Announcements

Seems like new DLC for Catan has been discovered hanging out right out in the open on the official Catan Live site.

It appears that there will be a Generals Picture Pack 2 (featuring Caesar, Hannibal, Isabella, Joan of Arc, Lenin, & Tokugawa) for 100 MS Points and also a Mayfair Skin Pack which applies the visual style of the original Mayfair Games version of Catan to the board and pieces, also for 100 MS Points. No word on when save the typical "coming soon".

What's interesting is I have yet to see any of the Generals in this upcoming picture pack in the game (maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention?). Does that mean that there will be new AI profiles coming to Catan Live too? And could they be part of a free update? Guess we have to wait to find that out.

[via www.CatanLive.com]

[Thanks, Whet Wurm!]

[Update]: According to Major Nelson, the content is now live. They weren't kidding when they said "coming soon". I am loving this "reveal, then quickly release" trend. [Thanks, Measure]

[Update 2]: Apparently the Mayfair Skin Pack is coming in at 150 MS Points and not the previously mentioned (and website featured) 100 MS Points.

First the title update, and now official Worms DLC details over at Xboxic. And better yet, the DLC drops this Wednesday (AKA tomorrow!) to continue the instant gratification from Team17. Some of the content will even be free. Here's the quick and dirty breakdown:

• Three new landscapes: Space (free!), Jungle (150 pts), and Hell (150 pts)
• Tons of new voices! And they are free! (See the full list on Xboxic)
• Two gamerpic packs: 5 pics for 100 pts, or 12 pics for 200 pts
• Two themes (150 pts each)

Xboxic has some of the gamerpic images and also point to the Team17 forums (registration required) where more pics can be found. Any of you about to dust off the game and load up some new content?

[via Xboxic]

[Thanks JUDE1, keep 'em coming!]

Two exclusive Geometry Wars sequels will be gracing the Nintendo Wii and DS respectively. Both are titled Geometry Wars: Galaxies. Let that sink in for a second. New Geo Wars, not on Live Arcade.

Even though it is certainly a disappointment, to some degree we should have seen this coming. Bizarre Creations may have strong ties to Microsoft but they are still a third-party developer. And right now the Wii and DS are riding massive buzz (and sales). And since the Wii and DS both foster a strong casual community, this game is a great fit. But still. My heart is heavy.

Puzzling in the announcement is the inclusive of "an extensive single-player campaign". Campaign? Not sure how that would work. The first two Geo Wars will be included with each game and multiplayer will be present in both versions as well. Also, each game will take advantage of each system's unique control mechanisms (touch and motion).

My only hope lies in the idea that these are companion games to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and that XBLA will get a full featured Geo Wars 3 with co-op, vs., and more bizarre and frustrating enemies than ever before. Don't crush my optimism Bizarre!

[Choose your flavor: Kotaku, IGN, NintendoWiiFanboy, Aeropause, Destructoid]

The folks over at GamingTalkHQ have added more fuel to the rumor that Mad Tracks will arrive next week. Thanks to their diligent stalking coverage of the original story broken by Xboxic, we now have the following clue:

Denis Bourdain's (of Load Inc) most recent IM away message reads "Save Your MS points for next week."

Another "rumor" coming true? Who woulda thunk it? Now that all signs point to its release next week, are the signs also pointing to "buy"?

[via GamingTalkHQ]

It's official. Gamerscoreblog (a hotbed for XBLA info these days) has posted the info on Rush'n Attack and Xevious to prepare you for the releases this week.

Highlights:

• Rush'n Attack features Local and Live Versus and Co-op mode.
• Xevious for XBLA is the first "100% arcade accurate reproduction" of Xevious anywhere.
• Both are priced at 400 MS Points and will be available worldwide.

I see lots of shootin' and rush'n in our future. (I'm sorry, couldn't resist.)

[via Gamerscoreblog]

[xbox.com Xevious page] and [xbox.com Rush'n Attack page]

On Saturday I posted a link to Gamerscoreblog with a call out to the community for their feedback on all things XBLA. Well, the community has spoken (to the tune of over 2000 comments and counting) and now we have direct evidence that we are being heard.

David Edery, the new Worldwide Games Portfolio Planner for XBLA, has posted (on his blog) a summary of topics that have been highlighted by the community. It's a great sign that he is truly interested in what we have to say and where we want the service to go. Check it out to see if your ideas made the list.

Highlights for me personally: Changing the DRM scheme on XBLA games (after four 360s I hate the current scheme) and price cuts over time (a la Platinum hits). What's most important to you?

And if you have yet to comment on the thread, get to it. I did not see Lode Runner on that list yet, so we've got work to do!

Carcasonne had already received a wonderfully specific launch date of "June". Now, we are starting to flesh out what that release will contain.

IGN releases some details about how the game is shaping up, including:

• Support for the Xbox Live Vision camera
• Inclusion of the Rivers I & II expansions with the initial game download
• More expansions on the way as DLC
• Two-player games under 20 minutes and Five-player games under 10
• Anticipated 800 MS Point price (not confirmed)

Hopefully, this will balance out the longer gameplay experiences of Catan. Either way though, digital board games rule -- no more lost pieces.

[Update]: Worthplaying has a preview up as well with some purdy pictures.