Long time coming side-scrolling shooter Söldner-X will be finally coming to the PlayStation Network this October - and will also include trophy support.

The original release of the game was on the PC back in 2007, and also had a ridiculously huge advertisement deal with Play-Asia.com. While a PlayStation Network release was announced as well, it's been some time since we've heard much about it. Now we can confirm that the game will have several new features:

- Visual improvements including y-scrolling, new background animations, newly added effects and more - Contains new enemies, including newly crafted standard foes and larger sub boss battles - 7 new music tracks - Additional boss battle and berserker mode background music - New sound effects added for an enhanced gaming experience - Rebalanced game play with an easier default difficulty - Rebalanced high score system, including new victory screens - DUALSHOCK®3 and optional SIXAXIS™ support - Trophies support

The PC game got few reviews, but were overall quite positive. Certainly one of the prettiest shooters out there. You can check out a ton of new PS3 screenshots of the game here.

Psyonix Studios popped around to the GameSpot offices over the weekend to give their editors a chance to look at their upcoming multiplayer focused car battle-sport game SARB.

Despite all the fun you can have on your own, this PlayStation Network game is heavily focused on the multiplayer gameplay because the team wants it to be a great online community experience. You can play two versus two, with up to eight players total in any kind of formation you like, and two-player split-screen mode can be switched between a vertical or horizontal split. No one has any set positions, so you can determine if you want someone to play as a goalie or to strictly be the enforcer and take out the opposing team.

You can play in ranked matches to get your name up on those leaderboards, as well as register as a team and make your way to the top with a friend. Psyonix talked about how frustrating it can be to go online and not be able to find a match, so Supersonic helps you find a match once you've put in all the settings. If there are no matches available with the settings that you choose, you should always be able to find someone to play with because the game will tell you what games are going on and make suggestions for you.

Check the entire preview below.

Source: Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars Hands-On

The fellows over at Crunchtime Games have been kind enough to give the GamerBytes readers the chance to win their very own copy of Shred Nebula - their new game on the Xbox Live Arcade.

I've got 5 Xbox Live codes to give away - let's make it easy! Answer me this question:

What does the acronym "R.I.P Rocket" stand for?

Easy as eating cake. I'm sure the official website will certainly help you. Send the answer to the question, along with your Xbox Live Gamertag and e-mail to gamerbytescomp@gmail.com and I will announce the winners on friday. Game On!

You know, sometimes Xbox Live Arcade gets "secret" games - unannounced games that suddenly pop up on the service, but usually we can tell they exist via rating websites or leaks from Partnernet. And usually, they don't tend to be very good.

This week, WiiWare gets a brand new release for the Wii - Groovin' Blocks. Groovin' Blocks? Nobody's heard of Groovin' Blocks! No ESRB, no nothing! What in the world is Groovin' Blocks!??!

Turns out, it could actually be a very cool puzzle game - Lumines meets Columns, if you will.

A music-based game like no other, Groovin' Blocks adds innovative musical game play to an addictive action/puzzle game foundation. Play to the rhythm of the music to increase your score, and try to hit "Superbeats" to double your multiplier. Go for the high score in each of the 27 stages as you collect stars to unlock 15 levels of power-ups. Groovin' Blocks features three skill levels, from the accessible Casual to the fiendish Hard mode. Play with your friends in co-op mode or against them head-to-head. Head-to-head brings it up a notch as the power-ups now become attacks on your opponent. Play head-to-head with people of all skill levels using a golf-style handicapping system.

Certainly looks simple - yet aesthetically pleasing. WiiWare World got off their butts toot-sweet and dragged the developers down for a quick interview, which you can view here.

Groovin Blocks costs only 800 Wii Points. Check out the video above for an overview of the game. Also released this week for Virtual Console are two import Turbografx games - Final Soldier, part of the Star Soldier line-up, and Cho Aniki. What's Cho Aniki? Not even this youtube video can explain the bizarreness of this game.

Another day, another weird as hell WiiWare puzzle title announced. Studio Walljump have announced Liight - bringing colors together to mess with your minds.

Liight is a puzzle solving game where the pieces are colored lights and the goal is to make cool music!  Anyone can play!  Just illuminate all the targets in each puzzle with light of the matching color... but it's not always so easy!  You'll have to mix colors, cast shadows and make the most of your limited resources to solve these brain teasers.  

Solve 100 challenging puzzles!  Create your own puzzles, and Share them with your friends via WiiConnect24TM.  Host a Contest to see who can solve your puzzle the fastest.  If you’re ready, take on Nonstop mode, a whole new way to play where arcade-style scoring meets split-second strategy!

Mixing colors actually sounds like an interesting concept for a puzzle game - the fact that you can create and share your own puzzles is a great extra addition too.

Check out more screenshots of Liight here.

[Matt Matthews of Curmudgeon Gamer wishes to inform those without Sony's new Qore initiative to just what exactly 'Qore' is. With each episode, he will kindly educate the GamerBytes masses.]

Qore's Wikipedia definition: "A subscription-based interactive online magazine for the PlayStation Network. Currently only available in North America, the service offers high definition videos, interviews and behind the scenes footage pertaining to upcoming and recently released PlayStation games. It also offers exclusive access to game demos and betas."

Bottom line: The new baseline for Qore quality, with room for improvement.

Sony makes its own news with its PlayStation.Blog, and that's a lesson the Qore folks should take to heart. While they're putting together a decent video production, they have shown precious little that's unique and newsworthy. Last month they scored with the demonstration of Baja: Edge of Control running on three PS3 systems on three HD displays. This month they failed to make a single segment that reached that level of uniqueness.

Which isn't to say that this month was a complete failure, but rather a caution that this month's strategy is not necessarily a long-term winning formula. Qore Episode 04 features four top-tier titles due out on the PlayStation 3 in the next three months: LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, Prince of Persia, and BioShock. Not a single one of those games is a weak link of the order of last month's NBA 08: The Inside.

Beatnik Games have announced their first title for the PC platform and hopefully the Xbox Live Arcade - Plain Sight, a game about Robots beating each other up.

The games rule set is simple - as set down by their website:

So you run around, trying to kill people, while also waiting for the perfect chance to blow yourself up? Sounds interesting. It's all in the vein of a 3D platformer as well - something rarely seen through the XNA framework, which has usually been dealing with 2D games.

The game is being built on the XNA framework - so it will work fine on an Xbox 360 unit. Right now they haven't been able to work out a deal with Microsoft for getting onto the XBLA, but hope to get that all sorted - or at least, get it working on XNA community games.

Check out their website for a video and a bunch of screenshots. Later this week we'll be posting a new interview with the developers on how their game formed, and how its been dealing with Microsoft's XNA framework.

Yet another three game are being released this week for Xbox Live Arcade - so much for a drought! This week brings Rocketbowl, Samurai Shodown II and Shotest Shogi to the platform, as well as an expansion pack to both N+ and Buku Sudoku.

If you’re ready for a fresh twist on a classic sport, then you’re ready for “RocketBowl”! This fun, retro-futuristic game features ten out-of-this-world courses and rocket-powered bowling balls. These super-charged bowling balls can boost, jump and turn to help you knock down the pins and earn extra points with wild shots. Compete in tournaments, challenge your friends in multiplayer, test your skills in mini-games and more!

Every player has the opportunity to upgrade their equipment by using cash earned by winning matches and mini-games. You can choose from more than 15 unique bowling balls, including Strawbally, 8-ball, the Jupiter 5000 and the Kalamazoo Special!

Rocketbowl will be available worldwide and will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Check out the official Xbox.com splash page here

Check out new screenshots of Rocketbowl here

Check out the official NeoGAF forum topic here

Choose from 16 glorious samurai warriors and prepare for an epic battle in an infamous 2D sword-fighting game. But be careful not to make the wrong move; in this game every move is crucial to the outcome of the challenge.

Players also have the opportunity to battle samurais from all over the world to become lord of the sword!

Samurai Shodown II will be available worldwide and will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Click here for the Xbox.com splash page

Click here for screenshots of Samurai Shodown II

Click here for the official NeoGAF forum topic

“Shotest Shogi” is a new spin on the classic chess board game. Already a hit in Japan, this sensational game is now coming to you on Xbox LIVE Arcade! “Shotest Shogi” is filled with world-class AI, challenging opponents, online multiplayer capabilities, incredible 3D graphics and superb tutorials. Try your luck against the provided computer opponents or challenge a friend on Xbox LIVE.

Never played Shogi? No worries. Newcomers can learn the basics and the finer points in the “Shotest Shogi’s” interactive tutorial. The advanced teaching system gives animated lessons and tests.

Shotest Shogi will be available worldwide (though right now it's available in Japan) and will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Click here for the Xbox.com splash page

Click here for screenshots of Shotest Shogi

Click here for the official NeoGAF forum topic

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to extend your “Buku Sudoku” experience on Xbox LIVE Arcade. The new puzzle pack comes with 1200 new Sudoku puzzles and will be available for 200 Microsoft Points the Wednesday, which means you can solve six new puzzles for one Microsoft Point!

The N+ Levelpack boasts 150 Harder Single Player levels, 50 Multiplayer Races and 25 Multiplayer Survival maps you can really sink your teeth into. Enjoy a challenge? This one’s for you! Get your hands on it this Wednesday on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 200 Microsoft Points.

This week has been announcement after announcement - it's getting a tad ridiculous. It's almost like there is too much going on! One thing is for sure - the future is certainly looking bright for downloadable console games, in terms of diversity -- there's a bit of everything for everyone.

Xbox Live Arcade

XBLA Threefer - Rocketbowl, Samurai Shodown II and Shotest Shogi Make The Scene
Three new XBLA releases this week, filling in a niche each. Rocketbowl actually looks like it could be good fun - it's like Bowling Golf. Samurai Shodown II will be gold for those who loved it back in the day, and Shotest Shogi is a great addition for someone looking for something a little different from chess. Two new expansions as well - new levels for Buku Sudoku and N+ this week.

Plain Sight - A New XNA Game Hoping To Get To Xbox Live Arcade
Upcoming developers Beatnik Games are hard at work at a new 3D platformer / beat-em-up called Plain Sight. Hopefully it'll make its way onto the Xbox Live Arcade.

Win One Of Five Copies Of Shred Nebula!
We have a competition! Want to win a copy of Shred Nebula? Simply follow this link.

The King Of Fighters '98 Coming To Xbox Live Arcade
The classic SNK fighter is finally making its way onto the Xbox Live Arcade -- hopefully we can turn off any visual filtering they may add to it.

Shred Nebula Design Documents Released - See How To Get Your Game On Consoles
Crunchtime Games have released their design documents for last week's XBLA release, Shred Nebula. If you're an up and coming developer or just someone who wants to see how game design works, this is for you.

PlayStation Network

Guest Analysis: A Curmudgeon's Review Of Qore - Episode 04
Matt Matthews sits down to watch the entire episode of 'video magazine' Qore, now available on the PlayStation Network, and takes it apart to analyze what the most interesting tidbits are.

PSN Store Update - Madden Head Coach '09 For the US, Warhawk Expansion Set For Europe
Not a huge week for PSN releases - but NFL Head Coach is now available for download at the same time as retail. Is this the beginning of something bigger?

Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Coming To North American PSN In October
Long time coming side scrolling shooter Soldner-X has got a date for North America - nice to see it finally coming out.

Lumines Supernova Announced For The PlayStation Network
Last week XBLA got the announcement of Meteos Wars from Q? - now the PSN will have the chance to finally play Lumines in this new variation of the excellent puzzler.

WiiWare

NA WiiWare Update: Secret Game Release - Groovin' Blocks
Groovin' Blocks was announced days before release. Usually this means a game will be quite poor - but this one actually looks good. It's Lumines meets Columns - drop blocks to the beat!

From The Creators Of Nanostray Comes Fun! Fun! Minigolf For WiiWare
Minigolf is making its way to WiiWare in fantastic fashion - Shin'en are always great when it comes to graphics on a limited platform.

Solve The Color Wheel - Liight Announced For WiiWare
Can't get enough puzzle games on WiiWare? Here, have another - Liight, a puzzle game about setting the right colors onto nodes is coming your way.

IGN have gotten their hands on a near final build of Zombie Wranglers from Frozen Codebase and Sierra - doesn't sound too bad. It's got 4 Player online cooperative play as well.

Each of the 20 missions lays down a set of goals that must be completed before the never ending stream of zombies gets the best of you. A typical mission is to wrangle a number of specific zombie types while collecting some important items scattered about the level. Others will task you with surviving for five minutes or simply taking down a lot of zombies. The end of each set of stage pits you against a boss. My favorite so far is the Zomball, a mass of zombies tangled together that must be broken apart bit by bit before it can squash you. You can rush through these levels, blasting the zombies and nabbing the goods, but to get a high score you'll have to play with some tactics.

They've also announced a release date for the game - September 17th, so next week.

Source: IGN - Zombie Wranglers Hands-on

It's not often that we actually know what's coming out on WiiWare before the week is up. This week is a little different - Abstraction Games have announced that their first WiiWare title Potpourrii will be popping up next Monday.

It seems to be a mixture of classic Puzzle Bobble gameplay, but in a 360 degree arena. Kind of like Catch mode from Tetris DS too. It's seems to have a very nice aesthetic to it from this video. Hopefully Puzzle games haven't worn out their welcome on WiiWare yet, as they appear to have on the Xbox Live Arcade.

Trophies? Check. Customizable controls? Check. Larger ship? Check. Different difficulty modes? Check. All this and more are now available for those who bought Novastrike on the PlayStation Network.

This large 200+ meg update fixes a lot of little problems people initially had with the game, as well as adding a ton of new, free features.

All the new features can be seen in this previous article. A lot of people had iffy opinions about this game - maybe this update will change their minds.

On this weeks Bionic Commando "Top Secret" podcast, Producer Ben Judd sits down with Simon Viklund and a bunch of other Swedish fellows over a GRIN and discuss Bionic Commando Rearmed - What did they do right? Where did they go wrong? What should they have done? It's all here in the first of two parts to the story behind Rearmed.

Top Secret File 023: Rearmed Post Mortem

Direct from Sweden, Ben talks to Simon Viklund, the BCR Director, as well as the Lead Programmer and Art Director, to find out how Rearmed was made, what went right - and what could have been done better. Meanwhile back in the studio, the crew introduce a new section to the podcast. Tell us what you think!

Download the podcast here or join the RSS feed.

Sierra's Red Baron Arcade is headed to the PlayStation Network store in a little under two weeks. PS3 Fanboy were able to get hands on with a final build of the title. Unfortunately, things aren't looking too rosy:

Many of you wisely noted in our debut trailer for the upcoming PSN game Red Baron Arcade that it looks fun, in spite of its antiquated graphics. After playing a few missions from the downloadable title, I'd have to agree with that assessment. Red Baron Arcade is true to its namesake: it provides a very arcade aerial combat game, one which is easy to pick up and play. The simplistic nature of the gameplay is part of its appeal, but also limits the depth one may come to expect from a genre like this.

[...]

While Red Baron Arcade offers the rudimentary fun expected out of a genre like this, we can't ignore the incredibly low production values of the game. When someone glanced myself playing the game, they thought I was playing a Dreamcast game -- and for good reason. Everything about this game screams last generation. However, in spite of the low-tech look, the build we played still couldn't manage a solid framerate, especially when using bombs.

If the dog fighting ends up being fun despite the graphical problems - and it certainly could be - we might have a fair deal on our hands. If the graphical problems end up removing a lot of the fun out of the game, well it's a damn shame.

We'll have to see on September 18th for the full verdict. Read the preview below.

Source: PS3Fanboy - Hands-on: Red Baron Arcade

According to the official PlayStation 3 website, PSN fans should be getting themselves the ability to play Jeopardy!

Control the board and buzz your way to the top as JEOPARDY! comes to a PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system near you! Show off your lightning fast skills - be the first to buzz in with the correct response and you’re in the money! Respond incorrectly and your virtual bank will take a hit. Experience the newly enhanced version of America’s Favorite Quiz Show!

JEOPARDY! now features:

* Over 2,000 clues from the producers of the T.V. show
* Photorealistic 3D set and T.V. style camera shots
* HD quality motion graphics for a broadcast look and feel
* Single or network/multiplayer mode
* Trophies to track your rankings
* Character customization and emotes

No price has been announced, but we'll know that by Thursday.

Rocket Bowl

Developer: 21-6 Productions
Publisher: D3Publisher of America
Genre: Sports Games
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Check out the official Xbox.com splash page here

Check out new screenshots of Rocketbowl here

Check out the official NeoGAF forum topic here

Samurai Shodown II

Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
Genre: Action
Price: 800 Microsoft Points (The initial 400 Point price was incorrect)
Availability: Everywhere

Click here for the Xbox.com splash page

Click here for screenshots of Samurai Shodown II

Click here for the official NeoGAF forum topic

Shotest Shogi

Developer: AI Factory Ltd. and Rubicon Mobile Ltd
Publisher: Microsoft
Genre: Card and Board
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Click here for the Xbox.com splash page

Click here for screenshots of Shotest Shogi

Click here for the official NeoGAF forum topic

Expansions

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to extend your “Buku Sudoku” experience on Xbox LIVE Arcade. The new puzzle pack comes with 1200 new Sudoku puzzles and will be available for 200 Microsoft Points the Wednesday, which means you can solve six new puzzles for one Microsoft Point!

The N+ Levelpack boasts 150 Harder Single Player levels, 50 Multiplayer Races and 25 Multiplayer Survival maps you can really sink your teeth into. Enjoy a challenge? This one’s for you! Get your hands on it this Wednesday on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 200 Microsoft Points.

PSN has Jeopardy, and now Xbox Live Arcade will be getting its own game show. IGN have got a new preview of Are Your Smarter Than A 5th Grader for XBLA.

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? comes loaded with more than 6000 questions in 21 different subjects. Fortunately, you won't have to answer all of those to win the million dollars. Instead, you must clear the board of ten randomly selected questions in a variety of different subjects. Some will be very simple, but others might surprise you. Especially if you're a dullard. Dullards are going to get owned by this game.

Should you be less than intelligent, there is some help to see you through. There are a quintet of fifth graders waiting to help you win some cash. Each has two preferred subjects, which works out well since you can only use each kid for two questions apiece. Be sure not to stray from a fifth grader's preferences, as they are more likely to know the answers on their fave subjects.

It will be interesting to see how 5th Grader stacks up to the Xbox Live Primetime when the new dashboard shows up, but right now it actually looks really good. Hopefully it will make its way to outside of America and the UK, unlike Wits & Wagers.

Source: IGN.com - Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Hands-on

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
1 Castle Crashers
2 Braid
3 Geometry Wars Evolved²
4 Fable® II Pub Games
5 BC:Rearmed
6 Gin Rummy
7 PvN_Dodgeball
8 UNO
9 Galaga Legions
10 Alien Hominid HD

Castle Crashers is still going incredibly strong - still on top and still in the regular Top 10 games for the week.

What is disappointing is the sales for the three releases of last week - Gin Rummy, PvN Dodgeball and Shred Nebula. Particularly the last one - despite getting overall better reviews compared to the others, it didn't make it onto the top 10 list at all. Those guys put themselves out there as much as they possibly could.

New week, new Darwinia+ - Multiwinia trailer. This time for the mode "Blitzkrieg" - essentially classic "nodes" gameplay.

Giant Bomb review by Jeff Gerstmann - 5 / 5

Gaming-Age review by Dustin Chadwell - A

1UP.com review by Nick Suttner - A-

OXM review by Andrew Hayward - 9.0 / 10

Team Xbox review by Tom Price - 9.0 / 10

Eurogamer review by Dan Whitehead - 9.0 / 10

GameSpot review by Tom Mc Shea - 9.0 / 10

GamePro Arcade review by Ian Guss - Fun Factor: 4.5 / 5

IGN review by Hilary Goldstein - 8.3 / 10

What more can really be said at this point? Geometry Wars 2 expands on the formula of the original and makes it even better. The modes available are all a ton of fun with people finding themselves addicted to modes they thought wouldn't be much fun - like Pacifism or King.

It's been worth all 800 Microsoft Points for it. Just make sure you have people in your friends list who are also fully into GW2, it makes the experience worth it.

With Mondays announcement of Plain Site, a new game being created using Microsoft's XNA programming structure, we at GamerBytes got in contact with Robert Lacey over at Beatnik Games to ask get to know more about this game, how it all works, and how they've been working with XNA - the ups and the downs.

First of all, thank you for doing this interview. Straight up - who are you and what is Beatnik Games?

Robin Lacey: My name is Robin Lacey. We don’t really have job titles at Beatnik Games, but I suppose the closest match for my role would be ‘producer.’ The way I see it, my job is to make certain that this game is finished on time, on budget and is fun to play. Everyone here has a heavy hand in the game creation process. For this reason no one has taken the title of ‘designer’.

Beatnik Games was set up by me and an old friend, Damien Cerri, about a year ago; we moved into our office in January and started working on Plain Sight a few weeks later. Additionally there are four others guys currently working with us full time: two programmers (Lawrence Bishop and Alex Ashby), and two artists (Hin Nim and Sam Jacobs).

What’s unusual about Beatnik Games is that we’re not hardened industry veterans (the age range in the office is between 24 and 26). The way I see it, everyone here knows how to do their job and do it to a very high standard – as long as people can do that, age and experience is immaterial.

You've just announced your first title Plain Sight. Give us a rundown of what we can expect once the game is released?

RL: When telling people about Plain Sight, the first thing we do is explain the rules:

1) You’re a small glowing robot. You’re small because you have one point.

2) You can get more points by killing other robots with your sword and stealing their points.

3) The more points you get, the bigger, faster and brighter you get.

4) However, these points don’t count towards your final score until you bank them. To get your points into your bank you have to blow yourself up.

5) The bigger you are, the bigger the bomb. The more players you take out, the higher the multiplier.

6) Respawn and repeat.

7) At the end of the round the player with the highest banked score wins.

The idea is to present a game with as clear a ‘risk and reward’ mechanic as possible: You get more powerful with every player you take out, but likewise you become a bigger and brighter target for someone to swoop in and kill, thus stealing all your hard earned points. If the competition gets too close, you can detonate at any time but then have to start again from scratch, but if you hold out for just a few more kills, you can access bonuses to give you the edge.

Capcom went over to meet with the larrikins over at Giant Bomb for two purposes - to show them the newest version of Age Of Booty from Certain Affinity, and to get mad pissed on rum. They succeeded on both fronts.

Source: The Age of Booty is Upon Us: Hands-On Preview

So, you'll see a more formal announcement about this in a couple of weeks, alongside a very neat (and related) competition reveal, but we'd like to announce our new weblog FingerGaming.com, subtitled 'The art & business of gaming on the iPhone.'

But why? Well, this new site, which is edited for us by Matt Burris, continues something we at Think Services have been doing over the past few months and years - supplementing our industry-leading coverage of the mainstream game business, as showcased with products like Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, and Game Developers Conference, with important emerging and vital submarkets such as Apple's touch-based handheld.

FingerGaming [RSS feed] is already publishing daily news, analysis, and reviews from the swiftly burgeoning iPhone and iPod Touch gaming scene, including the latest from Steve Jobs on the iPhone Store's game expansion, early impressions of iPhone titles including Spore: Origins and iSplume, and increasing concentrations on interviews, analysis, and trends in the new business.

In addition, the site is looking for iPhone game-related tips, announcements, news, and even potential developer diaries from those creating iPhone titles - you can reach FingerGaming via its contact page.

We believe that if we help aggregate information for creators (and dedicated consumers) of these submarkets, and then help them form communities through in-person events, networks, and shared knowledge, then everyone benefits.

Now that we've launched FingerGaming, we'd like to point out our full set of submarket and 'focused' weblogs that Think Services currently runs, including the new site:

- GameSetWatch [RSS, jobs] (founded November 2005), Think Services' alt.game weblog, featuring informal editorials, interviews and opinions from our editors and special contributors.
- Game Career Guide [RSS] (founded August 2006), for student game developers and those considering entering the game industry - also helping to support the Game Career Seminar events.
- WorldsInMotion.biz [RSS, jobs] (founded June 2007), analyzing the business of online worlds - from MMOs to virtual worlds and beyond - supporting the Worlds In Motion Summits.
- IndieGames.com: The Weblog [RSS, jobs] (founded January 2008), for independent game creators, from Flash to downloadable and beyond - helping to support the Independent Games Festival and Indie Games Summit.
- GamerBytes [RSS, jobs] (founded June 2008), for digital downloaded console games, from XBLA through PSN to WiiWare and beyond - helping to support the Indie Games Summit.
- FingerGaming [RSS] (founded August 2008), for the art and business of gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch - helping to support GDC Mobile and IGF Mobile.

[We also continue to run GamesOnDeck - for non-iPhone cellphone gaming, and Serious Games Source, for educational, social, and other 'serious' gaming.]

In exchange for providing these sites to you, we hope that you'll consider posting your industry jobs on the Gamasutra job network, which includes or will shortly include all of these focused sites, or attending our conferences (such as GDC or Austin GDC) when they include focused content on those subjects.

Computer & Video games have gotten official confirmation of the price for SCE Liverpool's Wipeout HD - £11.99.

Taking this price into account, we can speculate that the official price for other regions could possibly be ~15 Euros, $27-30 AUD, and $20 USD.

Compared to what people were expecting - something akin to Warhawk or SOCOM Confrontation, it's an excellent price. It does seem "fair" considering the levels available in Wipeout HD are not new tracks, but classics from the PSP game with a huge graphical overhaul.

They've got the final build on the development kits right now. Can't wait.

Source: C&VG - WipEout HD priced £11.99

Patrick Klepek over at the MTV Multiplayer blog has used his industry contacts to get in touch with Tadashi Iguchi, director of Namco's Pac Man CE and Galaga Legions, to discuss what his team have to deal with when trying to revisit some of video games most classic titles and bring new life into them.

Klepek's clearly a big fan of both titles (you can see him dancing a nice 70s jig to Pac Man at the end of this video) and gets Iguchi to spill the beans.

“Yes, there was more freedom, but we may have had too much freedom,” he said. “It was rather hard to put together all the team members’ ideas. At first, we were planning to make it more faithful to traditional ‘Galaga,’ but we ended up not doing that because each member of the team had good ideas on how to proceed with a more radical arrangement.”

Read the entire article below. It will be very interesting to see where they go from here for their next title. I'm hoping it will be Dig Dug - I can see the multipliers for dropping rocks on enemies right now. I'm probably the only guy who actually liked Dig Dug: Digging Strike on the DS too.

Source: MTV Multiplayer - ‘Galaga Legions’ Designer Explains Reinventing A Classic And Why Modern Games Won’t Stand Test Of Time

This weeks PlayStation Store update in North America is now up. Today you can download a new game as well as a long awaited expansion.

You can now buy Jeopardy! from Sony Online Entertainment

Jeopardy! ($14.99)

Test your knowledge on America’s Favorite Quiz Show! Available for the first time on the PLAYSTATION Network, players can experience the fast-paced fun of JEOPARDY! Featuring a photorealistic 3D set and clues from the producers of the T.V. show, players can compete in solo mode or challenge a friend to a battle of the brains. Be the first to buzz in and vie to become a JEOPARDY! champ!

ESRB Rated E, File size: 171 MB

As well as the PAIN: Amusement Park expansion, as well as several new characters.

PAIN Amusement Park ($5.99) PAIN has been a PSN hit mostly for its hilarious and addictive gameplay. Now, the first add-on environment, Amusement Park, takes PAIN to a new heights with six modes, including four new ones - Hot n’ Cold, Clown Toss, Trauma, and Call da Shot. Launch your character into the park and let the rides fling you around with longer runs and ooch times. It’s more PAIN than you ever imagined! File size: 50.6 MB

PAIN: Yeony Character ($0.99)
A Gamer Girl with a heart of steel, downloadable character Yeony, will frag you with the cutest grin on her face. Armed with only a controller and well-disguised attitude, she will melt your heart and then melt your face. She’s cute, she’s on the launcher, she’s compatible with all PAIN environments, and she’s ready to bring the PAIN! Are YOU ready?

PAIN: Tati Character ($0.99)
It is said that girls are made of “sugar and spice and everything nice”, but downloadable character Tati, leaves the sugar behind and only brings the spice and a whole lotta nice to PAIN. Fresh off the disco floor, this Latina launchee compatible in all PAIN environments is ready to take to the skies and mash it up with you. Be careful–her poses have been known to hypnotize. Good luck, because Tati WILL put a hurtin’ on PAIN players.

PAIN: Kenneth Character ($0.99)
Few people are aware that wearing a cape actually does give a person super powers. Enter Kenneth, a downloadable character whose super powers withstand a great deal of PAIN. Aside from his appropriate hobby as a stunt double, Kenneth enjoys, eating, dining, grubbing, supping, and gorging…oh, and launching. Compatible with all PAIN environments, let’s welcome him to the family with a nice healthy SMACK into the world of PAIN!

A huge WiiWare update for Europe this week - three new titles, with one heavy hitter!

Bomberman Blast! (1,000 Wii Points)

A brand new addition to the "Bomberman" series is available on WiiWare! Up to 8 players can battle online at once via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection! Simple controls make this a great game for family and friends to enjoy at anytime!

New items can be triggered by shaking the Wii Remote for excitement never before experienced in a Bomberman title! You can even take the intensity up another notch by adding your own Miis to the mix!

Battle results can be recorded on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Ranking, so see how you stack up against others around the globe! This title will prove to be a blast for everyone--from those who've never touched a Bomberman game, to the Bomberman masters!

PLÄTTCHEN Twist 'n' Paint (1,500 Wii Points)

Use your Fantasy! PLÄTTCHEN – twist ’n’ paint is a crazy, challenging Puzzle Shooter for more than 100 hours of fun with up to 8 players simultaneously.

Guard the birth of ZeLeLi and free them from the menace of the evil black Shadow Plättchen.

Play as one of the countless FantasyMEs and fight as an astronaut, butterfly, car, football and many more against sharks, cowboys, asteroids and skulls in the numerous fabulous Fantasy Worlds.

Use items and multipliers in combos to fight yourself onto the top of the high scores and find the perfect way to solve a level!

Become wild in the three completely different game modes of PLÄTTCHEN – twist ’n’ paint with more than 300 levels. Twist yourself along with your friends cooperatively or against each other through the many multiplayer modes.

Midnight Pool (800 Wii Points)

Take a trip across America to make your dreams come true in a pool tournament worth millions.

Visit the most colourful bars and meet 7 of the coolest players on the circuit: from country music star Travis to Alison the biologist and John the sheriff. Learn the tricks of the trade through tutorials along the way, while advanced players can take on challenges to show off their trick-shot abilities. Keep things interesting with 3 sets of rules.

Today's Australian Classification update brings a clue as to what Hudson Entertainments next WiiWare title will be - a Snooker game.

The rating for Cue Sports - Snooker Vs Billiards has the classic case for being a WiiWare title, with the author and publisher all being Hudson themselves, which has been the same for Bomberman Blast, My Aquarium and other WiiWare titles. Hudson games that are published on disc media for Wii are usually distributed by Nintendo themselves, or Atari Australia.

It's an odd choice to be sure. With Star Soldier R, Bomberman, Alien Crush and the like a new Adventure Island or Bonk title could have been the next step.

You may also be thinking "Hey, didn't Midnight Pool come out today? Isn't that the same thing?" Surprisingly no. Midnight Pool strictly uses the Pool game type - 8-ball U.S. rules, 8-ball UK rules and 9-ball. Snooker is another rule type, while Billards is the father set of Pool, and has a lot of variations. Which variations will be included is up for speculation.

Source: OFLC - CUE SPORTS SNOOKER VS BILLIARDS Game (Nintendo Wii)

Famitsu are reporting that Megaman 9 has finally got an official release date. It will be released on September 24th.

Now this does not necessarily mean that it will also get released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade at the same time. Megaman 9 is being exclusively released in Japan on WiiWare, while it will be available on all three platforms for the rest of the world.

It makes sense to the "September" release of the game, and it's the last Wednesday of September - maybe we will see it!

Source: Famitsu - 原点回帰！ 『ロックマン9 野望の復活!!』が2008年9月24日に配信決定

This week Europe finally gets 1942: Joint Strike for the PlayStation Network. Geez, it's only been 7 weeks since it came out everywhere else, and after Bionic Commando Rearmed as well. That damn monkey over at SCEU never seems to push the button in the right order.

You can now buy 1942: Joint Strike for €9,99.

Alongside this update is the PAIN: Amusement Park update, which was also released in America today. Rejoice! The amusement park costs €4.99, while the 3 new characters cost €0.99 each.

The contest is over! Congratulations to the following people:

All of you, check your e-mails - you've got yourself a free copy of Shred Nebula to play courtesy of Crunch Time Games!

French achievements website Succesfull.FR have updated their selections with a bunch of new games. One Xbox Live Arcade title being... MLB Stickball?

It seems that Take 2, being the sole people who have the rights to make a Major League Baseball title, are taking it upon themselves to create some sort of simple, kid-focused baseball game for XBLA.

The achievements include references to "breaking windows for an out", hitting several objects within themed parks, and also collecting 120 MLB baseball cards.

Whats also weird is that we know another title - R.B.I Baseball, is also coming to the service. Is that game now in trouble, assuming it gets announced before it gets released?

Alongside this achievement list, Succesfull also has the achievement list for A Kingdom For Keflings, Crazy Mouse, Domino Master and 5th Grader.

Source: Sucessfull.fr - MLB® Stickball , A Kingdom for Keflings, Domino Master, Crazy Mouse, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader

It's confirmed - Gametrailers.TV have officially confirmed the release date for Duke Nukem 3D on the Xbox Live Arcade - September 24th - that's only two weeks away!

Also in their episode, since it's all about the PAX expo from a few weeks ago, they take a look at Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2.

Source: Gametrailers.TV