Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

One of the updates that was added in the last Games for Windows LIVE client update was the ability for developers to create an in-game marketplace front end.  The first game that has seemed to take advantage of this is Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Thursday, we had the announced free DLC  for Batman: Arkham Asylum released, so I decided to take the plunge and download the DLC via the in-game marketplace.  While you can download it via the standalone client, I figured why leave the game if I can get it in there.

As you can see from the screenshots, there is a selection from the main menu called Downloadable Content.  Wen you click on here, the GFW Live interface drops down from the top of the window and takes you to all the downloadable content for the game in question.  It does not look like you can browse the entire store, so that is a bit depressing, but it is a start.

When the Batman marketplace, all the game videos were there as well as the free Map Pack.  Selecting the Map Pack brings you to the purchase page, which in this case, did not mean much as it was free.  I did not notice whether it had a purchase MS Points link on that page, but I assume it would if you did not have enough points in your account.

Clicking the download, it adds it to you account, and from there you can click on the Continue button, which allows you to close the markeplace and move on.  While I was playing the Batman, I got a message that new downloaded content was available.  Exiting to the menu, I clicked on the Downloadable Content button and there was the Map Pack.

From my experience, this is the way the DLC downloads should have been from the start.  Having to exit to an external client to buy content, makes me not want to go through the hassle to get it.  I bought the Fallout 3 DLC, but it would probably have sold better if with two keystrokes, you could buy it right from the game and had it install without any issues.  I hope more games patch themselves up and rework their marketpaces to allow purchase via an in-game marketplace.  It just makes the process so much cleaner.  Score one for Microsoft on this one.