Last year's Happy Action Theater wasn't exactly a traditional game, but that's one reason why it succeeded with the Kinec's non-traditional controls. Less than a year after the first installment, Double Fine returns with the more understandably titled Kinect Party. We can safely assume that just about every Kinect owner grabbed it for free oover the holidays, so the question becomes: does Kinect Party provide a better co-op experience and improve on its predecessor's handful of shortcomings?

It's usually bad news when a downloadable game gets delisted. Even the worst games have their proponents (*cough* Kung Fu Strike). But today I report that Double Fine's Happy Action Theater (which I loved) has been removed from XBLA with no hard feelings or sense of remorse. You see, the recently released Kinect Party (pictured) contains all of HAT's content for exactly the same price. Since the sequel makes the original game basically defunct, I previously speculated that HAT would get delisted or dropped in price. Always bank on my predictions, people!

As we reported last week, Double Fine's Kinect Party (the follow-up to Happy Action Theater) will debut on Xbox Live Arcade this Tuesday. From that day until December 31 it will be free for anyone to own. But how much will it cost to buy if you don't grab it within that time period? After the game switches to a paid model, it will actually be sold in a fairly interesting way. Read on for the details.

Happy Action Theater, Double Fine's collection of Kinect minigames and visualizers for XBLA, is probably the most beloved Kinect XBLA title besides Fruit Ninja Kinect. It really shows off what the Kinect can do and doesn't allow clumsy menus or motion controls to get in the way of the fun. As such, we've been anxiously awaiting the sequel: Kinect Party. Many gamers (particularly parents) would probably have paid 800 MS Points for the second game, but it turns out they won't have to. From December 18-31, Kinect Party will be completely free. Party time!

Many Co-Optimus readers are just like me.  They bought a Kinect for their 360, but it sits there gathering dust, making you feel guilty.  The only time it gets used in my house is when my nephews come to visit.  One of their favourite games is Happy Action Theater.  They will be giddy with excitement now that Double Fine have announced a sequel containing 17 new mini games over at GiantBomb.