Joystiq [Xbox]

Confirming months and months of rumors, today Microsoft officially confirmed and showcased their latest Xbox Live Arcade gem and it's none other than ... Lode Runner. Like we said, it has been speculated for a while and now it's really real.

Our peeps over at Joystiq received the scoop and some hands on time with a "very early build" of Lode Runner this morning and, according to them, the re-worked 3D art is already looking good and the gameplay is tried and true. Just take a look at the screenshots in the gallery below and try to tell us it doesn't look fun. Developer Tozai also revealed that they'll be adding some new goodness to the game including multiplayer modes like the four player Hang On and two player mode Journey. Lode Runner on the XBLA still has plenty of development to go through as no release date or pricing details have been announced, but Joystiq was told that a 2008 release was likely. Also, we should mention that our curiosity mirrors Joystiq's as we can't help but wonder if the traditional level editor will be included in the XBLA version. Because we all know level editors are teh hawtness lately, especially Lode Runner editors.