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Xbox Live Arcade Games Hit Amazon

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Tired of the convenience of buying Xbox Live Arcade games directly from your console? Well now you can get them from Amazon, instead!

Geometry Wars 2 is the gift that keeps on giving.
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.
Jeff Gerstmann on Google+
Filed under:
Xbox Live
39 Comments
Posted by Jeff
Geometry Wars 2 is the gift that keeps on giving.
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.
Staff
Posted by Scorched

I love amazon

Posted by snide

Only thing I can think of that explains this would be gift-giving.

Posted by REDRUN

Amazing, no more of having to buy those effing points. I was getting tired of having to buy an X amount of points to only have to use a little over half. Man, i hate math. Just want to see the actual price.

Posted by Scorched

Well also you don't have to have left over points

Posted by JJOR64

I seen that on CheapAssGamer.  I just hope for when you buy a code that it actually works.  If you get one the doesn't work then it will probably be hard to get a new one but, this is a step in the right direction I think.

Posted by CitizenKane
snide said:
"Only thing I can think of that explains this would be gift-giving."
From numerous news stories I have become hesitant of "gift givers".
Posted by PLWolf

No left over points is a good thing. Thanks for the heads up, Jeff!!

Posted by LordAndrew

US only? Come on, I live in Canada. I should be able to buy Xbox Live Arcade games through Amazon.

Posted by Dolphin_Butter

Ah, Lost Cities. I think I was only one of the, like, twenty or so people that bought it.

Posted by Weltal

I'm certainly glad I don't have to buy games with spacebucks anymore.

Posted by rargy

This is nice though it's odd seeing round numbers instead of $9.99 or $14.99.

Posted by MattyFTM

Any news on this coming to amazon.co.uk? Or are we being left out as usual?

Moderator
Posted by Mjolnir

Sweet. Looks like I'll be getting Penny Arcade Ep. 3 from Amazon, even if I have to wait a while after it comes out.

Edited by JamesKond

Hey look good old Geometry Wars is 10 Bucks: http://digg.com/u1WwL

Edited by REDRUN
LordAndrew said:
"US only? Come on, I live in Canada. I should be able to buy Xbox Live Arcade games through Amazon."
we'll have to smuggle them across the border, i guess

Shadey Dude: "Hey man, want some microsoft points, i muled it across the border"
Posted by LordAndrew

You're not alone, Matty. Canada's left out too even though we're in the exact same release region as the US. :(

Posted by erinfizz

Lost Cities is a very awesome game, but you can play for free on BrettspielWelt. And Carcassonne, and Settlers, and Dominion!  Hmm...maybe I shall go do that now...

Posted by damnboyadvance

The other catch is it might not be secure.

Posted by SpaceInsomniac

Here's an overview of the good and bad points I've found with this (at least the ones that weren't already covered in the main post):

+ You can sort titles by price low/high, price high/low, bestselling, customer reviews, and even date of release.

+ All games have a short description, pictures, and many include a preview video.

+ Sometimes games could possibly end being sold for less than their price on Xbox Live, as not every title is currently being sold for the same price the game would cost over Xbox Live. Please note that this isn't currently true in a way that benefits consumers. At least not yet.

- As you might have guessed, the service is for the US only, at least for now.

- Not every game is sold at the "correct" Xbox Live price. The original Geometry Wars is five dollars more, and the deal of the week for Penny Arcade Adventures doesn't apply at Amazon.

- Not every XBLA title has been made available for download. For example, Super Street Fighter HD Remix is noticeably absent.

- When sorting by release date, the list is incorrect. Peggle came out before Assault Heroes 2? That's news to me.

- Sorting by bestselling and customer reviews produces a fairly poor list of games that will leave you wondering if this crap really is what amazon customers are buying and enjoy. RoboBlitz? Aces of the Galaxy? Astro Pop? Really?

Posted by RHCPfan24

I like this idea, but it looks like it has a few kinks to work out right now. The whole "buy games and not points" thing sounds sweet though.

Posted by MrMiyagi

I don't really understand... why would I not just buy MS point and games from my Xbox?

Online
Posted by LaszloKovacs

Seems like a good thing, if Amazon ever has special sales on point codes like some other retailers do.

Posted by MrKlorox

Finally a way to gift MSP!

Posted by theMcNasty

I like your idea of giving the codes out as gifts.  That's toight loike a toiger.

Edited by KinjiroSSD

They are also planning on doing the same for  Wii and PSN

Posted by Parsnip

The only downside, as usual, is that it's not available for anyone outside of the US. Oh well. I think most Europeans are pretty used to getting constantly shafted anyway already, just one more thing to the list.

Posted by TobyD81

Hm, cool, but would be cooler if it included other DLC. Looks like my leftover space bucks aren't going anywhere until they offer Rock Band songs, too. Good part is after I kill my last 600 Wii Points on BitTripBeat, no more Wii Points!

Posted by jaks

I wish Microsoft would quit frigging around with their stupid point system that is designed to do nothing more than be another source of nickel and diming their customers. It seems every time I buy something on Xbox I am short 200 or 400 points. But Can I buy 200 points? No! I have to buy 500 or 1000 and have points left over again. Thanks Microsoft! Would you like even more of my money for free? Hell you've already burned me with 3 defective consoles, so why not?!

When I buy something off PSN that costs $9.99, Sony charges my credit card $9.99 and off I go. That is called doing business and respecting your customers. Not coming up with new schemes to steal from them. Oh yeah, I don't have to pay Sony for peer to peer gaming either.

Posted by ZombiePie

Why is it that there is still no Microsoft backed gift system and I have to turn to Amazon to gift for the Xbox Live Marketplace? It just seems silly that they don't have there own gift system in place

Moderator Online
Posted by MrKlorox

Lame that the smallest point balance you can get is 1600 msp. i was hoping i could gift 400 msp at a time.

Edited by Spiritof

If they could link my purchases directly to my XBL account this could really be something. But purchasing a code that I then have to enter into my XBL account? Seems even more tedious than just pushing the button that adds XBucks to my account.

Honestly, M$ just needs drop the malarkey and adopt a PSN/Steam model. Clean, easy, and easily giftable.

Posted by SpaceInsomniac

Yeah, copy/paste is so hard...

Posted by logson

So as niche a benefit this may be, this is cool for Amazon.com Rewards credit card holders, such as myself. FOUR TIMES THE REWARDS POINTS, BABY.

Posted by Jensonb

Three cheers for abstraction layers!

....Yeah...No.

Posted by LordAndrew
SpiritOf said:
"If they could link my purchases directly to my XBL account this could really be something. But purchasing a code that I then have to enter into my XBL account? Seems even more tedious than just pushing the button that adds XBucks to my account.

Honestly, M$ just needs drop the malarkey and adopt a PSN/Steam model. Clean, easy, and easily giftable. "
You can head over to this page on Xbox .com and paste the code in there. It's five separate text boxes though, so you've have to paste in five segments of the code.
Posted by HazBazz

Thats pretty cool, shame the Amazon UK store doesnt have it yet

Posted by AspiringAndy

Oh No!
Microsoft's plan to get everyone to buy 200 more points than they need to has been foiled!

Posted by Media_Master

bla blaa blop...

Use your keyboard!

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