Not long after Grand Theft Auto 4 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) rocked the world, and a few weeks before Metal Gear Solid 4 does the same, we're left with several decent titles that can't be dubbed as mere distractions. This week marks the release of Myst on the Nintendo DS, while Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is set to build a kingdom on the Wii. The rest await at the full article, so hit that jump!

* Article originally posted May 12, 2008 at 12:05AM

There's another Assault Heroes set to take the Xbox Live Arcade by storm. Come May, Assault Heroes 2 will be landing on your green machine, so it  would be best for you to be prepped and informed. To be exactly that, read about more details at the full article.

It seems like more goodies will soon be finding their way into the Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360 if we are to believe the updated database of Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB.

The titles added were Wits and Wagers, Assault Heroes 2, and Mr. Driller Online. To know more about these, just head over to the full article after the jump!

Looking at the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is sometimes like looking into future, with your frequency adjusted to home in on the video games channel. In this update, we deliver you not one but TWO titles getting the sequel treatment. Well, one of them's getting a sequel, the other's getting an expansion. Interested? Check out all the details in the full article.

*UPDATE* Of course we had to put the GameTrailer in. Moving pictures, after all. Dang, those courses look a lot crazier than Tiger on a losing streak.

What could be more fun than golf? Minigolf? Okay, maybe diminutive and kiddy doesn't appeal to some, but for those who do love minigolf, then Sierra/Wanako's 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures on XBLA should be a nice round of 18 to play with. It may not have GamerNet, but - look, loops!

For a look at the challenges this game has to offer, here are some screens of 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventure IGN just received, and the trailer to the game.

For more minigolf, putt to the full article.

Vivendi SA (formerly known as Vivendi Universal), the media conglomerate behind major developers like Blizzard and Sierra Entertainment, is announcing the addition of a new studio to their growing family. Wanako Games - one of the larger studios in Latin America - has just been acquired, and will now be working under Sierra Entertainment to help further develop their growing crop of online games.

"The combination of Wanako's development experience, creativity and technical capabilities will contribute greatly to our presence as a leading publisher of console download online games," said Sierra Online president Ed Zobrist. Wanako and Sierra will be best remembered for their team-up in the highly successful Assault Heroes title for the Xbox Live Arcade, with Wanako expected to release 3D Ultra Mini-golf Adventures soon.

In line with the acquisition, Wanako president/founder Esteban Sosnik will head the newly formed Sierra Online branch in Latin America. "We are very excited to join a visionary group like Sierra Online who is focused on bringing truly entertaining and innovative online games to a mass market," said Esteban regarding the deal.

If you're running low on some Microsoft Points, then you're in for a barrel of luck. You still have a chance to join the Assault Heroes Sweepstakes before it finally closes its doors to submission entries on January 31.

Players who join the contest need only to register and aren't even required to purchase the game. The lucky person to be chosen will win over 100,000 Microsoft Points (in the form of 63 prepaid cards, each containing 1,600 points).

Sierra Online and Wanako Studios are really blasting some action onto the Xbox Live gamers. Who here wouldn't want some easy MS points?

To get into the heat of the Sweepstakes battle, click the "Read" link below to register and learn more about the contest's mechanics.

You've got a game that has a vehicle called the Punkasso. It features top-down multi-D shooter action that you might have caught a glimpse of last Digital Life. It's from Wanako Studios and Sierra. And it features nukes and a hidden underground lab. Toss Sly into Live Arcade's Assault Heroes, and we'll swear someone's been watching too many Rambo movies.

Okay, before you become the only surviving member of a special forces team to infiltrate an underground lab for XLBA Wednesday, see what Q Branch Wanako has outfitted the Marketplace-downloadable game with, as well as four screenshots of the assault in still life:

• Multiplayer co-op mode – Two players may play co-operatively online via Xbox Live or offline (same screen) with enhanced weapons and special attacks to encourage team-based campaigns.
• Dynamic gameplay – Operate an armed 4X4, speed boat or simply fight on foot for a quick change of pace.
• Arsenal of weapons – Equip characters with miniguns, flak cannons, flamethrowers, grenades and nukes to destroy everything in your path.
• Realistic special effects –Destructible terrain and advanced physics engine provide a truly engaging Arcade experience.
• Highly detailed graphics – Vehicles leave tracks in the sand, send parts flying when they explode, and leave smoke trails when taking damage.
• Exhilarating Action-Packed Experience – Challenging and graphically compelling levels (including bonus sublevels) for fast-paced and addictive play.
• Xbox Live Leaderboards

Plus we've got a couple screenshots for you to enjoy, too.

   

You can't fault Wanako Studios for having a really funny name for a supposedly supercharged, weapon-carrying piece of automotive machinery. Still, if my Punkasso can beat your Punkasso on the tracks, then you can't really go wrong with Wednesday's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title Assault Heroes.

The game tasks you with fighting your way through tons of baddies to discover a secret underground lab. Flimsy premise, but it's still a great excuse to look like a cute Micro Machine, shooting down everything in your path. Better still is that you can do two-player co-op with a friend and combine the weapon pickups you've gotten to make a stronger combination attack.

Oh, and did we mention this game had a Nuke pickup? Destructilicious!

You can pick the game up through Xbox Live starting Wednesday, 1:00 a.m. PST, with an asking price of 800 Microsoft points. Enjoy!

Hmm, it seems, after playing around with QJ's search engine, that we only have one story on Wanako Studios/Sierra's upcoming XBLA title Assault Heroes. And that's story says that it's an upcoming Wanako/Sierra XBLA title! Well, let's put some more beef in QJ's coverage, shall we? Today, we're not just bringing you godfree's Youtube-posted vid, we're also be bringing you snippets from IGN's hands-on of the game!

godfree says the game's "bringing it back to the old school". I personally couldn't agree more - you're reading the article of a guy who's math grades have suffered due to the Genesis/Mega Drive's Desert, Jungle AND Urban Strikes. And upon seeing this vid, that's exactly what Assault Heroes reminded me of: a top-down multi-directional shooter like the isometric Strikes (minus the attack chopper, of course).

Catch the IGN control impressions, and more old-school Strike shooter references, at the full article!