If you think Quarantine looks nice, hit the jump for Crossroads - definitely my favorite of the two.

Gary Gygax [Troll Lord Games Forums]
Photo by Alan De Smet

More on this sad story at the local Fox News affiliate.

Scituate Boy Dies at Providence Bruins Game [MyFox Boston - thanks, Andrew.]

Colin McRae, 1968 - 2007

Everyone at Codemasters, especially those who worked directly with Colin McRae, is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events of this weekend.

The loss of Colin McRae is deeply distressing. That it involved his son and another so young makes it even more tragic. Our thoughts are with his family and those closest to him and we share in their pain.

For over ten years, Colin was part of the Codemasters family and it was a privilege to have a man recognised as a true legend on the team. He always took a keen interest in the game experience, wanting to make sure it was without equal in its portrayal of the sport.

His contribution was inspirational and brought his technical expertise and passion for rally driving to each and every McRae game. Through the popularity of those games, he brought a whole new audience to the sport itself.

Codemasters' relationship with Colin began through Jim, David and Richard Darling and their condolences, along with ours, are passed to Colin's family. We are heavy of heart at his passing but we are also brimming with pride at knowing him and to have played a small role in his life.

He will never be forgotten by all at Codemasters.

Our hearts go out to Colin's wife, daughter and the rest of his family and friends.

Rally champion Colin McRae dies with son in helicopter crash [Times Online]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

I was hanging out around the outside of the Loews Beach hotel in Santa Monica Friday afternoon, trying desperately to ignore the growing red crispiness of my sun-punished forehead as I awaited the festivities promised by the Gamecock Media Group, when an all too familiar, mournful tune rang out through the dark...sunlit day. It really is hard to be moody and noir in Santa Monica.

In my austere reverence I decided there and then to take the air-conditioned shuttle bus in a circle around the city to ponder the heavy thoughts that the haunting image of this becockled piper stirred in my soul, and to get a Snickers bar. Upon my return, the festivities were beginning to get underway.

I entered the courtyard of the Hotel California, already filled with hopeful partygoers, with not one trace of Colitas rising up through the air. My disappointment was soon sidetracked by the strange items being passed around by the party organizers. Stylized black tambourines, black bandanas festooned with the Gamecock logo, dark umbrellas similarly festooned and, for some odd reason, a pickle in a bag, which remains to this day a subject of much speculation among my fellow press members.

In true Gamecock style the pre-funeral party was dotted with voodoo vaudevillians, dark and sexy creatures that were on hand to add a certain spooky beauty to the proceedings. The ghosts of booth babes past perhaps?

There was no time to ponder the origin of the specters any further, as the call had come, and it was time to give E3 the grand sendoff it deserved. The ever-growing procession of sad faces, black umbrellas and confused game reporters made its way down the long flight of stairs onto the sidewalk that parallels the beach. I found it a very moving ceremony and was ready to go back up the stairs for more beer, when the damndest thing happened. They kept walking!

Passersby stared at the mass of marching mourners in awe, perhaps wondering how those of the larger, sweatier persuasion (*cough*me*cough*) were able to maintain their footing without tumbling face-first into the crowd. Children followed along on their bicycles and skateboarder passed by us presenting very tempting lariat targets. Policemen on ATVs sat and watched us pass with the resignation of authority figures who knew deep down inside that if a group that large decided to start getting rowdy there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop us.

We walked and chatted and took picture after picture of other people walking and chatting as a brass band marched up front, setting the time. Then, despite my best efforts, I died of heatstroke.

Ahhh, but remember, I said I'd tell you about the time I almost died. *Rolling Stones music plays, digression ends*

Finally, after walking from the Hotel California to Venice Beach a full mile away, the procession lined a cement pier facing the ocean and urged the assembled gaming press to gather around to pay final tribute to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, taking a cue from Brutus by burying it but not praising it, only without the subversive undertones. Songs were sung and words were said. The Destructoid robot gave a speech I did not catch, too busy wondering when his brain was going to explode as the shiny metal helmet glimmered in the Santa Monica sun.

We stood and remembered the good times spent covering the gaming industry from the E3 show floor. Pondered all the good the show had done over the years to bring awareness to the business. Held a moment of silence for the...wait, beer? Later E3, they've got beer.

I learned so much that night at the Beer Garden. I learned that if you seem sincere enough when you tell the waitress the fried calamari is for your group, she will give it to you, just like that. I learned that if you accidentally call it katamari in front of several dozen members of the gaming industry you will never, ever live it down. I learned that Germans find it rude if you don't look them in the eye when you toast. I also learned that trying to keep up with beer-drinking Germans is a really, really bad idea. Most importantly I learned that you should write your flight time down on your body somewhere before attempting said keeping up, lest you find yourself running half-blind through the streets of Santa Monica screaming for a taxi cab nearly four hours before your flight is scheduled to leave.

Thank you Gamecock, and thank you E3. The lessons shall live on forever in my heart, as well as the inordinately large gallery that follows.

He teased us about death back in May, but this time he actually elaborates. There is no death. Instead, your character gets beaten until he collapses. Then he (or she) gets beaten some more. And more. Continuously beaten until you get up. How do you get up? By paying for it in either experience or gold. How fast you get up, and presumably continue fighting and killing your enemies, depends on how much money you pay. Pay a lot, get up fast. Pay a little, lie on the ground for, say, sixty seconds.

So what's the consequence of not getting up fast? You get scarred. SCARRED. Irreversibly scarred. And the more scars you have, the more townsfolk, villagers, barristers and women despise you. Unless they're in some kinda weird scar club, which is still as of yet not confirmed to be in the game.

The inspiration for all this is, strangely enough, birthed from the scene in the latest James Bond movie where Bond is repeatedly punished in the genital area. Hard. And did we say repeatedly? Molyneux saw that Hollywood took their heroes beat them to a pulp, but never killed them. They would be scarred, sometimes irreversibly so, but never killed (unless you work with Jack Bauer). So why not take this mechanic and put it into Fable 2?

Since most of the game is spent in an effort to not die, let's talk about combat next. Molyneux says that in an RPG game, at least 50% of your playtime is going to be in combat. So he wanted to make a combat system that was both robust and accessible. The way he did that was by mapping just about every attack function (melee, at least) to the A button. It's definitely simple, and it's definitely button masher friendly—something P. M. said he wanted to embrace—but there's also a lot to do.

First, mashing the button just keeps you swinging and swinging. The AI will figure out your patterns and block most of your attacks, but some may get through. Timing presses correctly, while the enemy isn't blocking, is the key. Then there's blocking, which consists of holding down X. Holding down the attack button for a while gives you flourishes, which are essentially charged up moves.

If you want to get fancy, there's A and a direction for thrusts, and if you time everything correctly (A, hold A, or thrust A) you'll get a cool camera change that zooms in on the action. There's even a narrow focus to give it even more "dramatic effect". And on top of that, the battle music changes and adds drums, which supposedly is controlled by the rhythm of your attacks—or button mashes. It all comes together pretty cohesively.

However, Molyneux claims that the system is on par with say, a Virtua Fighter, but we don't quite agree. It's deep, sure, but it's not exactly at a Soul Calibur-esque level. But you do get to break items and throw stuff at enemies all with the same attack button. And although magic and ranged weapons weren't demoed, he says they work in much the same context-sensitive way as melee attacks.

As for the engine itself, it's also looking pretty good. Lips, as he pointed out himself, look like rubbish. And so does lighting on certain characters. But buildings, streets, breakable objects, flowers, character animations, and the general environment looked fantastic.

Is this the second of the big three things Peter Molyneux has in store for Fable 2? What's the third thing? I can't wait to find out.

Ryan Penagos and Greg Draudt over at Marvel.com take an in-depth look at the history of Captain America in video games, from the primitive beginnings all the way up to the upcoming Marvel Trading Card Game for the DS, PSP, and PC. Michael Fahey

Captain America in Video Games: A Retrospective [Marvel.com]

A 330 pound (150 kilogram) Chinese man spends "almost all" of his seven day holiday playing online computer games and dies. And guess what's blamed for the 25 year-old's death? Yup. Says a local teacher in LIaoning province where the man passed away:

There are only two options. TV or computer. What else can I do in the holiday as all markets, KTV and cafeterias are shut down?

Are you sure there are only two options? Brian Ashcraft

Gaming Blamed For Obese Man's Death [CNN]

Hear that knocking sound? That's the GameCube, desperately kicking at the underside of its coffin lid as the gaming community tries to bury it based solely on the word of one woman - Nintendo of America's VP of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Perrin Kaplan. Silly us. What would a VP of marketing know about console and software production? Not much at all apparently, as Nintendo has confirmed with Eurogamer that the platform is still alive and well.

"I can confirm that globally, Nintendo is still continuing production of GameCube hardware and GameCube software," a spokesperson for Nintendo UK told us.

Nintendo denies Cube axing [Eurogamer]

A 22-year-old Ukrainian gamer, considered one of the top Lineage II players in Europe, stomped another gamer to death after the man tried to stop a fight between rival clan members, The Moscow Times reports.

Alexander "DVP" Ponamorenko has been arrested and charged with the beating death of Alexander "Sverkh" Blyoskin, 22, who was trying to break-up a fight between Ponamorenko and his online nemesis, known only as Shtai, a friend of Blyoskin, according to the Basmanny District Prosecutor's Office.

The three were at a gathering of 20 to 30 Lineage II gamers at a cafe in central Moscow on Jan. 12 when the fight broke out.

Everybody in the room noticed how the expression on DVP's face changed when he saw Shtai," a witness and fellow gamer, identified only as Pavel, told Rossia television on Saturday.

Ponamorenko and Kirill took things outside, and after the two came to blows, Blyoskin, a student at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute and a friend of Kirill's, tried to calm Ponamorenko down, Tatarinova said.

Accounts differ as to what happened next. Some witnesses say Ponamorenko punched Blyoskin, who played Lineage II under the nickname "Sverkh," and that the student fell and hit his head on the asphalt, Rossia television reported.

Tatarinova, however, said Ponamorenko stomped on Blyoskin's head while he lay on the ground.

Blyoskin was taken to a local hospital where he died four days later. He was buried at Moscow's Domodedovskoye cemetery on Jan. 19.

As one of my friend's pointed out when I told him about this sad story: If it wasn't a game gathering it would have been a soccer match or just everyday barroom brawl. Brian Crecente

Virtual Conflict Ends in Real Death [Moscow Times, via Koster]

A criminal investigation has been launched by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department into the tragic water intoxication death of Jennifer Strange (left, with her family), who died hours after participating in KDND-FM's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. This follows the firing of 10 of the radio station's employees, including the three morning DJs, and the cancellation of the morning show.

An article on law enforcement website Officer.com reveals more details on the utter disregard the radio personalities held for the health of their contestants.

Authorities decided to pursue the investigation after listening to a tape of the show, obtained by The Sacramento Bee, during which DJs joked about the possible dangers of consuming too much water, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said. At one point, the DJs even alluded to a college student who died during a similar stunt in 2005.

As far as I am concerned everyone responsible for the contest, from the promotions department to the on-air talent, had a hand in her death. Sure, the woman should have known better that to follow along with it, but she was trying to do something nice for her now motherless children. That's a fact those children will struggle with for the rest of their lives.

The attorneys of the Strange family plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the radio station, and I cannot see how they can possibly lose.

"Oh, my gosh, look at that belly. That's full of water. ... Come on over, Jennifer, you OK?" a male DJ asked. "You going to pass out right now? Too much water?"

California Sheriff Looks into Water-Drinking Death [Officer.com - Thanks Kael]

Jennifer Strange, 28 and mother of three, died of suspected water intoxication in the station's ill-conceived "Hold your Wee for a Wii" competition.

I'll reserve further comment, but hope this leads to a massive wave of morning radio personality firings. Michael McWhertor

Radio station fires 10 in wake of contestant's death [via Digg]
Woman Dies Participating In Wii Contest [Kotaku]

Wow, this is a weird one, but so many people sent it in I figured I should share. A 28 year old Rancho Cordova woman has died from her participation in a radio contest to win a Wii. Some clever monkey at station KDND 107.9 out of Sacramento, thought it would be hilarious to hold a "Hold your Wee for a Wii" contest (get it?). Contestants were given water to drink and whoever could drink the most without peeing, would get the Wii.

According to one contestant, the lady in question, Jennifer Strange, drank at least five 8oz bottles of water in the first hour and even more afterwards, but no one knows for sure how much exactly she consumed. The coroner said that early investigation showed signs that her death might have been caused by water intoxication. It should be noted though, that this is NOT the official word as of yet, just the preliminary findings.

I think the saddest part of this story is that Mrs. Strange was trying to win the Wii for her three children. Another strange death surrounding America's obsession with the new generation video game consoles. I must say, the mind reels. Flynn De Marco

Woman dies after water-drinking contest [MSNBC]

National's transport spokesman Maurice Williamson says today's young people think they are bullet-proof. He blames Playstations and X-boxes for making teens think they can drive stupidly and just push the reset button if anything goes wrong.

Wii Fatality [Revver - Thanks Ross!]

Analysts at TNS Worldpanel Entertainment have released research indicating that over the past four years the number of female and older gamers is on the rise. Old codgers (here interpreted as over 45) buying games for personal use has risen over 40%, while the female figure (rawr) is up 67%. They didn't say how many women over the age of 45 were buying games for themselves, which just goes to show I should be a market analyst, since they obviously didn't follow through here. Slackers.

I can only see these numbers rising as Nintendo's Wii continues to make good on its promise of appealing to non-standard gamers and those of us who have been gaming for a good 30 years now march inevitably towards death. Yeah, I'm a hoot at birthday parties. Michael Fahey

Huge growth in numbers of female and older gamers [GamesIndustry.Biz]

Well, today almost killed me. I not only went to Nintendo World in Nagoya, but drove there, spending a total of six hours behind the wheel. I've been up since 3am, haven't showered or had dinner for that matter, so please excuse my hobo appearance (and stank). Kotaku-land will have to wait for the feature I'm doing on the event, because, right now, I feel like throwing up. I'm that tired.

But! I'll be posting pages from the Official Nintendo World handbook that was passed out today. And by pages, I mean, even single one until I pass out on my keyboard. Thing is, my stupid scanner crapped out on me, so that means I'm photographing each page, cleaning it up in Photoshop just for you kiddos. Check back for regular updates, and I'll let you know if the ringing in my ear ceases. Bells, I'm hearing bells. Brian Ashcraft

And I spent. There's one more, but I dunno where the hell it goes. Good night, folks.

From Twin Galaxies:

Doris first gained notoriety in 1983 when she achieved a world record score of 1,112,300 points on the classic arcade game Q*Bert during Twin Galaxies' 1983 Video Game Masters Tournament, an event that was conducted for the Guinness Book of World Records. She was 58 years old then, the oldest person up to that time to capture a video game world title.

Doris eventually lost her title of Q*Bert champion in 1985, but later dedicated her free time to smashing that new record, often playing until 3 AM to one day retake her crown. Doris Self was 81. Please refer to the Twin Galaxies obituary for more information. Michael McWhertor

Doris Self Dies in Auto Accident

According to the latest CNN Money story on Episodic Gaming, in the next Half-Life 2 episode, someone dies!

It also lets them take some risks. For example, in the next episode of "Half-Life 2" (due in the first quarter of next year) Valve plans to kill off one of the franchise's regular characters.

Making such a move, particularly with characters that have become beloved in a major franchise is a risky one. But Newell said by introducing such a shocking twist, it can help the "Half-Life" story from becoming "just another watered-down serialized narrative."

"I think we want them to care about these characters and want them to trust that we're doing something smart with these stories," he said. "We want them to be genuinely be worried about the characters, so you won't think 'Well they won't do something to these characters, because they're too important.' If nothing matters, then nothing you do matters - and you're moving away from being in a world and back to being in a shooting gallery."

Yeah, no duh someone dies. I mean, doesn't the Half-Life 2: Episode Two trailer flat out tell you that Alyx has been killed, and that the Vortigaunts are "preserving" her, implied less for necrophillia than for necromancy? It's not really going to be huge drama if you kill off a character just to bring her back to life, Valve. And as for killing off Barney or Dr. Klein, didn't you kill those guys off a thousand times each in Half-Life 1? Florian Eckhardt

Changing the way video games are made [CNN Money]

One of gaming's most recognizable voices has filled with dust and gone silent.

Jay — who portrayed the Elder God from Legacy of Kain and was also a voice in World of Warcraft, Fallout and The Bard's Tale — finally succumbed after a long illness brought upon by microsurgery for a non-cancerous tumor in his lungs.

Earlier, I said that Tony Jay was one of the most recognizable voices in gaming. That you never realized you recognized it was why Tony Jay was such a great voice actor. What a shame. Florian Eckhardt

Tony Jay [Official Site]

Straight from the Early Morning Bummer Department, we're sad to report that Alan Kotok — the MIT visionary who helped create both the first video game, the first joystick and the first implementation of multiplayer — is dead.

Kotok was one of the guys who put together Spacewar in 1961. Kotok was the guy who put together the initial sine and cosine routines on which the rest of the game was based. He also single-handedly created the prototype joystick.

It's sad to lose a real gaming visionary. We here at Kotaku — unofficially re-christening ourselves as Kotoku in remembrance of his spunk and love of fun — tip our glasses in fond remembrance. Better late than never. Thanks, Alan! Florian Eckhardt

Alan Kotok's Obituary [MIT]

Brief summary of the story behind this video: a well loved World of Warcraft PVPer suffered a stroke, died and her guild decided to hold a memorial service for her in game. Note the orderly line to view the "corpse." A rival guild then decided to slaughter them all. If you want more information, Joe Rybicki has more.

It's caused a lot of outcry, but heartless sons of bitches that we are, we can't help but giggle. Leaving aside the fact that these maudlin expressions of grief are more about patting yourself on the back for caring than adult expressions of mourning and loss, let's put this in perspective. What more fitting tribute could there be to the life of a PVPer than a massive guild war erupting over her lifeless corpse? I'm a PvPer and I'd be damned proud to inspire that sort of carnage with my last life's breath.

Thanks to Glocker hegemon Joel for the tip! Tell us what jerk-offs we are in the comments!

Serenity Now Bombs A Funeral [Google Video]

It sounds like 50 hours is about the maximum amount of time a person can game before their heart explodes. CNN reports that a South Korean man died of heart failure minutes after finishing a 50 hour game marathon. The man had recently quit his job to play more games, that's a bad sign.

Actually, maybe it's just PC games that kill you, because it looks like 50-hour arcade marathons just leave you smelling like a wet cat.

Man Dies After 50-Hour Gaming Marathon [Slashdot]

That's gonna help a lot, because pay-cuts often lead to resurrections.

Sega Admits Fault in Ride Death [Next Generation]