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XBLA is packed to the brim this week with three full releases landing on the Xbox 360's download service. All told, we have Gin Rummy, Shred Nebula, and Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball. One of them is a wacky sports game, one is a space shooter, and one is a card game. See if you can guess which is which! Failing that, you could always just watch the latest episode and find out if any of these are worth your time and money.

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It was once rare for Xbox Live Arcade to receive two games in a single week. Heck, it was once rare for XBLA to receive one game in a single week. And here we are, getting three in one week. All told we have Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball, Shred Nebula, and Gin Rummy. So, we've got a party sports game, a space shooter and a card game. The only question now is whether or not anyone will want to open their wallents after the veritable treasure trove of games that dropped in August. Both PvN Dodgeball and Shred Nebula will set you back 800 Microsoft Points. Gin Rummy is a mere 400. All three are now available on Marketplace for your perusal.

This week on Xbox Live Arcade we get not one, not two, but three new games. Lined up in a row -- like so many ducks -- we have:

• Shred Nebula (800 / $10)
• Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball (800 / $10)
• Gin Rummy (400 / $5)

Shred Nebula is a space shooter that utilizes strafing mechanics instead of the twin-stick format we've become used to in games like Geometry Wars. It also boasts online dogfights for 8 players. Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball is ... um ... dodgeball. It now sports three different gameplay modes -- in addition to the single-player story mode -- and can be played by up to 8 players. Finally, there's Gin Rummy, which is ... Gin Rummy. It supports 4 players online and contains six different versions of Rummy.

Will any of these wind up on your digital shelf?




Source -- Shred Nebula on Xbox.com
Source -- Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball on Xbox.com
Source -- Gin Rummy on Xbox.com (not live as of this posting)

We don't even know what that means, honestly. What you just read is the nonsensical result of Microsoft deciding to unleash three thematically varied games on Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday. How are we supposed to tie a space shooter, a card game and a meme-based dodgeball game into a coherent headline? Oh, and just wait till you get to the part where we explain what each game entails. Here we go:

The showdown between pirates and ninjas (also, robots and zombies) begins in earnest with the release of Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, a lighthearted celebration of long-dead cultures and non-fatal projectiles. The game and its 8-player online matches can be had for 800 ($10).

Similarly priced is Shred Nebula, which immediately defies expectations by being utterly devoid of guitar-playing space clouds. In fact, it offers "deep multiplayer space combat" for up to eight players online, along with Adventure, Score Attack and Deathmatch modes.

Finally, there's the online-capable and sufficiently self-explanatory Gin Rummy for 400 ($5). That about does it for this paragraph.

At the Sierra event we attended XBLA games weren't exactly the main attraction. Despite the fact that four games were there, the area was rather empty in comparison to the rest of the games' booths. True, it was a bit hidden toward the back, but there were never more than a dozen people there at a time (including the devs!) On first glimpse of the XBLA titles listed on the cardboard display, it appeared as though the place was being avoided for good reason, but upon further inspection there was indeed some potential in the available games. Plus, Sierra had a few small pieces of XBLA swag that we'll give you guys the opportunity to get your mitts on in a short fanswag giveaway tomorrow.

The four games on display were Assault Heroes 2, which is something of a known quantity, Zombie Wranglers, which was (and is) largely unknown, Sea Life Safari, which has the appearance of Finding Nemo, and Gin Rummy, which is ... well, y'know, just Gin Rummy. So we couldn't exactly blame our fellow attendees for wanting to see Ghostbusters and Prototype instead. Still, that doesn't make the XBLA titles bad, and what we saw look quite good for what it was. Hit the break for the individual game impressions.

Sierra recently showed off its upcoming crop of XBLA games at a media event. While a couple have promise, most could be buried by the quantity or quality of competitors. All are confirmed only for XBLA, but Sierra is considering PSN versions of most. All will be out this Summer.

Having revealed games before, the German games rating board the USK is at it again, exposing previously unknown XBLA games. Shown over at xblah.net there are a myriad of titles across several genres, but the most stand out title would have to be a virtual version of the classic board-game Ticket To Ride in which players compete to build railroads across the countryside. From the sound of things it'll be similar to the conversion from the board game version of The Settlers of Catan and the XBLA version, Catan.

The other titles rated by the USK include the Penny Arcade XBLA game, the puzzler RooGoo, and a golf game entitled Golf: Tee it Up! Not only that, but there were also a few more games revealed by the American ratings board, the ESRB. Those two games were the ancient computer game Lode Runner, and the card game simulator Gin Rummy. None of these titles are official of course, but as with all games revealed in this fashion we must remember that rating's boards are not in the business of making of games, nor is having a game rated at all cheap. This is great news though, and should portend the approaching release of said titles. With such an ever expanding library of titles it seems XBLA is really coming into it's own, catering to a variety of demographics and hopefully with something for everyone.