Konami has confirmed that its downloadable Vandal Hearts prequel Flames of Judgment, originally expected to hit Xbox Live Arcade in August and PlayStation Network in September, is now to be expected within the ever-vague "winter" release timeframe.

The strategy game is said to improve upon the "speedy RPG pace" of the first Vandal Hearts, which hit the original PlayStation in 1996. Multiple endings are on tap for the prequel, along with a "deep range of customization options" and twenty maps.

Titan Studios' blood-letting, cake-scoffing downloadable PlayStation 3 game Fat Princess has been delayed until later in the summer, a Sony representative has said.

Fat Princess was due to arrive this month, leaving only next Thursday's weekly PlayStation Store update as a possible release date. "Fat Princess will have a global release date," wrote PlayStation Store Team member Mike Kebby on the European PlayStation.Blog "but I can confirm for you it will not be next week I'm afraid."

"The game is coming at some point this summer, but there is no confirmed release date at the moment," said Kebby. Until then, would-be feeders and fighters can get their fix with the charming Legend of the Fat Princess trailer and our impressions.

Namco Bandai's Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 revival of horror-action classic Splatterhouse has been pushed back to an "early 2010" release, the company told Siliconera.

"This will give us time to polish and incorporate all the content to deliver a top notch game worthy of this classic video game franchise," Namco later explained to Joystiq.

The action game was originally being developed by external studio BottleRocket, with Namco pulling the team off the project earlier this year over an alleged "performance issue." BottleRocket then fired back, claiming it had not missed any "contractually defined milestones" and suggesting "Namco's management of the title was inept."

Splatterhouse is now being developed by Namco's internal Afro Samurai team, with the company having contracted some BottleRocket employees to help finish the game.

Following yesterday's last-minute delay of the charming ecological exploration experiment Blueberry Garden (PC), creator Erik Svedang has provided some insight.

"Seems like there are some problems with the Steam release stuff, will probably take a little while to sort it out," reads a blog post from Svedang. "I hope you have some patience with this, it's the first time I'm doing this kind of thing you know."

"I'm terribly sorry and I will do all I can to get the game out as soon as possible!"

At present, Steam lists Blueberry Garden for Wednesday, June 10--no word on price.

NetDevil has announced that the planned launch of its sci-fi MMO Jumpgate Evolution has been pushed out of June due to feedback received from beta testers.

"Jumpgate: Evolution is nearly feature complete," said NetDevil president Scott Brown in a forum post, "but since entering the Friends & Family phase of testing we've been able to bring new eyes onto the game and get solid, crucial feedback from actual players and fans. Based on these results, it is clear that the product needs more time to meet its objectives."

"Given that situation I can tell you that we would rather delay the release, than let you down by releasing an unfinished product," added Brown. "We will continue development past June while extending the test schedules and respond to the results of those tests."

2K Czech's open-world gangster title Mafia II (PC, PS3, 360) and Rockstar San Diego's open-world cowboy game Red Dead Redemption (PS3, 360) have both been delayed "to allow additional development time for the titles and to maximize their full potential."

Publisher Take-Two announced the delay today, noting that both are now due within the "first half of fiscal 2010," a period that runs from November 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

Both games were previously slated to arrive by October 31, 2009--the end of Take-Two's current fiscal year. In a conference call, the company added that it is currently evaluating the best possible launch windows for the games, adding via press release that "full potential" refers to "the quality of the player experience and market performance."

The PC edition of Red Faction: Guerilla has been officially delayed nearly three months beyond the console release, according to publisher THQ. Retail listings for the title had marked the PC version of the shooter for an August 25 release as early as late April. The title is currently scheduled for a June 2 release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

While THQ was at first reluctant to respond on the issue, the company today confirmed the delay, saying: "The PC sku will ship a bit later then the consoles, during this summer."

Champions Online developer Cryptic Studios has announced that the superhero MMO has been delayed until September 1 to add features and a spot of polishing.

"It is critically important for an MMO to be as good as it possibly can be at launch," said executive producer Bill Roper, mere weeks after a launch date of July 16 was given.

"Through our constant dialogue with our vocal and supportive community of beta testers, we quickly realized that in order to implement certain features that we all considered important the development of Champions Online would require more time."

The undated console release planned for later has presumably also been put back.

A new Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising trailer reveals that Codemasters's tactical shooter and battlefield simulator has been delayed slightly, back from summer to fall.

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Codemasters explains the delay is to "balance the player experience throughout the game." Dragon Rising is developed not by Flashpoint creator Bohemia Interactive--currently working on its own battlefield sim ArmA 2--but in-house at Codemasters.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising arrives on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall and if the delay has you down, these new screenshots might lift your spirits.

Following rumors that Batman: Arkham Asylum had been delayed until Q4 2009, co-publishers Eidos and Warner Bros. today confirmed that the game has indeed been postponed, though the revised release window falls just short of the rumored delay.

Once expected in June, Rocksteady's stealth-action PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 game will now hit "at the end of summer," implying a release no later than September 22.

"This additional time will allow us to ensure Batman: Arkham Asylum is of the highest quality for gamers," Warner and Eidos explained in their statement.

Bethesda has revealed that its third bit of Fallout 3 downloadable content for Xbox 360 and PC, "Broken Steel," will arrive on May 5 at the usual price of 800 MS Points ($10).

That marks a slight delay from the previously stated April release.

The content was demonstrated at a press event yesterday, and Nick Breckon was on hand to provide his thoughts. Beware, his preview contains end-game spoilers for Fallout 3, but not the DLC, as "Broken Steel" picks up after Fallout 3's original ending.

In a nutshell, Broken Steel will remove the game's ending entirely, with Bethesda's Pete Hines saying simply to fans that called for an open-ended resolution, "We got the idea." Players will still have to make the final choice, but following that climax the game will continue, presenting... Read More

Ossian Studios' long-in-development Neverwinter Nights 2 adventure pack "Mysteries of Westgate" will finally arrive as a paid download on April 29, publisher Atari has revealed.

The download, initially intended to arrive in the fall of 2007, will be sold via Atari's online stores in North America and Europe for $9.99 / 9.99 euro / 9.99 pounds.

Coming from the same team as the Neverwinter Nights 1 module "Darkness over Daggerford," Westgate is said to bring more than 15 hours of new content to the Obsidian-developed PC RPG, including new quests, new voice acting and new music.

Originally slated to release today, Stalin vs. Martians (PC) has been unexpectedly postponed until later this month "due to the long march across the Siberian tundra."

Described today as an "arcade RTS" by publisher Mezmer, the quirky digitally distributed title was developed across three separate studios: BWF, Dreamlore and N-Game. It's been billed as the "the perfect choice for anyone who just hates the strategy genre."

"A dictator is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to," said Mezmer executive producer Tom Soderlund. In light of the delay, the 20% pre-order discount on "all leading digital download portals" has been extended until release, with Direct2Drive now showing the reduced price. Still no listing on Steam, however.

THQ today announced that the first DLC pack for Saints Row 2, Ultor Exposed, has been delayed a week. The content will now be released on Thursday, April 23.

Ultor Exposed is the first of three planned content releases for the open-world title. The pack--which adds a Tera Patrick-themed mission arc, six vehicles, four multiplayer maps and a competitive co-op mode--will cost 800 Microsoft Points, or a straight $10 on the PlayStation Network.

The PC release of Braid has been delayed until April 10 due to minor problems, according to a blog post by creator Jonathan Blow noticed by Big Download.

Though Blow's post intially gives a new release date of August 10, he later states the delay is only "an extra 10 days"--the original announced release date was March 31.

The time-shifting platformer, originally released on Xbox Live Arcade last August, is slated for release on Steam, Greenhouse, Impulse and GamersGate at $15.

Having missed its original February release date, Obsidian Entertainment's spy-RPG Alpha Protocol is now slated to arrive on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October.

Publisher Sega revealed the new release window in a press release, which was posted by VG247. The company added that players can be "smooth like James Bond, cold and precise like Jason Bourne, or just plain explosively kick-ass like Jack Bauer."

Earlier this year, Sega canceled the Aliens RPG that was in development at Obsidian. The resulting layoffs at the studio were said to have affected the Alpha Protocol team.

Once expected to arrive March 12, the South Central downloadale add-ons for Midnight Club: Los Angeles (PS3, 360) have suffered a slight delay, and are now due March 19.

The update will arrive in two forms: a free download that expands the open-world racer to include the South Central area, and a $10 download with more cars and races.

No reason was given for the delay, with Rockstar instead providing a new tariler.

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The upcoming Epilogue downloadable expansion to Prince of Persia has been delayed beyond its expected Thursday release, according to Ubisoft.

The DLC, which includes a new mission set after the original game's ending, is now set to hit on March 5 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

Update: Several outlets, including IGN and Eurogamer, have published hands-on previews that indicate Dante's Inferno is heading to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. The game was originally announced for a 2009 release.

Original: The first screenshots of EA Redwood Shores' Dante's Inferno, described as "Dead Space meets God of War in Hell," have arrived, providing a look at the real game.

Some concept art was provided as well, giving us a better look at Dante, that scythe of Death's that he wields, and an intriguing rendition of Cerberus.

The 14th century poem turned beat 'em up hits this fall. Only a PlayStation 3 version has been confirmed at this time, but PC and Xbox 360 editions are likely given EA's history.

Rising from the ashes of a recent delay, Eidos has announced that first of two Xbox 360-only downloadable episodes for Tomb Raider: Underworld hits February 24.

The $10 expansion, dubbed Beneath the Ashes, takes place after the action-adventure's initial conclusion, delivering a new level and new enemies. The second promised Xbox 360-exclusive add-on, "Lara's Shadow," is apparently still slated for March 10.

"Beneath the Ashes has passed all testing at Microsoft and has been given a confirmed release date of the 24th February 2009," reads a post from Eidos' Jason Walker on the Tomb Raider Forums. "Truly appreciate all your patience on this."

Beneath the Ashes will be accompanied by a hefty patch that resolves several issues, Joystiq adds. Those changes and tweaks are listed in full below... Read more