When you think of off the wall, addictive games, the one developer that should pop out is definitely Q Entertainment.  With Lumines Live, E4, and Rez HD being among my favourite titles to hit the marketplace, you can imagine my joy when I found the following Press Release in my inbox today.  Meteos Wars, the 2005 DS classic is making it's way to the service.  While the jury is still out on how well it will translate to a non-"touch" platform, Mizuguchi's track record certainly leaves me feeling confident. 

In a move that seems to go against the very secretive core of XBLA in regards to pricing and release dates/windows, it has been announced that this title will come in at 800 points this October.

Click Read More to see more screens and the official PR:

Rez HD may have been a foregone conclusion but the running mate in all those rumors came along for the ride as well. This week marks the release of the afformentioned Rez HD alongside the also capable Chessmaster Live. Both come in at 800MSP.

We've talked plenty about Rez HD, so let's discuss Chessmaster Live a bit. Chessmaster will follow in the footsteps of its mighty PC ancestry with 5 chess variants (including Message Chess which I think is a great touch). Expect a deep range of challenging AI and some clean visuals. And on that note, here are some screens of Chessmaster Live in action.

Usual press release type stuff after the break. Enjoy!

[via Press Release]

Joystiq posted a neat little hands-on with Rez HD today. So, if you're not quite sure what to expect (and you lack the patience to wait for the free trial) head on over there. While you are there you can also get a peek at some nice screens from the game as well.

The juiciest bit of info in the hands on is mentioned almost off hand -- the release date. Apparently, their second take on the rumors floating around were correct. This coming Wednesday (January 30th) will mark the release of Rez HD. Of course, they didn't get that from Q. They just got a confirmation of Rez arriving "in January" and there's only one option left. Two and two together, I suppose. No word on any game that might join it.

Who's ready for some synaethesia?

[via Joystiq]

Gamerscore blog has treated us to a first ever footage of Lode Runner along with some more footage of Rez HD. Sadly, it is YouTube quality (embedded below). It looks like this video also answers the question on whether or not there will be user downloadable maps as I personally couldn't see a menu option for a level editor. They do point out the 2 and 4 player multiplayer modes that are available in this release. After seeing it in motion, what do you think?

According to Joystiq, the infamous trance vibrator that came with the original version of Rez is set to make a return in the XBLA version of the title. The shaking paperweight peripheral that had a few other uses will be reproduced on the Xbox 360 version of Rez by attaching up to three extra controllers to your console. I for one won't be using this feature but maybe some of you will find a use for it.

Wow, it's a busy XBLA weekend with not only a pile of Rez HD media but also the first screenshots and detailed info on Rocket Bowl. Without further ado here is all of the XBLA media that has been released this weekend:

• Rez HD - System Shutdown Movie
• Rez HD - Beat Blasting Movie
• Rez HD - Polygon Pounding Movie
• Rez HD - Security Breach Movie
• Rez HD - Screenshots
• RocketBowl - Preview + Screenshots

Q Entertainment knows that many people hate those pesky tutorials that plague the complex games of today. And so, they've created an easy to use checklist to let you jump right into the game this Wednesday and ultimately assist you on your path to extended bliss (and achievement success no doubt). Consider it the 12 step program for getting the most out of Every Extend Extra Extreme.

I have two words for this list. Pure. Genius.

1. Dim the lights in your room. Grab a refreshing drink (or beverage of your choice) from the fridge. Crack your knuckles. Sit back and relax.
2. We recommend starting with the Main Mode, E4 The Game Unlimited.
3. Get used to seeing your cute little craft, a yellow 4-pointed star with a green dot in the middle. Give it a name!
4. Take note of your Shield time/clock at the top center. You're invincible while the clock is running.
5. Collecting a balanced amount of Bonuses and Quickens is the key to getting a high score.
6. The more Quickens you grab, more enemies appear, thus making it easier to create a larger chain reaction.
7. Collecting Bonuses and Items will multiply your points by up to 100.
8. While watching the digital fireworks display is fun, you can cancel the chain explosion by pressing [B], especially when you're running out of time!
9. Explosions come in different sounds - press [RT][LT] to change the sound of the explosions and create your own beats!
10. Beat Bonus - You can double your points by detonating at the top of the beat at max power; beat bonus will multiply by 3, 4 and a max of 5.
11. Blasting the enemies that fire bullets with a direct explosion will give you more items.
12. You'll get a weird shrieking warning signal when you're down to 30 seconds, so be sure to collect the Time Extension items!

But since we still have some time to waste before cracking our knuckles, after the break are full screens from E4 and all the new LUMINES LIVE! Content.

'Tis confirmed! Every Extend Extra Extreme will arrive this Wednesday. But Q Entertainment isn't stopping there. They're also dropping the price of LUMINES LIVE! and releasing new skin packs. Good news all around.

Here's the skinny (according to some fun Google Translation):

• Every Extend Extra Extreme arrives this Wednesday for 800MSP. No word yet on if this will be region-limited.
• LUMINES will permanently drop from 1200MSP to 800MSP.
• LUMINES LIVE! Rockin' Holiday Pack will be 400MSP.
• A new Genki Rockets skin called "Breeze Skin(Translation?)" Two Genki Rockets skins ("Heavenly Star" and "Breeze") will be available for FREE to Gold Xbox Live Members until November 14th.

Presumably, Speedball 2 is also arriving this Wednesday but we'll update this story if and when official announcements are made (in english hopefully). Speedball 2 will also be 800MSP.

[Update]: It's doubly official now. Press Release after the break. Also, cleaned up some of the details.

[via gpara.com (amusingly translated here), thanks Buster]

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]

Achievements have hit the tubes for the following games (as if you didn't read the headline): Word Puzzle, Every Extend Extra Extreme (affectionately referred to as E4), and Mutant Storm Empire.

Did I just die and go to heaven? No, not quite. These games aren't coming out quite yet, just exposing themselves a bit.

But seriously, E4 and Mutant Storm Empire?! I might pass out just from the mere possibility of those games coming out on the same day. I even have points burning a hole in my digital wallet.

Oh well, guess I'll have to settle for Puzzle Quest.

(Poor Word Puzzle just got beat down by some XBLA juggernauts.)

Direct links (with highlights):

Word Puzzle (Decent variety, if pedestrian)
Every Extend Extra Extreme (Try earning 15 trillion points -- Yes, trillion.)
Mutant Storm Empire (The return of the Black Belt Grandmaster...but only 16 levels?)

[via X360A.org]