Well that's certainly a novel way to make sure you don't have a huge overpopulation of Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors. The Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor are both force-active classes, one fulfilling a support role while the other seems to be more of a DPS class. Note that all of the information here comes from a translation of a scan of the PC Games article from The Old Republic forum member Petrosis.

According to said translation, the Jedi consular can be geared towards a healing or damage role, depending on how useful the player feels like being.

The article calls the Sith Inquisitor a second line fighter, and from looking at its powers (seen below) it seems almost like a crowd controller with some area-of-effect (AOE) damage thrown in.

Check out the descriptions from the translation below, or hit up the link for the full post.

Update: BioWare has confirmed the classes in a forum post.

Jedi Consular page:
Image top:
With sword, charm and the force! The Jedi Consular fights from the second line.
Image middle:
The seventh class is the Jedi Consular. Contrary to the revealed Jedi Knight, several weeks ago, is the Consular not to be found in the first line. Although he can swing the lightsaber too, he masters several ranged fighting skills like "Sleep", "Lift" or "Smash". The class can be tuned into damage or healing. Thus is the Jedi Consular one mighty support class in the Old Republic.

Abilities:
Sleep
Lift
Smash
Force Push
Reflect

Both images bottom:
Beatiful type! The Jedi Consular stretches his arms, focuses his force, and throws the attacking droids with one strike through Force Push on the ground.

Sith Inquisitor page:
Image top left:
I have the force! As a Sith Inquisitor one masters the use of elecricity with ease.
Image top right:
The Sith Inquisitor is the alst of the eight classes tottaly with which SWTOR will launch. The Inquisitor is the opposite of the Consular and is a fighter from the second line. Equipped with force abilities like the "Shock" or the "Lightning Charge" heats his enemies properly, in which we could assure ourselves in one play session. One quest sent us into an ancient Sith-tomb, where crawled with killer worms (K'lor'slug Ravager) and imperial deserters. With the help of the area attack "Overload" near enemies we can not only damage them, but knock them back and stun them for several seconds, and so we cleaned the nest quickly.

Abilities:
Saber Blow
Shock
Execute
Overload
Lighting Charge
Whirlwind
Dark Gift
Call a fare(?)
Dark Meditation

Image middle:
Bad chance! In close combat has the Trooper against the Inquisitor the bad cards
Image bottom:
Electricuted! With electrical hit one does not only damage but stuns the enemies

PC Games article fully translated [The Old Republic Forums - Thanks Venom!]

This marks the second time leaked footage from CD Projekt's sequel to the hit PC RPG The Witcher has surfaced on the internet, and the second time that the developer has decided to leave the leak be and open up discussions with fans. Speaking to Eurogamer after actually pointing them to the leaked video, CD Projekt's PR boss Pawel Majak explains that the company wants to make a bad thing better. "Let's turn the damage into something good and make [the game] even better."

The video depicts Geralt wandering about a village before fighting what both Eurogamer and I are thinking is a Kraken. It's either that, or a giant cliff octopus. It's definitely an epic encounter, either way.

I sure hope CD Projekt can get a handle on all of these leaks.

New leaked Witcher 2 footage appears [Eurogamer]

In that image you can see the four different designs survey takers were asked to consider. All have the 2K Sports 10th Anniversary branding which has graced the boxes of NHL 2K10 and NBA 2K10. This tipster sent us other screenshots - including one of the NDA (which of course the tipster broke by sending this) so I'm inclined to believe this is real.

Update: Another reader points out that the top two boxcover examples appear to be taken from Longoria's appearance on the cover of the May 18 edition of ESPN the Magazine. Based on additional screenshots and other information we have, I still believe this is a real survey, even if the top two examples are not original box art. As I wrote earlier, it's not confirmation of the official cover athlete or the box's final design. But asking survey takers how the box cover makes them feel about purchasing the game is a strong indication 2K Sports has settled on its man.

Second Update: The company responsible for administering this survey for 2K Sports complained to Kotaku and Gawker Media about this leak, and asked that the post be taken down. While we respectfully decline, we view such communication as confirmation that the survey and its subject are real.

Longoria is a two-time all star in as many seasons in the league and was the 2008 rookie of the year on a Devil (whoopsie!) Rays team that won the American League pennant. He just picked up his first Gold Glove.

Where is Ashcraft when you need him? He's been following the casting for Sega's new Ryu Ga Gotoku title for the PlayStation 3, from the initial cattle call to the porn star finalist, so he's far better qualified to point out exactly who these people are. Unfortunately in more ways than one, he's also much less conscious than I am at the moment.

Feel free to help me place names to faces, or just make up names. Go crazy with it!

The footage shows a woman dressed very much like Jade was dressed in the 2008 announcement teaser for Beyond Good & Evil 2, running through a rundown looking town, avoiding police, climbing on top of a building and then making her ultimate escape via an orange helicopter. The visuals certainly match what little we've seen of the game so far.

A tipster directed us to the video. If this turns out to not be from Beyond Good & Evil 2, I'd suggest Ubi steal it and use it, as it looks amazing.

Thanks Alan for directing us to the vid!

I think the most important thing to note in this post is that my spellchecker (yes, I use one) still fails to recognize asshat as a proper word. I know I can add it in myself, but that isn't the point. Until the word is officially recognized these leak posts will continue to make me a spellchecker rebel, living on the edge, clicking 'skip all' like some kind of madman.

"We're looking into it. Since we haven't sent out a single disc, it greatly reduces the number of places this might have come from."

So that means it must have been an internal leak (really doubtful) or someone haxored their way in. Me? I like to buy my games (or at the very least own a used retail copy). Nothing beats the smell of opening a new game and displaying it proudly on your bookshelf with the rest of your collection.

(Tom's Games va Maxconsole)

Work is currently being done towards an install solution for retail Xbox 360 systems, but you know what? I'll just wait. Hit the jump for a clip of the new dash in action, or hit the link for the full rundown of how they did it.

Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard 08 Leaked! [xHaVoK87's Blog - Thanks Madgame]

Intellisponse, the marketing firm behind the recent weekend's massive Activision and Microsoft leak-fest, is declining to comment on its gatekeeping issues or the impact the leaks might have on its clients.

"It is our policy that we do not comment on rumor or speculation," said spokesperson Elizabeth McCrocklin.

When Kotaku pointed out via email that the fact a leak most certainly occurred, resulting in widespread dissemination of info from the Intellisponse site was, well, a fact, and not a speculation, McCrocklin did not reply.

Intellisponse is a market research firm that partners with companies to help them conduct surveys and glean intelligence for their upcoming products and concepts. It also hosts a survey platform to help its clients conduct market research. It isn't certain just how actual any of the leaked products are - the leaks came from some of these surveys, so it's entirely possible that they're merely theoretical concepts for the purpose of gauging reaction and testing out the market.

For its part, Microsoft also declined to comment with the exact same "rumors and speculation" line, about either the fact of the leak or the concepts that emerged.

"The server-side interface used by the client is carefully protected to ensure that no abusive or unwanted information is transmitted to, or from the internal EVE server systems. Nothing the EVE client can do can affect the game state, no advantage can be gained by manipulating the EVE client, no advantageous or disadvantageous information can be transmitted to other EVE users by altering the EVE client."

GTA IV Map for PS3 [webshots - Thanks SUP3R!]

"The content you posted in the site blogeek is property of Ziff Davis, given from Capcom only to Ziff Davis and EGM issues, with embargo for the publications. Your publication of this subject is theft of intellectual property and should have immediate legal consequences. Ziff Davis and Futuro want you to cut off the content form your site immediately."

Pereia informed me that a follow up email informed him that Ziff Davis and Capcom lawyers were working to see what they could do to him, and that sales of the Street Fighter IV issue of EGM would suffer from the leak and he was responsible. Pressure is being put on Pereia to reveal his source as well, though Douglas refuses to do so.

He has, however, removed the post from Blogeek and taken the site down, posting a message on the front page apologizing for the leaked information.

IT WAS NOT OUR INTENTION TO MESS WITH ANYONE. LIKE EVERY NEWS SITE AND BLOG, WE JUST WANTED TO PASS INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE INTEREST FOR ANY SUBJECT.

JUST TO CLARIFY, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY NDA, AND FAR LESS WE WOULD HACK ANYTHING FROM ZIFF DAVIS. A SOURCE CAME TO US AND PASSED SOME INFOS AND THE TWO PICTURES, AND WE PUBLISHED THEM.

ALTHOUGH WE STILL DON'T THINK WE SHOULD, WE REALLY WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO ANYONE WHO GOT HURT WITH THE INCIDENT.

ZIFF DAVIS WAS THREATENING US, AND WE ARE REALLY AFRAID, OF COURSE.

Why pick on Douglas Pereia and Blogeek? Because they know they can. A small site without a very large fan base is much easier to fool with threats than a large website with untold numbers of regular readers. The main gist of this is they want to know his source, and they're trying to strong-arm him into giving it. Just sad.

As of this writing, Kotaku has received no similar threats, despite the pictures and information being available for all to view, right here.

UPDATE: Please see this post for comment from Ziff-Davis via EGM editor in chief Dan Hsu.

"All I can say is that code did not leak from Climax - 100 per cent guaranteed," said Jeffery.

"The code that is out there is fingerprinted and was supplied solely to Konami for marketing purposes."

Silent Hill PSP demo leaked online [GamesIndustry.biz]

1. Death Knight Hero Class (starting at higher level, damage-dealing tank)
2. Level 80 character cap
3. Siege weapons and destructible buildings in PVP
4. "hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items"

But I'm not a WoW freak, so hit the jump for the entire FAQ and some bombshells that I may have missed.

FAQ for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

What are the features of the new expansion?

Wrath of the Lich King builds on the rich foundation established in World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, providing a wealth of new content for players to explore. The harsh, forbidding continent of Northrend, home of the Lich King and his undead minions, will be uncovered on the world map, and to contend with the new challenges found there, players will be able to advance to level 80, acquiring potent new abilities and talents along the way.

In addition, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce the death knight hero class to World of Warcraft. Once certain criteria are met, players will be able to create a new death knight character, which will start at a high level. Furthermore, player-vs.-player battles will reach a new level of intensity with the addition of siege weapons and destructible buildings, not to mention a new battleground. There will also be an abundance of new quests, dungeons, monsters, items, and recipes — as well as a new profession, inscription — for players to try out. The expansion will include some additional character-customization options for players as well. We'll be going into more detail on all of these features in the months ahead.

How will the death knight class fit into the game?

The death knight combines martial prowess with dark, necromantic energies. Players might be familiar with the death knight from previously released Warcraft games — most recently, in the campaigns for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and the Frozen Throne expansion, the former paladin Arthas became a death knight and wreaked havoc across Azeroth and Northrend before fusing with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King. The death knight is the first hero class in World of Warcraft; once certain criteria are met, players will unlock the ability to create a new death knight character, which will begin play at a high experience level. We're currently exploring various options for how the death knight will play and the types of abilities at its disposal, and we'll be revealing more information about this new class as we get further along in development.

Will the death knight have any abilities from previously released Warcraft games?

The way we portrayed death knights in past Warcraft games is certainly a source of inspiration, but we are still determining how best to capture that feel within the mechanics of World of Warcraft, and haven't made any final determinations on specific abilities.

What role will the death knight play in groups and raids?

In general terms, the death knight can be considered a type of class that combines damage dealing and tanking, but naturally it will have an array of unique abilities as well.

What races will be allowed to play death knights?

We haven't yet made a final determination about which races can be death knights. However, the class will be available to both the Alliance and the Horde.

Will there be additional hero classes in the future?

Yes, we do intend to add more hero classes in the future, but right now our focus is on the current expansion.

What is the story background of the expansion?

Players last visited Northrend in the Warcraft III expansion, when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner'zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful entities in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne, deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the greatest champions of the Alliance and the Horde will do battle with the Scourge amid Northrend's howling winds and fields of jagged ice, and ultimately face the Lich King himself.

Will players actually get to encounter Arthas himself?

Players will be skirmishing with the minions of Arthas from the moment they set foot on Northrend. He will be a constant presence as players progress through the expansion content — which will culminate in a showdown with the dread Lich King himself.

Can you discuss some of the new talents and abilities that will be available from level 70 to level 80?

As with character advancement up to level 70, players will gain access to an array of potent and exciting new abilities and talents as they make their way from level 70 to level 80. However, it's still too early to get into specifics on these.

How long will it take to advance from level 70 to level 80?

We were pleased with the pacing from level 60 to level 70 in The Burning Crusade, and we intend to take a similar approach to pacing character advancement in Wrath of the Lich King. However, the specific amount of time that it will take players to reach level 80 will vary widely based on play style.

What can you reveal about Northrend?

The first area of Northrend we're showcasing is the Howling Fjord, a region of grasslands overlooking massive cliffs at the southeastern edge of the continent. This, along with the Borean Tundra, is the front line of the war against Arthas, and players will come face to face with his minions as soon as they set foot on Northrend. Eventually, as players progress further, they will explore the Grizzly Hills, Dragonblight, and more. We'll be showing off some of these new areas in the months ahead.

What's the level requirement to enter Northrend?

Players of any level who have purchased the expansion can visit Northrend. However, all of the content is designed for players level 68 and up.

How many new dungeons will be in the expansion?

The first dungeon players will enter is Utgarde Keep, which is intended for five players around level 70. Utgarde is inhabited by the Vrykul, a Viking-like race bent on proving their strength to the Lich King, who will raise the most worthy of their warriors to serve him beyond the grave. We intend to provide a variety of dungeons comparable to that in The Burning Crusade and will be revealing more details about some of these in the months ahead.

Do you plan to continue with the 25-player model for raids?

Yes, we've been pleased with the tactics, intensity, and variety of the 25-player raid model, and plan to continue with it.

In what ways will players be able to further customize their characters in the expansion?

In addition to the numerous new character-customization options that will be available with all of the new weapons and armor added by the expansion, we'll be offering some fun ways to alter both existing and new characters with regard to dances and hairstyles, but we're not ready to go into more detail just yet.

What can you reveal about the new profession coming with the expansion?

Inscription allows the player to permanently enhance their spells and abilities and to create mysterious items of power to use, trade, and sell.

What can players expect with regard to player-vs.-player combat in the expansion?

Players will be able to take control of siege weapons and use them to destroy opposing buildings, adding a new layer of complexity to PvP battles. Naturally, we'll be providing some fun places to put these new tools to good use, and we'll be revealing more information about them in the months ahead, in addition to the new battleground content being added.

Can you give a sneak peek at the new recipes and items in the expansion?

There will be hundreds of new recipes and thousands of new items available, but we're not ready to discuss specific examples just yet.

How many zones will be in the expansion?

Northrend will be roughly equivalent to Outland in terms of size and scope.

Will there be any new cinematic scenes?

Yes, our cinematics department is hard at work preparing a new intro movie for the expansion.

Release/Availability

Do you need to own the expansion to play with friends who have it?

There will be many aspects of the expansion that will be available to all players. However, in order to experience certain content, such as Northrend, or be able to play as a death knight, players must purchase the expansion.

Will there be an open beta test of the expansion?

We have not yet determined whether the expansion will require an open beta test. If we do decide to conduct a beta test, details will be posted on the official World of Warcraft website once we've gotten further along in the development process.

When will the expansion be released? How much will it cost?

We have not yet announced a release date for the expansion set. However, we expect to announce further details, including the release date and price, on our community website in the months ahead. Please stay tuned to [link] for more information.

Will there be a collector's edition?

We have not yet made any determination about whether there will be a collector's edition of Wrath of the Lich King. We'll be announcing details such as this closer to release.

Will a Mac version be available simultaneously with the PC version?

Yes. As with all of our games, Wrath of the Lich King will be compatible with and optimized for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms.

What are the system requirements?

We'll continue to ensure that the game is playable on a wide range of hardware. However, we have not made a final determination on the system requirements as yet.

Will the expansion be released globally at the same time?

We recognize that players throughout the world will be eager to experience all of the new content being added with Wrath of the Lich King, and we will make every effort to release the expansion simultaneously worldwide. However, there's always the possibility that unforeseen circumstances could delay the launch in any given region. We'll share the launch timing with players in each region as soon as the plans have been finalized.

What is the ESRB rating for the expansion?

The expansion has not yet been rated by the ESRB. However, we anticipate that it will receive the same rating that the original World of Warcraft received — "Teen."

It's tough to see this as WoW fanboy rantings, since writing it would have required at least 20 minutes not playing the MMO.

Exklusiv: Antworten zum neuen Addon [wowszene]

The "leaks" are so fast and furious around Halo 3 these days it's hard to keep up with what's new and what's rehashed. I believe these show are new bits and pieces of Halo 3 including a map called Epitah.

The NeoGaf guys were quick to dissect it. Digital Limit points out these things to note in the videos:

* Delicious-looking water
* Grenade explosions
* New Equipment (Fake Motion-tracking-entities grenade)
* Pistol is used (dual wielded)
* Valhalla is looking rather lush
* Sexy lighting
* Amazing textures
* Spartan Laser Scope

Hit the jump for the other two.

Gamespot first posted and then yanked a detailed post about a new QWERTY keyboard attachment coming to the Xbox 360 controller today. Wow, that's two in nearly as many days.

What could it mean? Only a few hours will tell. Brian Crecente

Xbox QWERTY [Gamespot]

Other interesting tidbits include the fact that online pre-orders will be available as bundles only and that stores can't reserve above their "reserve quantity." There is also an interesting mention of the Wii in the memo. I'll make sure to post once I get to the bottom of that tidbit. Please keep in mind this is a supposed to be leaked document, but we have no way of verifying it. Brian Crecente

From:*********

Subject: PS3 reservation plan and reservation allocations!!!

Date: 10/09/06 3:26pm

Attention store personnel:

On Tuesday, October 10, 2006, you will begin taking reservations on the Sony PS3 under SKU 020072 (PS3 Premium Edition) and SKU 020071 (PS3 Core Edition). YOU MAY NOT BEGIN TAKING RESERVATIONS FOR THE PS3 PRIOR TO October 10, 2006. Reservations are to be processed on a "first come, first serve" basis for your customers. Under no circumstances are reservation "places in line" to be held for customers. Our online reservation program will be activated at a future date: online reservations will be available as "bundle-only."

No forced bundles or any other customer "requirements" are allowed (our online reservation policy may vary). Reservations will be limited to one system reservation per household (customer is allowed to reserve 1 Wii and 1 PS3 if desired)

As these systems are in short supply and high demand, all stores are being allocated on their reserve quantity. Stores are not allowed to reserve above their assigned reservation allocation for any reason. Reserving above your assigned qty can result in disciplinary action.

Your assigned allocation for the PS3 is "16" units TOTAL between the 2 system choices. You are only allowed to reserve "16" units TOTAL of PS3. No more than 2 of these systems can be set aside to be purchased by store employees.

Please use the tracking form below to insure that you only reserve 16 units. Please record each customer's name and phone on the form below each time you complete a PS3 reservation.

As you process each reservation, you will need to communicate the following message to each customer:

Reservations/Purchases are limited to 1 per household.

The reservation guarantees the customer a place in line only: it does not guarantee that the system will be available at launch.

Gamestop is not responsible for allocation shortfalls or shipping delays caused by the manufacturer.

Online product pricing and availability will vary and be fulfilled independent of store reservations.

As a service to your customers, please try to capture each customers correct e-mail address when processing the reservation. This will allow us to send updates to the customer as more games and accessories become available for their system.

CyberNet news reports that a WalMart website screwup listed the Zune's price in advance: $284.00.

With the new 30g iPods going for $249, this is not an especially competitive price point, despite the new features. Perhaps the price was pulled because it isn't the final price at all, but I may be overly optimistic on this point.

And with the new iPod gaming abilities, Microsoft better be taking a hard look at the further possibilities offered by such a neato little device. Unused hardware possibilities, as all PSP owners learned, only end in tears. There is a simmering resentment inherent in knowing a piece of hardware can do more, but not being given the means to use it.

I know they told us the Zune would not be a games machine, but rethinking that decision might be a good move at this point. Eliza Gauger

[CyberNet News]

According to a new report from the British government, consoles are wasting electricity at an alarming rate.

Last month, a group of bloggers in the United States reported that while the original PlayStation leaked just 0.2W - accounting for some 1.752kWh wasted each year - the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 both leak a massive 2W, or 17.52kWh each year.

The energy review proposes a number of measures to minimise energy waste, including working with electronics companies to phase out costly standby routines that drain energy while the device is not in use.

But even if policies on conservative standby modes are eventually made law, they would not affect this newest generation of consoles. It's too late to be modifying that hardware, but the next batch would be ripe for messing-with. Eliza gauger

More here [GamesIndustry.biz]