Why is it that after every game or demo download from the PlayStation Store, you have to sit and install the file? I know it gets taken care of if you don’t download in the background, but who does that anymore? Queuing up downloads is a must, especially when there are lots of things you want.

So why after spending a long time downloading something do I have to spend 10 more minutes staring at the screen as the game slowly installs? You’re handcuffed while this going on, as you can’t do anything else on the console (and can’t cancel the process if you feel the need). Can’t Sony work this into the background downloading? I sincerely hope this is a feature that gets implemented in a future firmware update.

[Update] I’m not referring to installing Game Data when you first load a retail game disc. I’m talking about downloading titles from the PlayStation Store.

Attention all Xbox Gold members, (is there really anyone who has silver), anyway, there will be some free content that you can download starting tonight at Midnight. They will only be free from Sept 25-30. Here is what you can get:

All you have to do is click on the the Unite to Fight ad in Xbox LIVE to get access to this content:

1. Halo 3 Theme – Available starting tonight at midnight
2. Halo 3 Gamerpic – Available starting tonight at midnight
3. “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – The Story” video: Interviews with the Bungie team. Available on Thursday, Sept 27
4. “Inside Bungie: Halo 3 – New Features” video: Interviews with the Bungie team about the new Halo 3 game features. Available on Friday, Sept 28

Get them while its free. See you in the fight later this week.

Guitar Hero II is a real fun game and when I heard you could download games it got even better, until I heard the price tag of the songs. Many people have expressed the same level of dislike in the pricy songs yet here we are with more than two million single songs accessed through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace since April. That is a lot of downloads of items people complained about and with Guitar Hero III scheduled to feature Master Tracks, Original Songs and more Downloadable Content, Activision will be swimming in cash in no time.

From the press release:

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sep 11, 2007 – Downloadable Xbox 360 video game song packs for Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq:ATVI) Guitar HeroTM II hit multi-platinum status with more than 650,000 downloads through Xbox LIVE Marketplace® in less than five months, as defined by the music industry’s RIAA. Each downloadable pack contains three individual songs. Individual songs combined have topped the two million mark, making the Guitar Hero II packs some of the most downloaded content on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Hit the jump for more…

Sony has kept up the momentum the PlayStation Store has had going this week, with two demos and a bunch of videos. Check out everything that’s now available in North America:

• Stranglehold Demo
• NBA Live 08 Demo
• MotorStorm Revenge Weekend Add-on Pack (New track, vehicles, races and race mode) — $5.99
• MotorStorm Add-on Vehicle 1 (Wakazashi Razor bike) — $0.99
• MotorStorm Add-on Vehicle 2 (Wombat Mudslide ATV) — $0.99
• MotorStorm Add-on Vehicle 3 (Atlas Varjack mudplugger) — $0.99
• MotorStorm Add-on Vehicle 4 (Atlas Arizona big rig) — $0.99
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma Weapons Master Add-on (5 survival modes) — $2.99
• Turok “Quiet Kills” Trailer
• PixelJunk Racers Trailer
• Heavenly Sword “Making Of” No. 5
• Heavenly Sword Anime No. 5
• Lair “World in Chaos” Video
• MotorStorm “Coyote Revenge” Video
• Drillbit Tailer Trailer
• Resident Evil: Extinction Trailer
• Heavenly Sword Anime No. 5 Wallpaper

That’s a hefty update. The coolest/funniest part is the Stranglehold demo’s size: 1337 MB. That’s because the game is so 1337 (if you don’t get it, just google it).

Just a friendly reminder that you can now download the Hidden Fronts map pack for Gears of War on the Xbox 360 for free. That’s right, FREE. Previously costing 800 MS Points, the now free pack consists of four maps.

Bullet Marsh: In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.

Subway: Timgad’s Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

These maps are needed for the extra 250 achievement points in the game. So now you don’t have to pay for that extra gamerscore. I grabbed them yesterday, but I’m too engrossed by BioShock to take the game out of the tray.

In another week, you’ll be able to download the Hidden Fronts map pack for Gears of War on the Xbox 360 for free. That’s right, FREE. Previously costing 800 MS Points, the new free pack consists of four maps.

Bullet Marsh: In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.

Subway: Timgad’s Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

These maps are needed for the extra 250 achievement points in the game. So now you don’t have to pay for that extra gamerscore.

In case you didn’t want to drop the 800 MS Points for the GRAW2 Throwback Pack that was released this past May, you can now download it for free for the Xbox 360.

The pack includes 7 remastered maps from the original Ghost Recon and the first GRAW.

Too little, too late I think. Most people have moved on from GRAW2 on the Xbox 360 and started playing other games. I think Ubisoft almost had to do this on 360 since the PS3 version will include these maps for free.

In case you wanted to creep yourself out at will, you can now download the eerie orchestral score from BioShock.

Composer Garry Schyman created the orchestral masterpiece that serenades you through your journey into the heart of Rapture. Today, we are releasing the 12 tracks that create the eerie string compilation in Rapture so that you can take the world of BioShock wherever you go. We have archived these 12 mp3s into a zip file for you for easy download. Grab it and take a listen — and remember the first moment setting eyes upon the sunken city, your first battle with a Splicer, when you first battled a Big Daddy, or the time you decided to save (perhaps harvest?) a Little Sister.

Hit the link here to grab the files for yourself. I’ve got this loaded on my iPhone now so I can get scared at the gym. Haha.

Another week and another big chunk of an update for the PlayStation Store. A big demo, some nice trailers for games and movies, and a couple new wallpapers. Here’s what you can now go download in the US:

• Folklore demo (1.1GB)
• Metal Gear Solid 4 GC 2007 Trailer
• Heavenly Sword Anime No. 3
• Heavenly Sword “Making Of” No. 3
• Timeshift Gameplay Trailer
• Haze E3 2007 Trailer
• Warhawk Chernovan Wallpaper
• Warhawk Eucadian Wallpaper
• Vantage Point Trailer
• National Treasure 2 Trailer
• Things We Lost in the Fire Trailer

As you can see, there’s a lot of meat to this update. So fire up for your PS3 and get to downloading. NOW I SAY!

We previously told you about all the updates to Lost Planet that would bring some free maps to the Xbox 360. That time is now here.

Map Pack 3, which was previously 400 MS Points, is now available for the cool price of nothing. So if you still have the desire to play Lost Planet, fire up your 360 and grab these free maps, which include “Lost Technology,” “Ruins,” and “Ice Drop”.

I’m always a fan of free, and it’s not that often we get free stuff as downloads these days.