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E3 2008: Portal spin-off leads XBLA lineup

GLaDOS leads the Live Arcade charge alongside South Park, Geometry Wars 2, Galaga Legions, Uno Rush, and the original N64 Banjo-Kazooie.

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While Microsoft's E3 Media & Business Summit conference culminated with the news that Final Fantasy XIII would be heading to the Xbox 360, there were a handful of warm-up surprises in store. Xbox Live Arcade was the subject of a handful of revelations, as Microsoft added a sextet to the downloadable game service's upcoming lineup.

First among the notable new games is Portal: Still Alive. Set for release this fall, the spin-off to the standout hit from The Orange Box and Game Developers Choice Awards Game of the Year winner will feature new levels and new achievements.

A handful of other sequels were announced during the conference, including Activision's Geometry Wars 2, which looks to add four-player action to its predecessor's already hectic gameplay. Meanwhile, Uno Rush revisits the hit card game with support for the Xbox 360's new avatars.

Namco is also returning to one of its proven franchises with Galaga Legions. Taking an aesthetic cue from Space Invaders Extreme, the game amps up the visual action of the original Galaga. Developed by the team who produced the Namco revamp Pac-Man: Championship Edition, Galaga Legions is set for release next month.

Not everything heading to XBLA is a sequel, however. Rare's Nintendo 64 platformer Banjo-Kazooie will arrive sometime this holiday season. Earlier this year, another Rare N64 title, the breakout first-person shooter GoldenEye, had been rumored for an XBLA release.

Finally, Microsoft unveiled a South Park game for the Xbox 360, but the brief trailer shown gave next to nothing away about the game. For more on the future of the Xbox 360, check out GameSpot's live blog of the Microsoft conference.

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