Unlock Xbox contest down to eight finalists, voting begins for final three

Last year's free Xbox Live Arcade game from the Unlock Xbox contest, Dash of Destruction, may not have been the best game we ever played, but it was certainly far from the worst. Also, it had that whole costing nothing thing going for it, so that helped our opinions considerably. This year, our chances of getting a fun game have doubled, with the contest's 1,500 competitors vying for two spots rather than one.

The final eight contestants have been culled from the initial submissions (listed after the break), and are now available to be voted on over at the contest's website, ultimately determining three game ideas to be given final pitches at Microsoft. From there, we get two XBLA games full of Doritos' "bold, intense" branding -- and at the very least some free Achievements.

• Arak Attack by Samuel Gaultlent of Bellevue, Nebraska

• Avatar Crash Course by Jill Robertson of Raleigh, North Carolina

• Fowl Play by Matt Kurtz of New Haven, Indiana

• Harms Way by Justin Carpenter of Ogden, Utah

• Have A Ball by Keith Nelson of Spokane, Washington

• Skies Ablaze by BJ Chavez of Waskom, Texas

• The Artifact by Jonah Masse of Dixmont, Maine

• Thrown by Jason Santaman of San Diego, Calif.