If you're a fan of alien slaughter, you'd probably remember Alien Breed as a cult classic. Oh man, it's up there among the ranks of Zombies Ate My Neighbors (for the zombie fans) and Bionic Commando (for the militaristic Tarzan types). So guess what we heard today? Team17 is actually re-releasing Alien Breed next year, but... at what form will it take and for what console? DLC, remake, port, or what?

A few days ago, the PlayStation Network updated with a couple of new downloadable goodies for our perusal, one of them being Super Stardust HD. This game is based on the Stardust game that was originally launched on the Amiga 500 computer, and eventually found its way on the Amiga 1200 three years later as Super Stardust.

As for this particular rendition, Super Stardust HD will have players blasting aliens and asteroids as they orbit the game's planets. Various power-ups are available, with the game (as implied by its name) being displayed in 1080p. For the guys still wondering if this revamped classic deserves the HDD space on their PlayStation 3, we'll help you along by posting this recent gameplay vid that's out in circulation. Happy viewing!

Housemarque's Creative Director, Harri Tikkanen, sat down with IGN in an interview to shed more light on their reinvention of the Amiga Stardust game, Super Stardust HD, for the PlayStation Network.

Basic kick-off point in any game interview is the introduction of the game. And in this context, who best to describe it but Tikkanen? He says that SSHD is a continuation of the previous Stardust games. And it's not just the concept that is continuing on with its legacy, but also the team. Tikkanen revealed that he was the designer, lead programmer and graphic artist for the original title. It's not surprising, therefore, that he'd hop aboard this project, given his history with the franchise.

Having created games for both the XBLA and the PlayStation Network, Tikkanen is of the opinion that while both marketplaces have real diversity existing in their game collection, "there is no single defining "killer app" in either one yet."

Delving back to the game, you'll be glad to know that there will be a local shared screen cooperative mode. That way, you can enjoy it along with your friends. And with multiple modes to choose from (Arcade, Planet and Co-op), there will surely be a lot of challenging action to be had in this game.

Anyway, if you want to find out more about what Tikkanen had to spill about Super Stardust HD, why don't you go check out the full interview via our source link below? Oh, and you might wanna ogle at some more screens we've got for you waiting over at Full Article. Enjoy!

Apparently the dual-SKU model ain't just for Warhawk, too. Talking to PALGN, System 3 CEO Mark Cale mentioned that the Epyx title California Games rumored to come to the Wii, is coming to the Wii. Twice. "You'll be able to buy it online," he says, "and you'll be able to buy it as a retail product, too."

Dang. Someone reevaluate the economics of what Peter Dille said about this dual-SKU thing.

And speaking of Peter Dille, Mark also confirms that California Games will be coming to the PS3 as well. Twice. He says it can/will be bought on the PlayStation Network and as a physical retail copy. Mark doesn't mention about any extra goodies for buying a blob of optical plastic (either the Wii optical plastic or the PS3 optical plastic), however.

At this, we can also suspect that the California Games coming to the Wii and PS3 isn't just a simple port of the original, Amiga-era Epyx title, but potentially a full-blown new-gen revamp (or else why dedicate blobs of optical plastic to the title?). Potentially, it could mean motion-sensing controls, high-def graphics (depending on platform), yada yada, but no concrete details have surfaced yet.

Cale did mention that the Wii version would be "playable online through the Wii," though. So there's online multiplayer, too.

Granted, the video game console is rapidly becoming saturated with the same genres: shooters, action, sports, sandbox. Innovation did happen, but a lot of it was stove-piped, locked within the genre rather than in the greater world of console gaming itself.

Brave is a title that bucks conventions and is willing to take risks. One more recent development was bringing the traditionally PC-centric real-time strategy genre to consoles, which until games like Full Spectrum Warrior and Battle for Middle-Earth II, were rather clunky and painful affairs. But now, we have Command & Conquer 3, and Ensemble is spinning Halo Wars up to speed.

In the same vein I'm taking another PC-centric game genre and looking at its chances in console gaming. Except this time, unlike RTS games, I'm less confident about its chances - not because it can't be done, but out of the fear that just like innovation, interests in console gaming are rather stove-piped as well. And for the most part, the console is locked to shooters, action, sports, and sandbox.

Pity, really. Consoles could be a potential breakout ground for the submarine simulator.

Thar she blows up, Cap'n. Appreciation - and cynicism - for console subsims after the jump.

Three Speech has just dated three PlayStation Network games for Europe. While these are still subject to change, at least we get a picture of a possible time frame of when they could be released. As for releases in the United States, maybe this schedule could still apply (with a one to two weeks time allowance):

May 18: Calling All Cars
May 25: Nucleus
June 15: Super Stardust HD

While we've been pretty familiar with Calling All Cars for the past couple of weeks/months now (care of David Jaffe, of course), we've only been recently acquainted with the Blast Factor-ish PSN title Nucleus. This molecular biology shoot-'em-up game by Kuju Entertainment is worth looking out for in itself. However, what's this Super Stardust HD? Strangely so, it's yet another Blast Factor-themed title, but this time from Housemarque.

It's based on the space shoot-'em-up Stardust (Amiga) series from Bloodhouse, and 1Up (that's their screenshot of the game above) has compared it to, not just Blast Factor, but Geometry Wars as well. You'll be controlling a spaceship to blow up everything you see as you hover around a 3D planet. And screenshot-wise, it's a dead ringer for both mentioned games.

Unfortunately, Super Stardust HD doesn't seem to have any confirmation for a U.S. release, and even until now, it seems as if it's only going to become a Europe-only release. But if the popularity of Blast Factor and Geometry Wars is any indication... here's to hoping that it gets a worldwide release.

Dedicating to the avid gamers' world of game music devotion, the GCDC 2007 to start this coming August will also be seeing a live performance by the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague on popular game soundtracks from Starcraft, Final Fantasy IX, Ragnarok 2, Stranglehold, Metal Gear Solid 2: Snake Eater, Secret of Mana and The Abbey Turrican 2.

Conducted by Andy Brick, the orchestra will also perform popular classics in medley form in salute to the Commodore 64 and Commodore Amiga as pioneering game platforms for the game industry, as stated by an official press release.

The performance will be held at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on August 22, 8 p.m. and won't be an official part of the GCDC 2007 opening ceremony. Also to appear at the concert is Japanese star opera singer Izumi Masuda, singer Conny Kollet from Germany fame, and Konami-sponsored percussionist Rony Barrak.

Kollet is popular for her performances at the Symphonic Game Music Concert, of which this concert will be the fifth of the series, although many will know her for her rendering of the title song for SpellForce: The Breath of Winter.

Rony Barrak will be performing his version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Snake Eater together with the FILMharmonic Orchestra. Masuda, despite being an opera singer, is more inclined to pop-opera pieces, and could be identified as the same one who rendered the song "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy at the concert "VOICES: music from Final Fantasy." Tickets are already being sold as of this moment.