Xbox Live Arcade Games Hit Amazon

Amazon has launched a subsection of its online store devoted to the sale of Xbox Live Arcade games and Microsoft points. While the site sold points before, it used to just sell points cards and then ship them to you... which is a pretty big waste of time. This new store is all digital, so when you place an order, Amazon sends you a 25-character code that you can enter on your 360 or on the Marketplace web site.

While the games are currently going for the exact same price that they'd go for if you bought your points and games directly on the console, this system does have a few benefits, such as the ability to purchase codes and give them as gifts. This also gives you more payment options and lets you directly purchase games, instead of purchasing points and then turning those points into games.

The one catch so far is that the Amazon catalog isn't completely up to date. Recent releases like UNO Rush, The Dishwasher, and today's releases, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and FLOCK! aren't currently available. Also, game add-ons, like The Pitt for Fallout 3, are nowhere to be found--so this is strictly an Xbox Live Arcade store.

One bonus, however, is that Lost Cities, a 2008 release that no longer appears in the main Xbox Live Arcade directory, is available for purchase through Amazon. Weird.