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After revealing the news that it would be giving Serious Sam: The Second encounter an HD makeover, Devolver Digital has now dropped some bad news: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter has been delayed on the Xbox 360. According to the Devolver Digital Twitter account, the XBLA version of the game has been pushed to January. No specific date was given, though we're willing to bet it'll be a Wednesday, which narrows it down to January 6, 13, 20 or 27.

Where are you putting your chips?

[Via Shacknews]

Good news for all the would-be Gullivers out there, NinjaBee has announced the first DLC for its Avatar-friendly economy sim, A Kingdom for Keflings. Two DLC packs will be releasing next week on December 9 promising several new kingdoms in which to rule over your Keflings with a giant, iron fist. Kingdom Pack 1 will contain the Orchard Kingdom and Kingdom Crossroads, while Kingdom Pack 2 houses the Central Kingdom and Relic Kingdom. All the new maps provide twists on the original kingdom, though the press release notes that the Central Kingdom is recommended for more advanced players.

NinjaBee hasn't announced a price yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we do. In the meantime, enjoy some new screens, including maps of the new kingdoms, below.

Capcom has announced that the Final Fight / Magic Sword combo pack known as Final Fight: Double Impact will hit Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in April 2010. In addition to the previously announced graphical filters, viewing modes and drop-in / drop-out co-op, Capcom has also revealed that both games will feature a selectable soundtrack from the people responsible for the excellent Bionic Commando: Rearmed soundtrack. Furthermore, the games will utilize GGPO, a networking library used to essentially eliminate lag during online play.

Oh, it also includes both Final Fight and Magic Sword.

D3Publisher's Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond now has a date with both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. It will arrive on January 6 and 7 on Microsoft and Sony's platforms, respectively. Playing on the same camp featured in the original retail Matt Hazard game -- which parodied other games and featured an aging video game star -- Blood Bath & Beyond is a 2D shooter in the same vein as many classics like Contra and Bionic Commando.

Alongside the release date, D3 has also revealed Dexter Dare, Matt Hazard's burnt out sidekick with a sordid history -- including a prolonged "Mana abuse problem" that we're probably supposed to find hilarious. Check out some new screens and Dexter Dare character art in the gallery below.

Hey, remember when we reported that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was slated to be the Xbox Live Deal of the Week for the week of November 30? Well, guess what? It is the week of November 30! Sure enough, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 can now be downloaded for a mere 240; otherwise known as three dollars. That's two bucks off, making It a pretty good deal, especially if you conveniently forget how many times you've purchased the game over the years.

Barring that, you can always shamefully push the purchase button anyway.

Shortcut: Add Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to your 360 download queue

[Via Major Nelson]

According to one AceyBongos -- think of him as Europe's Major Nelson -- this week's Xbox Live Arcade game will be none other than Call of Duty Classic. Those who picked up the Hardened or Prestige editions of Modern Warfare 2 have already had the joy of ignoring their packed-in copy of the game, and now the whole world can ignore it! If, by some bizarre chance, you're just not into all this newfangled, modern warfare, Call of Duty Classic will set you back 1200 ($15).

Again though, this message really only applies to the five people that aren't playing Modern Warfare 2.

[Thanks, DarkSynopsis]

Writing in a recent Workshop blog post, LucasArts responded to complaints that its XBLA and PC puzzle-platformer, Lucidity, can be "particularly punishing." A new update, which adds checkpoints in an effort , has been launched on PC and is set to via an update set to arrive on Xbox Live within the coming weeks. "We feel that there is so much great content in Lucidity that we want to open it up and make it more accessible for people to experience."

Listen, LucasArts, we respect what you're doing here, we do. But please, for all our sakes, be careful. Listening to the internet is a slippery slope, one that ends in everyone hurling dung and racial epithets at each other. And if you don't agree with that, you're a Nazi.

It appears that GamePro will reveal the first details of Puzzle Quest 2 in its next issue. Beyond a single image, the mag doesn't drop any details on its website. After Infinite Interactive went a tad off course with Galactrix -- meanwhile, developing Puzzle Kingdoms, Puzzle Chronicles and Neopets Puzzle Adventure -- it's good to see the team going back to its roots.

From the image, it seems that Puzzle Quest 2 is being developed for Xbox 360, but if it's anything like its predecessor, the game will eventually release on every console, handheld and electronic device known to man. One can also deduce that purple is now a rune for spells instead of XP. But what purpose do the gloves serve? We're sure to learn more very soon.

It would appear that Microsoft and Electronic Arts are onto our annual turkey-eating, football-watching ritual, as Madden NFL Arcade has landed on Xbox Live Arcade just in time for Thanksgiving. If you've been looking for a faster, simpler game of football, Madden NFL Arcade just might be the thing for you. Assuming you can stomach the 1200 ($15) price tag, of course. Watch the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to see what the game is all about.

Download the trial version of Madden NFL Arcade

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Just in case you've taken a few exceptionally hard tackles in the past couple of weeks, we thought we'd remind you that this week's XBLA release is Madden NFL Arcade, a five-on-five, backyard-rules take on EA Sports' darling. You'll be able to pick the game up just in time for your Thanksgiving celebrations for 1200 ($15).

Editor's Note: Thank you to reader TuchdwnMan449 for reminding us that it's called the "end zone" and not "the scoring rectangle thing" as our headline originally read. We pledge to improve our understanding of sports before writing future football posts.

Here's a little reminder that there are three, count 'em three, Xbox Live Deals of the Week this week, just in time for Thanksgiving. Up for grabs are the Fable II "See the Future" DLC, Peggle and Death Tank. Peggle is now half price at 400, "See the Future" drops from 560 ($7) to 400 ($5), while Death Tank takes a precipitous tumble from 1200 ($15) to 800 ($10).

We'll also take this time to remind everyone that this week is the perfect time to snag both Peggle and the recently released Peggle Nights expansion all for 800 ($10). Trust us, Peggle is the perfect thing to calm the inevitable family arguments over the holidays. Just don't let grandma anywhere near it, because she will not give it back.

Add See the Future to your 360 download queue
Add Death Tank to your 360 download queue
Add Peggle to your 360 download queue

We've all felt the pain of pressing the jump button a second time just barely too late in a game of Worms 2, sending a brave worm soldier free falling off the side of a mountain or, worse yet, into the watery depths below. Recognizing that the game might have some issues – and rather than simply calling us "newbs" like most people do – Worms 2 developers Team17 have just released a patch aimed at ailing all that is wrong with the adorable multiplayer strategy games.

Listing everything from "Back flip input slowed down to stop incorrect jumps harming the player" to "Fixed bug which made crates in Forts matches only land on the right hand side," as well as a slurry of other fixes, Team17 seems to have given the nearly five-month-old release a full overhaul. An overhaul that'll perhaps feel all the more worthwhile when the developers make good on next year's DLC for the game. In the meantime, we'll be over here waiting for you with a Buffalo of Lies.

[Via CVG]

With Shadow Complex setting very specific week-one sales records on XBLA, Epic and Chair would be kind of nuts to not consider a sequel. One job listing out of a recent crop on Microsoft's employment boards seems to out that likely scenario, implying that Shadow Complex is a bona fide franchise for Microsoft Game Studios and Epic. Said listing specifically calls for a Lead Producer to "lead the publishing side of games made by Epic: Gears of War and Shadow Complex."

Additionally, Microsoft appears to be looking for more able bodies to join its growing pool of Project Natal and 343 Industries employees. Existing job listings call for everything from designers to engineers to even a few artists. Sadly, the company isn't looking for MJOLNIR armor models yet, but just in case, Microsoft, you know how to reach us.

[Via Develop]

According to Sega, the XBLA version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will soon become an Xbox Live Deal of the Week. The deal is scheduled to begin November 30 -- just in time for the holidays -- and will see the game's price drop from 400 ($5) to just 240 ($3). That's an absolute pittance for one of the best Sonic games out there, and with Project Needlemouse still a long way out, you'd be hard-pressed to do much better (seriously).