Popcap Hits for Xbox 360 UK release date

UPDATE: As some of you rightly pointed out, Popcap Hits is not the first ever collection of Xbox Live games made available in a box at retail. Instead, it's "the first ever collection of Xbox Live titles to be available from a single developer as a boxed collection at retail." Phew!

Popcap Hits, a collection of four Popcap games previously released on Xbox Live Arcade, will launch in UK shops on 18th February.

The collection includes Bejeweled 2, Peggle, Feeding Frenzy and AstroPop.

It is the first ever collection of Xbox Live games made available in a box at retail, publisher Mastertronic said.

But given gamers' ability to download the titles individually from Xbox Live, you might have wondered, why bother?

"Research has shown that 30 per cent of Xbox 360 owners connected to Xbox Live have never downloaded an Arcade title," product director Neil McKenna explained, "which leaves a huge audience who have never considered buying one of these universally popular games.

"PopCap titles are renowned for appealing to everyone – young, old, male, female – making them truly mainstream titles. This collection represents significant value for money, and will prove to be a real draw for those unfamiliar with downloading titles – and also act as a permanent keepsake for fans of PopCap."

The collection's highlight is probably Bejeweled 2 - the most popular casual game of the 21st Century.

The gem swapping puzzle game has downloaded a whopping 350 million times, with over 50 million units sold. Beat that Call of Duty.