Great deals abound in the 12 Days of Xbox promotion

Microsoft is celebrating the end of the year with style, counting down the last 12 days of December with some excellent deals on great Xbox 360 content.

The company kicked off the promotion on Tuesday with 50% off Bastion, a critically acclaimed Xbox LIVE Arcade game. Each subsequent day until New Year's will feature a different 24-hour discount on a select item.

Of course, that's not all. Eight Xbox LIVE Arcade games, two full titles from Games on Demand, a game add-on season pass, and 14 Avatar items will also be sold at a discount until January 2, 2012. Most of the deals are 50% off the regular price, and highlights include Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, the LA Noire Rockstar Pass, and Portal: Still Alive.

With the holidays and plenty of vacation almost upon us, it's the perfect opportunity to spend some time with a few great games. Information on the latest deal can be found on the recently revamped Xbox 360 Dashboard, as well as on Xbox.com.

[Xbox LIVE Marketplace via Major Nelson]