Q Entertainment sent along numerous screenshots showcasing its Xbox 360 reimagining of United Game Artists' cult classic on-rails shooter.

Announced last night, Rez creator and Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi is personally involved with the downloadable title, which the company claims is a "direct port" of the original enhanced by high-resolution assets and 5.1 sound.

One of Sega's last Dreamcast releases in Japan and among its first PlayStation 2 releases in North America, Rez brings synesthesia to Xbox Live Arcade in Q1 2008. No pricing has been announced.

Sega announced two new Genesis titles "available soon" for Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console. Both Crack Down and ESWAT: City Under Siege will be offered for the standard Genesis price of 800 Wii Points ($8) at a later date.

Though similar in name to Realtime Worlds' recent supercop sandbox title Crackdown, Sega's 1990 Genesis port of Crack Down on the Wii VC will let one or two ripped dudes bomb their way to victory in a Gauntlet-style top-down shooter.

Also ported to the Genesis in 1990, Sega's ESWAT: City Under Siege puts wannabe Robocops in a the city of Liberty to show criminals how America deals with crime in the future--with plasma rifles.

Sega's sidekick-enhanced Sonic sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. The title will cost 400 Microsoft Points ($5), three dollars cheaper than the title's 800 Wii Point ($8) price on Nintendo's Virtual Console.

And rather than being a straight port like the pricier Wii version, Backbone Entertainment has enhanced the 1992 Genesis title with HD visuals and two-player online play. This new version lets a second player join in the fun over Xbox Live as Sonic's twin-tailed tagalong, running through pseudo-3D half-pipes with Sonic or getting constantly left behind in-game by Sonic's amazing speed.

The title is the only new game addition this week on Xbox Live Arcade.

Three more vintage titles for abandoned consoles have been exhumed from their shallow graves via Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console.

The online download service today adds NES Play Action Football, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Neutopia II to its retro offerings in North America. Featuring support for up to four players and an isometric perspective, which developer Nintendo claims creates "an almost 3-D field," NES Play Action Football sells for 500 Wii Points ($5).

Co-developed by Sonic Team and Sega Technical Institute, the third Genesis adventure of the platform's iconic blue speedster, who once again teams with that two-tailed freak of a sidekick, runs 800 Wii Points ($8).

As with the original--which debuted on the service less than a month ago--many consider Hudson Soft's TurboGrafx-16 action RPG Neutopia II a Zelda clone. It goes for 600 Wii Points ($6), the same price as its predecessor.

Project Gotham developer Bizarre Creation's third-person-shooter The Club (PC, PS3, X360) has been delayed until February of next year, Sega announced today. The game was originally slated for a fourth quarter 2007 release.

The game will feature a fairly prestigious roster of composers, with Richard Jacques of Jet Grind Radio, Jesper Kyd of the Hitman series, and Bizarre's own Chris Chudley collaborating on the title's music.

Games released on the Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System will join the Wii Virtual Console lineup in Japan starting September 11, SNK Playmore announced today. Fatal Fury will be the first title available for Japanese Wii gamers on September 11, with World Heroes and Magician Lord following at a later September date.

All three titles will cost 900 Wii Points ($9). SNK Playmore USA president Ben Herman told Gamasutra earlier this year that the Neo Geo titles would be coming to gamers stateside. The 900 Wii Point price for Japanese gamers correlates with the price Herman said the titles would cost in the U.S., "just a little above" the 800 Wii Point ($8) price of Super Nintendo games.

The Neo Geo AES home console will be the sixth console supported on the Wii Virtual Console, alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and NEC TurboGrafx-16.

Along with Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, the simply-named Streets of Rage 2 also hit Xbox Live Arcade today.

Developed by Sega, Streets of Rage 2 is one of those classic old-school beat-em-ups, the kind you played in your friend's basement after school, chugging orange soda and trading cheat codes. Thanks to some smart developers, the game is now updated for the modern masses, supporting a two-player online cooperative mode and a sharp HD display.

Featuring a kickin' rad soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro, Streets of Rage 2 spans eight long rounds chocked full of early-90s urban thuggery. I'd buy that for a dollar, but five ain't bad either. At 400 Microsoft Points, it's a steal--although keep in mind, your Game Genie won't help you this time.

Sega's Leipzig Games Convention lineup includes Universe at War: Earth Assault, The Golden Compass, The Club, Sonic Rivals 2 and Condemned 2: Bloodshot among other titles. We have screenshots and videos. Be sure to check out the full post for everything. ... Read more

Fans of the Total War series rejoice, as Sega has announced that The Creative Assembly has been secretly working on Empire: Total War for the past year, with the strategy game sequel hitting stores some time next year.

Empire: Total War is set during the 18th century, said to be the most requested time period by the Total War community. The game will introduce naval combat to the series, which will result not only in ship-to-ship combat, but also boarding of ships and engaging in hand-to-hand combat on the decks.

Empire also promises further refinements to the series' 3D battles and turn based campaign map including improved trade, diplomacy and espionage systems, a refined and streamlined UI, and improved advisors. You can find two screenshots here.

Sega Europe and Sega of America today revealed VIKING: Battle for Asgard, the latest title from Medieval 2: Total War (PC) and Spartan: Total Warrior (PS2) developer Creative Assembly.

Described in the accompanying documentation as "a new iconic gaming hero" and "a plaything of the gods rebelling against their selfish agenda," lead character Kratos Skarin is tasked with stopping the Goddess Hel, who has assembled a massive army of undead warriors in hopes of bringing about Ragnarok--basically the Norse apocalypse. Along the way, Skarin will unleash "a visceral wave of slaughter" on his reanimated foes.

"Skarin is a cutting edge hero in a fantastic re-imagining of ... Read more

Boasting a gigantic 24-megabit cartridge, Super Metroid remains arguably the finest 2D Samus Aran adventure to date. Released in 1994 by developer Nintendo, the older title's story serves as a sequel--yes, you read that right--to Retro Studios' upcoming Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Nintendo releases the brilliant platforming shooter on the Wii Virtual Console today for 800 Wii Points ($8), alongside two less trumpeted titles.

Also considered one of the best of its franchise, Sega's 1993 Genesis action sequel Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master features seven stages of single-player slashing. Only you can stop Neo Zeed, for 800 Wii Points ($8).

Last and certainly least, Hudson Soft's 1989 TurboGrafx action RPG Neutopia also sees a release. Pigeonholed as a Zelda clone, the game at least looks polished, and sells for a paltry 600 Wii Points ($6).

The Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Arcade gains two more with the addition of Hexic 2 and Ecco the Dolphin this Wednesday, August 15.

Following up the addictive Xbox 360 HDD pack-in Hexic HD, Hexic 2 expands on the color-matching, shape-forming original with new pieces, different formations, and two-person multiplayer in both online and offline flavors. Developed by Carbonated Games with the involvement of Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, Hexic 2 will consume lives sell for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Along with the announcement, Microsoft sent over 40 new screenshots.

Originally developed for the Sega Genesis, Novotrade's ... Read more

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

I don't think anyone was really expecting that Grand Theft Auto IV delay, but you gotta give the Activision executives credit for trying to slip that Metallica thing by us when we were supposed to be looking the other way. Oh, and just as Maarten foretold last week, zombies totally invaded QuakeCon.

Meanwhile in brief-land, we have news of downloadable demos and a Blast Factor add-on for PS3, a Fatal Inertia demo on Xbox Live, a new vice president of production at Secret Level, Insomniac sharing PS3 development tips, and the new Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, X360) site. ... Read more

The folks at Computer & Video Games break the first rule of Hobo Fight Club by talking about Hobo Fight Club, but get to conduct an interview with Sega producer Constantine Hantzopoulos about Condemned 2: Bloodshot anyway. Topics include new features, the improved forensics system, and multiplayer support.

Tokyo-based Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. reported first quarter fiscal year 2008 operating losses of 7.245 billion yen ($60.31 million) in the company's consumer business, which includes Sega Corp. and its worldwide divisions like Sega of America.

Sales of 95.42 billion yen ($794.3 million), an overall 11.4% increase year-over-year, couldn't compensate for the consumer segment's losses when combined with other expenses, resulting in a 5.087 billion yen ($42.34 million) net loss for the quarter.

The company revealed less-than-anticipated game sales for the quarter, with the bulk of the company's revenues in the consumer business division coming from Sega's back catalog of past titles now available for download... Read more

Hot on the heels of news that Sega-AM2's Virtua Fighter 5 would feature online play on Xbox 360, Sega has announced an official release date for the game in North America: October 30, 2007.

Along with today's confirmation, Sega published three new screenshots drawn from the Xbox 360 build of the game.

As previously reported, the Xbox 360 release will have some slight improvements over the PlayStation 3 game, bringing it up to arcade version C rather than arcade version B. Tweaks beyond online support include vibration support, improved Quest mode, and minor balance adjustments.

Sega's Universe at War: Earth Assault website is now allowing people to sign up to beta test the PC version of Petroglph's sci-fi strategy game, which is also heading to Xbox 360. The beta test, intended to help balance the game, will start August 15. Thanks Blues News.

Sega sends along a new Medieval II: Total War - Kingdoms video development diary, offering developer narrated gameplay footage from the Teutonic campaign found in the expansion pack. The HD version of the video can be found on FileShack, or you can use the Flash player below. There are also new screenshots here.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Sega revealed a trio of new PlayStation 3 games during Sony's Tokyo-based PlayStation Premiere 2007 event this past Tuesday.

The announcements, as reported by IGN, were made by Super Monkey Ball producer and director Toshihiro Nagoshi, who detailed two games under his personal direction. One of Nagoshi's titles will be developed by the Yakuza (PS2) team and is slated for a spring release in Japan, with more details set to arrive on September 14. Nagoshi commented that the game represents "my biggest production since I started working on consumer games." As for the second title, only its existence was revealed, with more information to come at a later date.

Nagoshi also unveiled an action-strategy title, the title ... Read more