Got some Microsoft Points burning a hole in your pocket, or hard drive, as it were? Microsoft is having an inventory blowout sale on 10 Xbox Live Arcade titles with discounts around 50 percent. It’s an interesting mix including a Wallace and Gromit Episode, Konami arcade classic Track and Field and perhaps the first South Park game ever to receive decent reviews.

Title: Defense Grid: The AwakeningPrice: $19.99System: PCRelease Date: December 8, 2008Publisher (Developer): Hidden Path Entertainment (Hidden Path Entertainment)ESRB Rating: EveryonePros: Nicely paced learning curve. Nice variety of upgradable towers.Cons: No reasonable way to detect enemy strengths and weaknesses. Recommended system requirements a bit extreme.Overall Score: Two Thumbs Up, 90, A-,**** out of five.

There were a lot of huge titles that were released at the tail end of 2008. In all the hype generated by these high profile titles, it’s easy to overlook some of the gems that don’t have as loud a voice. Defense Grid: The Awakening is one of those gems that fans of tower defense games defiantly should not miss…

If you’re friends or family of a gamer who is big on PC gaming, you’re probably wondering what to get them for Christmas or their next birthday if it’s coming up. For those with the Steam client, there are always different sales, new releases and package deals that would help out your gamer’s repertoire.

Here are some ideas for the last minute shopper who doesn’t want to contend with the crowds in stores…

As you might know, I am here at the Penny Arcade Expo here in Seattle. I am quite excited to see the lineup, and I have had a chance to preview a brand-new, unreleased game before the Expo has even begun. Independent gaming company Hidden Path invited me to a sneak peek at their newest game: Defense Grid: The Awakening.

What I played, I liked. Defense Grid: The Awakening is a game that is best described as “tower defense”. The basic premise is that you are at an abandoned base that is being invaded by hordes of aliens, and the only way to stop them is to raise up weapon towers to exterminate them.

Click through for more Defense Grid: The Awakening impressions…