The t-shirts and hoodies are predictably bland, but for our more cash-rich readers the in-game outfits may be too tempting to pass up. There’s an Ezio outfit, an Altair outfit (both for 400MSP) and even a Da Vinci hang-glider there for you to just… stick at your feet.

There’s also some DJ Hero stuff available, but… yeah.

[Assassin's Creed Marketplace]

Avatar item unlocks…. Awards given for people who get Achievements pulled from a series of related games… what do you think?

If the smell of polypropylene, and dyes that run off when you sweat on ‘em make you nostalgic, Xbox Live Marketplace is selling avatar costumes. There are 16 costumes for 240 Microsoft points, which translates to about $US3, which is probably what skinflint Dad paid for those hazmat suits Fletch and I wore.

Some getups, however, do not come with masks and or hats, which run another 80 points. The razor-blade apple and LSD-dipped tootsie pop are not available at this time.

Halloween Costumes [Xbox Live, via Hot Blooded Gaming]

Bowling said via his Twitter feed this weekend that he’s “not sure we’ll be doing any Avatar rewards, but we are making avatar items. With some free ones hopefully.” Free ones!! That’s the kind of Avatar thing I can see myself investing the time to download. Too bad (potentially) about the lack of Avatar rewards, as that’s a nice little perk for the serious fan.

The Xbox Avatar Store now contains football jersey’s for each of the thirty-two current NFL teams, each coming in both male and female versions, courtesy of Madden NFL 10. From the amazing Philadelphia Eagles to the even more amazing Pittsburgh Steelers, your avatar can show his or her pride for football teams from Pennsylvania for the low price of 320 Microsoft points, or $US4 real-world money. I suppose you could buy jerseys representing other teams as well, but that simply doesn’t make any sense at all to me. It’s crazy talk.

Buy Your NFL Avatar Jersey Here [Xbox Live Marketplace via Major Nelson]

The name AvatArcade, despite its awkward camel-capping, is one of the better naming options being surveyed, according to details forwarded to Kotaku by a tipster. The others include Game Room, RetroCade, RetroGame, Game Preserve, Game Gallery, Tower of ROM, Tower of Game(s), Classics and Classics LIVE. Yes, Tower of ROM is far superior, but we just don’t see that one sticking.

The survey info passed on to Kotaku doesn’t offer much in the way of further details, but does indicate that publisher Atari will likely be one of the company’s with a presence in the proposed space. The virtual arcade cabinets appear to feature playable copies of Atari’s RealSports Baseball and Realsports Basketball, not to mention heavy Atari logo branding.

Looks like Intellivision games may also be on offer, as banners for Shark! Shark! and Star Strike hang in the same space. If those games are representative of the titles that would appear in the “AvatArcade”, we’re not sure what’s so arcade-y about this.

The survey also hints that Microsoft may be charging for the Avatar-supported game room, asking surveyees what title would “compel” them to purchase the product.

We’ve checked in with Microsoft to see what they have to say.

Update: This is what they have to say: “Microsoft does not comment on rumours or speculation.” I’m sure you never saw that coming.

Not that my friends don’t look amazing right now, with their steampunk outfits and little remote-controlled toys and all that. I just think they’d look much snazzier decked out in full body armour with a helmet. Unfortunately that look will run you 480 Microsoft points, but can you really pay too much for fashion?

Probably.

New Mass Effect Avatar items [Major Nelson]

Happily, I then saw something else.

How’s a man to take the news in front of his eyes last week that shows that Microsoft has made special signs to hype Xbox Avatars clothes and other purchasable knickknacks and has featured other blogs and not ours?

Two feelings flared within me. Relief at not being appropriated into the marketing machinery for Avatars competed with my urge to ask the Microsoft employees with whom I was dining to ask “What the hell?”

My Microsoft lunchmates swore Kotaku was not being ignored. They swore there had to be a napkin dispenser or a sign or something that showed that this site had not been forgotten by the team responsible for convincing Microsoft’s own employees that the Avatar Marketplace is both amazing and spectacular.

So we left the fancy cafeteria at Microsoft’s fancy new several-weeks-old offices in Redmond, Washington, down a hallway that seemed more like a stretch of indoor mall, past the bank, past the ski shop, past the AT&T Wireless store that doesn’t sell iPhones, and into the lobby of Studio A, where, a few flights up, Kane still fights with Lynch.

Up we looked to see banners.

And more banners.

Bonus points if you can prove that it’s your old comment that Microsoft in-house marketing turned into a giant banner.

Finally, here’s a pic that’ll give you a sense of the size of these things:

It’s definitely a character-swap game for Easy Golf, as some guessed when the footage was released. The good news is that Easy Golf, by Barkers Crest Studio was a pretty damn fully featured game for an indie download, including six courses and a course editor.
Avatar Golf adds a multiplayer mode that accommodates eight players, and friends can join a round in progress. There are customisable weather effects and backgrounds. And, of course, you get to play as your avatar. It’s 400 Microsoft points.

Playing it myself, the terrain effects are not terribly sophisticated and putting is a little too much on the easy side. Then again, this is a much more casual version of golf, designed to be played among friends.

The trial version is timed, so you’ll be able to play a few holes before the game asks for an unlock.

Indie Games Featuring Avatars [360 Avatar, thanks Jim M.]

Charging money to make your avatar a walking advertisement? Sigh.

Anyway, just in case that doesn’t bother you – or you have some leftover MS Points lying around – Microsoft have today released some Mass Effect clothing options for the 360’s avatars, ranging from Mass Effect-themed t-shirts right through to full suits of in-game armour.