In two weeks, Microsoft will invite gamers to its annual summer bash, commencing the Summer of Arcade promotion with Supergiant Games' Bastion on July 20. However, the action is heating up today on Xbox Live, as Microsoft has added three new Xbox Live Arcade games and three Games on Demand titles to its virtual marketplace.

Leading the pack today on Xbox Live Arcade is Deadliest Warrior: Legends (800 Microsoft points, or $10). A follow-up to last summer's tepidly received Deadliest Warrior: The Game, the new installment is also based on the television show Deadliest Warrior.

Deadliest Warrior: Legends gets bloody today on XBLA.

In Legends, gamers will control deadly warriors and take on famous figures like Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Hannibal, Hernan Cortes, Shaka Zulu, Sun Tzu, Vlad the Impaler, and William Wallace.

The game offers "enhanced" graphics, nine arenas, new fighting moves, and an all-new Generals strategy game, where players will battle on a larger scale.

Also out now on XBLA is Candygun's Dead Block (800 Microsoft points, or $10). The Unreal Engine-powered game lets gamers play as a construction worker, traffic warden, or a pretty peckish boy scout. Players are tasked with surviving waves of oncoming zombies either by force or with strategy. Additionally, gamers can fight alone or with friends in the split-screen mode.

The last new XBLA game out now is MLB Bobblehead Pros (800 Microsoft points, or $10). A Major League Baseball-licensed game from Konami, Bobblehead Pros includes all the league's teams and players. Additionally, the game sports co-op and online battle modes.

Switching to the Games on Demand hub, Microsoft added three new role-playing games to that tab this week. 2007's Two Worlds ($20), Piranha Bytes' Risen ($20), and 2010's Sacred 2: Fallen Angel ($30) are now live on the download hub.

When Warner Bros. announced Lord of the Rings: War in the North in March, it noted the fantasy action game would ship later this year. Now, the publisher has narrowed its release window, letting gamers know the war in the north will commence this fall.

In addition to announcing the new release window for the game, Warner Bros. offered information about War in the North's Collector's Edition, as well as its various retailer-specific preorder bonuses.

The $130 Lord of the Rings: War in the North Collector's Edition includes a Ranger of the North Quiver Case (pictured at right), art book, behind-the-scenes DVD concerning the game's music, three songs from the game's soundtrack, and a copy of the game.

War in the North's CE packs a quiver.

In addition, the collector's edition will include a Ranger of the North avatar for Xbox 360 copies of the game and a War in the North Theme Pack for PlayStation 3 iterations of the title. The theme pack includes wallpapers, fonts, and icons.

On top of the collector's edition, Warner Bros. today announced preorder incentives for War in the North at various North American retailers. Those who preorder at Best Buy will score the Elf Theme Pack, a collection of in-game items that include an Elven sword, armor, and helmet. Additionally, this pack includes access to the Lothlorien Challenge Map.

Gamers who reserve War in the North at Amazon will score part two of the War in the North digital comic, which serves as a prequel to the game. Additionally, players who preorder at Amazon will score the Orc Champion in-game sword.

Target preorders will be awarded three tracks from the War in the North soundtrack, composed by Inon Zur. Toys R Us reservations will score a limited edition autographed War in the North poster by artist Jim Lee, as well as parts one and two of the War in the North digital comic.

Specialty retailer GameStop is offering those who preorder War in the North the Human Theme Pack, another in-game item collection featuring a human sword, as well as armor and battle dressings worn by the human Ranger. Further, those who preorder at GameStop will score the Osgiliath Challenge map.

Lastly, players who reserve War in the North at Wal-Mart will be awarded the Dwarf Theme Pack, which includes a dwarf sword, armor, and helmet.

Currently in development at Snowblind Studios, Lord of the Rings: War in the North will feature "unseen lands, story elements, and characters from Middle-earth, as well as elements familiar from past feature films." It will offer upgradeable weapons and special abilities that develop along with the game's characters, which can be customized by players.

For more on the title--due out later this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC--check out GameSpot's most recent hands-on preview of Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

Though Nintendo has "no plans" to bring Xenoblade to North America, Wii-owning lovers of role-playing games might be happy to know a Super Nintendo classic is headlining this week's additions to the console's downloadable storefront.

Leading the charge today is Final Fantasy III (800 Wii points, or $8) for the Virtual Console. Originally released on the SNES, the game--known as Final Fantasy VI in Japan--has players discovering who or what is behind of the redeployment of magical creatures known as Espers.

Final Fantasy III is given new life today on the Virtual Console.

The other classic game now available again is Kirby's Dream Land ($4) for the 3DS's eShop. The first appearance of the digestive mascot, Dream Land has players retrieving stolen twinkle stars and saving the inhabitants of the land.

Switching to the WiiWare front, Nintendo added just one new game to the download spot today, Big Town Shoot Out (500 Wii points, or $5). From Performance Designed Products, the Wild West shooting game has players gunning through 40 levels, across 10 zones, and 10 game modes.

The DSiWare download hub welcomed four new games today, the first of which is Chillingo's Moto eXtreme (800 DSi points, or $8). The motorcycle game has players performing stunts and creating tracks with the system's stylus.

The final three DSiWare games out now are role-playing game The Lost Town - The Dust (500 DSi points, or $5), carnival title Boardwalk Ball Toss (200 DSi points, or $2), and card game compilation pack Hearts Spades Euchre (500 DSi points, or $5).

Foxtel on Aussie Xbox 360s was first launched late in 2010, but it wasn't until the last month that it became truly appealing, thanks to carrier Telstra BigPond announcing it would stream the content unmetered. According to Xbox Australia head David McLean, this move will have a significant "impact" on take-up of the new service.

"I think that it's a hindrance...people thinking about their download and cap limits. If I look at the experience in the US...if you're using Netflix on a 360, you're actually consuming twice the amount of content than a standard Netflix subscriber uses. If I take that analogy with Foxtel here, my expectation will be that as people start to realize there's no extra ISP cost, they'll start to consume a lot more content," McLean said.

McLean made his comments as part of an interview with GameSpot AU covering topics such as when Kinect voice will be released in Australia, what Microsoft has in store for other content on its console (such as YouTube and ESPN), and McLean's thoughts on the Sony PS Vita and Nintendo's Wii U. Check out the video below for the full interview.

Bethesda Game Studios' latest Fallout game--2008's well-received Fallout 3--welcomed a whopping five downloadable add-ons over the course of its life. However, the Maryland-based studio isn't going the same route with its next role-playing game, according to Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard.

No word yet on new horse armor for Skyrim.

In a recent interview with AusGamers, Howard said that although Bethesda does not yet have specific plans for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim downloadable content support, he envisions that the game will welcome fewer, but "more substantial," add-ons.

"Right now, I can say that we'd like to do less DLC but bigger ones," he said. "You know, more substantial…we don't know what we're going to make yet, but we'd like them to be closer to an expansion pack feel."

Skyrim's predecessor--The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion--hosted a slew of DLC that ran the gamut from sizable expansions like The Shivering Isle and Knights of the Nine to the oft-jeered horse armor.

Howard also offered a note about how Bethesda approached the DLC process for Fallout 3. He called the pacing of new additions to the role-playing game "very chaotic."

For more on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--due out on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on 11/11/11--check out GameSpot's most recent preview of the game and live stage demo from E3 2011, embedded below.

Xbox Live hosts a range of new content this week, including everything from the latest Call of Duty map pack to a new arcade football game.

Leading the charge this week is the Annihilation map pack (1,200 Microsoft points, or $15) for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The content brings four new multiplayer maps and one new zombie level to the Cold War-era shooter.

Black Ops continues the fight with new content available today.

The new killing spaces included in the downloadable content are Hangar 18, Silo, Drive-In, and Hazard. The zombie level is titled Shangri-La, described by Activision as "an exotic and mysterious map."

Debuting tomorrow on Xbox Live Arcade will be three new games, the first of which is NaturalMotion's Backbreaker Vengeance (1,200 Microsoft points, or $15). Whereas the original Backbreaker focused on simulation gameplay, Vengeance will include arcade elements based on NaturalMotion's iOS release, Tackle Alley, which has sold more than 1 million copies.

Though it does not feature officially licensed NFL teams or athletes because of EA Sports' exclusivity deal, NaturalMotion touts Backbreaker's realistic play experience, due to the flexibility of its game engine. Backbreaker Vengeance will offer an expanded version of the Tackle Alley iOS title, featuring "hundreds" of challenge levels.

The other two new XBLA games debuting tomorrow are Marvelous' action role-playing game Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax (800 Microsoft points, or $10) and Namco Bandai's Galaga Legions DX (800 Microsoft points, or $10).

Gamers looking to pick up a full Xbox 360 title this week from Xbox Live have three new titles to choose from via the Games on Demand hub. Capcom's Bionic Commando ($20), Gamecock's Legendary ($25), and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift ($30) are all now available as full-game downloads.

Lastly, gamers can get their hands on NCAA Football 12 via a new demo released today. The sampler lets gamers try out EA Sports' latest college football simulator in two matchups: Alabama vs. Florida State and Oregon vs. Texas.

Gamers who owned a Mac in the mid-1990s likely have fond memories of Marathon, a sci-fi shooter many consider the spiritual ancestor to Halo. Today, both games' developer, Bungie, confirmed that Marathon is coming back to a new Apple platform--the iPad.

Marathon will soon be available for the iPad for free, thanks to a big fan.

Via Bungie.net, the company revealed that Marathon for the iPad will soon be available and was ported over by a rabid fan of the series. In an in-depth Q&A, Bungie interviews software developer Daniel Blezek, who has spent his spare time porting over the game since the iPad was released in April 2010. Originally set for release last fall, the game will be available shortly on the App Store--and it will be completely free.

According to Blezek, the iPad version of Marathon will run at 30 fps and will feature a set of onscreen controls adapted from the original keyboard commands. It will have a virtual left joystick for motion, with an "action" button underneath it. The right thumb will have primary and secondary fire controls above a button, which switches weapons. Though the original Marathon had no aiming reticle, the iPad version will have it as an option.

First released in 1994 for the Mac, Marathon is set during the year 2794 on board the huge starship Marathon, which is en route to colonize far-off worlds. Players assume the role of a security officer on board the ship who must repel an invasion by races of hostile aliens known as the S'pht and the Pfhor. The defense is complicated when Durandal, one of the artificial intelligences on board the ship, becomes "rampant," prompting him to take increasingly unstable--and homicidal--actions.

Marathon's arrival on the iPad will mark the second time a game in the classic series has been brought to a current-generation platform. In 2007, Marathon: Durandal, an updated version of Marathon 2: Durandal, was ported to the Xbox 360 by independent developer Freeverse.

It has been nearly five years since Sony's quirky Ape Escape franchise has seen a new installment, but that dry spell will be snapped soon. Sony Computer Entertainment America producer Kumi Yuasa took to the PlayStation Blog today to announce that PlayStation Move Ape Escape will be available through the PlayStation Network in the US on July 5. In Europe, the game arrives today.

The newest Ape Escape was among the first few games announced for Sony's camera-based motion controller for the PlayStation 3, back in 2009. The game sees players fending off a monkey invasion after a UFO wrecks behind their house, with gameplay heavily oriented around the Move controller.

Monkey business that's designed for the Move.

Gamers will have a chance to experience the latest Ape Escape prior to its full release. On June 28, Sony plans to update the PSN with a demo for the game. Also on that day, gamers can purchase an Ape Escape-flavored dynamic theme for $2.99.

For more on Ape Escape, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

In early May, Bethesda Softworks announced that the third downloadable add-on for its postnuclear role-playing game Fallout: New Vegas would be available sometime in mid-June. Now, with the summer solstice having come and gone, the publisher has adjusted the release date for the DLC pack.

Subtitled Old World Blues, the expansion will launch simultaneously for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on Tuesday, July 19. The new date also means that the fourth add-on for the well-received postnuclear role-playing game, Lonesome Road, is also being pushed back from its previously scheduled July berth.

Robotic radscorpions are just some of the new opponents players will face in Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues.

The expansion will be preceded by an overall update for Fallout: New Vegas, which was developed by Obsidian Entertainment. According to the Bethesda Blog, the patch will "bring improvements to performance and stability in major areas."

Old World Blues sees gamers forced into partaking in a gruesome science experiment that also offers a closer look at the Mojave's mutated-monster contingent. Gamers will be presented with the option of battling the maniacal scientists or joining with them to fend off "an even greater threat." The game will offer new opponents such as robotic radscorpions, as well as raise the game's level cap by five. Unlike other expansions, Old World Blues will let players keep their equipment.