Hot off the press wire, it's just been announced that Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia (PC and Xbox 360) finally got the smiley-face stamp of the Games for Windows marketing campaign. The seal, mind you, isn't something trivial. Not all games get the Games for Windows certification.

Now, Artificial Studios and SouthPeak Interactive's Monster Madness joins the ranks of other hard-hitting games (both already-released and TBA-clocked) like Halo 2 Vista, LotRO: Shadows of Angmar, Supreme Commander, Alan Wake, and LEGO Star Wars II.

Titles that get the Games for Windows certification are those that meet the standards of Microsoft, as well as guaranteeing the game's compatibility with a range of hardware configurations.

Fans of Monster Madness: The Battle for Suburbia, heads up! The Xbox Live Marketplace has just been updated and there are some new in-game goodies for the horror-comedy action title.

The downloadable content is available for all members in all regions and should cost 200 MS Points each. The following details on these DLCs were taken from the Dashboard itself:

• Battle Field: Zack's House - A unique 4-player Capture the Flag level, this house is full of physical weapons and environmental traps to use against the opposing team. One team's base occupies the front porch, the other's is in the backyard, while the close-quarters ensure non-stop action.
• Battle Field: High School - Massive 16-player level for Xbox Live & System Link, filled with close-quarters indoor action and epic outdoor vehicular combat! After the sudden Martian invasion, the ruins of L.R. Jenkins High School have turned into an urban warzone.

The cool thing about Monster Madness is the satirical and rather light-hearted approach taken by developer Artificial Studios. Playing the game gives one a feeling that he/she has been transported into one of those 80s horror movies.

Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia, lastly, is also available on the PC platform.

Jeremy Stieglitz, the brains behind Artificial Studios' horror-comedy action, Monster Madness, is back. This time, not only does he talk about the game and the sorts of surprises that await you, but also the whole journey from the inception of the Monster Madness concept to its present-day development.

It's very obvious from his interview with Game Almighty that he definitely is one fun guy who happens to be in love with his job. And for that we tip our hats off to him. And it's good for us, too, as his dedication does show in his works. Aside from going down memory lane, Jeremy also shares with us why they loved working with the Xbox 360.

... the Xbox 360 is quite a powerful, versatile gaming machine... I also LOVE what we can do with Leaderboards, Achievements , and Xbox Live -- it adds so much to the game to be able to see exactly where you rank in each game mode, among every Live player in the world. I should also note that Microsoft has been nothing short of AWESOME to work with. I cant' thank them enough for all the support they gave us (emphasis theirs)...

He also went on to share that the game will be all up and ready to support up to 16 players over Xbox Live, "which will make for some awesome deathmatch action." And there will certainly be a lot more in store for you at Xbox Live from Monster Madness. They already have some neat ideas, and it's just going to be a matter of time before they put up the new content on the Marketplace. Hopefully, we'll be seeing them in time for launch (May 29).

To know more about Jeremy's insights, plans, and other details for Artificial Studios' and SouthPeak Interactive's Monster Madness, just click on our Via link below.

Thanks to Hai Nguyen for the tip!

The demo for the zombie-fest title from Artificial Studios and SouthPeak Interactive came out a few weeks ago. And treating the tricky bugs in the matchmaking system, an auto-update for your Monster Madness: Battle of Suburbia demo has been rolled out.

It's actually a good thing that they've decided to patch things up. Besides, with the actual game getting slightly delayed, the demo might be the only thing we can feed off until it (and its PC version) hits retail shelves on May 29 (it was originally supposed to come out May 16).

Also, Major Nelson's giving us some more good news: Jeremy from Artificial Studios will be online with his GamerTag "morgythemole" on Thursday and Friday, 7-10 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. respectively. He'll be available if you need some help or someone to play with - if some you guys still need to be shown the ropes... Or if you just want to send him a friend request. One can't have too much XBL friends, right?

GamingTalkHQ reports that according to a representative from South Peak Games, the release of Monster Madness: Battle For Suburbia will be slightly delayed. The game, which was originally scheduled to hit shelves on May 16, has been pushed back to a May 29 release.

An official announcement regarding the two-week delay is expected to come along soon. News regarding a patch that addresses the connectivity issues found in the free Monster Madness: Battle For Suburbia demo released on the Xbox Live Marketplace is also expected to come alongside the official announcement of the delay.

Keep checking back here on QJ for more updates. For now, you can check out the demo on Xbox Live or watch this gameplay video.

In an interview with EuroGamer, Jeremy Stieglitz of Artificial Studios dropped a couple of on-the-horizon bombs of where their crazy top-down shoot-'em-up title is heading for. Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia is about to comfortably set down its bottom onto the Xbox 360 and PC this May, but have you ever wondered if its zombies will eat its other neighbors (i.e. the PS3 and Wii)?

Well, Stieglitz does show signs of interest for further expansion of the game. Firstly, those who have the 360 and PC versions of the game can expect some downloadable content:

Eurogamer: Do you have more Monster Madness planned for the future, and will we see downloadable extras for the game?

Jeremy Stieglitz: We've really grown attached to the cast and characters of Monster Madness and we would love to take them through other adventures, adding some new friends along the way. Let's just say that the game's multiple endings leave it pretty clear where the zany story will go. We are also planning on adding downloadable character costumes, multiplayer levels and other game enhancing content through Xbox Live.

Yes, we'd definitely want to see more of Carrie and Jennifer. Playing a zombie-fest game as a hot chick has always been our fantasy. Now as for a possible game on other consoles:

Eurogamer: Will we see Monster Madness on PS3 or Wii?

Jeremy Stieglitz: We would love to bring Monster Madness to other platforms. We're definitely looking into possible PS3 and Wii versions, but I can't say anything definite just yet.

Yes, the interest has been expressed for a cross-platform jump. What we do want to point out now is that the game runs on the Unreal Engine 3. Now, let's visualize: UE3 + PS3's Cell Processor, anyone? Hordes of zombies and rotting flesh on high-def, FTW! And hey, getting to play the crazy free-for-all with the prospect of using the Wiimote and Nunchuk ain't that shabby either.

More of the interview behind the Read link below.

The free demo for Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia is now available for Gold members in all regions on Xbox Live. Now if you've got some free space on your console (a little less than 450MB's worth of space), it's time for some Unreal Engine 3 loving.

The crazily frenetic co-op game from Artificial Studios and SouthPeak Interactive will have you - and three other friends, if you want - wreaking havoc reminiscent of your Zombies Ate My Neighbors memories on the SNES. You'll also be able to play the game online on Xbox Live and compete with other people.

For those eagerly waiting for the Forza 2 demo, it's still MIA. However, how the heck could you turn down a demo for a game that uses the UE3?! Monster Madness is slated for a Spring 2007 release (also available for the PC).

*As an aside, we're currently downloading the demo, and it's still on the 20% mark. Already, I've made a bet with Chris L. that I can totally whoop his sorry bottom with that hot chick in pink. He thinks otherwise and already got dibs on using the goth girl. Yes, here in QJ, our deepest fantasies are getting to play hot chicks in zombie games, what, what! LOL

Getting the courage to tell somebody you like them is hard enough already without a horde of monsters turning up at your doorstep and interrupting you. In Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia, that's exactly what Zack gets and he's naturally pissed. (Wouldn't you be angry too?) He screams like a girl afterwards but that's beside the point.

Since the PC and Xbox360 title from SouthPeak Interactive has been delayed even further, we'll have to wait a little longer for this shoot 'em up - or better yet, obliterate 'em up. But that really doesn't mean we'll stop waiting, does it? Anyway, here's another trailer for Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia featuring some cool monster hunting. Zack goes about it with his fave axe weapons while Jennifer takes care of the monster infestation with two nail guns Lara Croft style.

Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia is set to hit the shelves in May 15 (cross your fingers). We'll quit the prattle and let you watch the video. Enjoy!

   

UPDATE: We're sure that there are some of you who appreciated the screens and the game's packshots. But now prepare to be irked - SouthPeak Interactive and Artificial Studios announced that Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia (Xbox 360, PC) has been further delayed. It was originally set for a April 3 release, but now it has been pushed back to May 15. Just a quick heads-up to you guys.

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SouthPeak Interactive is at their whole monster mashing business again with the release of some new screenshots, as well as some packshots, for Monster Madness: The Battle for Suburbia.

The game, which pits you against tons of undead monstrosities, demons, and other sorts of creepy baddies, takes a lighthearted look at B-movies and spins it to make a furiously action-packed game. Heck, you can even change into a standard B-movie staple such as a mummy or Frankenstein's monster to pull off even more carnage.

The game will be released sometime next month, but before anything else, why not get prepared by sharpening those stakes, getting some silver ready, and checking out these screenshots. Enjoy!

   

A couple of days ago, SouthPeak Games mentioned that it will be bringing three titles to UK. One of those is  the third person action game Monster Madness: The Battle for Suburbia (360 and PC). This time, the publisher would like to announce that the game has just been confirmed for April.

Monster Madness, like we said the last time around, seems to give tribute to B-grade horror movies. However, SouthPeak reminds everyone that there is more to the game than that. More than anything else, the title isn't a straight up horror game. The approach used was rather light-hearted and satirical.

If you want to try something different, maybe Monster Madness can do the trick for you. If you're still wondering about the game's other features, take a look at this list:

• 50 different enemy types each one with their own offensive and defensive techniques
• 20 huge levels of intense blasting, slicing, gouging, and physics-based puzzling
• Customizable weapons system, with a splendid array of vehicles to up the mayhem ante. Players can take to the streets in go-karts, UFOs, hovercraft, and even robotic suits
• Create, upgrade and customize weapons of choice from components spread around the game's levels
• Transform into iconic horror figures, battling as a vampire, werewolf, zombie, or mummified corpse
• Up to four players can take on the evil tide cooperatively
• Competitive multiplayer action that includes Deathmatch and Capture The Flag modes, where the player count is upped to sixteen participants