NewsSpots: PlayStation Store, Rock Band, Shadowrun, more

PlayStation Store gets trailers for Heavenly Sword, Stranglehold, and more
The PlayStation Store, Sony's downloadable PlayStation 3 content hub, will be seeing a multimedia update today. The Sony's Gamers' Day trailer for Heavenly Sword tops the docket. Also available will be a video for Sony's proprietary baseball franchise, MLB 07: The Show, and a trailer for Stanglehold, the video game adaptation of John Woo's Hard Boiled. Rounding out the offerings are a theatrical trailer for Michael Bay's anticipated summer blockbuster Transformers and a preview of the Blu-ray release of Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live in Dublin.

Harmonix elicits song-selection input
While fans wanting to make song suggestions for the next Guitar Hero must settle for a simple forum topic , Harmonix's Rock Band is amping up its song-selection process to 11. Beginning today, those who want their voices heard can hit up Rock Band's official Web site to submit four of their favorites for consideration. As previously reported, Harmonix will have access to the catalogs of EMI Music Publishing, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Hollywood Records, and Warner Chappell Music. Rock Band is slated to jam on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and possibly the Wii later this year.

Demo for FASA Studios shooter headed to XBL
Shadowrun may have been one of the first titles compatible with Games for Windows Live, breaching the line between console and PC gaming, but a rift still exists between the two platforms. Namely, a demo for the sci-fi/fantasy first-person shooter is available exclusively for Xbox 360 owners today, downloadable over Xbox Live. Players are afforded a limited selection of races, tech, and magic. A single map is included with the demo, and players can shoot it out against computer-controlled or real-life opponents.

Dungeon Hero renamed, headed to PC and Xbox 360
Billed as "a brutal but comical romp through the 'real' world of medieval dungeons," Firefly Studios' Hero was announced as part of Gamecock's original quintet of games under production. More details have emerged today on the true-to-life dungeon crawler. Redubbed Dungeon Hero, the game will feature an interactive environment where players participate in a functional, real-world environment as well as contend with monsters in close-quarters combat. It was also announced that Dungeon Hero will appear on the Xbox 360 as well as the PC. The game is still slated for a 2009 release.

Building-block manufacturer pieces together MMOG for holiday 2008 release
Massively multiplayer online games generally aren't considered kids' play, but they soon could be. Disney's Toontown Online set up stakes in the market years ago, and earlier this year NetDevil announced that it would be releasing an MMOG based on Lego building blocks. Today that project received a name, as The Lego Group confirmed that NetDevil's game will be released as Lego Universe in the fourth quarter of 2008. The child-safe game will let players customize their own characters, build them over time, and use a number of community features.

Artoon's newest survival horror game hitting Xbox 360 July 3
Though it's been out in Japan since January, Microsoft today announced Vampire Rain has gone gold and will be hitting US Xbox 360s on July 3. Developed by Artoon, better known for the acclaimed Yoshi's Island DS, Vampire Rain is a horror-themed stealth action game that follows a team of agents tasked with hunting down an evolved breed of vampire plaguing Los Angeles. A new trailer for the game recently went up on Xbox Live, and it is also available on the game's Web site.