We knew Arkadian Warriors was heading our way this week, but a surprise sprung on us when it was accouned that Gripshift will also be hitting XBLA on Wednesday. Both titles will be released for 800 MS Points. More information on both titles can be found on our site or in the Gamerscore Blog press release.

The real question for this week is are you poor from all of the great releasees lately or do you still have enough cash to play these? I personally think time is my limiting factor as I still haven't beaten the sub-1 hour single-player game of Battlestar Galactica yet! Will you be picking up either of these titles?

The holiday release schedule has begun to solidify. We already knew that Sensible World of Soccer was coming on December 19th. Now comes word that Sierra Online's dungeon crawler Arkadian Warriors will be out next week on December 12th.

Check out the official site here and see the "ship date" for yourself. (Sidenote: can you call it a ship date if nothing is physically being shipped?) If this turns out anything remotely similar to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II (which I played obsessively) then I'll be logging plenty of time in this game.

Two titles down, now how about the rest of 'em? Hopefully there are still some surprises along the way too.

[via Official Sierra Site, thanks Resnik]

This week on XBLA: The Xbox Live Arcade Hits program! Okay, so maybe that's not the biggest news for everyone (since most of you have already snagged those games). But the promise of cheaper games on XBLA over time is certainly a good thing. Mini-woo!

Since the dash update and the rollout of the Hits program seem to be taking center stage this week, Microsoft has been kind enough to tease us with their slated December and January Lineup. The XBLA iceflow will bring us:

Arkadian Warriors, Brain Challenge (ooh, a mystery title), Gripshift, N+, Omega Five, Poker Smash, Rez HD, and (say it with me now, finally!) Sensible World of Soccer.

Now let's just hope we actually get all these games in the next two months, as promised. And now that we're finally getting Sensi (December 19th) where's poor lost War World?

[via X3F, thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

This'll be a quick post. (Must sleep at some point.) I just wanted to share this video with everyone right when I found it. Here's your first taste of the hack-n-slash fest (guest starring randomly-created dungeons) that Sierra calls Arkadian Warriors. Post your impressions of the video in the comments. Do we have a winner here or not?

[via The Xbox Domain]

Sierra Online (a division of Vivendi Games) has been a strong supporter of the XBLA platform. Go figure, since their leader, Ross Erickson, comes straight from the XBLA mothership. Even so, this has become an embarrassment of riches.

Adding to their list of four previously announced XBLA games (Arkadian Warriors, Battlestar Galactica, Commanders: Attack!, and Switchball), Sierra has just announced an on-rails shooter titled Aces of the Galaxy and a Bust-A-Move-style puzzle game, Boogie Bunnies.

Previews of all of their games have gone up on IGN and can be found through this single handy-dandy page.

Thankfully (for my wallet), Boogie Bunnies is slated for Q1 2008 and Aces of the Galaxy has a vague "winter" release scheduled (meaning sometime before February of 2008).

Add to the revelations above the fact that Commanders: Attack! has lost its emphasis and added some words to become simply (or not so simply), Commanders: Attack of the Genos. I guess Sierra lost that little game of chicken with Screwjumper!.

After the break, a list of the remaining horribly vague release dates stated by IGN.

[via IGN, thanks Blue_Falcon]

Wanako Studios, the largest Latin American video game development house (and now owned by Vivendi/Sierra Online), is churning out a new game called Arkadian Warriors. Details are a bit thin, but based on Wanako's pedigree (Assault Heroes, 3D Ultra Minigolf) it's fairly safe to assume that this is headed for XBLA.

The announcement came out of Leipzig with the following blurb and feature description:

Define your legacy... Awaken your inner-beast... Fight with one of Arkadian' three powerful warriors to the ultimate confrontation with Gorgon herself. Spanning treacherous dungeons consisting of countless enemies, heinous and powerful bosses, your warriors will embark on a trek of unimaginable proportions.

3 Mighty Warriors – Soldier, Archer and Sorceress – each with unique leveling-up ability

Monstrous Shape-Shifting Ability – Each Warrior transforms into their own iconic alter ego – Phoenix, Lion or Dragon – with increased power to crush their enemies

Diverse Dungeon Generator – Never battle enemies in the same dungeon twice.

Intense Multiplayer Co-Op Action – 2 players online or off

If that's got you interested (or even if it hasn't) here are some screens to sink your teeth into. (More talking after the break.)

[Update]: Ross Erickson has confirmed with us that this game is indeed headed for XBLA.

[Update2]: We unfortunately had the incorrect name of the title, it's now fixed.