It's that time of the year for every site on earth to post their games of the year and since XBLA is so great there usually are quite a few nods. This year is no different as the popular indie game site Game Tunnel has opened it's annual voting for "Independent Game of the Year". Only one (known) XBLA title is getting a nod this year with XBLArcade.com favorite Band of Bugs being thrown up there. Not to call favorites though as every title in that list is great. There are 31 other titles available for voting including my other personal favorites Aquaria, Kudos: Rock Legend and Mr. Robot. Microsoft take a look at this list and try to pick up at least a few of these titles. Please?

Voting ends December 28th, but make sure you vote soon.

December 3rd will mark the PC release of our favorite turn-based, isometric strategy game that has already been released on Xbox Live Arcade. What game is that? Well, Band of Bugs of course! For those of you who have not yet purchased this Xbox Live Arcade classic quit checking your couch for pennies as Ninja Bee will be giving away a copy of the game and a Ninja Bee t-shirt to forum posters who submit a picture of themselves with a Band of Bugs characters. Full details can be read at the Ninja Bee forums.

[Via The Xbox Domain]

Want more content for Band of Bugs? (If you're like me you need it.) Then check the arcade this Wednesday because a new single-player campaign expansion will be there to greet you.

The new campaign is called Ninja Sticks of Fury. (Which is a name fills me with shocking awe.) Details as follows:

• A full new campaign, with new characters, environments, and scripted event-filled levels.
• There's even more content for the map editor! (The snowy tileset is my personal favorite from when I saw it months ago!)
• The new pack includes a new achievement, and the levels in the Ninja Sticks campaign count toward the Gold Star achievement.

For those hardcore players out there this set of missions is purportedly tough. Mega-tough. But I know you are all up for a little challenge, so go get it. If all that is not enough to convince you, check out the trailer -- embedded below to combat your laziness.

[thanks to dezombie, Dan of VGToys.com, and also the Ruler of NinjaBee Nation -- Steve Taylor]

After the break, another NinjaBee t-shirt contest (courtesy of VGToys.com) and a personal note about Band of Bugs.

Boy, that was fast. Just moments after wondering what the Band of Bugs DLC would be, all the details plop into my lap.

If all goes well we should see a new theme (Support Theme), a new picture pack (Picture Pack 4, eyepatches rule!), and a new map pack (Map Pack 3). You can get an idea of the picture pack and theme on the official Band of Bugs page.

The map pack will contain "a new Spider Hunter map and some mission-oriented" maps as well.

No official word yet, but I imagine prices will be similar to everything else released for this game.

[thanks, Steve Taylor]

We've just received word that this week will be another to spin by -- Sonic The Hedgehog 2 will be released at the usual time this Wednesday. I anticipate the retro-standard price point of 400 MSP. And the xbox.com page backs me up on this.

SEGA continues adding to their SEGA Vintage Collection by giving us what many consider to be the best Sonic game ever (I think I'm in this camp). Do you still have love for good ol' 2D Sonic? Or did the load times on the retail 360 Sonic game sour you completely on the spunky hedgehog (whether in 2D or 3D)?

In addition to Sonic 2, we'll also be getting some new DLC for Bomberman Live! and Band of Bugs. No details yet on what we're getting but we'll let you know when we know.

E-mail after the break.

[via Gamerscore News, xbox.com page here]

[Update]: Added a screenshot (click for high-res) which seems to show a massive amount of smoothing graphically. (For comparison, here's an original screen at MobyGames.) Any purists out there upset by this?

This is just a reminder that if you wanted a chance to win 4000 MSP and a limited edition NinjaBee t-shirt you better get your entries in soon. All entries must be submitted (as per the contest rules) by August 16th, 2007 (aka tomorrow).

And up to this point there are very few entries (3 as of my last count) so you all have a good shot at winning. Get to it!

[via the NinjaBee Forums]

I feel a little guilty. Here I am posting with vitriol about how this week's Wednesday was the first in recent memory to cheat us out of an XBLA two-fer. And then, the day arrived and we were overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of all the new content. What content, you say? Why, let me tell you!

Hidden amongst the usual corpro-babble in the Band of Bugs DLC press release was the mention of the "Design A Level Contest". Since I am positive that we have some budding Band of Bugs DaVincis and Picassos, here are the details:

Make a map.

Submit a screenshot and description of your level here before August 16th.

Couldn't be simpler and your entry could win you 4000 MSP and a super-nifty special edition NinjaBee shirt!

(All of the official rules are HERE.)

And remember, since I will be judging this stupendous contest you should make sure to get in my good graces. And make a good level too. I can't make the favoritism obvious or the NinjaBee will hunt me down.

Happy Map Making!

For those of you not predisposed to smashing your controllers buttons with furious speed and intensity comes word that Band of Bugs will be getting its first single player expansion pack today (in fact it's out now!).

The expansion pack, titled Red Kingdom, will include ten single-player missions, two new units (a cavalry-type unit and a catapult-type unit), and also an entirely new tileset for all those map editor fanatics.

The pack comes in a 250 MSP (which in my mind is a total steal).

I remember playing much of this pack back when I visited the good folks at NinjaBee and it was loads of fun. With this expansion, the map packs (one is free), and a title update that fixed all those pesky bugs (the ones NinjaBee didn't intend) this is definitely a title worth a look if you haven't given it a shot yet.

And knowing NinjaBee, this won't be the end of their DLC plans.

[thanks to NinjaBee's Steve Taylor for the heads up!]

[Update]: Added the official press release below.

Those that have been playing Band of Bugs since this weekend already know this, but a title update went out this past Friday, July 20th.

The game was plagued by a couple nasty bugs when it was released that likely brought down a lot of review scores. Luckily for all, NinjaBee has now pushed out a update, around a month later. So, if you've been holding off on the game because you feared the bugs (the ones that did not belong in the game, that is) then have no fear. Go get it! And hey, you can even get some free DLC once you have gotten it.

After the break is the full list of fixes.

[via NinjaBee forums]