Chime is one of those games that try to push the boundaries of game design. The Chime gameplay mechanic is quite simple — put shapes on a grid with the aim of making music.

Gamers will take control of one shape at a time, and then move and rotate it around the game space in order to place it on a grid. There is also a beatline that moves across the screen in time with the music being played and this triggers events when it hits the shapes.

The very interesting game will have two modes that will really feature a great opportunity to really get immersed in the game. Chime will have full leaderboard support for full bragging rights with other Xbox gamers.

If there’s one game that you should check out this month it should be Chime. The game is available at Xbox Live Arcade for 400 Microsoft Points.

Microsoft has officially announced another addition to the XBLA experience that will surely hook fans.

The Game Room is being described as a modern and virtual take on classic video game arcades. The Game Room will seek to replicate the look, sound and feel of a video game arcade. It will be virtual place that your avatar can visit and play in.

At launch, the Game Room will feature a library of 30 arcade and console classics, among them Centipede and Asteroids Deluxe. The games will be shown in their original arcade cabinets. You can the games yourself or challenge friends in beating your high score. The Game Room can be personalized — you can move and rearrange the cabinets, decorate the room with carious themes and icons from classic video games. And every week, a new title will be released to add to your Game Room experience. What’s more You can enjoy the Game Room not only on the Xbox 360 but also on your Windows PC. Yes, the Game Room is a cross platform virtual room where you can play the games your purchase on either platform.

Microsoft has been playing with the Game Room idea since early last year so it’s a good thing that they have finally pushed through with the project. I think this will be a great way to make the kids today better appreciate the history of gaming by giving them the opportunity to play classic games where gameplay is the most important aspect of a game and not the graphics. Although PS3’s Home also offers free games, I think the Game Room is a much more fully realized concept. It will be interesting to see how Sony will react to the Game Room announcement.

Axel & Pixel, the highly entertaining point-and-click adventure game is now available at the Xbox Live Arcade exclusively.

Axel & Pixel is a perfect example of the spirit of independent game development. It wowed crowds during the last Penny Arcade Expo last September when it was first shown and PAE expo goers got to play it.

The game was developed by a small Czech Republic-based development company called Silver Wish Games. Axel & Pixel’s story revolves around Axel, a painter, and his dog Pixel, who go on a journey through the Dream World.

The game elements are deceptively simple because of the point and click interface. But the challenges are exciting and can be difficult, a great challenge for any gamer.

Fans of the animated cartoon series Wakfu will be happy to know that a game based on the series is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. The game, Tales of Wakfu, is being developed and will probably be released either in late 2010 or early 2011. Ankama, a French company, is developing the game.

From the demo presented by Ankama, the art work of the cartoon was recreated well in the game. Being a demo, the controls are still a bit wonky. This Action RPG adventure game will be a great addition to the games on XBLA.

PopCap Games recently announced that it will be bringing Peggle Nights on the Xbox Live Arcade.

PopCap Games has developed a sterling reputation for developing highly addictive games for the PC like Bejeweled, Zuma’s Revenge  and the recent Plants Vs Zombies.

Peggle Nights is another PopCap game that will be made available for the Xbox 360. It is actually an expansion of Peggle, which is already available on the Xbox Live Arcade. The new expansion will have 60 levels and 60 different challenges that come straight from the PC and Mac versions of Peggle Nights. The multiplayer mode is an exclusive to the Xbox Live Arcade and will also be adding three new Xbox 360 achievements that can net gamers with up to a total of 50 gamerscore.

Watch for Peggle Nights expansion pack on the Xbox Live this fall.

Sony announced last week its new Playstation 3 Slim, which is the company’s attempt to present a cheaper-priced console to meet customer requests for a price cut. With a new tag price of $300, it’s now within the price point that consumers want.

In an obvious attempt to steal the thunder from Sony, Microsoft has also decided to cut the price of its Xbox 360 Elite to $299 from its previous price of $399. The price of the Arade SKU will remain at $199. The Pro SKU, meanwhile, will be phased out.

The price cut will become effective on September 1, the same day the PS3 Slim becomes available.

Side scrolling space shooters are one of the most addictive games out there. It is also a great game of skill as you try to manipulate through a levels where enemies could be shooting at you from the top, middle and bottom. The action can get really frenetic!

Now, Xbox gamers can get the chance to play one of the best side scrolling shooters of all time as Microsoft releases the classic R-Type and R-Type II through Xbox Live. Both games are being bundled together for 1200 MS points, but I think you might still be able to get the special deal where the games are sold for a discounted price of just 800 MS points.

So what can you expect from R-Type and R-Type II? You get to play 14 stages in the original 2D graphics or the beefed up 3d version. The cool thing is that you can swap the graphics on the fly, which is actually quite an innovative approach to retro gaming. There’s also a multiplayer mode for added gaming fun.

The Pong-type gameplay may be the first game mechanic ever programmed and obviously has it has seen gameplay iterations that are just too many to mention. But the game mechanic has maintained its popularity and proof that it is a tried and tested classic are the number of new games that still come out today that still use the same mechanics – albeit in new innovative ways.

A great example is Blazing Birds, a form of robot badminton. The new Xbox Live game will allow players to battle sixty computer-AI controlled opponents through three different difficulty levels. Multiplayer mode will surely extend the life of the game, allowing players to compete in round robin multiplayer contests that can be participated in by up to twenty players. The easy to use and learn controls is, of course, the biggest draw of the game because even casual gamers will immediately get into the game.

Blazing Birds is available at the Xbox Live Arcade for 400 Microsoft Points.

If you are on the lookout for a zany game for the Xbox 360 then you really should check out Flock. This cute sandbox puzzle game has a premise that is totally out of this world, literally and figuratively. You will basically pilot a UFO around a very colorful landscape. The objective of the game is to herd various animals back to the, uhm, Motherflocker. Flock may sound and look silly but underneath the crazy gameplay is a very robust physics engine that is pivotal in how the gameplay elements are controlled and played in the game.

There are 50 puzzles that you need to solve and the game mechanics is spiritually similar to Lemmings. You have to form bridges, remove obstacles and flatten fields into walkable paths in order to give your herd an easy time in getting to their destination. There is a time crunch element so you have to be quick in solving how best to lead the herd.

Players can actually create their own levels with the easy-to-use level editor. There is also a multiplayer option where you can cooperatively play with a friend. There are also extra cnent in the form of hidden surprises, secret collectibles and upgrades.

Flock is now available at the Xbox live Arcade for 1200 MS points.