An expansion pack for the downloadable Xbox 360 version of Infinite Interactive's ultra-addictive puzzle-RPG Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords will arrive this spring, D3Publisher of America has revealed. No price point was specified.

Code-named Puzzle Quest 1.5, the expansion contains four new Hero professions--Bard, Rogue, Ranger, and Warlock--along over 25 new quests, complete with new monsters and bosses, 50 new spells, and 40 new items.

To determine the expansion's official name, D3PA and Infinite Interactive are holding a contest for user-submitted suggestions. The contest, located at puzzle-quest.com, begins today at noon PDT and ends at noon PDT on March 21, with the results set to be announced on April 2.

The next full-fledged entry in the Puzzle Quest series, titled Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, is due out this fall on PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and Nintendo DS.

Infinite Interactive's RPG-puzzle series Puzzle Quest is entering the final frontier this fall, D3Publisher of America has announced.

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix will bring the franchise into space, sporting new mechanics that revolve around a fleet of spaceships and a hexagonal playing field. Rather than choosing one particular class, players will customize the ships of their ever-growing fleet, affording them a greater variety of skills and attacks--the energy for which comes from matching various colors--without needing to replay the game.

Expect Puzzle Quest: Galactrix to hit this fall on Xbox Live Arcade, PC, and Nintendo DS. When asked about the possibility of a PlayStation 3 or PSP edition, a D3 representative told Shacknews that they are possible, though no final decisions have been made.

D3Publisher of America has confirmed that a second entry in the ultra-addictive Puzzle Quest franchise is due this year. No further details on the title are available, though company also revealed it will be publishing a Shaun the Sheep video game and another Ben 10 title.

Released last year, the Infinite Interactive-developed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords took the gaming community by storm with its addictive combination of color-matching combat and RPG-style quests. The initial Nintendo DS and PSP editions were followed by PC, PlayStation 2, and Wii iterations along with an Xbox 360 release via the online Xbox Live Arcade.

News of the sequel was buried within a press release announcing the appointment of Adam Roberts as D3PA's managing director. Roberts previously held administrative positions at publishers Vivendi and Empire Interactive.

Xbox Live Arcade gains Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords this Wednesday, signifying the service's second week of puzzling goodness in a row.

Developed by Infinite Interactive, Puzzle Quest took the gaming community by storm when it released on Nintendo DS and PSP in the spring. The addictive combination of color-matching combat and RPG-style quests surprised many, its success spurring both XBLA and Wii iterations. Puzzle Quest will run 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

This week also brings with it Yaris, a free offering from Toyota and Backbone Entertainment, themed after the car manufacturer's Yaris line. Though the game will involve both racing and destruction, complete with Xbox Live multiplayer, there's no word if the game will allow players to double park their sleek vehicles in the tradition of Shacknews editor-in-chief Chris Remo.

Konami's 1983 athletics showcase Track and Field comes to Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, reminding us of a more wholesome time before stories of blood-doping and performance-enhancing drugs tainted the images of our most-loved sports heroes. Aspiring athletes can get regain their impressive thumb strength for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

Brought to the console by Digital Eclipse, the game features an original and enhanced graphics mode and both four-player offline and online player over Xbox Live. A version of Track and Field arrived on DS earlier this year as part of the Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits compilation.

Microsoft also announced several upcoming titles for August and... Read more

Following its remarkably strong reception on Nintendo DS and PSP, Infinite Interactive's RPG-flavored puzzler Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was announced as coming to Xbox Live Arcade, and now publisher D3 plans to expand the game's reach even further with versions on PlayStation 2, Wii, and PC.

Dead Head Fred (PSP) developer Vicious Cycle Software, which co-developed the PSP version of Puzzle Quest and which was acquired by D3Publisher of America this year, will be handling development on PlayStation 2 and Wii. The PC version of the game has been licensed to publisher THQ; a developer was not named.

The new versions of Puzzle Quest will ship this fall, with a mobile version to follow in 2008. As previously announced, the Xbox Live Arcade game will ship sometime this year.

Microsoft ran off a list of more than 20 games coming to Xbox Live Arcade this year during their Santa Monica E3 press conference. Two classic titles will be available on the service today: Sega's speed-platformer Sonic the Hedgehog and the hack-and-slash brawler Golden Axe.

Also confirmed for a 2007 release were Bomberman Live, Undertow, Hexic 2, War World, Sensible World of Soccer, Every Extend Extra Extreme, Geon, Wing Commander Arena, Feeding Frenzy 2, Track and Field, Spyglass Board Games, Space Giraffe, Super Puzzle Fighter II, Word Puzzle, Marathon: Durandal, Poker Smash, Switchball, Tetris Splash, Puzzle Quest, and Boku Sudoku.

Publisher and developer D3Publisher of America has announced that it will be purchasing developer Vicious Cycle Software for an undisclosed sum. Vicious Cycle will now operate as a subsidiary of D3PA, with its current upper management and Chapel Hill, North Carolina location unaffected by the ownership shift.

D3PA previously handled the publishing of Vicious Cycle's past work, including its PSP version of Infinite Interactive's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords and Flushed Away (PS2, GCN). The studio's next game, Dead Head Fred (PSP), is due out later this year. Vicious Cycle is also known for its Vicious Engine middleware, used by Totally Games in the upcoming ... Read more