Think you've got some skills in Aces of the Galaxy? Feel like picking up one of Sierra's XBLA titles mostly free of charge?

Then we've got the contest for you.

Together with Sierra, XBLArcade.com are giving away one of the Sierra's XBLA titles to each of the first three people who complete these steps:

1) Start Playing Aces of the Galaxy

2) Get the “Hero of Vanguardia-7” achievement

3) Make a comment on this post bragging about your skills.

While it looks to be one of the harder XBLA Achievements, Sierra had decided to take almost all the skill out of it with this overly helpful Video that tells you exactly how to beat the game.

Please note that in determining who are the first three, we will be going by when you post that you have the achievement here; not when you actually get the achievement! Also anyone found bragging about their skills without actually getting the Achievement will be disqualified and generally mocked for being the cheater that they are.

Just in case you thought I went and died on you, here's a message to prove that it was just a flesh wound -- Aces of the Galaxy and Roogoo are coming out this week.

To discover why it took so long to get the word out (and why I've been AWOL the past few days) pick one of the following reasons: A) Laziness B) Kidney problems C) An Eternal Sonata Obsession or D) All of the Above.

But to get back on track for a second, let us all check out the official word on Gamerscoreblog and then make our important purchasing decisions based on our demo experiences this Wednesday. That or you could buy a game purely based on its genre. If that's the case, what's your poison? Shooting or puzzling?

Both games are 800 MSP.

P.S. The answer is D. AKA, it's been a hell of a week.

[via Gamerscoreblog, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

'Tis the season for XBLA achievements. The Aces of the Galaxy achievements have also hit all the usual outlets so here's a link for those loath to use a search engine to find this kind of info.

No real surprises here. Most focus on finishing the game on normal or hard difficulty solo or in co-op. You've even got the obligatory "beat the game without dying" achievement common in shooters. Perhaps they lack originality, but will it matter much either way if the gameplay delivers?

[via A360P, thanks Havocks]

Four new ratings for XBLA games have appeared on the ESRB website. Three of those games are Aces of the Galaxy, Boogie Bunnies, and Lost Cities -- all being published by Sierra Online.

Lost Cities had yet to be announced (that I know of) but it is based on the card game of the same name. It's a 2-player game of archeological competition but there is a 4-player variant. I wonder if they'll include solid AI for some solitaire-style action?

Boggie Bunnies is slated for this year, but Aces is apparently still a ways off.

The fourth game listed is Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle from Cyan Worlds Inc. We haven't nailed down if this is coming to XBLA yet, but we'll let you know if we do. It's a 3D sequel based on the Cosmic Osmo character who starred in a game in 1989. The PC version of this game is slated for next week.

The usual list of ESRB lurkers has thinned out a bit. The full list after the short hop.

[via the ESRB]

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]