Filed under: Xbox Live Marketplace

Because nothing goes with the egg nog and sugar cookies as well as baby murder, right? As expected, the demo for Dante's Inferno has descended into the seventh level of the Xbox Live marketplace, which means that you Xbox Live Gold members can hack and slash your way past all of the buzz and see if the gameplay floats your ferry right across the River Styx.

The demo is 1GB in size, and while we didn't see it available on the console itself (though it should be there soon), you can follow this link on over to the Xbox website and queue up the download from there. Just don't come crying to us when Grandma's shocked after walking in and seeing what you're doing on the "gamebox." Make sure you know where the smelling salts are.

Attention Resident Evil fans not currently living on the island nation of Japan: The Resident Evil 5 demo is now available to Xbox Live Gold members everywhere (except Germany). The demo contains two levels and allows for co-op play both offline and over Xbox Live. There don't appear to be any major differences between this demo and the demo that was released in Japan last month, so don't expect any surprises if you managed to play it before. Actually, there might be one surprise: It probably won't stop working week from now.

Go ahead and queue up your download right now. While you're waiting, why not check out our impressions of the Japanese demo after the break? It'll do you good.

• "Hate That I Love You" by Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo - 180
• "Look What You've Done" by Jet - 160
• "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" by Fall Out Boy - 160

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• Aussie Track Pack - 440
• "Tomorrow" by Silverchair - 160
• "Dimension" by Wolfmother -160
• "Outtathaway!" by The Vines - 160

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Having been delayed late last year thanks to layoffs at Crystal Dynamics, Eidos has officialy set a new date for the Tomb Raider: Underworld DLC. The first content pack, "Beneath the Ashes," is set to arrive on February 10 and finds Lara exploring the ruins of Croft Manner to discover a hidden "deadly source of power" amidst ancient caverns and crypts. Frankly, we hope the DLC unravels the mystery as to why the Crofts decided to build their mansion on top of so many caverns and crypts in the first place. "Beneath the Ashes" will also contain six new costumes for Lara and new achievements worth 125 points.

The second batch of DLC, "Lara's Shadow," will be available March 10. No details were released regarding the second pack, but it's probably safe to assume it will also contain a new level, costumes, and achievements. No prices were announced, though GameStop lists both packs combined for $20, leading us to believe they will be individually priced at 800 points.

It's worth noting that former creative director for Crystal Dynamics, Eric Lindstrom, has stated that the DLC levels were originally intended to be included in the retail game, but were cut as the result of "a production issue" that would have caused the game to miss its ship date.

Boo! Did we scare you? No? All right, what if we told you a demo for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was available for download right now on the Xbox Live Marketplace? A single-player demo for Monolith's latest can be found on the XBLM as of early this morning in all of its 760MB glory. If you're looking for a scare today it might be worth checking out.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin takes place [Spoiler Alert! from the original game] post explosion that devastated the city from the original game and stars a brand new protagonist, Special Forces operator Michael Becket. Oh and yes, Alma's still around and she's still looking to put the hurt on those who wronged her in the past. Run!

Download the demo for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

After a week on hiatus, XBLA in Brief is back with a brand new episode. This week, we bring you The Maw, a surprisingly enjoyable action adventure title. Feed Maw all the animals he can stomach (hint: a lot) and watch him grow and gain lots of nifty powers. Oh, and did we mention the game is gorgeous? Yeah, well it is. Check out the latest episode and see if it's for you.

Download the trial version of The Maw from Marketplace.

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For politically minded gamers connected to Xbox Live, Microsoft has made some of yesterday's inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America available to watch online. Found in the Spotlight area of the NXE, the Presidential section features videos of Barack Obama and Joe Biden's swearing in, musical performances and even select, and extremely topical, TV Shows and Movies for those who catch the political entertainment bug. Nothing like watching Mars Attacks! starring Michael J. Fox to celebrate a historical moment in American history! Wait, wha? But seriously, if you're down with history check out The Presidents, a History Channel documentary available in pieces in the Presidential section of the Marketplace.

[via Joystiq]

As we so craftily implied with the quotes in the above headline, this Resident Evil 5 trailer isn't technically new. It was actually shown at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. The catch, you see, is that it was only shown at the Tokyo Game Show, and we were all prevented from seeing it in its full, high definition glory. But that was the past, as the trailer is now available to one and all and it's a doozy. Seriously, this sucker is over five minutes long. It's probably the closest look at the game's story that we've been given so far -- what's Umbrella doing in an African cave? -- and it has a extra strength dose of Wesker. Be sure to watch the whole thing, as Jill Valentine makes a cameo (of sorts).

Also, for those who'd rather watch from the couch, the trailer is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace as well.

So ... anyone up for a game of BlowOut? Anyone? No really ... anyone?

We thought we would warn you so you can prepare the extra pair of trousers now. You'll need it, because Alma and the gang are headed back to your Xbox 360 in a new F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin demo that arrives on XBLM next Thursday, January 22. We don't know what the demo will contain, but we're guessing it will involve (virtual) shooting, (virtual) hallucinations and (very, very real) abject terror. What would you expect? It's F.E.A.R. 2. Twice the fear, half the calories.