EVERQUEST ONLINE ADVENTURES

The Adventure Continues With New Holiday Themed Quests and Activities

WHAT: Gone Fishing!
Scheduled to begin on October 31st, EverQuest Online Adventures (EQOA) will officially kick-off fishing season with its first ever in-game fishing tournament. Players can grab their rods and reels and seek out the best locations as weekly prizes will be awarded for catching special tagged fish. Anglers who are able to lure in the tagged fish will be awarded an in-game pet as a reward. The tournament is scheduled to culminate on November 15th, so time is limited. Join in the fun and hook a big one!

Fall Activities Galore!
• Trick or Treat Halloween Quest: Quest is comprised of 20 NPCs that the player must discover, collecting all the “treats” they hand out.
• Moradhim Earth Elemental Invasion: A GM run event that has players battling a Rift, the enraged earth guards, and the muddites. GMs take the guise of “rock named” elementals to fight.
• Scavenger Hunts: Players have the opportunity to collect specific items from various NPC’s around Norrath.
• Witch Hunt Quest: A witch harasses a nearby town. In an attempt to be rid of her, players assist her in finding her sisters.
Unlock the Mystery of the Broken Blade!
Many years ago, adventurers encountered a Cave Hydra in the depths the caverns of Solusek’s Eye. After a long battle with this mystical three headed creature the adventurers discovered that it was protecting a secret. The Hydra possessed a magical Broken Blade with an inscription that provided little information as to the true destiny of this item. Hoping to decipher the words written on the blade they sought out many races throughout Tunaria for translation, but to no avail. Hop online and see if you can be the first to decipher the mystery of the broken blade that has eluded puzzle experts for years!

Click here to check out all latest enhancements!

WHEN: October 31, 2007

WHERE: EverQuestOnlineAdventures.station.sony.com

WHO: About EverQuest Online Adventures
EverQuest Online Adventures is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), which allows PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system owners to experience an open-ended, persistent virtual world, filled with thousands of other players. It was the first of its kind available on the PlayStation 2 system in North America and utilizes the Network Adaptor to connect seamlessly to the Internet. The game carries a monthly subscription fee per person for continuing access and updates to the game world. Players can subscribe either by using a credit card, or by purchasing SOE Game Cards from various retail outlets. For more information, please visit www.everquestonlineadventures.com.

Secret Super Mario Galaxy character exposed

A secret, playable character in Galaxy has been discovered and all the spoiler-filled details have been made known.

The official Super Mario Galaxy strategy guide has revealed that upon completion of the plumber's forthcoming outer space adventure, players will be able to take control of a secret character. A scan, containing all the details of the spoiler, is available below.

Click here for spoiler

The secret character's only playable, as the scan above explains, once all 120 stars have been acquired, once all purple coin missions have been completed and once Bowser has been defeated for a second time.

Source: Aussie Nintendo

Super Mario Galaxy Japanese Retail Copy

Before popping in Super Mario Galaxy this afternoon, I had to dust my Nintendo Wii. Besides the occasional Wii Sports game, the machine hasn't gotten much use. It's kinda just sat there in the living room, waiting for games — not mini-games, but games. After an unnecessarily long drought, the games are finally starting to hit. Third party-wise Zack & Wiki, which is fantastic, dropped, and today sees the release of Super Mario Galaxy in Japan.

Played through the game a far bit with Crecente at this year's E3. The Wii-mote controls were tight, the graphics were great and the game was a helluva good time. With this being the first console game in the Mario series since 2002, SMG has been written up in detail after every public showing — more so recently with the actual game in demo kiosks across America. Yes, the Wii-mote controls are still tight, the graphics are still great and, yes, it's still a helluva good time. Well, once you begin the adventure part. Everything leading up to that is a bit of a drag.

Like others I'm sure, my earliest gaming memories were of Mario jumping on turtles and throwing fire. Mario was doing stuff. So, when I pop in a Mario game, I want to do things, which is probably why I've never been into titles like talk-heavy Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario, regardless how wonderful those games are. Mario as a platformer made a deep impression on me as a kid (and the entire industry). Not so interested in what Mario has to say! Would rather have the little guy jump around, throw fire and hop on turtles. So, SMGis that in space! Sign me up.

And once you get to that part, it's grand. However, as anyone who has played the game can attest, there's about 10~15 of cut scenes and dialogue. Great, so there's a comet passing over the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser takes Peach to space, some lady named "Rosetta" ("Rosalina" in English) helps Mario, blah, blah. Do. Not. Care. It's two~three minutes of exposition dragged out to a length three or four times that, followed by a separate tutorial that seems overdone. And yes, the cut scenes are pretty, but who plays Mario games for cut scenes? The first ten minutes were unnecessary, dull and not fun. But once you clear that, damn is this game fantastic.

Source: Kotaku

Metal Gear Solid 4 delayed

KONAMI announced today that "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS", the latest in the METAL GEAR series, is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2008.
KONAMI had initially intended to release "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" this winter and has been working on the production of the title. KONAMI has decided to delay the title's release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.

KONAMI will continue its efforts to make "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" meet everyone's expectations.

Source: VE3D

XBox live user face ban for sharing accounts

"You might have your console banned from Xbox Live," states Hryb

Microsoft has again warned Xbox 360 users not to share Live account information with other player's online.

Some users share accounts in order to have other players boost their Gamerscore and unlock difficult Achievements, but if shared accounts begin taking advantage of paid content and registered credit cards, they are breaking the Xbox Live Terms of Use.

"I have mentioned this a couple of times on my podcasts, but I want to make sure those that don't listen to the show get the message. Specifically, don't share your account information," writes Larry Hryb, Xbox Live director of programming on the Gamerscore blog.

"If you run into that person in Halo 3 who claims if they could have your Live ID name and password to recover your Xbox Live account to their Xbox and they'll rank you up or find you all the hidden skulls in Halo 3, I urge you not to fall to temptation.

"If that 'friend' of yours decides not return your account and buys a bunch of Arcade titles and movies on your account, there is nothing we can do except cancel the account since you willingly shared your information," he warned.

And any tampering of 360 Gamerscores or Achievements by "nefarious" means is likely to result in harsh penalties – accounts can be cancelled, Gamerscores removed, and consoles banned from the popular online service.

"If you decide to employ some nefarious techniques to artificially increase your Gamerscore or obtain achievements by manipulating the Xbox software without playing the game, bad things will happen," continued Hryb.

"If you use tampered gamesaves to boost your Achievements and Gamerscore, you may sign in to Xbox Live one day and discover that we have removed your Gamerscore. Once we do that, you will never be able to re-earn those achievements on that account. Even worse, you might have your account and/or console banned from Xbox Live."

Source: Games Industry

EA Sports signs Lewis Hamilton?

British Formula 1 star rumoured to front new EA titles next year

Britain's Formula One rookie Lewis Hamilton, who almost won the championship with McLaren in his debut season this year, has been snapped up to front a new videogame title by EA Sports.

That's according to a report in UK tabloid The Sun, which reports the deal as worth an estimated GBP 5 million to Hamilton.

There is currently no indication that EA's investment will result in a specific F1 title however, as Sony currently holds the FIA license for its long-standing racing series, although the report does cite "Xbox and PlayStations" as the platforms.

Source: Games Industry

Atari's Godzilla Unleashed

Atari, one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that development on Godzilla Unleashed, a long- running publishing franchise and the ultimate giant monsters fighting game, is complete. Godzilla Unleashed for the Wii and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash for Nintendo DS are scheduled for release this holiday season.

Featuring the legendary Godzilla and at least 20 of some of the most renowned monsters of all time, Godzilla Unleashed is an epic fighting game on a giant scale. In an attempt to save the planet earth from total mayhem and destruction, gamers must cause some damage of their own by fighting with or against other giant monsters.

"We are excited to bring Godzilla Unleashed, the next installment of a beloved franchise, to so many great platforms," said Keehwan Her, Producer, Atari, Inc. "Each platform offers a unique line-up of monsters and gameplay innovations. The Wii version presents a new story mode and robust motion-based controls; the PlayStation 2 system includes a story mode along with a slightly different monster roster and the Nintendo DS version features two-player cooperative gameplay with side-scrolling action that takes advantage of both screens for dual action gameplay."

Godzilla Unleashed provides an environment perfect for stopping this worldwide obliteration with nine urban arenas, interactive 3D cityscapes, big destructible buildings, soaring skyscrapers and towering alien formations. Featuring an innovative non-linear storyline which allows players to influence how the story unfolds through their choices within battles, and a flexible multiplayer mode which supports up to four players for the ultimate city- crushing monster extravaganza, Godzilla Unleashed is a must-have this holiday season.

For more information on Godzilla Unleashed, Atari and its entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 website

Ubisoft kicks off the countdown to the release of Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 with the launch of the game’s official website. The website will be THE place to catch up with the Rabbids and enter their wacky universe.

The official trailer for the Nintendo DS version can be downloaded at the Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 website: http://www.raymanravingrabbids2.com

Developed by Ubisoft’s Paris Studio, Rayman Ravinds Rabbids 2 will launch worldwide on the Wii home entertainment system from Nintendo and the Nintendo DS on November, 16th 2007.

About Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
The mischievous bunnies are back in a hilarious sequel that is guaranteed to be even crazier and funnier than the first – and with even more wacky games!
They've invaded the world of Rayman®, and now the insane Rabbids have a new objective: invade planet Earth! They have established their base at a shopping mall and begun training for their nastiest scheme yet. As part of this training, the Rabbids must carry out several missions around the globe to help them in an attempt to dominate the world. The Rabbids will also try to study human behavior by mimicking everything we do…but in the Rabbid sort of way, with no logic…of course. Back to battle the Rabbids and stop the invasion is Rayman, who will infiltrate the Rabbids by disguising himself as one of them.

Have a horrific Halloween with Clive Barker's Jericho

Trick out and ghoul-up your PC this Halloween as Codemasters treats gamers to a monstrous collection of Clive Barker's Jericho desktop wallpapers featuring gruesome creatures from the recently released supernatural shooter. Four foul monster wallpapers are now available to download from www.codemasters.com/jericho in Community > Wallpapers.

Inspired by Barker's fiction, the detailed illustrations depict four of the game's most iconic and fearsome fiends, including the gorged and bloody bulk of the Roman Governor Cassus Vicus, hung from his chains as he rips open his stomach in readiness to unleash a jet of blood and toxic entrails.

Other wallpapers feature Arnold Leach, the demonic winged leader of the Brotherhood of the Dark Rapture, the axe-fused Exploding Cultist and Vicus' own gladiatorial beast, the Blind Behemoth. Each wallpaper design is available in 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024 and 1600 x1200 resolutions.

Launched last week, Clive Barker's Jericho is a spectacular blast from the master mythmaker's cannon of nightmares. Mingling the darkest elements of his creative works with an ambitious, age-spanning story, the squad-based FPS gameplay takes players on a journey through hellish locations and slices of time combating gruesome and twisted enemies.

As this Halloween's must-play title, Clive Barker's Jericho is now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows. To download the new desktop wallpapers, videos and the Games for Windows playable demo, visit the game's official website at www.codemasters.com/jericho.

DRAGON BALL Z BUDOKAI TENKAICHI 3 PLAYSTATION 2 COLLECTOR'S EDITION

Exclusive Content Accompanies the Ultimate DBZ Fighting Experience

Atari today announced the forthcoming PlayStation 2 Collector’s Edition of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 containing great exclusive content. Developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. / Spike, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for PlayStation 2 is scheduled for European release on 9 November in both standard and Collector’s editions.

Available in a specially designed retail box, the Collector’s Edition contains the game, plus an exclusive digital art book and giant wall poster. The 50-page art book includes imagery from the development team detailing how the game’s characters and environments were created, plus a personal message from the team at Spike. The poster features a dazzling array of DBZ characters, making the Collector’s Edition something no fan should be without.

Improving upon last year’s hit 3D fighting experience, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 offers more than 150 playable characters, more than 30 battle stages, and upgraded shading techniques providing enhanced and devastating effects. The exclusive ‘Disc Fusion System’ featured in the PlayStation 2 version of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 lets players insert either Budokai Tenkaichi 1 or Budokai Tenkaichi 2 into the console to unlock brand new gameplay modes. Each game in the series will provide a different and exciting new gameplay mode.

The immensely popular Dragon Ball Z series is the gold standard of anime-based video games, with more than 25 different games and over 10 million units sold since May 2002.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for PlayStation 2 is scheduled for release on 9 November. Featuring online play for the first time in a DBZ game, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for Wii is scheduled for European release in January 2008. For more information on Dragon Ball Z video games, please visit www.dbz-videogames.com.