Developer Egosoft has announced the release of X3: Gold, a two game, one soundtrack package now available for purchase on Steam. The discounted strategy simulation bundle contains both X3: Reunion and X3: Terran Conflict as well as the official Terran Conflict soundtrack.

The bundle is built for savings, running $20 less than the price of the games individually–and more specifically costing the exact same as Terran Conflict by itself. Speaking of which, the game has been updated to v2.5, bringing a sizable list of fixes, additions and improvements to the game.
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Egosoft, a German development company, and Deep Silver, a distribution label, have today announced a partnership for the upcoming release of a new edition of the game X3: Gold Edition. As specified by the two companies, the agreement will cover the whole world except for USA, Mexico, Canada and Caribbean.

This "Collector's Edition" will contain all the chapters of the X3 saga, which are:

* X3: Reunion
* X3: Terran Conflict
* X3: The Aldrin Missions

The last item in the list is the new add-on created for Terran Conflict, and will be released with this new Gold Edition. The pack release is planned for the end of June 2009.

In Reunion the story begins in 2953, in the X universe, where the Argon Fleet is giving up to the frequent assaults by Khaaks, trying to mine the stability of the opposing military forces. But those aren't the only races: while they're fighting each other, the Yakis are searching for an ancient machines of unknown powers, left in inheritance by an estinguished people.

In Terran Conflict the Reunion story goes one: a bridge connecting the Terran people (the Earth people) and the X universe people has been built. This link will of course take to thousands of conflicts. We'll be likely to be a Terran or someone from the X Universe in this chapter. The formula is the same as in Reunion: fighting and trading, for a total freedom of action.

In the last Add-On, Aldrin Missions, we'll meet the mysterious colony of Aldrin, which has now lost every contact with civility hundreds of years before the events in the game even began. Instead, they'll decide to restart connections to the Terrans and their solar system. The player, being a Terran, will have to take care of these people, exploring and fighting in Aldrin.

If you don't know this brand, X3 is a trading and fighting game, set in the space. It was developed by Egosoft and was released for ...
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Topware Interactive's action title X-Blades is now available for purchase and download on Steam.
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Official X-Blades demo now available for download.
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DLC in the form of a mission pack has been made available for SouthPeak's action adventure title X-Blades in the Xbox Live Marketplace. Though the game is multi-platform, it's unclear when the pack will arrive for PS3 and PC.
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SouthPeak Games announced today that X-Blades is out tomorrow across PAL territories, for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. In X-Blades, players assume the role of Ayumi, a stunningly seductive yet tenacious heroine who battles enemies with her pistol blades, acrobatic ability, and magic spells. With full anime cut scenes, the story unfolds revealing demonic powers and spectacular landscapes, all ripe for exploration and battles.
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To celebrate the launch of X-Blades in the UK tomorrow, SouthPeak Games has brought the game's leading character Ayumi to life with some rather cheeky images featuring the real life UK model Jodie Dart
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411mania gives a rundown on this week's game releases. Highlights include Retro Game Challenge, Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad/Bikini Zombie Slayers, X-Blades, and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

Retro Game Challenge (DS)
The challenges do not require you to finish each game. However, all of the games are complete, so you can if you want to. They can take up to eight hours or longer to beat and are not what I would consider shovelware - there is some depth to all of them. One of the action games, for example, has its own power-up screen where you can use certain items you've collected to improve your character. Abilities such as jumping higher and throwing more projectiles are essential for getting further in the game. Another example is how one of the racing games has a very cool drifting mechanic which makes it much more interesting than most of the others that I played in the 80s. So, at the very least, some of the games offered here rival those that were actually released back in the day.

Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad (360) / Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers (Wii)
This week's releases of Bikini Samurai Squad and Bikini Zombie Slayers mark Onechanbara's first official appearance in the US. It originally started out as one of D3's Simple Series games in Japan. History lesson: The Simple Series is made up of mostly budget titles that rip off other successful games. The low-budgetness isn't always a bad thing though, as it gave the developers some freedom to experiment, which is probably how Onechanabara was born. I mean, where else would they have gotten the idea for zombie-hunting bikini-and-cowboy-hat-wearing girls with swords? Somehow, Onechanbara was popular enough to break away from its Simple Series roots and has spawned quite a few sequels.

X-Blades (PC, PS3, 360)
After playing the retail version I can safely say that this game is fun for a hack-and-slasher. There isn't anything new or...
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GamingShogun writes, "SouthPeak Games' hack 'n slash title, X-Blades, has now shipped off to North American retail locations. The game puts players in the boots of Ayumi, a treasure hunter who dual wields fast-slicing blades, who will fight various creatures and enemies on her quest to recover an ancient artifact..."
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It looks like a scary week in gaming; perfect for valentine's day!
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