Microsoft Announces Holiday Bundles for the Xbox 360

In a press release, Microsoft announces that Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance will be bundled with the Xbox 360 Elite and the Xbox 360 Premium free of charge for the holiday season. This announcement came hot off the heels of Sony's announcement of a cheaper Playstation 3 for the holiday season last week.

The bundle announcement came just two months after the price drop to the Xbox 360s. The Xbox 360 Elite went from $479.99 to $449.99 while the Xbox 360 Premium went from $399.99 to $349.99. All the SKUs come with a three year warranty due to the Xbox 360's vulnerability to breaking.

The only major difference between the two SKU besides the color (the Elite is black while the Premium is ceramic white) is the hard drive space. The Xbox 360 Elite has a 120GB hard drive while the Xbox 360 Premium has a 20GB hard drive. Although HDMI was exclusive to the Elite, the newer Premiums should also have it.

Beside the Elite and Premium, the Xbox 360 has the Core, which lacks a hard drive and many other features. The Xbox 360 went from $299.99 to $279.99 due to a recent price drop. The Xbox 360 Core won't have Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance bundled in.

Forza Motorsport 2 is an acclaimed racing simulation which is filled with customizations and modes. It received a 90% ratio on gamerankings.com and a metascore of 90 at metascore.com. The current price of Forza Motorsport 2 is MSRP $59.99.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance is an Action-RPG the features Marvel characters. It received an 83% ratio on gamerankings.com and a metascore of 83 at metascore.com. The current price of Marvel Ultimate Alliance is MSRP $29.99.

Source:
Press Release, "Holiday Consoles Include Two Free Games." Xbox News.