It's out. The new downable content for Halo 3 costs 800 MS points and comes with 3 new maps, a legendary theme, and gamerpic.

The Legendary Map Pack blends old and new. Ghost Town’s asymmetrical mix of confined spaces and long lines of fire makes for frenetic games. Avalanche re-imagines the original Halo classic, Sidewinder, with new features, tweaked vehicles and massive outdoor spaces. Significant changes bring big improvements to the map, yet its contours and cliffs should provide a welcome sense of familiarity. Blackout, on the other hand, is the purest remake to date – all time favorite Lockout gets a graphical overhaul, but retains its challenging mix of ramps, platforms, tunnels and hallways. There are no refunds for this item.

We previously talked about this here: http://hushedcasket.com/node/2837

If you're a fan of skateboarding or Tony Hawk, you owe it to yourself to try the Skate demo on Xbox Live marketplace right now. I was surprised how natural the controls felt, and the physics were spot on.

EA also had the balls to implement an amazing web feature. I went into the game, skated a little run, went into the reply editor, changed a few camera angles, video filters, speeds, etc., and was able to upload the final product to their website! You can view the video at the following link.

http://skate.share.ea.com/profiles/7639/posts/81522.aspx

Yes, that is me playing :)

The video tool is intuitive and easy to use, and getting my vid online was as easy as linking my EA.com profile to my gamertag, then selecting "Upload Vid" from the Skate demo.

AND the game is a blast to play, too!

With nearly 500,000 downloads to date, the “Gears of War®” Hidden Fronts Map Pack has become the No. 1 piece of premium downloadable content on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

“Gears of War” has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide, and continues to hold the title of most popular Xbox 360 game on Xbox LIVE, as “Gears of War” recorded the most number of unique players among all Xbox 360 games in August 2007, as well as the highest cumulative number of hours played by Xbox LIVE members.

In the Hidden Fronts Map Pack, players can clash for control of four dynamic areas, including Bullet Marsh, Garden, Process, and Subway:

Bullet Marsh
In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden
This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process
Fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.

Subway
Timgad 's Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

Today is 7/7/7.  Bungie is offering new Gamerpics and a Dashboard theme for free today only.  Bungie is also releasing some new media via their website.  Go there and look for a slick new HALO 3 wallpaper and some 3D screenshots.