Today, SouthPeak Games has unveiled X-Blades, an anime-inspired action adventure game that features a cute blond heroine using guns, swords and magic to battle her way through hordes of demonic enemies, developed by TopWare Interactive. Looking through the screenshots, I realized I had seen the game before as Oniblade from Russian company Gaijin Entertainment, which we posted a trailer for back in November. Due out in late 2008 for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, you can see more of the game either by waiting a week for the X-Blades website to launch or head over to the Oniblade website, already filled to the brim with screenshots and clips. Weird.

SOUTHPEAK'S CUTTING EDGE REDEFINES THE GENRE

Blade-Swinging Blonde Bombshell Battles Evil In X-Blades

Friday 29th February/...SouthPeak Games has announced X-Blades, a dynamic third-person hack-and-slash action title for next-gen consoles and PC, due for release in late 2008. X-Blades sees players controlling an enchanting anime-style heroine who must battle through a host of locations using guns, blades, magic and a healthy dose of cinematic flair.

"The unique anime-style backdrop combined with high-octane, multi-discipline combat gameplay really pushes X-Blades into brand new territory," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "The 3rd-person 'hack-em-up' genre needs a fresh perspective and X-Blades is poised to deliver it."

X-Blades features a special combination of cinematic style, beautiful animation and relentless high-speed gameplay. Players assume the role of Ayumi, a stunningly seductive yet tenacious heroine who battles enemies with her pistol blades, acrobatic ability and magic spells. With full anime-style cut scenes, the story unfolds revealing demonic hordes and spectacular landscapes, all ripe for exploration and frenetic supernatural battling.

"We are big fans of anime and that was really our inspiration for X-Blades," said James Seaman, Managing Director at Topware Interactive. "Our goal was to create stylistic characters and artwork and to mix that bombastic visual style with lightning fast action. The result is a killer title that gamers and animation fans won't be able to put down."

X-Blades will be released for next generation consoles and PC in late 2008.