Well now, what have we here? It seems Microsoft has further lightened the price tag on its Xbox 360 Classics lineup, bringing the price down to £ 14.99 (about US$ 23). Apart from a price reduction, Xbox 360 Classics also welcomes a few more titles among its ranks, so you can pick 'em up for less.

Cheapskates rejoice, Microsoft is adding three of its grade A games to its "Classics" collection - also known as the collection of "it's cheaper now" games. Halo 3, Mass Effect, and Project Gotham Racing 4 are each now available for GBP 19.99 (US$ 28) in the EMEA region.

You can expect another installment for the Call of Juarez franchise sometime this year, this Ubisoft confirmed in a press wire sent out today. According to the publisher, the next title, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, will be a prequel to the action shooter of Call of Juarez.

Microsoft may be sacking 15,000 employees, but the Xbox 360 records its best European Christmas in the brand's six-year history, almost doubling 2007's sales, widening its lead over Sony's Playstation 3. They're now setting their sights higher as 2009 begins with their smashing success. More info inside.

Microsoft called it. Worldwide sales of the Xbox 360 has now officially passed sales of the original Xbox.

Microsoft's pretty happy about it, and they couldn't help but sling some mud Sony's way, saying they now outstripped the PlayStation 3 "in all the territories we care about."

Microsoft is packing some "fantastic surprises" heading into E3. That's according to  David Gosen, European VP of strategic marketing for interactive entertainment at Microsoft EMEA who also commented that the Xbox 360's battle with the PlayStation 3 is "far from over." He says Microsoft has the advantage in numbers, and what it will unveil in the weeks to come will change the industry's status quo. Details in the full article.

Microsoft is sending word that they have appointed David Gosen as the new VP for Europe's Strategic Marketing division. Gosen's also expected to help handle the region's Xbox Live service, which speaks plenty for his past experience as a CEO for a mobile games company. Details on this news are in the full article.

In an interview, Xbox UK Regional Vice President Chris Lewis talked about the Microsoft Xbox 360 being the number one console today, and the great lineup of games going for the 360 this holiday season. With 13.4 million units sold and the highest games attach rate at 6.3 games per console, Lewis believes you can't go wrong with the value-for-money video game platform by Microsoft.

More details at the full article!

Video game publisher Ubisoft has announced that its Microsoft Xbox 360 exclusive title Naruto: Rise of a Ninja has been released and will ship in European stores this week. The fighting game-adventure hybrid is based on the popular Japanese manga and anime series and has been given a PEGI rating of 12+.

Read more in the full article.

The good guys over at Microsoft just updated the backward compatibility list of Xbox games that players can run on their Xbox 360 consoles. If we are not mistaken, this new list brings the full library of backward games to around 300. However, some of the new titles are only available for some regions while some will not come with Live access.

Anyway, a little reminder to you guys especially for those who are still new to this, the original Xbox games will look better on your 360 units running in 720p and 1080i with anti-aliasing. Regarding Xbox Live, take note that cross-platform play is possible between Xbox 360 and the original Xbox.

We know you are all excited to know the new games that have been made compatible with the 360. So we'll stop talking now and give you the list:

• America's Army
• Auto Modellista
• Bass Pro Shops Trophy Hunter 2007
• Blinx 2
• Bloodrayne 2
• Burnout New
• Crash Bandicoot 4
• Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex (Updated)
• Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
• Drive to Survive
• Drive to Survive (EM)

More titles after the jump!