Following tons of discussion about the hints over on the Valkyria Twitter feed, today SEGA has announced DLC for Valkyria Chronicles! (Truly, good things do come in threes.)

• First up will be the long awaited Hard EX Mode. If you feel like a challenge, you can step it up in this mode and try playing through the game without the support of your main tank, Edelweiss.

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• Second is called Edy’s mission. Six of the Squad Seven members get separated, and while trying to reunite they come across a village under attack by the Imperial Army. Outnumbered, it’s up to you to perfect your strategy, defeat the Imperalists, and save the village!

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• Third is “Behind Her Blue Flame“, the previously unannounced (for the US/UK) mission set with Selvaria – this time you’re on the opposite side of the field, playing as an engineer in Selvaria’s troop. Besides the inclusion of Selvaria, one of the coolest aspects of this mission is that you get to see things unfolding from the perspective of the Imperial Army, instead of Gallia.

Next up, let’s talk about the second hint that was on twitter. When finished, it read: 1-0-3-6-9

To solve this, start at the third number in; the 3 in the middle. (Remember: Good things come in threes)  Following the previous hint about threes, now advance three numbers to the right. (Let the 9 loop back to the 1.) This gives you 3-1. Now move to the right another three numbers. 3-16. Another three and you have 3-16-0, and one final set of three gives you 3-16-09, or, today: the date that Valkyria DLC was to be announced.

The DLC will be arriving later this Spring, which means the official date will be coming forth soon. Until then, we’ve got some very nifty Valkyria merchandise here, including some limited edition artbooks and even rarer figurines from Japan – and, just as with those MadWorld hoodies from before, we’d like to give them out to those communities that show the most love for Valkyria!

Want a chance at these? Keep an eye out, and click above to join the official Valkyria Facebook page!

Shout out here and let us know which community sites you’d like us to reach to, and we’ll get in touch with the ones who definitely spread the Valkyria love! With DLC arriving soon, this is a fantastic chance to re-heat Valkyria and help spread some attention the game so truly deserves – tell your friends, your roommates, even your pet goldfish – and know that our community team here at SEGA will be doing the same, and supporting your existing communities with as much sweet merch as we can get our hands on.

More DLC news and coverage to come, including a special look at some of our favorite Valkyria Fan Art! (Be sure to submit yours here if you haven’t already!) Until next time, we’ll see you all on the battlefield!

HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL BREAKS [AN EFFIN'] RECORD FOR THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS GAMER’S EDITION

London, UK – 9 March, 2009 – The global authority on record-breaking, Guinness World Records, today announced that recently released The House of the Dead: OVERKILL (SEGA®, 2009) has broken into the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition for most swearing in a video game with a whopping 189 uses of the f-word.

Setting a record in this brand new category, the title recognizes The House of the Dead: OVERKILL as the most profane video game in history. During three hours of relatively limited dialogue, the campaign features 189 uses of the f-word, which equates to just over one per minute and three percent of all words spoken in the game.

Video Games Records Manager for Guinness World Records, Gaz Deaves, said: “This record category pre-existed for movies, music and television, but House of the Dead: Overkill is the first video game to be awarded the title in the Gamer’s Edition. It’s a mark of the times.”

The new record will be shortlisted for inclusion in next year’s Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. Meanwhile, the 2009 Gamer’s Edition hit stores last month and has already received critical acclaim from both the gaming world and the mainstream press. Enjoying a top ten position on the UK book chart, Gaming Guide Kotaku said about the book: “With entries for professional gaming, top selling games in history, the history of hardware and Guitar Hero, the Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer’s Edition looks to be a must have for fans of gaming.”

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL uncovers the ugly, terrifying, red hot secrets behind the House of the Dead; the daddy of all over-the-top shooters. While staying true to the classic gameplay this highly successful SEGA series takes on a new retro look with distinctive graphics, sound and attitude that add to its horror cool status. Also, because of the Wii RemoteTM, players will fight off zombies when they get too close; pistol-whipping jaws off and smashing in skulls with their shotgun butt.

Alright folks, it’s time to give out the first of our three MadWorld Hoodies – head on over to SEGA Nerds (or just click the pretty picture above) for details on how you can win!

You don’t need a copy of the game to win, but you do need a little something we like to call creativity.

Good luck!