Microsoft Unveils 'Best Of Platinum Hits' Xbox Budget Line

Microsoft has announced a new tier of Xbox game pricing for North America beyond its standard new game and discounted Platinum Hits line: the Best of Platinum Hits program will draw from the line of $20 re-releases to halve the price again down to $9.99 per title. The first wave of 16 games to be included in the program includes some of the best games in the system's catalogue, such as Counter-Strike, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, MechAssault, Project Gotham Racing 2, Soul Calibur II, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and its sequel, Pandora Tomorrow, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 as well as Underground. Other games also included in the initial stage are Enter the Matrix, Fuzion Frenzy, Shrek 2, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon and its sequel Island Thunder, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, and True Crime: Streets of LA. All home console systems since the first PlayStation have had a line of discounted games, drawn from the system's best-sellers, but the Best of Platinum Hits line marks the first time the games have been further reduced from price past the initial ($19.99) Platinum Hits discount. The move may suggest an effort to clear all remaining Xbox game stock so as to make more room for Xbox 360 titles on retailers' shelves. The Best of Platinum Hits line will be introduced this month.