Well, that was quick. You could almost count the days since its release, and fans are already getting extra stuff for Mega Man 9. Wii owners are the the first out of the gate, with 360 owners waiting an extra day, and PS3 players forced to wait for the usual Thursday update.

The content includes the addition of Proto Man who can slide and charge shots (sort of like what Mega Man should have been able to do from the start). The downside to Proto? He takes double damage and gets knocked back twice as far when hit.

The other new addition is an Endless mode, which is basically what it says. It’s a long level, lots of enemies, and it never ends.

It’s amazing what 13 years can give you. For example, it’s been 13 years since the original Red Alert landed on PCs, and now you can get it for absolutely free. Nope, you don’t even have to pay shipping since it’s a download as a promotion for the upcoming Red Alert 3. Oh, and if you pre-order the third game, you can get Red Alert 2 for free. In other words, you get three games for the price of one.

Of course, if you’re a true cheap ass, you could just wait 13 years and get Red Alert 3 for free.

Neo Turf Masters is special to me personally. I loved it enough after playing it on MAME I tried tracking down an actual Neo Geo cart. When I realized what it goes for (four digits at least), I ended up paying a ton for a bootleg cart just to have it. The game’s speed, beautiful visuals (and animation), and pick up and play mechanics make it a steal for $8.00 on the Virtual Console.

And just in case you’re curious, the miniature version released for the Neo Geo Pocket plays just as well, plus adds features. The console and game can be had cheap online. It’s worth the money.

Why take their words so seriously? It was apparently some kind of a joke. See, they will in fact be patching the beta, promising a “vastly improved” experience, which would hopefully mean access to more of the game, like a second stage because the single one we’re given is getting just a wee bit old.

Technical issues are expected for a beta, but to not fix a glitch that causes the entire system to crash requiring a full power down before releasing this to the public is probably not a good start. When it’s working, match-ups are quick and mostly lag free.

This is the old Street Fighter II. There are no changes mechanically to note. This is a visual make over with some extra balancing tossed in to even things out, though this isn’t apparent with only two characters to choose from. The high resolution sprites are a stunning sight, loaded with style and detail that maintains the original looks while bringing them into a new generation. The smile on Ken’s face brings out his arrogant attitude.

Remixed music, or at least the two tracks given in the beta, is spectacular. The new theme for Ken that plays in the background of the main menu is brilliant. This is how it likely would have sounded if the original sound hardware was capable of handling it.

Options are obviously limited, though it’s nice to the classic mode which allows players to select from different versions of the characters (from the two “Super” releases of the game) if they’re not fans of the rebalanced styles. Most of the other menu selections are locked.

Based off the beta, Remix may not draw in a new audience to the classic franchise, but long time followers will marvel at the work done to bring the game into modern times. This is looking to be a respectful, sharp, and familiar experience for those gamers.

Fans will instantly notice something is amiss the minute they boot up and head into the arcade mode. Everything is unlocked. All of the artwork, characters and stages that took hours of work to obtain on the Dreamcast is already there for Xbox 360 gamers. Why?

Namco stripped out the story mode.

This critical, replay value producing feature means the anemic single player modes are all solo players can take advantage of. A few variations on the survival and time attack modes are hardly what fans are looking for. However, all is well since there’s online play, right?

Namco failed to add online modes.

Granted, the original didn’t offer it either, but if Namco saw fit to break the core of the single player mode, why wouldn’t you include something to keep players coming back? Local versus play is all you can to try and make the most of your $10 purchase.

Thankfully (at the very least), this still stands as the best game in the series. The effortless, flowing combat system is a joy to play around with. Each character is well balanced with a staggering number of moves. Even after multiple sequels, none of the following games can match up to the flawless fighting engine as it’s featured here.

Namco did spend some time cleaning up textures and increasing the resolution. However, don’t let the misnomer “support for HD resolutions” trick you if you plan on showing the game off to friends. This Live port only supports 4:3 aspect ratios, and there is no option to stretch it horizontally.

If you’re a die hard fan of the game, it’s more than likely you own the original and Dreamcast. Stick with that. This meager, featureless port may look slightly shinier, but it’s lacking in every department that matters to justify spending your $10 on it.

Those enjoying Halo 3 get an extra gift on July 7th. Bungie is not only giving you a free theme and gamerpic on that day only, you’ll also have a new mutli-player map to download… for free. Well, kind of. The newly redone Cold Fusion, a remake of a Halo map is really free. The catch is you need the Legendary map pack to actually use it. You had to know it was too good to be true.

A throwback to the days of Afterburner and Star Fox, Sierra’s latest Live Arcade title ranks amongst the best the service has to offer. Aces of the Galaxy is a frantic space dogfight, intense to the extreme and gorgeous to all who view it.

From a third person behind the ship viewpoint, players traverse through space with the goal of evading the enemy. It’s a small twist, and if you skip the cinematics you wouldn’t know the difference. However, at least it adds some differentiating factor to the proceedings.

Aces is undeniably unfair. Bullets, particle effects, explosions, and more litter the screen. It’s nearly impossible not to be hit at times. The default controls are too touchy and will need to be lowered to find that perfect spot to get into the action.

Three weapons are at the players disposal, delivering various forms of destruction. The lock on missiles and cannons are pulled directly from Afterburner. Torpedoes are likewise unoriginal, but the beauty of their fire trails after they’re launched means innovation is the last thing on your mind. Auto fire for the cannons would have been welcomed, and not just to save your thumbs from eventual carpal tunnel, but to make it easier to fire rockets simultaneously.

There are 23 levels in total, and each time out, you can select a different path through one of three courses. You’ll never see every level on a single play through, and grabbing a purple power-up during the war is the way to choose which battle you take part in next. Everything is available in co-op play as well, which is offered on and offline.

What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in sheer beauty and action. Aces amazingly fits into a small sub 50MB download and to drag out the cliché, never judge an item by the size of its package. This is a guaranteed Live Arcade hit.

Now, the series is back in remake form. Announced for a summer release 2008, 1942: Joint Strike will feature full online multi-player, complete with tandem attacks that are a new addition to the game. The redone graphics are already looking sharp, and in the same vein as the original. The music is also a nice touch adding a layer of drama to the proceedings not found in the original.

Now, how about bringing back UN Squadron?

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/858/858836p1.html (embed needed)

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then today is the day you’ve been waiting for. There are 10 titles in the library, donning red cases which yes, are the exact same color as HD DVD cases. The games are:

Resistance
Warhawk
Motorstorm
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Oblivion
Fight Night Round 3
Call of Duty 3
Need for Speed Carbon
Assassin’s Creed
Rainbow Six Vegas

These should all feature their new price as of this moment. If you’re quick and hate the new packaging, the regular editions should feature the same price as well.