Wednesday on XBLA: Magic: The Gathering and Sam & Max

The Arcade titles for this week have been announced, and they’re two titles that I’ve been asked about over and over – so I suspect this’ll make a lot of you happy!  I’m supposed to be in a meeting any minute now so I’m going to be efficient and blatantly steal this morning’s press release:

Glory, Conquest and Comedy! Xbox LIVE® Arcade Gets Spellbound and Side-splitting Funny With “Magic the Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers” and “Sam & Max Save the World”

The ultimate fusion of strategy and fantasy, “Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers” unleashes an intense level of game play on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, June 17. This arcade-style game takes you on a journey through a vast Multiverse of unique worlds where you are deemed a Planeswalker, a powerful mage who battles others for glory, knowledge and conquest. Command an arsenal of creatures and spells as you do battle against the computer or compete online against real-life players via Xbox LIVE Arcade. With numerous game play scenarios, including multiplayer game mode, Duels of the Planeswalkers offers an unrivaled depth in which each game is different from the last.

Looking for laughter? Gaming’s first sitcom is now on Xbox LIVE Arcade! In “Sam & Max Save the World,” join canine crime-fighter Sam and his hyperkinetic rabbity-thing partner Max to investigate a string of baffling mind-control cases. Can the Freelance Police find the culprit behind this evil plot before the entire world slips into a hypnotic trance? Find out in this six-episode series chock full of comical characters, entertaining exploration, and sarcastic asides!

Published by Microsoft, and developed by Stainless Games, “Magic the Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points worldwide. The game is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.  For more details, please visit:  http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/m/magicthegatheringdobxbla/

Published by Microsoft and developed by Telltale Games, this award-winning series has been enhanced for Xbox 360 with achievements, widescreen and HD graphic support, and updates to the gameplay controls. “Sam & Max Save the World” is available for 1600 Microsoft Points worldwide (excluding Japan). The series is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

EDIT: Broken links from the press release removed.  Sorry about that.