Alan Wake, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising Zero, Perfect Dark XBLA, Halo Reach beta dated at X10 @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on February 11, 2010

News: Microsoft confirms a ton of release dates at their X10 media event.

Microsoft's X10 event in San Francisco today was invite-only. Thankfully, Major Nelson has come through with a heaping helping of X10 news including release dates for some of this year's biggest Xbox 360 titles.

Microsoft will kick off their big year with the Xbox Live Arcade Block Party this March. Like the Summer of Arcade, the Block Party will be concentration of major XBLA titles, all released in a matter of weeks. The party will start off with the release of Toy Soldiers on March 3. It will be followed by the XBLA remake of Perfect Dark, Slick Entertainment's Scrap Metal and the launch of the Xbox Live Arcade Game Room.

Microsoft plans to go bigger starting in May with the launch of the Halo: Reach beta on May 3. If you want to be involved in the biggest beta of the year, be sure and hang on to your copy of Halo 3: ODST (which will serve as your beta key).

Two weeks later, on May 18, Xbox 360 owners will finally get a chance to check out the moody thriller Alan Wake. Developed by Remedy Entertainment (the team behind Max Payne), Alan Wake has been a long time coming and most Xbox 360 owners either can't wait to play or have forgotten it exists.

Finally, Capcom has dated Dead Rising 2 for an August 31 release. Presumably, the PC and PS3 versions will be released on that date as well. However, they won't be getting the Xbox 360-exclusive Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, a game add-on that will launch sometime in August and provide a playable prologue that bridges the story between the two Dead Rising games. It's currently unknown if Case Zero will be a standalone XBLA game or if it'll be an expansion requiring Dead Rising 2 (in which case, why release it before DR2?).

We'll have more from X10 very soon.