Free Kinect Sports 'Party Pack' DLC available now, Joy Ride DLC coming Jan. 4

If you'd like to freshen up your Kinect Sports experience with fresh fruit and fresh ... chicken, head to the Xbox Live Marketplace right now. Microsoft has posted a free DLC suite, the "Party Pack."

The free download adds a "Challenge" feature to track friends' minigame scores. Appropriately, the DLC adds six new minigames: Super Striker (for Soccer), Pinvaders (for Bowling), Rapid Runner (for Track & Field), Target Smash (for Table Tennis), Fruit Splatter (for Volleyball), and King of the Ring (for Boxing). It also includes new games for the multiplayer Party Play mode, and three new "crazy" Party Play mascots: "Zippy Zombie" (okay, so maybe it's not all fresh), Champion Chicken, and Sportastico. Check after the break for descriptions of the minigames.

MS also announced that new DLC will arrive for Kinect Joy Ride on January 4. The "Chevrolet Car Pack" adds the Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze to your game. It's free -- all you'll have to do is ... select a Chevy ad in XBLM.

Update: Catch a trailer after the break -- a trailer that refers to the set as the "Samsung Party Pack."

• SuperStriker for Soccer lets you score as many goals as you can and avoid the boots.

• Pinvaders for Bowling lets you stop the pins before they reach the hazard zone.

• Rapid Runner for Track & Field lets you run the furthest distance before you run out of time.

• Target Smash for Table Tennis lets you smash the targets to grab the score.

• Fruit Splatter for Volleyball lets you hit the fruits while dodging the bombs.

• King of the Ring for Boxing lets you knockout as many opponents as you can.