The Rundown: Dec. 19, 2008

December 19th, 2008, 8:22 pm by James Fudge

SEGA’s classic arcade racer is ready for a triumphant return. Developed by Sumo Digital, OutRun Online Arcade will bring online multiplayer racing for up to 6 players and modes like OutRun, Heart Attack and Time Attack. OutRun Online Arcade on Xbox LIVE will feature achievements and voice; and on PlayStation Network will include trophies, voice over IP and leaderboards. The game will hit Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network in early 2009.…Konami has released a free demo of Metal Gear Online, its squad-based, tactical shooter based on the popular Metal Gear Solid Universe. A limited version of the Metal Gear Online game is now available exclusively on the PlayStation Network. The demo showcases the multiplayer aspect of the series including specialization skills, the new Sons of Patriot (SOP) system, online play and more. More details at http://www.konami.com/.…Holiday shoppers visiting ToysRUs Times Square will find a new department dedicated to Nintendo’s products. The Nintendo department will be located on Level One of the ToysRUs international flagship store. visitors can check out Nintendo’s hardware and software first hand, before making a purchase. In addition to the new Nintendo department, shoppers can also find Nintendo’s products in the R Zone department on the store’s Lower Level.…Microsoft says that its singing game LIPS will get 14 downloadable tracks between December 19 and January 9, 2009 via Xbox Live Marketplace.…DOFUS creators ANKAMA group announced that it is developing its very first console-based video game . The company is working on Islands of Wakfu, an Xbox Live Arcade game featuring the same stylized graphics found in DOFUS and Wakfu (its online MMO games), but adds an animated cartoon vibe. The game will be an action adventure beat ‘em up featuring characters from The Wakfu universe, as well as multiplayer and other features specific to XBLA. Islands of Wakfu is planned for release in late 2009 on the Xbox Live Arcade.…Dungeon Runners players will have to wait a bit longer for the latest update. The official web site reports that the Build 153 publish has been delayed due to a “pretty bad bug that’s cropped up.” More details on when it will go live are to be announced.…KingsIsle Entertainment announced Dragonspyre, the first new 3D world to be added to its teen virtual world Wizard101 since the game launched this fall. Dragonspyre is a large, high level world expected to launch in January 2009 and continues the storyline of Wizard101. It is an ancient haunted world in which renegade professor Mallistaire has recently been spotted. Once an advanced militant society, Dragonspyre had an esteemed Academy rivaling that of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts in Wizard City. …GDI Game Domain International has launched the public beta of its digital distribution platform, AWOMO. The company says that its platform is capable of distributing content of all shapes and sizes and will soon prove it when it goes live in 2009.…A playable demo has been released for CID The Dummy, an action game to be published by Oxygen Games. The demo contains a tutorial to help you learn all of CID’s tricks, skills and weapons. More details at http://www.cidthedummy.com/.…Wicked Interactive and G4BOX announced today that Wicked Interactive’s SUBA Games platform will now host G4BOX MMORPG, Metin2, and its upcoming online FPS, Cross Fire. The deal means that these games and others will utilize a new unified login system and put both company’s games in one place.