Shinji Mikami, SEGA, and PlatinumGames today announced the first set of details on their upcoming third person shooter set to arrive this year on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Set in the near future, the United States and Russia are competing for what little remains of the planets energy supplies. During the struggle, the Russians sabotage a United States owned space station used for converting solar energy and direct it's gathered energy back towards San Francisco, which destroys the city.

You will be tasked to take the role a government agent within a battle suit to stop the Russians from using the space station on their next target, New york City.

“VANQUISH™ is a game where we’ve tried to inject the extreme pace of an action game into a shooter. The gameplay and staging are all put together around the keyword ‘intensity’. I think it’s very rare to come across a game where shooting loads of robots is so much fun,” said Shinji Mikami, Game Director of VANQUISH™.

No solid release date was given, but there is a Winter 2010 target stated in the press information, and since it's starting to warm up around my parts, my guess would be a holiday release since Winter is on it's way out. See below for several screenshots.

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SEGA has officially announced that Obsidian Entertainment, the company that brought us Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II and Neverwinter Knights 2, has it's new espionage infused action-RPG arriving in time for Summer.  If you're not familiar with the title, you'll be assuming the role of a typical blank-slate rookie spy named Michael Thorton.  Early on, you will be tasked with tracking down the source of a terrorist attack on a commercial airplane, which will act as a springboard into the espionage world.  From there, the outcome of the game will be based on who you kill and who you trust; which will also coincide with fully customizable skill and weapon trees.  Another feature set that will be available to players is a unique Dialogue Stance System, which will keep you on your toes when interacting with any NPC, as they can and will react to almost every word you choose to speak, so choose your words wisely.

Alpha Protocol will be releasing on May 28th in Europe and June 1st in North America on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.  For some new screens, see below.

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As it turns out, "Project Needlemouse" did turn out to be another Sonic the Hedgehog project, only the one we thought would materialize much sooner. Heading back to the basics, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode One brings us back to the classic 2D gameplay with revamped 3D graphics. The game will be available this summer as a downloadable title via the PlayStation Store, Xbox LIVE Arcade, and WiiWare. For a brief trailer that showcases about three seconds of the new gameplay, see below.

Thank you SEGA.

I've been hearing whispers over the past few days pointing to this, and I'm pleased to say they turned out to be true. A multiplayer demo for the upcoming Aliens vs Predator title will simultaneously arrive on Steam, Xbox LIVE, and the PlayStation Network tomorrow February 4th.

You'll have access to all three species for this demo and it will include only one map (Refinery) and one game mode. (Deathmatch) The Colonial Marine, the Predator, and the Alien all have their specific strengths and weaknesses, and the team feels they've struck a nice balance with this mode.

“Multiplayer was a huge part of our original AVP game back in 1999, and we’ve kept the spirit of that classic experience in creating the multiplayer for our new Aliens vs Predator. With the demo now gamers can get to grips with each of the three iconic species so they can hone their skills and be ready for when the game launches and battle commences,” said Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director of Rebellion.

The final game will ship with seven multiplayer modes in total: Infestation, Survivor, Predator Hunt, Domination, Deathmatch, Species Deathmatch and Mix Species Deathmatch. Aliens vs. Predator is scheduled for a February 16th release in North America and February 19th release in Europe.

See below for three new screenshots from the Xbox 360 version of the multiplayer demo.

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Speaking in a recent 1UP podcast, Sega of America's Constantine Hantzopoulos lamented that disappointing sales of Madworld and The Conduit has made the company rethink its plans for the Wii. While internal research suggested there was a viable mature market out there, Constantine believes Sega's gamble did not pay off, further noting that the company is "probably" done with developing titles aimed at the 17 plus bracket on Wii. Looks like their attention towards this particular market segment will stay locked on the Xbox 360 and PS3 going forward.

“Are we going to do more mature titles for the Wii? Probably not. I have to say that it was a space that was open and we took a gamble on it. It’s like, ‘Wow, there’s no mature games on the Wii. Is there an audience out there?’ We did some research, it said there was an audience out there.

Despite garnering positive reviews from critics, MadWorld shifted a meager 66,000 units in its launch month, well below expectations. Shame, but you can't blame 'em after not seeing a sizable return on investment. We'll take it this means a sequel is out of the question, at least on Wii.

Sega “Probably” Done Developing Mature Wii Titles [eXophase.com]

A candid recount of an alleged private meeting between SCEA and Sega appeared on Sega’s public asset FTP earlier today. The companies talked digital distribution, revealing Sony’s long-rumored intent to publish emulated PS2 titles over PSN. Sega was also approached with the idea of bringing over classic Dreamcast titles to PSN. The memo notes that in exchange for exclusivity, more marketing support would be provided.

On the topic of motion control, a Spring 2010 release date was once again reiterated in this meeting for Sony’s wand-based motion controller. Interestingly, however, a March 2010 date was specifically mentioned for Japan.

Keep in mind this was apparently a business meeting between the two parties and as such none of the ideas exchanged may come to fruition, but the possibility is now out there. See the full memo in all its entirety past the break, which also discusses the prospect of selling import titles directly over PSN.

The venerable Mad Catz product line gains yet another popular brand today, as the company announced today that SEGA has granted them rights to produce peripherals based on the Sonic franchise across all current platforms. SEGA has opted to sign a “multi-year” deal with the accessory-maker, meaning this is not a one-time shot.

No word on what the initial product offerings might consist of yet, but expect to hear more on that shortly. Full PR after the break.

SEGA has announced that Valkyria Chronicles II, the second installment in its anime-styled RPG franchise will hit the PSP next summer in North America and Europe. Slated to hit Japan later this winter, the title is a direct sequel to the PS3 original.

Set in the year 1937 EC, it takes place amidst a civil war torn between the Gallia empire and a group of nefarious revolutionists seeking to rebel in a coup to overtake the standing government body. Players are tasked with restoring peace and order to this war ravaged land.

Will be interesting to see how this one transitions to a portable format. In lieu of the announcement, SEGA released a brief teaser trailer, which can be viewed above. No gameplay footage yet unfortunately, but it should do well to tide you over until then.

Valkyria Chronicles II Heads Stateside Next Summer - [eXophase.com]

So much for Sega’s poll apparently, as Gameloft today announced that it has a inked a multi-year license agreement with Interplay to publish beloved 2D side-scroller Earthworm Jim across all current digital distribution platforms. That includes WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network.

“We are delighted to partner with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to multiple downloadable platforms,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft. “The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today’s gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible. We look forward to delivering a fantastic game.”

Additionally, the title will be made available on mobile devices. Slated for a fourth quarter 2009 release, the Xbox 360 version of the title will receive a one-month exclusive lead time, per an agreement with Microsoft.

Gameloft Teams With Interplay To Release Earthworm Jim Digitally - [eXophase.com]

Sega is bringing yet another Genesis classic to Xbox Live Arcade, and it’s up to fans, the gaming community to decide which one. Between now and August 21, head on over to Sega’s website and cast your vote.

The title with the most votes received will be released on XBLA at a yet-unspecified date. Look for the winner to be announced on August 22. I personally put in a vote for Golden Axe II, but it looks like Earthworm Jim is poised to come out on top, capturing a whopping 47 percent of all votes thus far. No complaints here if it wins, however. Both are quality classics.

Sega Lets Fans Choose Next Genesis XBLA Title - [eXophase.com]