Over the Easter Weekend the Vigilante 8 page updated, along with a look at a new level - The Farm!

They've also added information about another returning character - John Torque. Check out the page here or get the images from here.

Source: Vigilante 8 Arcade website.

“TiQal,” a new challenge sure to delight fans of the puzzle game genre, is launching on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday.

With graphics inspired by the ancient Mayan culture, “TiQal” takes players on an epic journey to save the village of the same name. Players must demolish enemy block walls by matching squares of the same color and building them up to unleash massive combo points and mind-blowing power-ups.

“TiQal” features 120 levels of easy to learn, yet difficult to master gameplay and 14 formidable power-ups, as well as multiplayer support for up to two players. Partner with a friend in the same room or via Xbox LIVE in co-op mode to rescue the village. Players will also enjoy sumptuous graphics and sound effects, as well as an impressive musical score.

There were a couple of issues with the original Poker Smash game that got released - very infrequent freezing issues, some achievement glitches apparently, and some timed mode stat errors.

Drew Card of Void Star Creations has told the folk at NeoGAF as well as their own forum that the update is now available.

Source: Drew Card @ Poker Smash Forums

Ross Erickson, Vice President of Content Acquisition at Sierra Online Games popped up on IGN's 3 Red Lights Podcast to discuss their current Xbox Live Arcade initiative. It's a great listen - here are some interesting tidbits:

- Sierra will be publishing an XNA game in the future, one which won an award.

- The best selling game they've released for XBLA is 3D Ultra Mini Golf, and they intend to expand on the 3D Ultra series. (Note: Personally, I think it's because it's the first game on the list)

- Lost Cities is nearing completion - might be in certification right now. The price is still up in the air - it may just be 400 points. (Note: Admittedly I forgot to add the previews some places had recently, check it out here)

- Assault Heroes 2 is also completed and hoping for release in April.

- Several other games in the pipeline for 2nd half '08, not announcing till later (Though we already know of a couple)

- They have been thinking of bringing back classic franchises such as the Sierra point and clicks, though it sounds like outside of XBLA - in a similar fashion to the new Sam & Max series.

- Loves Boogie Bunnies!!

- Expansions tend to sell to less than 50% of the original owners.

Check out the whole podcast below.

Source: Three Red Lights Podcast: Episode 28

Developer: Slapdash Games, LLC
Genre: Puzzle and Word
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Worldwide

Click here to check out pictures of the game!

Click here for the official Xbox.com webpage!

Click here for the official NeoGAF forum topic!

Source: Major Nelson

Jeff Gerstmann over at the new website Giant Bomb was able to have a look at a PC version of Braid, and hense write a preview:

If you really want to strip it all down to its barest surface, Braid is an homage to Super Mario Bros. You jump on top of creatures to kill them, big plants pop in and out of pipes, there’s a castle with a flagpole at the end of the world, and so on. Of course, if that were all the game did, it wouldn’t be anything special. In fact, it’d probably be actionable. Braid’s big difference is that you have control over time itself. That lets you rewind your mistakes to prevent death, its first useful feature.

A few days ago "Darwinia" popped up on both the ESRB and USK rating websites. Unlike most other companies however, developer introversion owned up to the new game and released a few details on their forum:

Admittedly it’s been on the rumour-mill for a while and quite possibly one of the worst-kept secrets in Introversion’s history, but recent events meant we thought it was time to end the speculation once and for all!

Three years on from Darwinia’s release on PC and we are really happy to confirm that we're working with Microsoft to bring both Darwinia, and our next title Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest, onto the Xbox LIVE® Arcade service.

Due for release in early Autumn 2008, both games will be released under one package called Darwinia+.

When we first started Introversion back in 2001, the idea of developing our games for a console seemed an impossible challenge, and whilst we have built a fantastic community around our PC games, and will continue to support that, it has always been our dream to take the next step and produce a console title.

Multiwinia is the natural conclusion of what we started with Darwinia way back in 2002 and, with the launch of Live Arcade, Microsoft has presented us with a fantastic opportunity to get onto a rung of the console ladder. We're really looking forward to introducing Darwinia+ to a whole new audience. As announced, Multiwinia will also be released separately on the PC.

We’ll be announcing more about Darwinia+ and Multiwinia in the upcoming months, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for more announcements from our end…

Sierra just sent out a short, sharp and shiny press release officially placing Lost Cities in the 800 Point price range. The conflicting reports were from the 3 Red Lights Podcast as well as the Lost Cities preview - both from IGN. Read on:

Sierra Online, a division of Vivendi Games, is bringing the award-winning card game Lost Cities® exclusively to Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system this Spring for 800 Microsoft points.

In Lost Cities, players draw from a pool of cards with the goal of amassing the most points and making prosperous expeditions through the various lost cities: the Himalayas, the Brazilian rain forest, the ever-shifting desert sands, ancient volcanoes and the mystifying depths of the Oceans.

Edit: It appears they've taken down their Xbox.com website now!

Japanese website Xbox-News.com has had a watchful eye on the Japanese Xbox.com pages, and it appears the Ikaruga page went up a little early, and with a release date!

April 9th here we come! Check out the Xbox.com page here. Thanks to Rmk106 for bringing this to my attention :)

Source: Xbox-news.com - Xbox LIVE ????????????4?9?????

The Chessmaster Live team have been hard at work creating new skins for the Chessmaster game. From Major Nelson:

Content: Egypt Chess Set
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan, Korea
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Download this brand new 3D chess set and have more fun playing chess! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Content: Mongol Chess Set
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan, Korea
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Download this brand new 3D chess set and have more fun playing chess! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Content: Chessmaster Live Mushrooms Set
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan, Korea
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Edible or not this set represent one of Chessmaster's most unconventional chess sets There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Content: Pyramids Chess Set
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan, Korea
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Download this brand new 3D chess set and have more fun playing chess! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Content: Spheres Chess Set
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan, Korea
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] A chess set with nice and warm colors, with lots of appeal for kids who want to learn chess.

In a recent issue of Japan's Famitsu Xbox magazine was an interview with Masaki Sakari of 5pb - who are currently porting over two very popular Cave top down shooters Dodonpachi Daioujou Black Label X and Ketsui X to the Xbox 360 as a retail product. In the interview Sakari has a short vent about why they went for a retail product:

"Out initial plan was to port lots of good arcade titles to XBLA. We talked to IP holders of these titles, and persuaded them. We secured these licenses, and finally talked with Microsoft. There they rejected all of our proposals saying, 'We are going to cut down faithful arcade ports.' We felt so frustrated. We wanted to show them that their decision was wrong. So we switched our two most promising projects into retail."

Sad_Panda over on NeoGAF has spotted another release date leak over at the Mr. Driller Online webpage. It looks like - despite not being announced until a few weeks ago, it may end up getting released... next week!

Source: Mr. Driller Online @ Xbox.com Japan

Duh! maybe I should turn on all possible comment types? At least until it becomes filled with horrible, horrible comments.

Turned on now, so you don't need to have a blogger.com account.

- Xbox 360 @ IGN review by Erik Brudvig - 6.5 / 10
- Gamespot review by Don Francis - 7.5 / 10
- 1UP.com review by Tom Mc Shea - B-

Xbox 360 Fanboy have uploaded their weekly "XBLA in Brief review of TiQal as well. You can watch that here