Spring break is in, and what are you planning to do? If you're still going to coop yourself up in your house, then you might as well do it the right way with Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade service. With a couple of top-notch XBLA games on discount and a whole slew of new games coming your way, it's going to be a fun spring break playing video games. More details in the full article!

If you're into puzzle games that feature cute little creatures, then you'd be glad to know that Sierra Online's Boogie Bunnies will be added to the Xbox Live Arcade on January 16, 2008. If you can't wait to know what it looks like, we have nine screenshots for your viewing pleasure.

Check out the upcoming game after the jump!

Does extensive experience with video games enable one to be a better Raptor pilot in Battlestar Galactica? That might be a good question to ask Tahmoh Penikett, aka Lieutenant Karl C. "Helo" Agathon, star of the show.

You see, not only has Penikett put Sierra Online's Battlestar Galactica to the acid test, he also has a bit of history with video games as well.

Find out what Mr. Penikett thinks about the game after the jump!

Vivendi recently confirmed its Q3 guidance, and it racked up performance with accurate ties to market analysts' expectations. Apparently, their guidance also falls in confidence with observers in the business market, reassuring investors that its full year outlook is on-track.

Though the conglomerate-like Vivendi ran through Q3 of fiscal year 2007 with flying colors, its own video game publishing segment holds a success story in itself. Vivendi Games' performance also grew with the rest of the corporate umbrella. Read on to find out why.

Microsoft has sent out word reminding Xbox 360 fans that Mutant Storm Empire will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace just in time for Halloween. The game will be available come October 31 for 800 Microsoft Points.

Mutant Storm Empire from PomPom Games is the sequel to Mutant Storm Reloaded and features 16 levels spread over four different worlds. Players will crush gangs of robots, smash swarms of UFOs and demolish massive enemy bosses in this sci-fi shooter.

Mutant Storm Empire is also just the tip of the iceberg. Here's a list of new games coming in the next few weeks:

• N+ (Slick Entertainment and Metanet Software)
• Screwjumper! (THQ)
• SHREK-N-ROLL (Activision)
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Underpants Slam (Nickelodeon and THQ)
• Switchball (Sierra Online)
• Undertow (Chair Entertainment Group)
• Word Puzzle (InterServ International)

Sierra Online has sent out word announcing the release dates for the upcoming interactive space combat title, Battlestar Galactica (PC, Xbox 360).The game's PC version will launch October 23. Battlestar Galactica will land on XBLA a day later on October 24.

Fans of the TV show will recognize the ships available in the game. Gamers can choose from four Human and four Cylon ships to pilot in ten missions from the TV series. The game also includes a multiplayer mode that lets players participate in Domination, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.

The PC version of Battlestar Galactica will be available at online gaming portals and retail outlets for US$ 19.99. Xbox 360 owners will be able to download the XBLA version for 800 Microsoft Points.

Sierra Online has revealed the first details and screenshots from their two new titles - Aces of the Galaxy and Boogie Bunnies. Both of these titles will be available for PC and Xbox Live Arcade this winter.

Aces of the Galaxy is a third-person retro arcade shooter where players take control of the gun turret on an AI-driven spaceship as they vaporize wave after wave of enemies. The game also has a bullet-time feature that slows down enemies and a number of warp zones. The game also has a two-player co-op mode.

Boogie Bunnies, on the other hand, is a match-three puzzle title. Players match bunnies from three different sides – left, right, and from the bottom to save the bunnies from dying horrible deaths. Scoring chain combos trigger creative bunny dance moves, and more bunnies can also be discovered along the way.

Check out the screenshots for a look at the games.

Aces of the Galaxy screenshots

More screenshots behind the Full Article link!

For those of you who've been enjoying the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) version of Carcasonne, we've got some good updates for you. We here at QJ.NET just got an email from Sierra Online saying that the expansion to the tile-based strategy game has gone live.

The expansion, which costs 300 Microsoft Points, is officially known as The King and Baron and is composed of five new tiles. It gives bonus to the player who has the biggest city as well as the one with the longest road. The said bonus takes the form of the portly King and Craft Robber Baron avatars.

Aside from providing new and interesting configurations of Town pieces, the new tiles also introduce new rule sets namely:

• The player with the largest completed Town will get the "King" icon next to their Gamertag/Avatar. The player with the King icon at the end of the game will receive one point for each completed city in the game.
• The player with the longest completed Road will get the "Baron" icon next to their Gamertag/Avatar. The player with the Baron icon at the end of the game will receive one point for each completed road in the game.

It looks like game release delays are in vogue right now: Sierra's real time strategy for the Xbox 360, World in Conflict, has suffered a delay that pushes it back to 2008, way behind its original November 13 release.

On the other hand, the PC version of World in Conflict was already released last September 18 in the US, and September 25 in Europe.

Couldn't wait for the Xbox 360 version? We couldn't blame you. Larry Bond's World in Conflict promises to pack a considerable punch for fans of the real-time strategy genre, what with his skills as a Cold War expert. The game also features top-notch graphics, most of which are worthy to be used as desktop backgrounds.

Well, it's better that we give the developers more time if it means an improved game to expect upon its release. More updates to come!

Activision has just sent out a press wire announcing their recent purchase of UK video game developer Bizarre Creations. As some may be speculating, could the purchase be a sign that the studio's in some sort of financial trouble? That doesn't seem to be the case, based on a complementing announcement made by Bizarre's Ben Ward over at the studio's official site.

Ward explained that the move was made so that the studio could push for the development of even better games in the near future. In light of the sale, Ward also explained how the arrangement between Bizarre and Activision was going to play out, specifically regarding their ongoing work on Project Gotham Racing 4 and The Club:

• Bizarre Creations continues to exist as is. We won't become Activision Liverpool or anything like that.
• We will have absolutely no redundancies.
• All of our teams continue to exist exactly how they are at the moment. Amax team (PGR4) and Shitstorm team (The Club) will move onto new games, whilst our Shared Technology team will use this opportunity to take our experience and tech to new levels and new formats.
• The Activision way of running things is "hands off". Bizarre continue to have creative control over what we do, we still run the studio how we see fit, and we still get to run our own web site and do all sorts of fun community things! :)

So, could this new relationship mean we'll be looking at a multi-platform port of PGR4 in the near future? We're not too sure, although Ward noted that the the aforementioned Amax and Shitstorm teams would each be working on two new titles for Activision - one a racing game, the other a character game. And while there weren't any exact details on these new projects (much less a name), Ward did state that more information will be unveiled in the near future. And in case you're wondering, here's what Ward said about how their Bizarre's current titles will be handled:

What about the now? Firstly, Geometry Wars will remain unaffected; we'll continue to expand and advance the series just as we were going to do before. The Club will still be released with SEGA, Geometry Wars Galaxies will still be released with Sierra, and PGR4 will continue to be supported after its launch in October. No massive changes here then...

PGR4 for the Xbox 360 is currently scheduled for an October 12 release in the UK, while The Club for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC is expected early next year. We'll let you know if this news bit picks up any further updates - especially regarding Bizarre Creations' two new mystery projects.