Back when video games were first introducing the first-person shooter style, there was really only two titles to go to: Wolfenstein and DOOM. Both have seen their name carried on through the years with sequels and updates and even a movie adaptation for one of them. But it’s the original, cheesier adventures that will surely remain the favorites of that generation’s gamers.

Nowadays, these older video games are all finding their way to our next-gen systems, and you can find many of your favorite old titles in either the Xbox Live Marketplace or the PlayStation 3 Store. The latest of these titles is none other than DOOM II, which was released in 1994 and is now available to Xbox Live users everywhere via Bethesda Softworks.

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai
Genre: Beat ‘Em Up
Rating: ESRB M for Mature
Publisher: Ska Studios & Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: 1st April 2009
Format: Xbox Live Arcade

When I first heard about this release from Xbox guru Major Nelson on Twitter, I thought it was an April Fool’s prank. However I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn’t, and promptly checked out some of the available gameplay videos. These turned out to be surprisingly gruesome and frantic – and if you can describe a game with those words… I’m there.

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai was conceived when game creator James Silva was himself a dishwasher, finding himself the butt of many a joke. After pointing out that Bruce Lee was a dishwasher, he began to conceive a game about one that slaughters an insurmountable array of highly trained agents… and that became what we have here today.

The Dishwasher is a 2D sideways-scrolling “hack n’ slash ’em up”, where you take control of the unnamed protagonist who was captured by cyborgs that had a view to assimilating him into their collective (yes… sorry, that was a Star Trek pun… it will be my last). Freed by “Chef” – his mentor – he is given Alien Blood that resurrects him from death, and imbues him with incredible powers.

And we of course like nothing better than to use these awesome new abilities to pulverise anything that moves into a bloody pink/red mist.