Aussie Emulation Mash-Up April 8

Xbox Live Arcade adds another critically acclaimed exclusive to its already impressive library this week with The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile. Eccentric name aside, Vampire Smile is a stylised 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slasher. In addition to the single-player mode, you can elect to play the game cooperatively online or try to top the leaderboards in a series of challenges in Arcade mode.

It's not often that a game is released simultaneously on the PlayStation Network Store and Xbox Live Arcade, but every so often a game like Red Faction: Battlegrounds comes along. Unlike other games that fall under the Red Faction banner, Battlegrounds is a vehicular-based combat game, in a similar vein to Calling All Cars and Hardware: Online Arena. Interestingly, players who put a bit of time into Battlegrounds will be rewarded with points and weapons in Red Faction: Armageddon, which will be released in early June.

Other releases on the PlayStation Network Store this week include Hothead Games' Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two, and a role-playing game called Dungeon Hunter: Alliance.

Normally, we say it's fairly quiet across Nintendo's three digital distribution platforms, and it's even quieter this week with no games released across Virtual Console, WiiWare, and DSiWare at all. Fingers crossed that next week will make up for it.

For the full list of games out this week across the various digital download services, check out the list below:

PlayStation Network Store
SOCOM Special Forces Beta - free
Red Faction: Battlegrounds - A$12.95
Red Faction: Battlegrounds trial - free
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two - A$15.95
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance - A$19.95

Xbox Live Arcade:
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile - 800 Microsoft points
Red Faction: Battlegrounds - 800 Microsoft points