Kalypso Media has sent word to us that their title “Dark Star One” has made it Xbox Live’s Games on Demand service today and is now available for purchase. You’ll be able to get the game for $19.99 USD.

Ready to don your space-suit and blast into the adventure of a lifetime? DarkStar One – Broken Alliance is your chance to do just that, as it combines fast and furious in-the-cockpit starship combat with a deep storyline involving love, family, betrayal and mysterious alien races.

Play as Kayron Jarvis, a young and ambitious spacefaring adventurer as he attempts to unravel a family mystery, braving the depths of space, encounters mysterious aliens and blasts his enemies to dust in his uniquely customizable ship – the DarkStar One.

The game was developed by Gaming Minds Studio and the game is presented in 1080p full HD with 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War is well built for a tower defense title and houses a rather convincing house room backdrop and diorama feel, nothing feels too out of place. This manages to emphasize the games grand scale in many ways. At the start of each level, players will have to place torrents at different locations to defend against the constant onslaught of the communist armies as you do whatever it takes to defend your toy box. Your ability to jump in and man the torrents along with a unique assortment of remote controlled vehicles only adds more to the fun of the game. With responsive controls and proper action game mechanics, including the ability to control missiles through a first person view, provide the game with an extra spark to keep you around.

Another interesting feature of note is the barrages. These are earned through ranking up big combo strikes and destroying enemies with a red star. These equalizers give you the opportunity for boosters like Bombing runs, and even Rambo (looks like Rambo) himself or rather Commando, as he is known in the game. The game overall is simple in design and for committed soldiers, shoulder take just under a day to complete the main campaign. With limited torrent types and simple gameplay, Signal Studios was able to smartly craft challenges and feats within the gameplay to give you that extra challenge. There are bonus modes like high score challenges, and bonus maps in addition.

As for multiplayer, players will be able to compete in entertaining competitive matches. You’ll also be able to invite friend whether online or on split screen co-op and take on the commie Russian army in this what-if scenario. Toy Soldiers: Cold War certainly boasts top quality in terms of presentation and polish. It’s fun and interactive style lends itself to hours of replayability and should be able to help pass the time on a slow afternoon or rainy day.

Bottom Line: Toy Soldiers: Cold War is essentially a title you should have in your library. For history buffs you’ll get a kick out of the historical context the game is in presented in and will certainly appreciate the level of detail Signal Studios provided the game for its time period. There is a lot of fun to be had here if you remember the good old days in your childhood playing with your toy soldiers.

If you’re looking forward to upcoming release of Dead Island, Deep Silver announced today that you’ll be able to extend your Dead Island experience into your Xbox LIVE Avatar.

You’ll be able to choose between different outfits and items to tag on your Avatar. Read below to to check out what outfits and items you’ll be able to use on your Avatar.

[Xbox.com]

Gamers can choose the outfits from any of the four protagonists of Dead Island:

· former Hong Kong police officer Xian Mei, assassin character and sharp weapons expert
· ex-football star Logan, the all-rounder in the team and throwing expert
· one-hit-wonder-rapper Sam B, the tank character and blunt weapons expert
· and professional bodyguard Purna, leader character and firearms expert.

Additionally, items from Dead Island will be available for the players’ avatars – e.g. a paddle symbolising the melee combat focus in the game – or from the famous trailer – like the Hawaiian shirt known from the fat zombie or the father’s brown polo shirt. Additional Dead Island fan items range from themed apparel to props

Today is Xbox Live Wednesday folks and that means a slew of new Arcade games and map packs join our update. Leading the way is the launch of the Annihilation Map Pack for Call of Duty Black Ops. The map pack will cost 1,200 Microsoft Points to the equivalent of $15 bucks. the content brings in 4 new matchmaking maps and 1 new zombie map. The maps included are Hangar 18, Silo, Drive-In, and Hazard and the zombie map is Shangri-La.

Next up we have 3 new titles hitting Xbox Live Arcade today. First off is Backbreaker Vengeance (1,200 MS Points) developed by NaturalMotion. While the original Backbreaker focused on simulation this title will have included arcade elements. Another title debuting today is the action role playing title; Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax for 800 MS Points and finally we have Namco Bandai’s Galaga Legions DX also for 800 MS points.

EA has revealed the contents of a new downloadable content pack coming for Crysis 2 players. The pack contains 5 new maps and two new weapons. The maps are; 5th Avenue, Chasm, Plaza, Prism, and Apartments plus for weapons the smoke grenade, and FY71 assault rifle. This pack will hit Xbox Live, PSN, and PC on June 28th in North America and Europe the next day.

Microsoft has announced some new features for Xbox Live at this year’s E3 at Los Angeles. Firstly, they’ve confirmed that gamers will be able to save their games to the cloud so folks can download their saves and resume playing their games on other online 360s. Secondly, they’ve announced ‘Beacons’, which is an alert system where you can tell your Xbox Live and Facebook friends about what you’re playing or that you want to play something.

Thirdly, Microsoft has announced some new TV partnerships for the 360. Expect to see YouTube and UFC content spring up on 360s, alongside content from Canal and Sky in other regions. Also, there will be Bing search integration with the 360 dashboard soon (not all news is good news).

There’s also the small matter of a whole new dashboard, built from the ground up to emulate Windows 8’s new touch interface and to appeal to those super-sprightly Kinect-wielding casuals. Just when you thought your Xbox UI was finally safe.

Microsoft has just announced a scheme that will let Gears of War 3 beta players invite friends to share the shotgun-fest. Everyone who has played at least one game in the beta will receive a “buddy token”, that will allow an Xbox Live friend access to the beta. US users will also have other opportunities to invite their chums. The following actions will get you another token:

- Purchase any “Gears of War” content from Xbox Live Marketplace (including a “Gears of War” game add-on,”Gears of War” Games on Demand title, or a “Gears of War” Avatar item)

- Play 20 or more hours of the “Gears of War 3″ beta (any time already spent in the beta will count toward this challenge)

- Add a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription to your existing account (purchased from retail or online)

- Play more than 100 hours of any “Gears of War” title, lifetime to date

Players have until 4th May to complete any of the challenges, with tokens being sent out via email from 8th May. The beta closes on 15th May. Microsoft is automatically tracking everyone’s progress, so you don’t need to do anything else to claim your tokens.

Ubisoft has today announced that they are releasing some new DLC for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on the 360 and PS3. It’s called “The Da Vinci Disappearance” and will be available in March 2011 for 800 Allards. It includes both single-player and multiplayer content. As you would expect, the single-player mode deals with Leonardo Da Vinci getting kidnapped by the Hermeticists. They’re an underground cult dedicated to transforming mankind apparently. Ezio will go after the cheeky gits by finding stolen paintings in order to retrieve Leo before it’s too late. There will be two new locations to play in too.

The multiplayer part of the DLC includes one new map, four new characters (Dama Ross, Knight, Marquis, and Pariah) and two new game modes (Escort and Assassinate). The new map is called Alhambra and its set in Spain’s Albaicin of Granada.

Xbox Live Arcade’s House Party kicks off the spring season with it’s first release. Hard Corps: Uprising releases on Xbox Live Arcade today for 1200 MS points. Here’s a description of the game courtesy of Major Nelson.

Thrilling retro run-and-gun action is back with a vengeance in Hard Corps: Uprising, a new 2D side-scroller developed by ARC System Works that pays homage to classic Konami action series. Play as the soldier Bahamut as he begins to write his legend. Battle in the grueling trenches of Arcade mode, where only the best-of-the-best can survive to the end, or the all-new Rising mode, where a life bar and point system allow you to purchase items and upgrades to build your soldier up and achieve ultimate victory. Need help? Partner with a friend to lay down some serious carnage.

In other words, a title like this worth $15 USD. You can always download the demo attached with the game if your hesitant on spending the 15 bucks.

Via Destructoid and Major Nelson

Looks like you’ll be reaching for your wallet once again, as Bungie just revealed 3 new maps coming for Halo Reach multiplayer goodness. The new maps bring in a fresh new set of environments for Firefight and competitive multiplayer online. However, this time around development of these maps was not from Bungie but from independent studio Certain Affinity.

The map pack will also include a whole new set of achievements as well worth a total of 150 Gamerscore points. Check out a description of the maps below. The map pack will be available in March for a cost of 800 MS points/$10 USD

Condemned: Condemned takes place aboard Orbital Station Gamma, a massive space station high in orbit above the planet Reach.  Prior to the Covenant’s overwhelming invasion, Orbital Station Gamma provided long range communications for UNSC fleets and a vital lifeline between Reach and Earth.  During the Battle of Reach, the station suffered terrible punishment at the hands of the Covenant but a few fortified sections remain intact, fully pressurized, and ready for combat. Condemned supports 6 – 12 players in a variety of action-packed game types, including Team Slayer, Team Objective and Free for All.

·         Highlands: Highlands takes place on the top-secret Military Wilderness Training Preserve on Reach.  The Preserve is a large, wooded area where Spartan super-soldiers trained long before the war with the Covenant began.  During the Battle of Reach, the Preserve was the site of key battles between the alien invaders and a group of Spartans who used their familiarity with these UNSC training grounds to significant tactical advantage…but not everyone who enters these woods makes it out alive. Highlands expands the fight with massive-scale engagements for 8 – 16 players in Big Team Battle, Team Slayer and Team Objective.

·         Unearthed: Unearthed takes the battle for Reach to a large Titanium mine and refinery located in the Viery civilian sector of the planet. This particular mine was built to take advantage of the exposed titanium inside a massive meteor crater.  The titanium produced here is used in much of the UNSC hardware, from the chassis of the Warthog to the metres-thick armour plating of capital ships like the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. While this facility was quickly abandoned when the Covenant arrived on Reach, it still has significant tactical (and economic) value and it won’t be long before both humans and Covenant return to battle for control. Unearthed allows up to 4 players to launch a counterassault against the Covenant in Firefight and Firefight modes such as Generator Defense

Capcom has announced some post-launch DLC for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Shadow Mode will be a series of DLC packs that will let you fight against “custom-built computer opponents, modelled after famous players and specific themed teams”. The first few batches of DLC in this vein will be modelled on Capcom’s illustrious staff members. Shadow Mode will be released sometime in March, after the game is launched on 18th February on the PS3 and 360.

Bethesda has confirmed that the first DLC pack for Fallout: New Vegas will be released on the PS3 and PC on Tuesday, 22nd February. Dead Money was previously exclusive to the Xbox 360. However, the more important news is that there will be three brand new DLC packs in the coming months.

They will all launch simultaneously on the 360, PS3 and PC. Our Bethesda PR contact didn’t have much to say on the newly confirmed DLC, but apparently they will “have details to share with you on all of those soon”. Intriguing.

DICE has come out and confirmed some lovely details for Battlefield 3. The PC, PS3 and 360 FPS will have improved visuals and apparently an “exponential leap” in destructibility. It uses the Frostbite 2 engine to create all the new destructible effects apparently. The more important news is that jets have returned and you will be able to go prone.

PC players will be even more excited, as their version will support up to 64 players in the game’s online multiplayer. The console titles have a limit of a respectable 24 players. Also expect a single-player campaign and co-op for great justice. Today’s teaser trailer (see above) says that Battlefield 3 will be released this autumn. The game’s website has just gone live too.

EA has officially announced that they will officially be releasing a demo for Dragon Age 2 on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The demo will be released on 22nd February, with that changing to the 23rd if you’re looking for the PS3 version and live in Europe. The demo includes the game’s prologue, and you will be able to pick from three classes to play as. After you have completed the demo, you will unlock the Hayders Razor for the full game. It increases health, mana and combat skills apparently.

Microsoft has cancelled the free Xbox Live Gold weekend for most of Europe that was due to take place this weekend. The promotion was announced earlier this week. A few countries will still be able to jump in though, including: Russia, Poland, Greece, South Africa, Czech Republic and Hungary. For everyone else, there will be a free Xbox Live weekend at a later date to make up for the cancellation of this one. The US and other territories will still be getting the free weekend.

SEGA and PlatinumGames have confirmed that the game announced for Japan as “Max Anarchy” yesterday will be coming to the west as “Anarchy Reigns”. It will be released in Autumn 2011 on the 360 and PS3. It looks like an adaptation of MadWorld to us, but with multiplayer brawling also thrown into the mix. Expect Tag Team battles and a special Battle Royal mode. Apart from that Japanese video up there and that little titbit, we don’t know much about it. Given the trailer’s focus on changing players, we guess this one is going to be very multiplayer-focused and will have various classes that have their own individual skills.

“SEGA are delighted to continue our collaboration with PlatinumGames, one of the most creative and critically acclaimed developers in the world,” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing of SEGA West. “ANARCHY REIGNS is set to offer gamers a fresh multiplayer experience with the quality and innovation PlatinumGames are renowned for.”

Capcom has announced that MotoGP 10/11 will be released on 18th March in Europe. There will be a demo of the game released on the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Live Marketplace before then in February. The demo lets gamers play as Danny Pedrosa and Andrea Davizioso on the Mugello track. It has both Championship and Time Trial modes, too.

EA has announced Dead Space 2: Severed. It’s the first DLC pack for Dead Space 2, and adds two standalone chapters to the single-player game. The protagonists for Severed are Gabe Weller and Lexine Murdock, the two main characters from Dead Space: Extraction. Characters control Weller, a Sprawl Security Guard. His and Lexine’s story takes place at the same time as Isaac’s adventures in Dead Space 2. EA hasn’t put a date or price on the DLC yet. Dead Space 2 will be released in Europe this Friday.

Demos for Bulletstorm and Crysis 2 have now been released on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Bulletstorm demo clocks in at 1.08GB, and is due to be released on the PlayStation Network tomorrow. It features the Echo mode; a co-op mode that tracks and compares player scores while people play through campaign locations. The Crysis 2 multiplayer demo is exclusive to the 360, and that comes in at a respectable 1.80GB. It features the Skyline map and two game modes: Team Instant Action and Crash Site.