To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Xbox Live, Microsoft will be offering Carcassonne (Hexic 2 in Korea) free to all subscribers for 48 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 15th, along with 500 Microsoft Points to the ten folks who’ve been on board since 2002. In addition, Microsoft has confirmed earlier reports that ‘Xbox Originals’ will be made available for download starting Dec. 4th as part of the Fall Update (the update’s additional features have yet to be revealed). Each game can be purchased and downloaded for 1200 points ($15).

In the press release [which I oddly didn't receive, hence the copy and paste from Joystiq], Microsoft explicitly named Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies and Fable as titles for the Xbox Originals initiative, but did not confirm exactly which games will serve as the jumpoff: “This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games.” Third-party reports claim the preliminary lineup will include Halo, Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex and Burnout 3.

[Via Joystiq]