There's an interesting new trend on Xbox Live Marketplace: Marketers at the TV networks and movie studios are now charging for promotional themes and picture packs. Not all of them - The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Rambo theme and pics are still free, for example - but materials promoting Lost, Spiderwick Chronicles and some Adult Swim shows will cost you. If you don't want to pay to be marketed to, keep your Microsoft points in your pocket and skip these items. Here's what's new on Marketplace:
- Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Co-op Collection ($10) featuring a 5-mission co-op campaign, nine adversarial maps and nine achievements totaling 125 points, plus the More Guns Pack (free)
- Ace Combat 6 aircraft ($2.50 to $5 each, plus the free Typhoon UPEO)
- Rock Band songs ($2 each) "Siva" by Smashing Pumpkins, "Ten Speed (of God's Blood...)" (cover) by Coheed and Cambria and "Working Man" (cover) by Rush
- Arcade: Rez HD and Chessmaster Live ($10 each)
- Demos: Conflict: Denied Ops and Turok
- Game Videos: Condemned 2, Conflict: Denied Ops, Fable 2, Turning Point, The Club, Turok and Viking: Battle for Asgard
- Themes: Conflict: Denied Ops, Lost, Spiderwick Chronicles, Witchblade, Fractal Abstracts and Valentine Anime ($1.88 each), plus U.S. Army (free)
- Pictures: Conflict: Denied Ops ($1.25), Mutant Storm Empire ($1.25 each), Lost ($1.25), Spiderwick Chronicles ($1), Witchblade ($1), 360 Laws ($1.25), Valentine Anime ($1.25) and U.S. Army (free, though downloading it enters you in a sweepstakes and may somehow result in your enlistment)
