Dragon Age: Origins - The City of Denerim Trailer HD [GameTrailers]

The new European games convention, shifted this year from Leipzig to Cologne, will feature most of the major game developers, plenty of press conferences and an absurd amount of games. The list of developers on hand include Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Activision, Electronic Arts, Sega, Square Enix, Take-Two, Ubisoft and Capcom.

We've just received Activision and Electronic Arts play lists and they're impressive, including games like Modern Warfare 2, RAGE and APB.

Activision plans to bring all of their big titles with them to the show. That means we'll be getting time with Modern Warfare 2, Bakugan, Singularity, Blur, Tony Hawk RIDE, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero 5.

Electronic Arts too will come to Germany packing some major heat with nearly 20 titles to show off. That means time with APB, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Brütal Legend, C&C 4, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 2, Need for Speed SHIFT, Need for Speed NITRO, RAGE, The Beatles Rock Band, FIFA 10 (next gen), MySims Agents, TS3EP1, Army of Two: The 40th Day, Dante's Inferno, Dead Space Extraction, The Saboteur, NHL and Tiger Woods Online.

We've also heard that Square Enix will be showing off Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dissidia Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Mini Ninjas and Order of War. The biggest news coming from Square for the show is that Supreme Commander 2 will be playable for the first time anywhere during Gamescom.

We'll be feet-on-the-ground, live at the show getting hands-on with all of the big games and liveblogging the big press conferences, including a recently announced one from Electronic Arts.

With rumors swirling that a Playstation 3 price cut is landing the week of the show and Sony set to have a press conference that Tuesday, this could shape up to be one of the biggest Euro games conventions yet.

As an example, the above player was auto-named "Jason Gay" at the online TeamBuilder site. But imported into the Xbox 360 version, the player was renamed "Jason XXX." Users may manually change the name back in all modes of play into which created teams are imported, both online and offline.

The filtering, however, does make EA Sports look like it's demonizing the word, a delicate and persistent issue in online gaming. But in fact, EA's code has no problem with it; in the game, play-by-play man Brad Nessler says the name for players who have it.

Asked for comment, Electronic Arts provided this statement:

We are aware of the situation in which some auto-generated player names used online in NCAA Football 10 are being edited, due to Microsoft's Xbox LIVE language filter. EA encourages diversity in our online communities, and providing a safe place for gamers to play is a high priority at EA.

When we went to Microsoft for a comment, a spokesman acknowledged the ongoing debate and pointed to the XBL terms of use, which prohibit text in Gamertags or "other profile fields that include comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate content of a potentially sexual nature."

Both sides gave - quite understandably - policy-based answers to what is ultimately an incremental development in this issue. NCAA 10 may not have the kind of user base that gets fired up about this, after all.

But whether or not "gay" is more a self-identifier or a term of abuse, it continues to be someone's last name. Rudy Gay. Tyson Gay. Efforts to proactively micromanage this evolving word's use may, privately, have the intended effect. Publicly, it will continue to create instances such as these, in which some major corporation wittingly or, in EA's case, unwittingly and through no fault of its own, puts its brand on the implication that the word is inherently shameful.

Microsoft says it's still exploring ways to integrate the word with its community and its TOS. But, really. As decisions go, you're gonna make it now, or make it later. Let some churlish gamer's ugly behavior speak for itself, and deal with him tomorrow. But you can take "gay" off the filter list today, and end this as a controversy.

Sounds like an amazing artistic opportunity and a chance to see some beautiful country to boot. To get all the skinny on requirements and such, check out the Subotron website which is presented in both English and German.

EA Celebrates 10 Years Of Ultima Online

A Decade of Groundbreaking MMO Gaming Celebrated with In-Game Activities, Special Items and "Return to Britannia" Campaign for Past Players

Redwood City, CA, September 25, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment company, today celebrated the 10th anniversary of the classic massively-multiplayer online game (MMO), Ultima OnlineTM. Launched on September 25, 1997, Ultima Online broke new ground in the multiplayer game space and ushered in the modern MMO era. Anniversary celebrations include special in-game activities and rewards, plus a new amnesty program that invites former players back to experience the major game update, Ultima Online Kingdom Reborn, for free.

"Ultima Online has thrived for 10 years and achieved the status of an MMO classic, thanks in large part to the devoted player community," said Mark Jacobs, VP and general manager, EA Mythic. "We are very excited to celebrate this special anniversary with players."

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, EA is kicking off the "Return to Brittania" campaign, an amnesty program that welcomes former players to discover the gameplay and graphics upgrades implemented in Kingdom Reborn. Past subscribers in good standing will be able to play for free through October 9, 2007 by visiting www.uo.com/kingdomreborn/gamefiles, downloading Ultima Online Kingdom Reborn and logging in using their former account name and password.

During the in-game 10th anniversary celebration, players will be able to take part in a monster hunt with special prizes including an ankh pendant necklace, map of Brittania, Ultima Online commemorative sculpture and virtue armor set. Additionally, all players will receive 10 décor tokens and a wand of fireworks in their characters' inventory.

In the final part of my interview with Neil Young, the EA LA studio head talks about his job, the culture of EA and the future of the industry. I was impressed with Young's take on game development and the need for gaming to think outside the box. Kotaku and EA have had a few run-ins over the past year, but Young has always been professional in his dealings with us and his ability to do a video interview says a lot about him. Oh, and he says he loves the site.

Make sure to check out part one here and part two here. —Brian Crecente

Happy Holidays from Lucas Arts. It's kinda hard to make out, but they really packed a lot of nostalgia in this one Christmas card. (CLick on the picture to see a larger image.)

Can you name all of the movies/games represented?