quarters (Electronic Arts) – 26-June – 1200
Mass Effect™ 3: Extended Cut (Electronic Arts) – 26-June – Free
Forza Motorsport 4 July Car Pack (Microsoft) – 3-July – 560

Deal of the Week:

Multiplayer – 26-June to 2-July

Trine 2 (Atlus) – 600 (50% off)
Gotham City Impostors (Warner) – 800 (33% off)
Nexuiz (THQ) – 200 (75% off)
Worms 2 Armageddon (Microsoft) – 400 (50% off)
Shoot Many Robots (Ubisoft) – 400 (50% off)
X-Men Arcade (Konami) – 400 (50% off)

Activision – 3-July to 9-July

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3: Collection 1 – 600 (50% off)
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3: Collection -2 – 600 (50% off)
Call of Duty Black Ops: First Strike – 600 (50% off)
Call of Duty Black Ops: Escalation – 600 (50% off)
Call of Duty Black Ops: Annihilation – 600 (50% off)
Call of Duty Black Ops: Rezurrection – 600 (50% off)

Special Sales:

Kinect Central – Sesame Street OUAM New Chapter (Warner) – 26-June to 2-July – 200 (50% off)

Games on Demand:

DoDonPachi (Rising Star Games) – 26-June
Grease Dance (505 Games) – 26-June
Cars Mater National (Disney) – 26-June

Avatar Items:

Ninja Update (Xbox LIVE) – 3-July
Vampire/Werewolf Collection Update (Xbox LIVE) – 3-July
Spongebob Squarepants (Nickelodeon/MTV) – 3-July
Surf and Skate Update (Xbox LIVE) – 3-July
adidas Summer Sports (Konami) – 3-July

Zune Movies:

Ghost Rider – 25-June
Wanderlust – 25-June
Project X (Digital Exclusive) – 29-June
John Carter – 2-July
Cleanskin – 2-July
This Means War – 2-July

Xbox LIVE Entertainment Apps Content:

Match of the Day: Euro 2012 Highlights (BBC iPlayer) – Available now
Formula One: The European Grand Prix- Qualifying (BBC iPlayer) – Available now
Hackney Weekend 2012- Jay-Z Live (BBC iPlayer) – Available now
Match of the Day Live: Euro 2012- England v Italy (BBC iPlayer) – Available now
Formula One: The European Grand Prix (BBC iPlayer) – Available now
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (Blinkbox) – 25-June
Young Adult (Blinkbox) – 25-June
Will.i.am – This Is Love (MUZU) – 25-June
Usher – Scream (MUZU) – 25-June
Usher – Lemme See (MUZU) – 25-June
Blur – Theres No Other Way (Alternative Version) (MUZU) – 25-June
Misha B – Home (MUZU) – 25-June
Kick-Ass (LOVEFiLM) – 2-July
Repo Men (LOVEFiLM) – 2-July
Get Smart (LOVEFiLM) – 2-July

This is the current release schedule for Xbox LIVE Marketplace content. As with all game related releases, dates, prices and availability are subject to change and vary by region.