Xbox Live Update: From Dust, Dragon Age II DLC

The second game in Microsoft's five-title Summer of Arcade promotion, From Dust ($15) casts players as a supernatural force looking out for indigenous tribes in a seeming paradise beset by natural disasters.

By transporting land, water, vegetation, and lava around tropical environs, players can open up new pathways for villagers and protect them from earthquakes and other calamities. The various threats in the game can also be turned to the player's advantage; for example, a well-placed tsunami could extinguish wildfires rather than sweep away villages.

Gamers looking to add to their copies of BioWare's Dragon Age II can grab the Legacy downloadable content ($10) today. In the add-on, gamers will suit up again as protagonist Hawke and travel to an ancient Grey Warden prison and uncover additional details about his family history. Additionally, Hawke will visit new environments, battle new enemies, craft a deadly weapon, and ultimately come face-to-face with a terrible horror.

Switching to the Games on Demand hub, Microsoft added three new titles to the store today: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit ($40), Shaun White Skateboarding ($30), and Prison Break: The Conspiracy ($20).

Gamers looking to add to their copies of THQ's near-future shooter Homefront can grab a new map pack called The Rock tomorrow. The content bears a 400 Microsoft point price tag ($5) and includes two new maps: Alcatraz and Bridge. Alcatraz takes place inside the San Francisco Bay's iconic island prison and will offer gamers close-quarter combat.

As for Bridge, that map has players battling near the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and the surrounding area. In addition to the new maps, THQ said that new Team Deathmatch areas Waterway and Overpass will be included in the DLC.

Lastly, Microsoft will add Kinect Sparkler (240 Microsoft points, or $3) to Kinect Fun Labs tomorrow. The digital toy lets players use their fingers as virtual sparklers, painting a canvas with multicolored fireworks in three dimensions.