This week’s Arcade titles revealed

Another double-header is coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday with Wing Commander Arena and Super Contra making their collective debuts.

First is the new entry in the Wing Commander franchise from Electronic Arts. In Wing Commander Arena, players make up the elite flying force charged with defeating the evil Kilrathi Empire armada. The game will feature four different modes of gameplay along with nine maps and a “first ever” for an Arcade title; 16 player multiplayer on Xbox LIVE.

The full list of features for Wing Commander Arena includes:

• The first Xbox LIVE Arcade title featuring multiplayer gameplay for up to 16 players over Xbox LIVE.
• Four gameplay modes: Single Player, Multiplayer Team, Free for All, and Duel
• Players can choose from 18 different ships that can be customized with cloaking devices, mines, energy weapons, missiles and more!
• Skill-based matchmaking for ranked games.
• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore.

Wing Commander Arena will be available for 800 Microsoft Points

Super Contra comes as a gift from Konami as they celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their original hit title Contra. This updated version of the 1988 upright features the classic heroes Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as they continue the battle against the evil Red Falcon forces. 

Included in the new version of Super Contra:

• Two gameplay modes: single player or two player co-op, either locally on the same Xbox 360 or over Xbox LIVE.
• Players can choose to play with either the original graphics or the enhanced graphics.
• Compete for the weekly and all time high scores on the Leaderboards.
• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore. 

Super Contra will be available for 400 Microsoft Points

Rockstar troubles

With Rockstar recently receiving an “AO” rating for their upcoming game Manhunt 2, some have started to speculate as to whether the ESRB is intentionally putting the company through the wringer because of the “Hot Coffee” incident in GTA: San Andreas. I’ve also read a few articles which have suggested that Rockstar intentionally submitted Manhunt 2 to the ESRB with content that they knew would get them the scarlet letter-like “AO” rating, strictly to draw media attention to the game.

On the first point, I really can’t contribute any educated comments on the politics within the ESRB (I’ve never spoken to a member of the board), however because of the power the board holds over the industry, it certainly does seem believable that they’ve decided to keep Rockstar on a very short leash.

I do feel slightly more confident in saying that I doubt Rockstar did this intentionally. I’ve had a few conversations in the past regarding the subject of controversial press with a rep from the company and was told that this sort of media coverage is not what they’re looking for. After “Hot Coffee”, the company ran into a great deal of friction over Bully, which was unfairly maligned by many before the game had even been released. Having fought off both of those battles, it wouldn’t really make sense to start all over again with Manhunt 2.

So the question is: Is Rockstar now being over-scrutinized by the ESRB and the media or are they simply just their own worst enemy?