E3 '07: Xbox 360 gets E3 demos

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Microsoft is "Bringing it Home" for this week's E3 Media and Business Summit once again, and that means a week full of new content for the Xbox Live Marketplace. Today, news arrived of a pair of demos, one already released and one soon to arrive.

A trial version of Electronic Arts' collegiate pigskin game NCAA Football 08 has arrived on the Xbox Live Marketplace, weighing in at more than 600MB. The demo lets players enjoy a full game as either USC or Michigan on the varsity difficulty level with two-minute quarters. However, it isn't completely representative of the final game, as there is no play-by-play announcing.

Gamers not interested in college sports also have a new demo to look forward to, as Namco Bandai Games today announced that it will release a demo for Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation on the Live Marketplace later this week. The demo will let players jump into the cockpit of one of the game's licensed aircraft and try out some of the game's new features, like calling in support from friendly naval and aerial forces.

[UPDATE]: As Microsoft executives touted the company's upcoming lineup at its E3 press conference tonight, another demo was arriving on the Xbox Live Marketplace. A trial version of Mistwalker Studios' role-playing game Blue Dragon is also now available for download. The full version of the game will go on sale August 28.