The “Break it Down” Blog

Microsoft is running a promotion between now and January 5th, 2009.  Sign up for an Xbox Live Gold account and they’ll give you a free Xbox Live Arcade game.  Sound to good to be true?  Well, there are a few stipulations.

First, you can’t use a prepaid card to sign up. To qualify you must sign up through Xbox Live.

Second, there are only a few options to choose from for your free content.  These include the following:

Hexic 2: Spin trios of hexes to create groups of matching colors in this puzzle favorite.

Hardwood Spades: Play the classic party card game with friends over Xbox LIVE.

Poker Smash: Make vertical and horizontal matches by forming poker hands in this puzzle game.

N+: Become a daring ninja with unique, physics-based controls, and stylish animated graphics.

EVERY EXTEND EXTRA EXTREME: Unique, fun gameplay mixes with hip and cool original music.

Crackdown Getting Busy Bonus Pack: New vehicles, weapons, game modes, equipment, and achievements.

Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack: Grab these three new maps for the ultimate multiplayer experience.

Finally, 0nce you have decided which of these you want free you just go to the Xbox Live Marketplace and download a  gamerpic that matches the one you want.

Here are the full details from Xbox.com

Free Gift with Gold Membership

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Sign up online for 12 months of Xbox LIVE Gold today and enjoy a free gift on us! Get ready for a full year of Netflix** streaming movies, video chatting, and playing with friends and family online for some good old fashioned fun. Join today and receive an Arcade game or content download as a free gift from Xbox LIVE!

How it Works

• Sign up online for a 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold membership* through your Xbox 360 console or Xbox.com.
• Choose your free gift by downloading the gamerpic that matches the gift you want.
• Get online and have a great time!

Downloading your Free Gift
After signing up for Xbox LIVE Gold, you’ll receive a code for a free download of the gift you selected. The code will be sent to the e-mail address associated with your account about after the promotion ends. Please make sure your email address is accurate and up-to-date!

Already got your code? You can enter the code here on Xbox.com and queue the gift up for download to your console the next time you connect to Xbox LIVE.

Marketplace on the Web.