Family Slot Car Racing

Wii Points: 500
Game Type: Racing
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-4
Publisher: Askys Games

"Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy are putting the pedal to the metal in Family Slot Car Racing. Race through three racing circuits, each composed of multiple racetracks and even bonus tracks. You can race against a friend for some friendly one-on-one racing action. Choose among multiple slot cars with varying designs to see which car has the best grip and speed. As you progress, you'll unlock new courses and even new slot cars to help you reach the top of the racing circuit. Do you have it in you to be the fastest racer on four wheels?"

Click here for a Youtube review of the Japanese version

PictureBook Games™: Pop-Up Pursuit

Nintendo Points: 800
Game Type: Board Game
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-4
Publisher: Nintendo

"Enter the world of PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit and enjoy a family board game set in a pop-up picture book. Instead of simply rolling dice to move along the map, you'll use cards (which can help or hinder progress) and coins (useful for buying more cards, but don't forget about your Coin Bonus at the end of the game). Spaces on the map play an important role in the game's outcome, and your computer-controlled opponents exhibit different personalities and behavior. Occasionally, the mysterious Book of Magick will be opened, causing an event that may change according to how you play. This mixture of exciting game play and charming, artistic atmosphere give Pop-Up Pursuit high replay value and unique depth—even if its characters are flat."

The Revenge of Shinobi

Wii Points: 500
Game Type: RPG
Players: 1
Format:SEGA Genesis

"This classic SEGA Genesis platformer features Musashi, a ninja out to defeat the evil Neo Zeed and his criminal empire. In this sequel to the arcade favorite Shinobi, traverse through various districts - from the bamboo forests of Japan to the streets of New York City - and fight incoming enemies by throwing Shurikens, performing special ninjutsu moves and slashing a katana sword. Battle against unique bosses at the last stage of each district and make your way to the final match with your nemesis, Neo Zeed."

RTL Interactive have revealed their third digital download game in the past few months with Football Genius - The Ultimate Quiz for Xbox Live Arcade.

Football Genius is a simple quiz game based in the world of Soccer. It will include six different quiz categories based on the international, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish Football worlds with a total of 3,500 questions total, and will support 4 player online and offline play.

The game appears quite bare bones - it's just a straight up quiz from the likes of it. There doesn't appear to be video or picture based questions - just multiple choice text. The game will support the Scene It? buzzers though, which is always good. The only other XBLA quiz game was Wits and Wagers, and it wasn't received all that well, but hopefully with more focus and the use of Avatars this one will do better.

The game is set to be released in the next few months, so expect it soon. The English Premier League only just started, so it's got plenty of room to breath.

Click here to check out the first screenshots of the game.

With the recent Xbox dashboard update, MadBalls developer PlayBrains have added a new update to their game - as well as some free downloadable content.

The update, which you are asked to download the next time you boot up the game, will now show Avatar hats in the multiplayer modes. The game now has better ways to look for online matches (in which there are quite a few despite lackluster sales) and multiplayer things like spawn times and scoring have been levels out for a better experience.

Alongside that, PlayBrains have also released some free downloadable content - a new character skin for character Magmor. You can download it here.

With a game this crazy, there's no way it could be bad, right? This Streets of Rage / Final Fight styled game brings high definition motion capture to the Xbox Live Indie Games. It's been in development for a while, but their latest DBP '09 trailer is especially maddening.

Interplay have revealed that Earthworm Jim will be coming to digital download - but not through Sega's Vintage Collection.

Instead Gameloft have stuck a deal with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to WiiWare, PlayStation Network and, with a one month exclusivity, the Xbox Live Arcade.

It is currently unknown on whether this will be a direct port of the original game or a new one - the press release describes Earthworm Jim as the game, not the franchise. At the same time the Wii already has Earthworm Jim through the Virtual Console, so having just another version seems unlikely.

As for the Sega Vintage version, the game has now been removed from Genesispoll.com, which makes us believe Interplay were trying out several deals at the time, or caused a strange conflict of interest which Gameloft won out.

Hopefully we'll see more during the Cologne GamesCom. The game will be available in the last quarter of 2009.

Early last year we learned that two of CAVE's popular shooters, Dodonpachi Daioujou Black Label X and Ketsui X , were denied their chance to be on the Xbox Live Arcade, and instead went to retail in Japan.

But they're not giving up just yet! On the official CAVE blog the developers are asking you this - "What CAVE game would you like to see come to the Xbox Live Arcade?"

The developers want their fans to e-mail them at blog360@mail.cave.co.jp with the header "XBLA" and which game you want to see. CAVE will then give a presentation for the most popular choice to Microsoft for it possibly getting onto Xbox Live Arcade.

This isn't an official poll like the Sega one appears to be, but they are willing to go and present their most popular title to Microsoft for a second time.

So CAVE fans - get to it!

[Thanks to Chris Nutt for help with the translation]

Housemarque have revealed their next PlayStation Network title - Dead Nation.

While we've currently got Burn Zombie Burn and Zombie Apocalypse currently on or coming to the PlayStation Network, Housemarque have added their own take on the genre. Unlike both those titles, where you're stuck in a small area and must survive, Dead Nation appears to have you make your way through a level. It's more like Left 4 Dead but with a dual stick style to it?

At Sony's Gamescom press conference it was unveiled that the PlayStation Portable would be starting a new lineup of downloadable titles under the name of minis - games that are less than 100MB and likely priced at $9.99 and lower.

Not to say that Sony hadn't already been tinkering with this idea - We have seen Everyday Shooter, Super Stardust Portable, Numblast and several other games come as exclusively digital PSP titles but there was never a place to really showcase them. Now they, along with over 50 new titles by the end of 2009, will have their own section, and will be given the treatment that deserve. 50 games by the end of the year? In contrast there are currently, in North America, only 98 PS3 PSN games made available since 2006.

But it appears that the PSP Store is going to be a very different beast to its PlayStation 3 counterpart. Included in those 50 games are titles coming from Halfbrick, who will be porting all of their XBL Indie Games with Halfbrick Blast Off, Echoes, Rocket Racing and Zombies (first footage of that in the trailer too). Gameloft are getting in on the action by porting numerous iPhone titles like Hero of Sparta, and in fact many iPhone games like Minigore and Fieldrunners are making their way to the platform as well. EA are also in on the action by finally bringing Tetris to the platform.

Going by this, it appears that PSP minis might be not going by the regular rating system. Mobile games, and iPhone games, do not go through the ESRB, USK or OFLC, and instead go by their own rating system - somehow regulations allow mobile development to do this. Considering the amount of games that they intend to release as well as the company its keeping, Sony may have been able to classify the PSP mini titles as mobile games.

Heck, even Funky Punch XL is on the list - a simple, not so good fighting game that's available on the iPhone and XBL Indie Games. It will be interesting to see how this ends up working in Germany and Australia, which has much stronger rules for games being released.

It has also been revealed that Pac-Man Championship Edition will be coming to the platform. While this sounds very much like a port of the iPhone version coming out in a month or two it also shows that, while the game is an Xbox 360 exclusive for consoles, this does not hold for hand-held platforms. If this is the case we could be seeing a lot of older XBLA games make their way over onto the PSP, but not the PSN.

Either way, this is going to be a very different direction for downloadable development. If this is considered a "mobile device" but with button controls we could see some of the XBLA's best games come out at a far lower price. It could also mean we'll see more classic games make their move strictly to the platform - like how Sega has done with Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and Sonic on iPhone - forget the PS3 and move straight onto the hand-held system with actual buttons on it.

A lot of this is speculation of course, but it certainly looks like it's going this way.

Sega released GunStar Heroes a couple of months ago to the PlayStation Network as their only Sega Vintage Collection title - however, it was a little broken. The game had a terrible time trying to set up a cooperative game online, and there was a few suggestions that the game would not be receiving an update due to poor sales.

Well apparently the game has now been updated to version 1.02, which now fixes all of the co-op issues. Just open up your game and download the update - simple.

Shadow Complex

Developer: Chair Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: Action
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
File Size: 835 MB

Click here for the official Xbox.com splash page.

Click here to add the trial to your queue via Xbox web marketplace.

Madballs Babo:Invasion - Obsidian Magmor

Price: Free

"Jazz up your line-ups with cool new character skins. This pack includes one skin: Obsidian Magmor Skin."

Hudson today have revealed that Bomberman Live, after over two years of being available, has now sold over 500,000 copies.

Bomberman Live! appeared in the Top 10 for 42 weeks back between 2007 and 2008 - nearly a full year, so it's not too surprising that it's done so well. Currently the Leaderboards for the standard Arcade mode shows that over 662,158 people have played the game - so a lot of people have used multiple Xbox Live accounts while playing at home.

But Siliconera decided to follow up on the story by asking Mike Pepe, Director of Marketing at Hudson, how well Bomberman Ultra on PSN and Bomberman Blast on WiiWare had done. Apparently Blast has sold "a fraction" of the amount that Live has, and Bomberman Ultra is catching up quickly - this despite Ultra only being available in North America for the time being. For June and July Bomberman Ultra was 5th and 7th on the monthly Top 10 lists.

Apparently Hudson's data may be also suggest that Wii owners are not buying WiiWare games - which would affect Hudson greatly as their Japanese contingent have made nothing but WiiWare games - including Alien Crush Returns and Tetris Party. All of their XBLA and PSN titles have been created by either Backbone Entertainment or Natsume - nothing internal. Perhaps this is why we're seeing Taito's WiiWare offerings slowly making their way over to the Xbox Live Arcade?

Hudson will be releasing Military Madness and Diner Dash later this year - and on all 3 platforms. These games will be an excellent internal test for Hudson to see where they should be focusing their attention.

Source: Siliconera - Hudson: "Tell Your Readers To Download WiiWare Titles"

During today's Microsoft Press Conference, where Fable 3 was announced, it was also revealed that Fable II will be going episodic - splitting the game into 5 downloadable parts.

While it hasn't been made official, we believe this is not going to be an Xbox Live Arcade release - rather a test of the new Games On Demand service, and seeing if people will bite at it. The first of the downloadable parts will be made free, and from there you can buy the next 4 separately as they come up.

It will be interesting to see how this will work - feasibly you'll be able to score yourself some free achievements with the first chunk of the game. All 5 chunks will be available from the beginning too, so in effect this is a lot like the release of SIREN: Blood Curse on the PlayStation Network.

Kaleidoscope is a simple 2D platformer with a twist - you must collect little color pigment orbs in order to bring color and life back to the lands.

If there's one thing I want more of on XBL Indie Games it's platformers, and this one fits the bill.

Zen Pinball
Street Fighter II Tribute Table

Price: £1.59 / €1.99 / $2.45AUD

"Enter the playfield of the World Warrior Championship, and knock out M. Bison with the Silver Ball!"

The Street Fighter II table for Zen Pinball is the same table that was available for Pinball FX on XBLA.


PAIN
PAIN Celebrity Character Andy Dick

Price: £0.79 / €0.99 / $1.45AUD

"Strap Andy Dick to the giant PAIN catapult and launch him to your heart’s content! Famous for his madcap antics and wacky variety of characters, Andy Dick has appeared in Zoolander, Blonde Ambition, Dude, Where’s My Car? and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, and even had his very own hit show on MTV, The Andy Dick Show… And now you can make him the star of your OWN PAINful show! Download this add-on character today!"

Smash Cars
Smash Cars

Category: Driving
Publisher: Creat Studios
Players: 1-6
Price: $14.99

"Real-time physics, innovative stunts and next-generation graphics combine into a dynamic, tricked-out single and multiplayer RC car racing experience where players twist and turn, grind and gear up, performing aerial tricks and stunts while racking up trophies and points as they race to the finish in an unlikely location. Set on a beautiful resort island, the fast-paced, bumper car gameplay transforms the relaxing setting into a frenzied raceway."

Zen Pinball
Street Fighter II Tribute Table

Price: $2.49

"Enter the playfield of the World Warrior Championship, and knock out M. Bison with the Silver Ball!"

The Street Fighter II table for Zen Pinball is the same table that was available for Pinball FX on XBLA.


PAIN
PAIN Celebrity Character Andy Dick

Price: $1.99

"Strap Andy Dick to the giant PAIN catapult and launch him to your heart’s content! Famous for his madcap antics and wacky variety of characters, Andy Dick has appeared in Zoolander, Blonde Ambition, Dude, Where’s My Car? and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, and even had his very own hit show on MTV, The Andy Dick Show… And now you can make him the star of your OWN PAINful show! Download this add-on character today!"

PSOne Classics
Bloody Roar

Price: $5.99

"Classic fighting game featuring a lineup of 8 deadly fighters with a dangerous secret – they all transform into ferocious half-human beasts! Take on all challengers and battle your way to the top. Download this PSone classic fighting game today and unleash the beast within!"

BIT.TRIP CORE

Wii Points: 600
Game Type: Puzzle
Control Type: Wii Remote
Players: 1-2
Publisher: Askys Games

"BIT.TRIP CORE continues the BIT.TRIP saga in this retro-arcade-style game. BIT.TRIP CORE adds up to an exciting action/rhythm game that's best played while zoning out on the tunes and letting the visuals swallow you whole. The experience is inspired by games from the '80s, but with a modern twist. The game play is entirely new to the series, leaving the single-axis controls of BIT.TRIP BEAT behind in favor of the ability to control two axes. If the difficulty gets you down, grab a friend and play cooperatively with two-player multiplayer. Make it to the end and you'll have journeyed one step further to completing your BIT.TRIP."

Arkanoid Plus!

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

via ONMUK: "an updated version of the original arcade blockbuster from Square Enix. Players must destroy coloured blocks at the top of the screen by guiding an Energy Ball around the screen using a spaceship called VAUS.

"Apparently the game's new modes and settings will radically alter the gameplay experience. Arcade Mode consists of 61 Rounds divided into left and right versions with two types of boss character appearing in the last Round; Vs Mode lets players face off against a friend or the CPU; and the frantic Time Mode challenges players to clear Rounds within a strict time limit."

Pilotwings

Original platform: Super Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Wii Points 800

via ONMUK: "Pilotwings is this week's other huge download. Originally released for SNES in 1992, this is a fun flight sim that puts you at the controls of a biplane, a hang glider and more as you attempt to pass a series of tests."

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!

Nintendo Points: 800
Game Type: Puzzle
Players: 1
Publisher: Nintendo

"Thanks to the runaway success of Super Mini Mario World, Mario and Pauline have expanded their toy-filled theme park and invited everyone to the opening celebration - everyone, that is, except Donkey Kong, who was too late to get in. Donkey Kong decides to crash the party and kidnaps Pauline along the way. Can Mario and his Mini Marios rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong's clutches yet again? Make sure to explore the Construction Zone, where you'll find all the tools needed to make your own original levels. You can then share your masterpieces or download levels created by others, via a local wireless connection or with broadband Internet access and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection."

Pop Plus Solo

Nintendo Points: 500
Game Type: Puzzle
Players: 1
Publisher: Nnooo

via ONMUK: "Pop+ Solo is a puzzler that has you popping bubbles in an attempt to keep the timer alive. There are 16 waves of bubbles in Adventure, Normal or Advanced modes. You can test yourself against the clock in a one, two or five minute run and take on the new Bonus Round mode where each bonus round can be played in three, five or ten rounds of increasing difficulty. Or just chill out in the relaxing Chill mode with no score or time pressures to worry about."

The heavily stylized puzzle-platformer And Yet It Moves is coming to WiiWare, and we have the trailer to prove it.

The game came out on PC just a few months ago and has received some very good reviews. The game will make use of the Wii Remote by allowing the player to turn the world by rotating the controller - it's almost made for WiiWare, really.

Look out for it soon - if there's one thing WiiWare is getting good at it's platformers, and I can't get enough of them.

The summer of Arcade may have finished, but that's not stopping the top quality Xbox Live Arcade titles from coming out!

Defense Grid's Xbox.com splash page has updated with both a price and a date - the 2nd of September is the date you're after, and the price is 800 Microsoft Points, or $10. The game is exceptionally good, and at half the cost of the PC versions original price it's an absolute bargain.

If you've never played a Tower Defense game before, this is the one to check out.

[Thanks To Shard of NeoGAF for making this known to me]

Rare have released a few new screenshots of the update to the original Perfect Dark, now just a few months away from being released on Xbox Live Arcade. But it's not just a straight up port - it's 4J Studios and Rare are giving the game a complete texture makeover.

Head over here to see some new screenshots with the N64 counterparts and see just how much has changed in the 9 years since its release.

TeamXbox have, through somesleuthing, found that TikGames are currently at work creating a new Texas Hold'em game that involves Avatars and additional online players.

TikGames created the original Texas Hold'em Poker for Xbox Live Arcade back in 2006 - and the game is still incredibly popular. It appears that TikGames had the intentions of creating a sequel on the Xbox Live Arcade with Avatar support, but was unable to pass Microsoft's concept approval, and instead they've decided to release the game on Xbox Indies instead.

Hoyle Texas Hold'em has completely recreated the interface of the game, now supporting Avatars during play, and now supports up to 10 players instead of 8. Texas Hold'em on XBLA looks incredibly dated by comparison.

The best part is now that Xbox Indies have a lower price points, this version will instantly be half the price of the original Texas Hold'em. Hopwfully the use of Avatars will also bring over many people to look out for a new, better Texas Hold'em game.

Check out the official TikGames website, where they have several more screenshots available. There is no release date for this game.