[Update: The Maw DLC is 100MSP, confirmed by Twisted Pixel Themselves. Major Nelson was incorrect.]

According to the latest Major Nelson podcast, we will be getting two titles this week, and new DLC. Square Enix's Crystal Defenders and PopCap's Peggle will be found on Wednesday, while you can grab the second of Maw DLC.

"Protect your party's crystals from encroaching monster hordes in Crystal Defenders, a defensive strategy game featuring characters from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Deploy your various units in strategic locations to prevent the enemy from escaping the area with your crystals."

Favorite characters: Popular characters such as Black Mages and Soldiers are used from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Use them to protect your crystals.

Tons of gameplay: Over 300 stages of action are included with three different game versions. Try W1 to learn game basics, W2 where Power Crystals are introduced for deeper, more detailed strategies, and W3 that features complex maps and fierce monsters to challenge even the most seasoned players.

Fun and intuitive: The simple, multi-faceted game system is easy for a novice to pick up, and hard for a veteran to put down.

Crystal Defenders will be available for 800 Microsoft Points.

Click here for the Crystal Defenders Xbox.com splash page.

Click here for screenshots of Crystal Defenders.

Experience the ball-bouncing, peg-busting phenomenon sweeping the globe, now on Xbox LIVE Arcade! Do you have what it takes to become a Peggle master? Conquer dozens of levels with 10 different characters, each with a unique special power. Face off against two to four friends in multiplayer play over Xbox LIVE®, and test your skills with the Grand Master Challenges. Take your best shot!

Game modes: Enjoy multiple game modes like Adventure and Quick Play.

Multiple challenges: Play through more than 55 levels and 75 challenges, using 10 Peggle Masters with unique abilities.

Multiplayer: Join with friends for 2-4 way multiplayer over Xbox LIVE plus local multiplayer, co-op, and party game modes.

Peggle will be available for 800 Microsoft Points.

Click here for the Xbox.com Peggle splash page.

This week the Maw's additional level "River Redirect" for 100 Microsoft Points

The April issue of OXM is now out, featuring the new Wolfenstein on the cover. The issue also includes some new information about some Xbox Live Arcade games that are planned for release in the next couple of months.

Three XBLA games are reviewed in the issue - Peggle, which scores a 9.5 / 10, CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars which scored a 6.5 / 10, and Puzzle Quest: Galactrix which scored an 8.0 / 10. For those games they also had the final pricing for those games - Peggle we know is 800 Microsoft Points, but they reveal that CellFactor will be selling for 1200MSP, and Galactrix will sell for 1600MSP.

The issue also includes a demo disc, which includes the upcoming Uno Rush before its actual release. If you've got the issue, check it out. We will be seeing more media on the game very soon, along with its release in the next six weeks.

Source: OXM, Chi-Town on NeoGAF

Gradius ReBirth

Wii Points: 1,000
Game Type: Arcade, Shooter
Control Type: Wii Remote, Nunchuk, Classic, or GameCube
Players: 1
Publisher:, Konami

"Blast your way through levels filled with alien spaceships and otherworldly creatures in this retro side-scrolling shooter. Pick your weapons carefully and upgrade them to create a devastating arsenal of space-aged weapons that will aid you in your challenging mission. Players can post their high scores to worldwide leader boards via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and see where they rank against all the other Gradius ReBirth players. Test your skills with Gradius ReBirth and see if you have what it takes to beat this action-packed arcade shooter."

With the reveal that Proper Games' Flock! will be a part of the Days Of Arcade Promotion, Capcom have released a new trailer for the game.

This trailer shows off the different seasons that the levels can take place in, as well as showing off some of the puzzle solving action that takes place in the game. Check it out!

Finally coming to Xbox Live Arcade in April is Lode Runner, an HD remake of the classic 1980s action-puzzler title. The game was first announced at CES back at the beginning of 2008, but few details have materialised in the months since.

Developed by Southend and Tozai Games, the pairing that recently brought the re-vamped shooter R-Type Dimensions to Live, Lode Runner is shaping up to be a unique, robust experience on the platform.

Initially created by Washington-based student Douglas E. Smith, Lode Runner was first released by Brøderbund in 1983 for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and 8-bit Atari systems.

The game was soon ported to a variety of platforms, and quickly became one of the more popular and addictive puzzle games of the decade. One notable port was for the NES, overseen by Hudsonsoft, in 1984: it was one of the first third-party releases for the console, and the first to sell over a million copies.

Swords & Soldiers is one of the most interesting WiiWare titles coming out in 2009. A side scrolling real time strategy game with a standout graphical design and perfect use for the Wii Remote, truly an experience yet to reach any console digital download medium.

I had a chat with Jasper Koning, Co-Founder of Ronimo Games about the mechanics and design behind their upcoming title, as well as discussing their history with creating the original 'prototype' behind Wii hit de Blob, and what it's like working in the Dutch gaming industry.

When Microsoft originally announced the Xbox Live Arcade, it began with a limitation - file size. All original Xbox Live games had to fit into the 64MB memory card in order to be allowed onto the service.

This lead to some games being a little gimped - Worms for example could not fit all the weapons that were available in it's PSP counterpart, nor could it have all the sound banks. Games like Cloning Clyde also had to do some weird things in order to get them to fit within the size limit.

But the cap has continued to rise since. From 50 to 150, and now 350MB. But that hasn't stopped a few games from being exempt. Last year's hit Portal: Still Alive clocked in at around 700MB, while last week's Watchmen: The End is Nigh clocks in at a whopping 1.3GB.

Ars technica's Ben Kuchera recently spoke to Microsoft about the issue, citing that they "struggled" with the issue and eventually allowed the developer to do as they wished. Another note not spoken about is something else Watchmen is missing - leaderboards. End Is Nigh is the first Xbox Live Arcade title to not have any leaderboards whatsoever. No time based leaderboards, nothing.

Leaderboards have been in every other Xbox Live Arcade title since the beginning. Besides the obvious high score mentality, they also help you view which of your friends have also bought the game. From what I can tell it's a mandatory inclusion for Xbox Live Arcade titles, as specified in Torpex Games' postmortem of Schizoid. For Microsoft to also ignore this means WB had quite the pushing power for this game, which is not surprising.

Upcoming titles such as the Sam & Max Seasons will almost certainly be breaking the bank for file size, and I wouldn't be surprised if Defense Grid: The Awakening does too.

I recently upgraded to a 120GB Hard Drive because my 20GB was quickly running out of space. What say you readers? How much space do you have left, and can you afford to take out a gigabyte of your hard drive for Watchmen: The End Is Nigh and other large titles?

Doublesix Games' exclusive PlayStation Network title Burn Zombie Burn! has nabbed itself a date, and to celebrate they've released two new videos of the game.

The first video depicts the split screen two player "defense" mode, showing off how you can used teamwork to burn and mow down Zombies at an even faster rate while you defend your girlfriend. The second video, which can be seen below, shows off one of the cool filters you can put over the game - this one making everything black and white, while painting the town a bright red, similar to Wii's MadWorld game.

Doublesix have also revealed that they will be releasing a digital comic and soundtrack for the game over the PlayStation Store.

Check out the game on March 26th, 2009, and check out their second video below.

Trekkie (or Trekker) website TrekMovie.com has discovered that a Star Trek title may be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, courtesy of a leaflet inside the Star Trek Season 1 Blu-ray set.

The leaflet claims that a game called Star Trek D.A.C will be coming in May 2009. While it does not specify what service or console it will be coming to, it does say the game is being developed by Naked Sky Entertainment.

Naked Sky were the minds behind the very early XBLA title RoboBlitz, and have since been very quiet. Considering the lack of any announcements for the game, along with the very close release date, we could easily see this as being a downloadable title to coincide with the movie, much like Watchmen.

The game is also being published by Paramount Digital Entertainment, who recently announced their collaboration with CTXM to create a new brawler to the Xbox Live Arcade based on The Warriors.

With a close release date, look for Paramount to announce something very soon. From the looks of the flyer we might be looking at a space shooter, Star Wars: Tie Fighter style.

Source: Trekmovie.com - ST09 Tidbits (T-59 days): Heroes Preview?, New Game?, Spock Fu?, Nero Wart? + more?

Peggle

Developer: Gastronaut Software
Publisher: PopCap Games, Inc.
Genre: Puzzle & Trivia
Price: 800 MSP
Availability: WorldWide

Click here for the official Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the trial via the online marketplace.


CRYSTAL DEFENDERS

Developer: Tose Co. Ltd
Publisher: Square Enix Co. Ltd
Genre: Strategy & Simulation
Price: 800 MSP
Availability: Worldwide

Click here for the official Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the trial via the online marketplace.


The Maw Deleted Scene - River Redirect

Price: 100 MSP

"In this "deleted scene" from The Maw, raging fires block Frank and Maw's way, but with the powers of the Gastro and Puff-tor creatures, they change the course of a river and reopen their path. This part of the story takes place after the Looferland level."

Click here for the marketplace page to download the expansion.

We missed last week's Best Of GamerBytes, so this week you get double the info in just one update.

This week is a doozy for Xbox owners. Peggle finally makes its way to the platform, complete with brand new multiplayer modes. Alongside it is Square Enix's Final Fantasy based Tower Defense game Crystal Defenders. The Maw also gets its second downloadable level pack for 100MSP.

But Watchmen: The End Is Nigh also came out last week for the XBLA and PlayStation Network. For $20USD you can fight it out as Rorschach or Nite Owl in this hefty beat-em-up.

Finally, Wii owners can now buy Gradius Rebirth, a classic retooling of the Gradius games for digital download.

GamerBytes Specials

What Needs To Be A Digital Download? #11 - The Strike Series
We look at EA's classic classic games Desert, Jungle and Urban Strike, and discuss how they could bring the games onto the digital download scene.

GamerBytes Preview: Grab Gold And Swap User Created Levels In Lode Runner
We preview the upcoming Lode Runner on Xbox Live Arcade, and discuss the online modes, as well as the level editor and the ability to create share lists for people to download multiple levels at a time.

GamerBytes Interview: Ronimo Games' Swords & Soldiers
We interview Ronimo Games about their upcoming side-scrolling RTS for WiiWare.

Xbox Live Arcade

This Week on XBLA - Peggle, Crystal Defenders, Maw DLC
Skateboarding Woodchucks, defending pathways, and changing redirecting rivers makes up your superb week of Xbox Live Arcade titles this week.

Now Out On XBLA - Watchmen: The End Is Nigh
The first movie blockbuster of the year brings its game exclusively to digital download this week.

First Screens Of Worms 2: Armageddon XBLA And Worms PSN, First Alien Breed Details
A brand new Worms game is on its way for the XBLA and PSN - check out the first screens here.

Quake Arena Arcade On Track, Release Soon
Thought to be cancelled, Quake Arena Arcade is very much alive.

Sam & Max Coming To XBLA In Season Packages
Full seasons of Sam & Max coming to Xbox Live Arcade, but what will the price and file size be?

Virtual-On Website Live - First Screenshots And Trailer
Virtual On officially unveiled, complete with the first trailer.

Leaked: Direct Feed Screens Of Sega Vintage Collection Vol. 2
Altered Beast, Shinobi, Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Phantasy Star II and Comix Zone coming to XBLA.

Days Of Arcade Announced, Seven Games In Six Weeks
You'll be spending a good chunk of money over the next month and a half...

PlayStation Network

Burn Zombie Burn! Limping Its Way To PSN March 26th
Score based arena Zombie shooter makes it's mark on PSN in just a few weeks time.

NA PSN Store Update - Watchmen Game, Age Of Booty Online Demo, Burnout DLC, Bowling DLC
Watchmen game makes its mark on PSN this week, while the Age Of Booty demo with online play is now available.

EU PSN Update: Watchmen, plus Burnout, Bowling, Lumines DLC
Sony Europe finally gets it with the third release in several weeks which gets released the same week as the rest of the world. Rejoice!

WiiWare

First Screens of Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure And... Released Tomorrow In Japan
Rainbow Island officially announced, and released in the same week.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Crystal Defenders Coming To American WiiWare
The ESRB reveals Final Fantasy IV sequel making its way to WiiWare.

NA WiiWare Update: Family & Friends Party
Sometimes we have no idea what comes out on WiiWare. This was one of those weeks. Apparently not too bad either.

EU WiiWare Update - Tossing Snowboards
Europe gets to toss some bags and shred some snow this week.

NA WiiWare Update: Gradius Rebirth
Konami's shooter revival makes its way to WiiWare.

Both the Australian Classification website and the ESRB list have updated this week with a new title coming to the Wii - Rock N’ Roll Climber.

From the OFLC we now know that it's being developed by Vetei Co, Giles Goddard's new studio. Giles was the main programmer for 1080 Snowboarding on the Nintendo 64 as well as for Doshin The Giant on Gamecube.

The ESRB update brings more information to the table, describing the title as a "rock climbing game in which players must climb up various formations within a time limit". In interesting subject to choose, and one that could certainly work on the Wii.

Source: ESRB, OFLC.

Remember that thing which we thought was coming out this week but didn't? Well it did, just a day later. It's not even considering itself to be an Xbox Live Arcade title - see the lack of "Arcade" tag on the box art. It doesn't even have a demo mode, is 2GB in size, and is only available in the USA.

What a strange couple of weeks we've had.

NCAA® Basketball 09: March Madness® Edition

Developer: Electronic Arts Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sports
Price: 1200 MSP
Availability: USA Only

"EA SPORTS presents NCAA Basketball 09: March Madness Edition, your chance to play through the NCAA Tournament Bracket. Play with any of the 64 tournament teams and fight your way through each round, all the way to the Final Four. Featuring the exciting gameplay from NCAA Basketball 09, play to your team's ideal tempo and style of play to take your team to the title."

Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise: Boost Specials Collection
Price: £6.29 / €7,99

"This collection gets you both the Boost Special cars and represents great value over buying these cars individually."

Burnout Paradise: Carson Extreme Hot Rod
Price: £3.99 / €4,99

"The Extreme Hot Rod certainly lives up to its name. Think ahead before unleashing the apocalyptic boost power."

Burnout Paradise: Burnout Paradise Hawker Mech
Price: £3.99 / €4,99

"The wonderful Hawker Solo has had its Boost system especially modified with a unique ability. Switchable Boost Technology."

Red Baron Arcade
Red Baron Arcade

Category: Multiplayer Flight Action
Publisher: Sierra Online / Activision
Price: $9.99 (Demo available)
File size: 136 MB

"Engage in the ultimate World War I arcade flight-shooter Red Baron Arcade. Grab the flight stick of 20 historic WWI planes and battle countless enemies including huge zeppelins, powerful battleships and authentic WWI aircraft in over 36 varied levels. Fight against intense computer AI in the single player missions or wage war against 7 other aspiring “Aces” online."

Incredibly bizarre, but it appears that Sierra is still alive somewhat. Red Baron Arcade was meant to be released back in September, but nothing came of it. Six months later it's suddenly released. Maybe we will see those ports of Switchball and Assault Heroes after all.

BUZZ! Junior: Jungle Party
BUZZ! Junior: Jungle Party

Category: Minigames
Publisher: Sony
Price: $4.99
File size: 329 MB

"Experience a whole new way for families to play on the PLAYSTATION 3! BUZZ! Junior: Jungle Party is the ideal experience for gamers of all ages to dive into. Choose your monkey character with care, as each has a distinctly naughty personality, and then take part in a variety of wild and wacky mini games to crown yourself king of the jungle! BUZZ! buzzers required for play (available with BUZZ! Quiz TV)"

Astro Tripper
Astro Tripper

Category: Space Shooter
Publisher: PomPom Games
Price: $4.99
File size: 47 MB

"Get ready to blast! Astro Tripper is a furious shoot-em-up experience inspired by the painful, knuckle busting experiences of years gone by. Travel the surface of large horizontally-scrolling platforms, and pit your highly maneuverable craft against hoards of enemies eager to blow you to bits, eat you or worse. Oh, did we mention the blasting absolutely anything that moves?"

Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise: Boost Specials Collection
Price: $7.99

"This collection gets you both the Boost Special cars and represents great value over buying these cars individually."

Burnout Paradise: Carson Extreme Hot Rod
Price: $4.99

"The Extreme Hot Rod certainly lives up to its name. Think ahead before unleashing the apocalyptic boost power."

Burnout Paradise: Burnout Paradise Hawker Mech
Price: $4.99

"The wonderful Hawker Solo has had its Boost system especially modified with a unique ability. Switchable Boost Technology."

Jungle Speed

Wii Points: 1,000
Game Type: Card Game
Control Type: Wii Remote, Nunchuk
Players: 1-8
Publisher: Playful Entertainment Inc.

"Jungle Speed is a lightning-fast card game for the entire family, where quick reflexes and a keen eye will put you on top. Flip your cards, watch your opponents and grab the totem at the right moment to win the game. Just when you think you've got it down, a new card can temporarily change the rules and keep you on the edge. Play starts when the first person flips a card. Moving around the table, symbols are revealed until two of the exposed cards match. Players with matching cards must then scramble to grasp the totem in the middle of the table; the loser gets the winner's cards and anything in the pot. With paws flying, be the first person to get rid of all your cards and win the game."

Click here for Playful Entertainments site, complete with images and trailer.

Family Table Tennis
Wii Points: 800 (Was 500 on NA WiiWare)
Game Type: Sports
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-2
Publisher:Aksys Games

"It's time for some good old family fun, and what's more fun than table tennis? Just like a real family, choose your character from a cast of four, which includes Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy. There are four table tennis-tastic stages where it doesn't matter if you're an indoors or outdoors table-tennis player. Pick your poison from a gymnasium, a forest park, a beach or even an amusement park. Choose from Single or Versus mode, or select a minigame to play. In Versus mode, you and a friend can play against each other to see who is the better table-tennis player. And if Single and Versus modes aren't enough, select between three minigames, which include Target Table Tennis, Thrilling Table Tennis and Matching Table Tennis. The appealing cell-shaded graphics and endearing music, on top of the super-fun game play, will have you and your family playing from morning till night. Get your paddles ready."

In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Capcom, Volition, Monolith and more.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:

Creat Studios, the people behind Cuboid, Mahjong Tales and Magic Ball on the PlayStation Network, have revealed that they're working on two new titles on the platform.

These are a little different from those three titles however, instead of creating neat puzzle and arcade titles with a twist, they plan on bringing the quality of a "retail video game" to the PlayStation Network, according to MHT

The Russian developer are working on two titles - a Wake boarding game, and a Kart racing game. Neither game has an official title as of yet. Interesting ideas which could certainly work well on a digital download platform rather than retail.

Interestingly the Kart racing game sounds like it may be taking a more serious approach to the development. Blimey! Games were working on a serious Kart racing game for XBLA and PSN, but with their recent merger with Slightly Mad Studios it may not exist anymore.

Creat Studios' three PSN titles got good reviews and had a lot of style to them, fitting many niches that the PSN hadn't filled prior to their release. While their Tony Hawk title for the Nintendo DS was less than stellar I have high hopes for their upcoming PlayStation Network titles.

Source: MHT - Creat crafts digitally distributed game publishing role

This week's episode of XNA Roundup features SLAM, a new take on the bat-and-ball formula of Arkanoid. Placing the player in a circular arena, you must bounce the ball around the level and destroy all the blocks, but with new power ups and a great graphical look, better than most XNA Community Games, it has a chance of doing quite well.

If you haven't given the trial a download yet, check out this episode. You can also download each episode via the iTunes music store.