This week's downloadable addition to the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade will be James Silva's The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, publisher Microsoft has revealed

Boasting both online and offline two-person cooperative multiplayer, the stylish 2D action game hits on Wednesday, April 1, at 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The game puts players in control of "an undead samurai dishwasher" fending off "an evil cyborg army." .

The unique title, which won Microsoft's 2007 Dream-Build-Play content, also boasts support for a "guitar peripheral," enabling players to "unload electric death by playing wicked solos, perform basic movement, and use the guitar's motion control to rip through enemies with a razor-sharp headstock."

Microsoft today announced the "Days of Arcade," a promotion that will deliver these seven downloadable Xbox 360 games across the six weeks beginning March 18:

• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai / James Silva
• Flock / Proper Games
• Hasbro Family Game Night / Electronic Arts
• Lode Runner / Tozai Games
• Outrun Online Arcade / Sumo Digital
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix / Infinite Interactive
• UNO Rush / Microsoft

Only two of those games have specific release dates at this time: EA's Hasbro Family Game Night arrives March 18, packing Connect Four, Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders, and Proper Games' animal-herding game Flock follows April 8.

As part of a press release celebrating Xbox Live Arcade's record-breaking year, Microsoft today listed the following downloadable Xbox 360 games as examples of Xbox Live Arcade releases that will help "ring in the new year:"

• Lode Runner / Tozai Games
• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai / James Silva
• South Park / doublesix games
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix / Infinite Interactive
• R-Type Dimensions / Tozai Games

No specific price points or release dates were provided.

In all, gamers have earned nearly 100 million Achievements from Xbox Live Arcade games, a feat that, according to Microsoft, amounts to 1.25 billion gamerpoints. Oh, and 110 million free trials have been downloaded since the service launched in 2005.

"Xbox Live Arcade has really become the top destination for premium downloadable games," said Microsoft director of digitally distributed games Scott Austin. "And we've got a long list of games coming out in 2009 that we think will be just as incredible as what we already have on the service."