Sick of people using exploits to gain the advantage in Texas Hold 'em while you do everything legit? Tired of saved games being filled with weirdness in Hexic 2? Well, let your mind be as ease. We've got title updates incoming for both games this week.

Full details after the break.

[via Gamerscoreblog]

Let those who worship the almighty two-fer rejoice! We're back in business.

This week brings us Hexic 2 in the new category (aka 800 MSP) and Ecco the Dolphin slotted as the retro release (aka 400 MSP).

Can the multiplayer of Hexic 2 (or maybe the achievements?) lure you back even though the first game was virtually free? And does the idea of being a dolphin excite you or disgust you? So many questions to answer before Wednesday...

Screenies can be found on the Gamerscoreblog Flickr: Ecco and Hexic 2

After the jump are the typical selling points of each game.

[via Gamerscoreblog]

[Update]: Adding pricing info.

Just announcing the soon to arrive XBLA games was not enough for Microsoft. They went as far as sending out screenshots of the upcoming games. Tons of 'em.

Xbox360Fanboy's got them all up in convenient galleries but I'll make it even easier for you loyal XBLArcade readers. Below are direct gallery links for whatever XBLA flavor you're craving at the moment. That way you can skip right over the reading part at Xbox360Fanboy. I mean, who would want to read text when you can look at purdy pictures?

Hexic 2

SPFIITHDR

War World

Puzzle Quest: CotW

Okay, if you wanna read the post, it's here.

[via X360F]

Sad that this Wednesday lacks the current trend of two-fers? Getting another retro title this week left you cold? Don't despair. Prepare for things to "heat up" very soon. The games coming out soon are "sizzling". Or so Microsoft would have you think.

The good news:

• Ecco the Dolphin, Hexic 2, and War World all coming out this month.
• GEON: Emotions, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Space Giraffe, Streets of Rage 2, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix all arriving "in the coming weeks".

The bad news:

• With three Wednesday's left in August and three games listed, kiss your two-fers goodbye.
• No word on Sensible World of Soccer, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Street Trace:NYC, and many other games starting with the letter "S".
• A personal note: Where is my Mutant Storm Empire?!?

Feel free to add your own angry, sad, or psychotic, "where is _____?!?!?!" comments below.

Full "Media Alert" (cough*press release*cough) after that clicking thing you do below.

[via Gamerscoreblog]

It's that time of month again that the OXM US review scores flow in and it's not looking good for our fine yellow friend. Tons of new never reviewed before games were included in this next month's issue. Don't get too excited though as this doesn't necessarily mean they are coming to us in July/August.

• Bomberman Live - 8.5
• Marathon: Durandal - 5.5
• Hexic 2 - 8.5
• Super Contra - 6.5
• Pac-Man Championship Edition - 6.5
• Yie Ar Kung-Fu - 2.0

It's good to see that Hexic 2 and Bomberman Live! did so well, but remember that Hexic 1 received a 9 from OXM.

[Via Thermite on NeoGaf]

This competition between the ESRB and the USK is finally heating up (sure it may all be in my head, but isn't it more fun to imagine it like a bloody cage match?). Not to be outdone by the regular, small updates at the USK, the ESRB has dropped their megaton. The following games have ratings at the ESRB:

• EXIT
• Sensible World of Soccer
• Hexic 2
• Bomberman Live
• Tetris Online (so, maybe not "Tetris Splash" afterall)

Okay, okay, we've seen most of those at the USK already. But add those to the already massive list of unreleased games that have ESRB ratings and you can't help but smile a little bit. The future seems very bright for XBLA.

The only one we have virtually no info on is Hexic 2. But if it's an improvement on Hexic in any way it will probably lure my attention away from Lumines Live for a while.

[via ESRB, thanks El ViX]

The Australian ratings board has struck two days in a row by posting a rating for Hexic 2. Hexic was the #1 XBLA game of all time due to it's inclusion in most hard drives on the Xbox 360, so it comes as no surprise that a sequel is coming. That and the fact that XBLArcade.com alerted everyone to the rumor last year. It'll be interesting to see what is done with the second version of this game, perhaps multiplayer?

[Via Neo Gaf]