XBOX LIVE ARCADE WEDNESDAYS - TIME PILOT

Konami's classic arcade game Time Pilot comes to the Xbox Live Arcade today, and I for one am absolutely thrilled. Back when I was in the sixth grade, I remember being hopelessly addicted to Time Pilot and my feelings for the game have never really changed. It's a great example of action packed, addictive gameplay, and I'd highly suggest you at least give the demo a try. Here's to hoping the game translates well to the Xbox 360 control pad.

Title: Time Pilot
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Genre: Action
Release Date: 8/30/06
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1 - 2
Xbox Live: Yes
HDTV Support: Not specified
Full Game: 400 Points ($5)
Demo?: Yes

Description as per Xbox.com

"Fly into the past in Time Pilot! Control an experimental aircraft sent back in time to alter the path of the future. Travel to different periods both in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, taking on enemy aircraft in daring aerial dogfights. Start by fighting biplanes in 1911 and end by combating swarms of UFOs!

With enhanced graphics and an intense new soundtrack, Time Pilot is a new twist on an arcade classic. This enhanced version includes exciting new multiplayer modes, 12 challenging achievements to test your skill, and plenty of ways to see your name on the Xbox Live® leaderboards.

• Enhanced! Newly-enhanced artwork includes rendered 3-D models for every aircraft, particle systems for smoke and explosions, and parallax scrolling backgrounds. Experience fresh sound effects and music, created specifically for this new Time Pilot.
• Challenging! Compete head to head on Xbox Live with players from around the world, or fly solo in five levels of increasing difficulty.
• Extras! Unlock hidden extras like parachutes and enemy boss planes. Add 12 new achievements to your gamerscore, ranging in challenge from simple to expert."- Xbox.com Time Pilot product page

Stay tuned as next wednesday the last of the scheduled second wave of Live Arcade titles finishes up when Konami's Scramble is released - hopefully Microsoft will have the next set of games ready shortly.

MORE CONTENT SCHEDULED FOR ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION

An update to the official Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion download store indicates that there's another piece of downloadable content coming for Bethesda's role-playing masterpiece. This time around the content pack, "Spell Tomes", adds new items and spells to the game.

From the content description;

Spell Tomes - DLC4

This pack adds “Spell Tomes” to the world’s random treasure. These books grant you wondrous and powerful magic spells, just by reading them! Now Mages will also gain instant benefits by treasure hunting. Friend and foe alike will bow in awe before your power.

Features:

• Hundreds of new spell-giving books
  
• All the most useful basic spells covered
  
• Low level and high level spells available
  
• Many new powerful spells with multiple effects added
  
• Extremely powerful new spells that are balanced with slightly detrimental effects to lower the cost in Magicka
  
• Find Spell Tomes in dungeons all over Cyrodiil
  
• Spend less time and money arming yourself with the spells you want and need

No word as of yet if the content will be exclusive to the PC or if an Xbox 360 version is in the works as well, though as all the content to date has appeared for both versions, it's probably a good bet that the 360 will see "Spell Tomes" as well. While no release date has been specified at this time, The PC version will be available via the official Oblivion download store for 99 cents once released.

For more information on "Spell Tomes", check out the official Oblivion download store here. We'll update this story as more information becomes available.

ELECTRONIC ARTS CONFIRMS BURNOUT 5 IN PRODUCTION

Gamespot is reporting that Electronic Arts has confirmed that the next game in the Burnout series, tentatively titled Burnout 5 is now in production and is expected to be released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 sometime in 2007. According to the Gamespot report, while EA isn't messing with the gameplay, they are revamping the menu system to create a seamless world rather than the current "pick an event/location" based system. For more information on the announcement, check out the Gamespot article at this link.

LAZY DAY TRAILERS: ASSASSIN'S CREED

Normally I don't put much stock in trailers that contain nothing but pre-rendered footage, but in the case of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, I'll make an exception. The reason I'll do this is that based on comments from both the developers and producers of the game, this trailer shows a lot of what we can expect to see in the game itself. Everything from the way the main character moves through the crowd, to the way he scales walls to the combat system is representative of how things supposedly will work in the game.

The idea behind Assassin's Creed is that you play as an assassin who is essentially promoting peace by taking out those who wish to start wars - in this case the third crusade. Sure the plot has almost got a Remo Williams (the movie) feel to it, but hey, Chiun was a kick-ass kind of guy so it can't be all that bad, right? Seriously though, if Ubisoft manages to stay true to the gameplay concepts they're trying to get across in this trailer, the game should turn out to be something special. That said, sit back and enjoy the E3 '06 trailer for Assassin's Creed.

Assassin's Creed is currently slated to release for the Playstation 3 in 2007, with an Xbox 360 version rumored to be in the works as well.

As is par for the course, there's still no support for embedding video files here in the archives, so click here to see the Assassin's Creed trailer.

XBOX 360 BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY LIST UPDATED

Microsoft has announced they've released the latest Xbox backwards compatibility update for the Xbox 360 and it's a big one. A lot of highly desired titles made the list this time around, including one of my favorites, Sid Meier's Pirates!. Now if only they would get to work on ESPN NFL2K5 and Mercenaries, life would be good.

Here's a list of what was added to the backwards compatible list today;

• Aggressive Inline
• Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
• All Star Baseball 2003
• All Star Baseball 2005
• Burnout 3: Takedown
• Catwoman
• Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart UPDATED
• Counter Strike
• Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
• Dead to Rights
• Digimon Rumble Arena 2 UPDATED
• ESPN Major League Baseball
• Fatal Frame 2
• Ford vs. Chevy UPDATED
• Freaky Flyers
• Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
• Tom Clancy´s Ghost Recon - Island Thunder
• Half Life 2 UPDATED
• The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer UPDATED
• IndyCar Series 2005
• Kabuki Warrior UPDATED
• Lego Star Wars II
• Links 2004
• Magatama UPDATED
• Maximum Chase
• Mortal Kombat: Deception UPDATED
• MTX: Mototrax Featuring Travis Pastrana
• Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection
• MX vs. ATV Unleashed
• Outlaw Tennis
• Over the Hedge
• Sid Meier's Pirates
• Richard Burns Rally
• Rogue Trooper
• Serious Sam
• Shincho Mahjong
• Smashing Drive
• Sneakers UPDATED
• Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run
• The Legend of Spyro: A Beginning
• TAZ: Wanted
• True Crime Streets of LA
• The Suffering
• Trigger Man
• Torino Winter Olympics 2006
• Vietcong
• Wrath Unleashed
• X-Men II: Wolverine's Revenge

Check out the full list of backwards compatible games here. Got a title you're desperately waiting for? Why not talk about why you want to see it in the comments section - don't worry, it doesn't bite.

XBOX 360 MADDEN NFL '07 DEMO NOW AVAILABLE

A demo of Electronic Arts Madden NFL '07 is now available for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo weighs in at 750.71 mb and, as with the NCAA Football '07 demo, allows players to try the game using 1 minute quarters.

THIS WEEK'S RELEASES: AUGUST 28TH - SEPTEMBER 3RD

It appears the summer drought is finally coming to an end. This week, most systems will see at least one high profile game hitting. On the Xbox 360 we've got Saint's Row, the PSP gets Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins, the DS gets Star Fox Command and PC owners get a Sims 2 expansion pack.

If your system isn't one of the ones getting something to look forward to (Gamecube, Xbox, GBA, PS2 - you know who you are), take solace in the fact that there are still some good titles coming up in the weeks to come (Okami, Scarface, Mortal Kombat, etc) and don't feel too left out.

Here are the week's scheduled releases;

• Ankh. - PC - 8/29/06
• Star Fox Command - DS - 8/29/06
• The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff - PC - 8/29/06
• 50 Cent: Bulletproof - PSP - 8/30/06
• Bad Day L.A. - PC - 8/30/06
• Bomberman Act: Zero - 360 - 8/30/06
• Dance Factory - PS2 - 8/30/06
• Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover - PSP - 8/30/06
• Disgaea 2: Cursed Memory - PS2 - 8/30/06
• Enchanted Arms - 360 - 8/30/06
• Harlem Globetrotters World Tour - GBA - 8/30/06
• Jaws Unleashed - PC - 8/30/06
• One Piece Grand Adventure - GC - 8/30/06
• One Piece Grand Adventure - PS2 - 8/30/06
• Saints Row - 360 - 8/30/06
• Super Monkey Ball Adventure - PSP - 8/30/06
• Time Pilot - 360 - 8/30/06
• Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins - PSP - 8/30/06
• Uno/Skip-Bo - GBA - 8/30/06
• World Championship Poker: All In - PS2 - 8/30/06
• World Championship Poker: All In - PSP - 8/30/06
• Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra - PS2 - 8/30/06
• Pro Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007 - PS2 - 8/31/06
• Pro Stroke Golf: World Tour 2007 - XBX - 8/31/06
• Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots - GBA - 9/01/06
• Luxor Mahjong - PC - 9/02/06

Please keep in mind these are only estimated release dates and could change at any time.

SLOWLY RETURNING TO NORMAL

I'm still playing catch-up with my computer due to the upgrade issues, but things should be returning to normal shortly. The biggest loss as far as the site goes was my list of daily site links, so I'm feeling a little blind at the moment.

WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Just a quick note - we are currently experiencing technical difficulties due to a bad Windows XP SP2 installation (that's what I get for wanting to use Windows Media Connect with the 360 I guess.) Hopefully all the problems will be sorted out this evening at which time updates will resume as usual.

Thank you for your continued readership and patience during this short interruption.

PENNY ARCADE TO GET THIER OWN VIDEO GAME

Gamasutra is reporting that Gabe & Tycho of Penny Arcade have partnered with HotHead Games to create an episodic adventure game based on their wildly popular web comic.

The first game in the Penny Arcade Adventures series will be "On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness" and will be made available for Windows, Mac OS X and the Linux operating systems.

For more information, check out the Gamasutra article here and the HotHead Games press release here.