In celebration of the 21st episode of XNA Roundup, Nick decided to go all out and show off the Top 21 titles available on XBL Community Games. Subscribe to the show via Youtube or iTunes to show your support.

If you wish to download the trials of Solar, Karnn Age, Ultratron, Mithra, Hexothermic, A Great Easter Egg Hunt, Rabid Gophers, Battle Havoc, Halfbrick Echoes, SLAM, ZP2K9, Clover, World Revolution, Weapon Of Choice, Blow, Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp, Zoomaroom, Orbyx, CarneyVale Showtime, Trino or Miner Dig Deep simply click on the names to be sent to the Xbox web marketplace for the game.

CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars

Developer: Timeline Interactive
Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment
Genre: Shooter
Price: 800 Microsoft Points

While this was released last Wednesday it got completely overlooked by everyone, it was not announced specifically by the Major Nelson website, and was delayed slightly on the service so it showed up several hours afterward. You can download the demo right now and check out this online multiplayer shooter - the fans are currently enjoying it quite a bit so give it a go.

Click here to download the demo via Xbox web marketplace.

Project Cube [working title] was one of many titles announced back in April, but its strange design confused those who watched the initial trailer. At E3 there was a single demo kiosk on the show floor, and I got the chance to play it.

Project Cube is a twin-stick shooter, the kind that the Xbox Live Arcade has a lot of, so making your game stand out can be a difficult task. However this game is doing as much as possible to make it look and feel different to any other game available on the system

The game sports minimalist, monochrome graphics where you control a little white robot whose goal is to stay alive against an onslaught of enemies. The game also sports large amounts of blood that covers the screen with each shot, giving it a little more personality.

While you can shoot back by using the right stick you can also hold the right trigger to grab , releasing the trigger and using the right analog stick to create a shield around yourself, and releasing the trigger will bounce the bullets back at your enemies. You’ll only be able to hold onto those bullets for a short time though, as they will all explode in your face if you wait too long.

You will also make use of a boost mechanic that will allow you to rush through nearby enemies, doing so will cause them to become confused and be stunned for a seconds or so leaving a perfect time to return their fire.

The game appears to still be very early in development but has changed from the initial video - enemies are far more active and will attempt to rush you, however the small amount of time I had with the game did not explain the colored bars at the bottom of the screen, nor did it any of the multiplayer modes.

The game appeared to play find, but whether or not this game could keep a player occupied, is still up in the air. Why one player would choose this over others on the market has yet to really be shown to me, but again it still seems very far off from completion.

Swords & Soldiers

Wii Points: 1,000
Game Type: Action Strategy
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-2
Publisher: Ronimo Games

"Swords & Soldiers is a side-scrolling real-time strategy game that lets you control all the action on the battlefield easily by using only the Wii Remote. Just point at the screen and press the A Button to build new units, cast devastating spells and tear your enemy’s structures to pieces! You can tackle the game’s various modes and missions on your own, or challenge a friend in action-packed split-screen battles."

Fish'em All!

Wii Points: 800
Game Type: Puzzle Action
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-2
Publisher: Abylight

"Here’s an arcade game with real coin-op flavor. Jack and Walter are two old fishermen in a fantasy world. They’ve found places where crazy fish leap out of the water all day long – perfect for fishing. It’s a shame the other strange creatures aren’t going to make things easy. In this surreal action game, you’ll experience the excitement of the great arcade classics on your Wii console. Hold on tight to your controller and fish ’em all, featuring nine colorful scenarios, three game modes (Arcade, Challenge and Fishtris) and one- or two-player action."

Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf

Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: KOEI
Players: 1-2
Price: 800 Wii Points

"In Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf, unite the scattered Mongol tribes under your banner and conquer the world as Genghis Khan. Choose from two riveting scenarios: Mongolia and all of Eurasia. It’s up to you to take your fledgling empire from humble beginnings on the Mongolian plateau and expand your borders across the land. As your rivals look enviously upon your domain, you must struggle to weather the assaults of your opponents and carve out a living for your people. Engage in diplomacy to forge alliances and organize your troops to defend the prosperity of your empire. If you can manage to spread the borders of your empire to the corners of the world, all will pay homage to your might."

Smash Cars from Creat Studios is only about a month away from release, and during E3 they released the final release trailer. As an online kart racing game it's looking very nice, and from what I hear the game will be very affordable when released.

While the LucasArts booth at E3 was appointment only, we looked professional enough to sneak in and get a closer look at the upcoming Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition for the Xbox Live Arcade.

The game is entirely drawn over the original Secret of Monkey Island game – as they have said, you can swap from the brand new graphics to the very original VGA style with just a hit of the Y button. This effect has been attempted before with a lot of the early Backbone developed XBLA titles like Contra or Double Dragon and they all looked awful – only the recent R-Type Dimensions was able to pull it off effectively.

With a game like Monkey Island using such an archaic animation system there was a high chance that this was not going to look very goodl, but somehow the LucasArts Singapore studio were able to pull it off - everything fits together, nothing looks out of place, and it has a great mixture of the character designs from the original game and the designs from Curse Of Monkey Island.

The only thing they've added to the story is a small cutscene of Spiffy the Dog from the SCUMM Bar. It was originally intended for the original Monkey Island game but was cut out at the last minute so it would fit on the floppy disks - but it still made it to the back of the box. Now Spiffy is back, though far more scruffy than he was originally drawn.

New new control scheme seemed to fit well with the controller, where you can now bring up the menu system at any time to choose your action. The game also includes an in depth hint system that will help confused players - it will give you a minor hint, and then if necessary will outright tell you what to do to proceed.

Everything is also voiced now, and includes the return of all the voice actors from Curse of Monkey Island. The dialog sounds quite natural, which goes to show just how well written the game was originally. Unfortunately you cannot have the voices on at the same time as having the old graphics, but it's a minor issue that only a few people will have problems with. While not shown in the videos and screenshots available, you can have subtitles with the new graphics, and they will appear above the characters' heads just like the original game.

We should expect to see more on the game in the coming weeks, the game is scheduled to be released this summer for Xbox Live Arcade, so stay tuned.

While not playable at the Microsoft booth at E3, TMNT: Turtles in Time was shown at the Xbox Live Arcade developer play through. We were on hand with a video camera to capture the footage and so we've uploaded it to YouTube for your enjoyment.

Gunstar Heroes

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Console Classics
Price: 400MSP
Original Console: Sega Genesis

Click here to view the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the game via Xbox web marketplace.


Comix Zone

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Console Classics
Price: 400MSP
Original Console: Sega Genesis

Click here to view the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the game via Xbox web marketplace.


Phantasy Star II

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Console Classics
Price: 400MSP
Original Console: Sega Genesis

Click here to view the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the game via Xbox web marketplace.


Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Console Classics
Price: 400MSP
Original Console: Sega Genesis

Click here to view the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the game via Xbox web marketplace.


Altered Beast

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Console Classics
Price: 400MSP
Original Console: Arcade

Click here to view the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the game via Xbox web marketplace.


Shinobi

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Console Classics
Price: 400MSP
Original Console: Arcade

Click here to view the Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to download the game via Xbox web marketplace.

Next week's Xbox live Arcade release is Rocket Riot - a collaboration between developer CodeGlue and publisher THQ. It's a multiplayer centric game that involves little legless men flying around and shooting each other dead.

Just prior to E3 we spoke to CodeGlue about developing for the Xbox Live Arcade, what makes Rocket Riot different to other titles on the market, and what it was like to use Microsoft's XNA codebase to develop an online multiplayer title.

GamerBytes: Please introduce yourselves – who are you, and what is Codeglue?

Peter de Jong: I’m Peter de Jong, I’m one of the two co-founders of Codeglue and most of my time I take care of the business side of things. During the development of Rocket Riot I was responsible for the production of the game, in other words I was the producer.

Maurice Sibrandi: I’m Maurice Sibrandi, I am the other co-founder of Codeglue and in daily life I act as the technical director for Codeglue’s game projects. During the development of Rocket Riot I supervised the programmers on the project, including Henry Falconer, lead programmer of the game.

Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D

Category: Action
Publisher: Activision
Players: 1
Price: £3.99 / €4.99

"Achtung! You are OSA super agent B.J. Blazkowicz. Your goal is to escape from Castle Wolfenstein and defeat the twisted Nazi regime in Wolfenstein 3D. Fight all of the memorable enemies from Hans Grosse to Mecha-Hitler in the legendary game that launched the first-person shooter genre. Search classic levels for hidden secrets revealing stolen Nazi treasure, health packs, ammo and weapons, or even short cuts."

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Puzzle Quest Galactrix Full Game

Category: Puzzle
Publisher: D3 Publisher
Players: 1-2
Price: £15.99 / €19.99

"Take on the role of a rogue pilot scouring the galaxy to uncover clues in an intergalactic mystery that affects the fate of the entire universe. Build up a fleet of ships, discover hundreds of different weapons, and master the new puzzle board!"

Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes

Category: Action
Publisher: Sega
Players: 1-2
Price: £3.99 / €4.99

"Gunstar Heroes features frenetic shooting and melee combat action along with awesome bosses. This SEGA Mega Drive classic is updated with enhanced graphics and online co-op multiplay."

Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes

Category: Action
Publisher: Sega
Players: 1-2
Price: $4.99

"Gunstar Heroes features frenetic shooting and melee combat action along with awesome bosses. This SEGA Mega Drive classic is updated with enhanced graphics and online co-op multiplay."

Bomberman Ultra
Bomberman Ultra

Category: Action
Publisher: Hudson
Players: 1-8
Price: $9.99

"Because you demanded it! Bomberman ULTRA gives everyone who picks up the controller the chance to bomb their way to victory. Hop online to play against up to 8 people from around the world! Pick from any of 14 levels and mix and match over 50 character costumes with over 150,000 possible combinations! Stat-tracking leaderboards will show just how good you are!"

Heavy Weapon
Heavy Weapon

Category: Action
Publisher: PopCap
Players: 1-2
Price: $9.99

"Mount an assault on the enemy like never before with Heavy Weapon and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system! Launch your mission as an atomic tank to collect power-ups from friends and engage the enemy! Choose Mission or Survival modes to blast your way through 19 exciting stages or see how long you can stand against the enemy. Heavy Weapon features new and unique PLAYSTATION 3 system trophies!"

PSOne Classics
Medal of Honor Underground

Price: $5.99

"The classic Medal of Honor franchise is back! Germans have invaded your country. Now you must take the battle underground and lead the resistance in the fight against tyranny."

Cocoto Platform Jumper

Wii Points: 700
Game Type: Platformer
Control Type: Wii Remote, Nunchuk
Players: 1-4
Publisher: Neko Entertainment

"A long time ago in a faraway land, strange little creatures lived in the depths of Abyss. Cocoto, his little devil friends and the mysterious Fairy protect the secret of the magma — the source of their power — in a magic cauldron. Meanwhile, Zaron, the god of lightning who lusts after this force, is up to something. He can count on the rulers of the other kingdoms that Cocoto must cross. The tragic kidnapping of Shiny, Baggy and Neuro has left Cocoto alone to watch over the cauldron. Refusing to leave his friends, he will set out to find them with Fairy."

Super Smash Bros.

Wii Points: 1,000
Game Type: Brawler
Players: 1-4
Publisher: Nintendo
Original Console: N64

Bplus have released the first trailer for Bit Boy, their upcoming WiiWare title. While a simple Pac-Man puzzle game Bit Boy will travel through the many stages of video game development - from the Atari 2600 era all the way to the 64-bit and 128-bit era.

The premise itself is kind of neat, but from the looks of it the game almost gets uglier the further it goes into the future. The game doesn't seem to change outside of the map layout - like a proof of concept that classic NES and Genesis titles should stay in the past.

Halfbrick Studios have been throwing character profiles for Raskulls at us for a while - but what exactly is Raskulls? Now all is revealed in this brand new trailer.

Raskulls is a side scrolling platformer where you race against other opponents to the end of the level - but there are numerous obstacles in your way. The trailer shows tons of different blocks shapes that you must destroy in order to get past them -- if you've ever played Mr. Driller you'll see some very similar play mechanics in tow here.

There are also blocks which have different attributes attached to them, like jello blocks that remind me of some of my favourite levels in Super Mario Land 2 (odd reference, I know). While the game is very much a race instead of a standard platformer, it still looks like a ton of fun, and better than most other platformer racers I've played -- I'm looking at you, Sonic Rivals.

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 Treyarch, SCEA 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:

The latest update to the XNA Game Studio is now live, and Microsoft have detailed the brand new features that are now included in the package.

XNA Game Studio 3.1 will now include the ability to use Xbox Live Avatars in your game. There are obviously some additional rules in place for use of Avatars, they can't be used in a online multiplayer shooter killing each other for one, but the fact that they can be used brings out many new uses for more "application" based games. You can also add video to your game as well as use Xbox Live Party Chat while playing the title.

Lastly, Xbox Live Community Games will be re-branded as Xbox Live Indie Games starting this July. This is due to the feedback surrounding the original game not accurately representing the kinds of games available on the platform. I agree - Community Games was not the best of names, it made those games sound far less appealing. What is a "Community Game" exactly? It's not part of the gaming lexicon - but an Indie game is, and if we want more games like Miner Dig Deep and Solar it is best to make the service clearer to both developers and consumers.

Source: XNA Game Studio 3.1 is here!