This week on XBLA we see the arrival of 2 new games (something that didn't happened in a lot of time), namely Rocky and Bullwinkle and Battlezone.

Rocky and Bullwinkle will be available for 800MSP, while Battlezone will set you back 400 MS.

Both titles will be available this coming Wednesday, April 16th, at 9:00 am GMT.

Xbox.com updated their Xbox Live Arcade section with details about 5 new upcoming titles, Rocky and Bullwinkle (mini-games), Shotest Shogi (shogi, japanese chess), TiQal (puzzle game), Wits & Wagers (party/trivia) and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (action/adventure):

• “Rocky and Bullwinkle” (Zen Studios Ltd.). And now, here’s something you’ll really like! Based on the highly popular cartoon series of the same name, “Rocky and Bullwinkle” on Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast and fun party experience packed with over 100 micro-games and decked out in an authentic retro art style. All your favorite characters are coming straight out of Frostbite Falls and into your living room: Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, Natasha, Dudley Do-Right and many more. Plus, players with an Xbox LIVE Vision camera can control 25 of these games using fun gestures. Gee whiz, Rock!
• “Shotest Shogi” (AI Factory Ltd. and Rubicon Development Ltd.). Experience a new kind of shogi, Japan’s top board game, which encourages complex tactical play and strategic sacrifices. Set in an elegant Japanese room, this beautifully rendered game features 16 challenging artificial intelligence opponents as well as an online multiplayer mode. For beginners, “Shotest Shogi” on Xbox LIVE Arcade also offers an advanced tutorial that guides and tests players as they progress through the game.
• "TiQal” (Slapdash Games). An addictive new puzzler, “TiQal” takes players on an epic journey to save an ancient Mayan village. Players demolish enemy block walls by matching squares of the same color and building them up to unleash massive combo points and mind-blowing power-ups. Partner with a friend over local or LIVE co-op play to rescue the village, while enjoying sumptuous graphics, pulse-pounding sound effects and an awe-inspiring musical score.
• “Wits & Wagers” (Hidden Path Entertainment LLC). Party and trivia fun! Even if trivia isn’t your thing, the first trivia and party game to hit Xbox LIVE Arcade is one in which players can win by making educated guesses, playing the odds or just knowing the interests of other players, whether they are local or online. Break out the Big Button Pad controllers or play couch vs. couch on Xbox LIVE for a trivia party extravaganza.
• “Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3” (Capcom Entertainment Inc.). Xbox LIVE Arcade’s “Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3” revives one of the most popular arcade shooters with an all-new adventure. Battle solo or recruit two other specialized commandos to conquer the evil tyrant, General Ratiev. Players can play as Codename Wolf, Coyote or Fox to take on waves of soldiers, rescue POWs and blow up armored vehicles through a variety of dangerous battlefields.

These updates usually mean that these titles will hit XBLA very soon, which is good news on a week without any new game. Are you interested in any of these games?

Now, normally I would completely agree with those people complaining that Live was kinda down over the holidays (personally I didn't notice, but that's besides the point), but as soon as a couple of idiots in Texas decided that they should start up a class action suit against MS, my sympathy dried up.

Anyway, the good news to come out of all of this is that MS is going to be giving everyone a free XBLA title for their troubles. Whether this will be a new release that has it's price waived, or if it'll be a time sensitive download, they aren't saying yet.

If I were a betting man, my money would be on something that's already been released that was developed specifically by Microsoft (Hexic 2, anyone?)

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

You can check out the apology letter after the break:

Alongside all the cool freebies to celebrate Xbox Live's 5th Birthday, Microsoft has announced a new program called Xbox Originals. Simply, the new program allows you to download classic Xbox games directly to your console.

The program will begin on December 4th alongside the latest dashboard update which will also include features like the Family Timer.

The following games will be available at the launch of the service:

• Burnout 3: Takedown
• Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
• Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
• Fable
• Fuzion Frenzy
• Halo
• Psychonauts

All the games will be available for 1200MSP.

Join me for a wee bit of dissection and discussion after the break.

[via Xbox.com]

In case you've been under a rock lately (or you're not an obsessive RSS reader like myself) you may not have heard that Xbox Live is turning 5 years old. That's right, Xbox Live will finally be enrolled in Kindergarten to learn the joys of show-and-tell, recess, and eating paste.

To celebrate the next step in the maturation of the Xbox Live experience, Microsoft is giving us all a little something to reward us for our loyalty.

First, if you've been with Xbox Live from the beginning (in other words, you have been on Live since 2002) you'll get 500MSP deposited into you account. Not too shabby.

Second, starting at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on November 15th, you'll have 48 hours to download Carcassonne for FREE (Korean members will get Hexic 2 instead). And who doesn't like free games? (Put your hands down you misers!)

There are other freebies to be had as well, so follow the link for the full details.

[via Xbox.com, thanks VinnieDaMac]

During Tokyo Games Show, many Japanese XBLA games were announced. But my dreams of playing games like Every Extend Extra Extreme anytime soon were quickly dashed with word that E4 was slated to come to Japan near the end of the year and North America in early 2008.

So what the heck is E4 doing on the front page of the XBLA section at xbox.com? (Click the image for the full screen grab) It even has it's very own page with details and screens and everything (use the scrolling list on the left, not the big logo at the top which goes to this broken link).

Could this be an early Chrismahanukwanzica present for everyone? I sure hope so.

(To be perfectly clear: I'm still filing this under rumor as xbox.com has been wrong on many an occasion.)

[via xbox.com]

The game may have gone through one too many name changes, but it appears the gameplay is just what the doctor ordered. Simple, back to basics, Tetris with up to 6-player multiplayer over Xbox Live. Local 4-player, as well. Tetris in its pure form. Finally.

And if you are wondering why in the world it would be called Splash -- it has "beautiful aquatic backscapes add a real splash to the fun of Tetris."

Three modes included: Tetris, T-spin, and Combo. Play solo, cooperatively, or competitively. Missing anything you wanted out of an XBLA Tetris?

Check out the video on xbox.com for the full experience.

[via xbox.com, thanks JDUDE11]

The Xbox Domain's keen eyes picked out some interesting complaints on the xbox.com forums. Apparently, Sonic 2 has no Xbox Live (aka Online) co-op mode and some buyers are very upset about that fact. An informed buyer should know that kind of information though. How did these fools get fooled?

By reading the grandpappy site of them all: Xbox.com. If you refer to my screengrab here of the Sonic 2 page you can clearly see that Xbox LIVE Co-op is advertised as a feature. Oops.

Guess they were fooled just because they know how to translate letters into words. So much for due diligence.

Anyone else out there "missing" a feature?

[via The Xbox Domain]

With less than 24 hours left to crack the code, speculation has been running wild circles around the tubes in an effort to uncover the true meaning behind the phrase "Brutally Fun".

Based on the color scheme (red/black), the timing of the countdown coming very close to the typical Wednesday release time for XBLA games, and the fact that this game is brutal but fun (or so I hear), my prediction is the release of Ikaruga.

That's all I got. Go ahead and prep your statements of ridicule for when I'm so wrong it hurts. If only just the idea of this being true hadn't gotten my hopes up.

[via my crack-riddled brain]

A little more than a month ago, the wonderful world of ESRB exposed to us the upcoming (and still emphatically titled) Screwjumper!. Speculation said this game would arrive XBLA-style and so it shall.

Just uncovered in Microsoft's backyard: Screwjumper!'s very own xbox.com page. Developed by Frozen Codebase and published by THQ and is billed as an Xbox 360 Exclusive.

So what the heck is a screwjumper? or screwjumping? or whatever the heck this game is about?

Basically, it appears to be a modern Paperboy. But you dive into mines with your jetpack instead of ride a bike. And there are aliens instead of gray houses. And you shoot high explosives instead of papers. But it's still all about destroying stuff (I know I hated actually delivering papers).

No screens yet, but descriptions are up on the site now.

[via xbox.com, thanks JDUDE11]