SouthPeak's Mister Slime DS Hits Retail Today

Southpeak's Mister Slime, which we last heard was coming to DS in April, actually hits retail today in North America. Oh, okay! It sounds fairly interesting, actually — players control Slimey, who must stop violence between warring clans, a rather serious pursuit for a young slime.

The gameplay uses both stylus and microphone to stretch and manipulate Slimey's arms toward anchor points in each level, which is how he navigates.

Screens plus more details after the jump!

PC Gamers can get the original Two Worlds in one package with the "Tainted Blood" and "Curse of Souls" add ons next month, in the Two Worlds: Epic Edition just announced by SouthPeak Games.

The release will add eight new multiplayer maps, more than 70 online quests, plus a new town where characters can train themselves in gladiator combat. GamersHell has eight screenshots, one is above.

The full press release from SouthPeak is after the jump.

SouthPeak's E3 Line Up - Brave Choices

SouthPeak Games has revealed their line up for E3 2008, where they'll be showing a wide variety of games in all shapes and sizes. Most prominent is their just announced reinvention of the Brave series, which started with Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer on the PS2. Brave: A Warrior's Tale for the Xbox 360, PSP, and Wii has a now elderly Brave telling tales of his youth, with a new character named Courage who uses Brave's wisdom to stop a current-day threat. Meanwhile Brave: Shaman’s Challenge for the DS is a platforming tale starring Brave himself.

Aside from the new Brave title, SouthPeak will be showing off their anime action game X-Blades for the PC and "next-gen consoles", Igor The Game for PC, Wii, and DS, the RTS/FPS hybrid Raven Squad for PC and 360, Big Bang Mini for the DS, and the PS3 version of Monster Madness. The game I am most looking forward to? Going to have to go with Ninjatown for the DS. Have to represent my deadly peeps, yo.

It's a real-time strategy game. It's a first-person shooter. It's both! SouthPeak Games has just announced Raven Squad, an RTS/FPS hybrid under development by Atomic Motion for the PC and Xbox 360. Unlike S2's Savage series, which allows players to chose which role they want to take, Raven Squad requires players to master both FPS and RTS gameplay in order to guide their two mercenary squads through enemy lines in the Amazonian jungles.

“Raven Squad combines two extremely popular genres into a single robust experience where either gameplay mode could stand on its own merits,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. “Atomic Motion is creating something that’s visually compelling and building new boundaries in what a military title can accomplish. Fans of both RTS and FPS games are going to love it, as will anyone who enjoys intense, action titles.”

I don't know. I generally have to be in the mood for one genre or the other. I'll have to see how things pan out as Raven Squad gets closer to its planned fall release.

Roogoo Now In Delicious PC Flavor

SouthPeak's Xbox Live Arcade adorable bear-creature puzzler Roogoo is now available for the PC wherever fine PC games are sold. Released earlier this month via Xbox Live, Roogoo is addictive as it is cute. Just ask SouthPeak CRO Melanie Mroz.

"Roogoo is a fun, family friendly puzzle game that is as addictive as it is cute," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Not only does the game get progressively more challenging to play, but it also gets harder and harder to put down."

The PC version, which retails for $19.95 (boxes aren't free!), and features all 45 levels of the XBLA version, as well as split-screen multiplayer. Awww, remember back when we used to play multiplayer games together on the PC? We were such dorks back then.

SouthPeak Scores $12.9 Million In Funding, Plans More Two Worlds

VentureBeat reports today that publisher SouthPeak (I was just there yesterday seeing Ninjatown) has picked up $12.9 million in private investments. It's worth pointing out, as Dean Takahashi does in his story on the financing, that rarely do console and PC video game publishers pick up venture capital - most VC dollars these days are going to more nouveau-media stuff like online games, social networks, virtual worlds and so-called "Web 2.0."

SouthPeak's apparently betting big on Ninjatown, X-Blades, Edge of Twilight and the rest of its lineup, which will include follow-ups to Two Worlds, hoping for big hits. According to Takahashi, SouthPeak is hoping to ride Two Worlds, which it considers its biggest to-date success, to fiscal year revenues of $30 million.

The publisher just went public in April, through a semi-complicated "reverse merger" situation it recently went through in April with Global Services Acquisition Corp - the quick story on that deal is the merger let SouthPeak go public without an IPO.

SouthPeak Interactive raises $12.9 million for indie games [VentureBeat]

This artwork by Shawnimals toy line creator Shawn Smith adorned one full wall at the PR office where I went to check out Southpeak's upcoming Ninjatown strategy title for DS. The game's based off of Smith's cute little ninja characters and quirky designs, and it's slated for an October release.

I got a chance to give it a try, and I had a hard time putting it down.

Russian Gaijins Go Anime-Style With X-Blades

I saw a couple of Southpeak's upcoming titles today, including one that I didn't even know existed, to be perfectly honest. A development team of Russian Japanophiles - get this, their name is Gaijin - set out to create the most anime-styled action title they could, and came up with X-Blades, headed for PC and next-gen consoles in the Fall.

Like anime style? Like cel-shaded 3D cutscenes? Like crazy outfits? This one could be for you, maybe.

Southpeak Tapped For Igor Movie Game

MGM Studios and The Weinstein Company's new animated film Igor is set to get the video game treatment courtesy of publisher Southpeak Interactive this September. Developed and co-published by Legacy Interactive, the game, in development for the Wii, DS, and PC, will follow the exploits of the John Cusack-voiced Igor, a mad-scientists helper who dreams of one day winning the Evil Science fair.

"Legacy and I2G are doing a tremendous job bringing Igor into the virtual gaming world,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. “This is a great property and promises to be a huge hit when it comes out this fall. We love the fact that the game is able to capture the elements of the film so well and turn it into a fun, interactive environment.”

The Wii and PC versions will allow players to team up for four-player co-op, while the DS version will utilize the stylus to perform movement combinations, battle enemies, and solve puzzles, as well as letting players build their own monsters.

"We first envisioned The Temptation as an expansion to the original," said Miroslaw Dymek, Chief Developer with Reality Pump explained. "However, as we started creating the story and reworking almost every aspect of the game, we realized that we were well on our way to crafting a fully-fledged sequel. Our entire development team is now putting their all into making Two Worlds: The Temptation a game that is far and away better than the original."

"This pack of downloadable content is a fantastic expansion for players who love playing Two Worlds with friends and are ready for some new and exhilarating features," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Tainted Blood's excellent new multiplayer mode is the key thing to note. The introduction of a completely new multiplayer mode lives up to our commitment to making sure Two Worlds is the best RPG experience we can create."

Mister Slime (DS) Coming In April

While it's been rumored for a US release next month, SouthPeak Games' Mr. Slime has been officially announced to hit Nintendo DSs all over America in April. A rehash of the 2D sidescroller, players use the stylus to pull a very elastic Mr. Slime around levels. While it's not the most monstrous, AAA release to hit the platform to date, the game seems to take advantage of some of the DS's more trademarked moves. Looks like fun despite its distinct lack of headshots or pantsu.

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.

Well you certainly can't call the folks at SouthPeak Games quitters. Despite low opinions from gamers and critics alike, they stand behind their persistent online RPG Two Worlds for all they're worth, announcing two new downloadable expansions for the Xbox 360 version of the game that look to greatly enhance the multiplayer experience. Highlights include an entirely new PVP mode that centers around land control, additional maps, co-op missions, and an arsenal of new weapons to play with. The new content will be spread out between two expansions, one in March and the next coming a month later in April, both costing 600 points.

"We've been looking to move into Xbox LIVE Arcade titles and Load Inc. wanted to do something brand new with the racing genre. This really appealed to us," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Competing with real life remote control cars is great fun, so why not do it in a videogame?

"Everyone loves pinball. It is an unusual kind of entertainment in that it bridges hardcore and casual gamers, while translating very well to videogames," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "We are going to give the medium the respect it deserves."