Hidden Path Entertainment's Defense Grid: The Awakening on XBLA (released in 2009) just leveled up with today's announcement that it'll play nice with everyone's favorite passive-aggressive A.I. core, Portal's GLaDOS. Defense Grid: You Monster will retail for 400 Microsoft Points and includes 8 new levels with a story mode, as well as 35-plus new challenge missions wherein you'll be put through your paces by none other than Ms. Monster, herself.

In a blog on Hidden Entertainment's website, Jeff Pobst — the developer's founder and CEO — outlines how Defense Grid's relationship with Valve's Portal series came about when the Bellevue, WA-based team worked with them on developing an ARG for the launch of Portal 2.

"Afterward, we proposed the idea of making this into a full expansion and the kind souls at Valve gave us the go-ahead and then helped us record new GLaDOS dialogue (in English, French & German). We developed a whole new story that continued past what was shown in the ARG," Pobst writes.

But for Portal canon sticklers, Pobst also mentions that "nothing that takes place [in Grid Defense: You Monster] is pat of the Portal story canon. So don't worry about making it all fit in the timeline you Wikipedia entry writers. It doesn't."

As with all Xbox DLC add-ons, you'll of course need to already own a copy of Grid Defense in order to be humiliated by GLaDOS in her tower-defense form, but Pobst mentions that you may "see some discounts…to get the main game at a special price" when You Monster releases on XBLA next Wednesday. Maybe it's time to bake a cake in celebration.

SOURCE: Defense Grid: You Monster [Hidden Path Entertainment website]