Xboxist

First Xbox On Demand Titles Arrive: Nothing Interesting

The first batch of games in Microsoft's "on demand" service has been revealed to those people in the new dashboard preview testing program. The Games On Demand tab will launch for regular users on August 11th with the new dashboard upgrade.

Unfortunately, we would be hard pressed to come up with a list of older, less relevant or more predictable games for the launch of this service. Furthermore, the current prices are pretty steep considering that these games are download-only and are more than 2 years old. This is great news for brick-and-mortar retailers, who might feel under threat from downloadable games like these that threaten to cut off one lucrative source of revenue - used game sales.

But if this first batch of games is anything to go by, we won't be abandoning the bargain bin at our local Gamestop any time soon. We hope that Microsoft brings some newer, more interesting games to the service, otherwise this idea will fail to catch on with gamers (who want instant gratification) and will surely fall into obscurity.

Here is the first batch of downloadable "On Demand" games, with prices for both British and US territories:

Call of Duty 2 - £19.99 in UK ($30 in US)
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - £19.99 in UK ($20 in US)
Need for Speed Carbon - £19.99 in UK ($20 in US)
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga - £19.99 in UK ($30 in US)
Mass Effect - £19.99 in UK ($20 in US)
Viva Piñata - £19.99 in UK ($20 in US)
Assassin's Creed - £19.99 in UK ($30 in US)

Do any of these games catch your eye, and would you buy from the On Demand service? Let us know in the comments below.