We knew Mutant Storm Empire was coming this week (Yes!) but it looks like it will be the only full release this week. However to cheer us all up, Microsoft has sent out a press release (after the break) that details the next crop of titles for XBLA. We won't mention that War World and Sensible Soccer are still conspicuously absent. Wait, I already did mention it. Oh. Sorry.

List now, details and press release (Get Your Freak On!) after the break.

N+, Screwjumper!, SHREK-N-ROLL, Spongebob Squarepants: Underpants Slam, Switchball, Undertow, and Word Puzzle (glad we got that name straight finally).

[via Press Release]

In the midst of darkness, a bright light has shone down from the heavens to lift my spirits. That light, Mutant Storm Empire, will arrive next week (spooky...on Halloween!). It'll be 800MSP, by the way.

Maybe my begging helped this finally get out the door?

Beyond being excited, the only other comment I can muster is this: Took you long enough!

[via Eurogamer, thanks to all that sent this in, I am indeed thrilled!]

Perhaps you clicked on the link in the Puzzle Quest story below, perhaps not. If you did not maybe I can give you an incentive to check it out (not a direct video link, choose your video poison). How about new footage of Mutant Storm Empire? That piqued your interest?

Nothing else I can say really except that I hope it arrives soon. Please. I'm begging now PomPom!

[via OnTheSpot, thanks again McLean78]

I was a late arrival to the Mutant Storm Reloaded party. To be honest, I bought the game while I was chasing achievements for the Old Spice Experience Challenge. But once the contest had finished, I still played Reloaded obsessively.

Originally, I had avoided the game because I was so enamored of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (it's still the game played for the most days overall). I could not have imagined cheating on my beloved Geo Wars, especially with a game like Reloaded which seemed so derivative.

Boy was I wrong. Mutant Storm Reloaded adds a beautiful mix of strategy to the staples of twitch gameplay. That combo sinks its hooks into you and never lets you go.

More fanboyish babbling and the real reason for this post after the hop.

Well it seems that the blabber mouths over at the ESRB have done it again. Continuing in a trend that must be giving Microsoft PR ulcers, they have rated three more XBLA titles. This time, all three of the titles, were already known about, but the fact that they are now rated means the titles should be released "soon"-ish. The titles are:

Fatal Fury Special

This Neo-Geo Classic Fighting game quickly became tops in many fighting genre fans lists, when it was rumored around E3 last year. The game that looked like it was going to be lost in a sea of red tape around the old 50MB limit, will be a welcome addition to almost everyone.

Tempest

Back in November, when Atari announced that it would be publishing titles for the XBLA service, they announced what the first six game would be. Tempest will be the second of these titles (behind Millipede/Centipede). As someone who has never played this game, I'll be interested to see how it is, as well as what influences it has on Jeff Minter's Space Giraffe.

Mutant Storm Empire

The winner of the longest time between being announced (we knew about this title before the 360 launched) is finally going to be available for us to play. Taking the existing formula adding scrolling levels, bosses, and online multiplayer, sure sounds like a winning idea to me.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, wow, I guess you guys really did want that send tips link :) ]

[UPDATE: JUDE1 pointed out, in my un-caffeinated state this morning, I missed one, thanks]

Streets of Rage 2

After the successful launch of the TMNT arcade game, their was little doubt that we'd end up seeing more and more side scrolling beat 'em ups coming to the service. Sega has heard the fans calls and will be releasing Streets of Rage 2 "soon". What makes this even more interesting is that the title has already been released on the Wii Virtual Console, in the usual unaltered manner. For those of you who own both systems, what reason (other than it's already out) would you have in getting the VC edition?