Three new Xbox Originals came live on the service and all three are great games: first there’s Sid Meier’s Pirates which is easily one of the best games even though it’s a bit long in the tooth (seriously the PSP game is very close to the original Xbox game). Next is Ninja Gaiden Black for those that didn’t appreciate the ‘easy’ difficulty of the original Ninja Gaiden. It also has some new stuff that wasn’t in the original Xbox game (Tecmo originally released Ninja Gaiden, and then followed up with Ninja Gaiden Black). It’s a good game but for fans only as it can be frustratingly difficult. Finally, there is a game I had always wanted to try but for some reason never got to play until this week, and that’s Black for the original Xbox. This game was developed by the same people who did Burnout…and it’s a very intriguing first person shooter. It’s not perfect; the AI can be wonky at times, but man, the game looks fantastic on the 360 and if you ever wanted to try an Xbox game on the service, this may be the one do to; the reason being the game was released right as the 360 was being launched and the game at the time wasn’t backward compatible so not many bought it. Even now, the game is more expensive at Gamestop than it is on the service, so it’s definitely a good deal and you should pick it up online. Just make sure you have ample hard drive space!

Two new demos were released – a multiplayer demo to complement the single player demo already released for Frontlines and a demo of the game for the upcoming movie Spiderwick Chronicles. Why couldn’t the kid just have not opened the book? You’d think people would understand this by now, but no.

Okay we’ve talked about games, demos, original Xbox games…but what about add ons? Well we have them too on the 360—first up are two new add ons for Project Gotham Racing 4. The Free Challenge Pack is cheap and gives you new game modes including the ‘tourist mode’ but for the real PGR 4 fans you should pick up the premium challenge pack which gives you seven new cars, three new bikes and a new world challenge arcade mode. Well worth the 400 points if you still enjoy PGR4.

In a normal week, we’d be done with add ons but not this week! Next up we have a new chess set for Chessmaster Live and even best of all it’s a free download! If you like free, then you’ll love the NBA 08 All Star download which gives you the official All Star uniforms – for FREE! Wow! All this free stuff, how will I contain myself? Thankfully the GripShift turbo pack will help contain myself because it’s not free – it will set you back a measly $4.38. It’s not too often that you see a game begin life on the PSP and then have a new release on the PS3 and Xbox 360, so why not indulge? It’s not a bad game and the add on extends the replay value.

It was a good week for Rock Band if you like Punk (and I do), as three songs were released with that theme in mind, so if you enjoy The Clash, The Ramones and The Police, you’ll definitely want to get this pack which as always is also available on the PlayStation Network.

And now we come to what I’ve been waiting for: the PlayStation Network. In a very big surprise announcement, Sony announced the release of a demo for MLB 08 The Show for BOTH the PS3 and the PSP. (It’s times like these I’m glad I have the original PS3 so I can just stick a memory stick in and put the Show on my PSP; otherwise you’ll need to grab it from the PC store and put it on the memory stick that way. It’s really true that baseball season isn’t that far away, and the release of MLB 08 The Show is only a few weeks away, so what better way to whet your appetite than with this demo. Sony has really raised the bar and all PS3/PSP baseball fans need to check the game out.

Yet another demo was put up for the PSP and that’s Patapon. If you’ve ever wondered what a rhythmic combat game would play like now is your chance to find out. Personally I find it insanely addictive and I can’t wait for the final version. It’s a weird game but I am weird so be sure and check it out. Rounding out the PlayStation Network selections is a new downloadable game for the PSP..although the game isn’t new. The game we speak of is Twisted Metal: Head On and it will set you back $14.99. In this day and age with everyone having Memory Sticks of 4+ GB, it’s pretty easy to grab those older games via download rather than going to Gamestop. It’s a great idea and you have to wonder why it took so long for Sony to start doing this!