Portable Planet

Gamers fearing the usual summer slump can rest at ease as Microsoft prepares to release two different, yet equally captivating titles in North America for Xbox 360. Players can pilot a space fighter and warp into a distant era with the arcade style space shooter, Project Sylpheed, or save humanity from the wrath of a new breed of vampires in the stealth horror shooter, Vampire Rain.

Reminiscent of summer days spent hunched-over a coin-op machine in a dark arcade, Project Sylpheed is a 3-D makeover of the classic, mid-80s scrolling shooter franchise Silpheed. Developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by Game Arts and Seta Corporation for Square Enix, developers of the legendary Final Fantasy franchise, Project Sylpheed launches players through an exhilarating space combat experience driven by a deep, multilayered storyline. Feast on more than 50 minutes of visually stunning Japanese CG animation footage that propels the engaging story forward between space combat missions. As Katana Faraway, players must pilot a Delta Saber space fighter equipped with a highly customizable arsenal of weapons. In order to succeed, players must execute squadron commands and monitor their speed, shield, radar and weapons as they maneuver out of challenging situations and defend Earth against the evil ADAN forces.

In addition to non-stop space action, gamers can embark on a pulse-pounding mission in Vampire Rain, leading a highly-trained black-ops unit on a secret mission to eliminate the deadliest supernatural enemies ever faced: the intensely fast and super agile Nightwalkers. Players must traverse all areas of an eerie and rain soaked city by moving across rooftops and through back alleys, avoiding detection to ensure the best strategic use of high-tech weaponry. Developed by Artoon, Vampire Rain combines stealth, survival horror and shooter aspects of several classic games to bring an intense and hair-raising experience that can be enjoyed alone or with friends over Xbox LIVE . Who can keep their cool under the heat of the dog days with Nightwalkers in hot pursuit?

Source: Microsoft