The new service is aimed at every facet of the PC gaming community, from pro-teams that want to show off their skills to publishers that wish to show off their wares. Even you, the solo PC gamer, can allow the world to watch you play World of Warcraft, garnering helpful comments from the community via Livestream's chat functionality. Helpful tips like "should have presured the pally abit more" and "lalalalalala." Helpful!

"The partnership expands Xfire's offering to our vibrant community. It keeps our users involved, engaged and active. For Livestream, the partnership adds compelling gaming content to the linear and on-demand video content already available to millions of viewers and reinforces the power of the Livestream Platform," says Chris Kirmse, Xfire's General Manager. "We integrated Livestream's Platform within two weeks using their Platform APIs providing our users a 1-click solution to start a live broadcast."

You can visit Livestream's Xfire Gaming Network page right now to watch other people playing video games, or download Xfire and show the world your mad skills.

Possibly the purest Magic: The Gathering experience ever to grace a game console, Wizards of the Coast is keen to bring Duels of the Planeswalkers to the PlayStation 3 and PC audience, while continuing to show love to the Xbox 360 audience with a couple of new expansions. The PC version of Duels is scheduled for release in the Summer of 2010, featuring the same gameplay of the Xbox Live Arcade version with an "extra bonus." I'm guessing the extra bonus is some sort of card marketplace, but don't quote me on that.

The PlayStation Network version of the game won't be hitting until fall of 2010.

Meanwhile, Xbox Live players will enjoy the release of the 2nd and 3rd expansions for the game in Spring and Summer of next year respectively.

I've yet to download the first expansion, what with the fall review season in full swing, but I look forward to sitting down and getting my game on soon. Once a Magic addict; always a Magic addict.

Click the thumbnails for more details.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #45 ... Written by John Jackson Miller. Drawn by Brian Ching

Summary Via Publisher Dark Horse Comics:
Despite a disastrous first encounter with the Crucible, Zayne Carrick is still determined to end the brutality they promote in their business. But this time, he plans to break them from the inside out!

Having set himself up to be captured by the slavers, when this former Padawan arrives at the Crucible's training facility, it will be all he can do to survive, let alone focus on learning about their organization. His connection to the Force will give him an unexpected insight — one that he doesn't necessarily want. And when a past nemesis of his friend Jarael appears, Zayne begins to worry that entering the Crucible may be the biggest mistake of his life!

Starcraft #4... Written by Simon Furman. Drawn by Federico Dallocchio and Brian Denham

Summary Via Publisher Wildstorm Entertainment:
The War Pigs are getting closer and closer to hunting down renegade marshal Jim Raynor, but obstacles and internal conflict continue to muddy the mission waters. Far-from-gentle giant Turfa Dei confronts the ghosts of his past while the team faces off against present day ghosts – the Dominion's elite and deadly.

World of Warcraft #23... Written by Walter and Louise Simonson. Drawn by Mike Bowden

Summary Via Publisher Wildstorm Entertainment:
Following an attempt on Med'an's life, Garona and Meryl team up to take out the ogre Cho'gall. Meanwhile Med'an, Valeera and Maraad travel to Kharazhan to speak with the shade of Med'an's father. Further explore the world of the best-selling MMORPG in this hit comic series!

Prototype #6... Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. Drawn by Darick Robertson
Summary Via Publisher Wildstorm Entertainment:
The hit comic based on the game concludes! Biological weapons, unhinged commandos, violent creatures and more round out this final issue! New York City stands as a symbol of our nation, but if New York homicide detectives can't rise to the occasion and stop events that are in play, NYC will become a wasteland.

The Warden and the Druid join Runes of Magic's diverse cast of character classes when the second chapter, The Elven Prophecy, hits the game this September. The Warden is at one with the forest, travelling with a magical plant companion and casting beneficial spells on their allies. Meanwhile the Druid is a nature wizard, with a much more diverse catalog of spells, from healing to damage to support. According to the picture here, one of them wears tree bark, while the other one is a crazy near-naked plant lady.

Both of these new classes are being called Elf classes, meaning humans won't be able to play them until Frogster decides it would be a good idea. Considering the rate at which they add to the free-to-play game, that could be a matter of minutes.

Developer NinjaBee delivered one of the earliest avatar-supporting Xbox Live Arcade titles in A Kingdom for Keflings, and now they're putting your digital representation in the line of fire in Band of Bugs. Starting July 8th players will have the ability to replace the single-player story mode's main character with themselves, gaining Maal's powers and abilities in the process. Instead of fighting for the pride of your colony, you'll instead by the great human liberator, making the garden safe for innocent bugs everywhere.

Players can also bring their avatar online in the eight-player Spider Hunter mode, fighting with or against other avatars in order to survive waves of insect attackers.

Along with the free avatar support patch comes the Tales of Kaloki DLC. Based on NinjaBee's first Xbox Live Arcade game, Outpost Kaloki, Tales takes the strategy game play from Band of Bugs and moves it into space, replacing bugs with spaceships and magical powers with lasers and rocket launchers.

"We're giving you an entirely new game," said Steve Taylor, president of NinjaBee. "The Tales of Kaloki DLC is Band of Bugs but with long-range combat using lasers, rocket launchers, OO rays and a ton of other sweet weapons to blow attacking space ships to smithereens. It's all the wackiness from Outpost Kaloki X and tactics from Band of Bugs rolled into one, and we're stoked to be releasing it."

A brand new game within a game, and only priced at 240 Microsoft points. It's heartwarming to see a downloadable title released more than two years ago see this level of continuing support, isn't it?

The game has been farmed out to Madrid-based developer Mercury Steam and brings together a star studded cast that features Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle. This is the game's latest trailer.

A note about genres: The list below may encompass a broader range than some gamers might expect. I'm using the action-adventure term liberally, including both those games that I believe will be driven by a story and those that will be driven by non-shooting action. That means role-playing games are listed alongside God-of-War-types. What unifies these games is a sense that they propel the player through an experience scripted by a development team. And they are not all about shooting.

Splinter Cell: Conviction - This game used to be about a bearded Sam Fisher elbowing his way through Washington D.C. Now? There's this trailer. (Xbox 360 only, unless someone says otherwise.)

Assassin's Creed 2 - A new assassin doing his work in Leonardo Da Vinci's Italy. Also recently trailered. (PS3, Xbox 360 and possibly the Wii, plus a new PSP game.)

Dante's Inferno - EA's accused God of War clone that adapts one of the oldest literary classics, the Divine Comedy. (PS3, Xbox 360. Preview here.)

God of War III - Sony's accused Dante's Inferno clone (OK, not really) has growling protagonist Kratos fighting on the backs of titans in what mayl be the biggest PS3 exclusive of 2010. (PS3. Impressions here.)

Uncharted 2 - Some may think of the return of Nathan Drake as a shooter, but the depth of character and adventure of the first Uncharted makes this major holiday 2009 title from Naughty Dog a great fit for today's list. Unusual among the games listed here is that it is announced to have co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. (PS3, Impressions here.)

Heavy Rain - The latest hope for sophisticated storytelling in games, it's another dark, thriller mystery from the makers of Indigo Prophecy. (PS3. Gameplay footage here.)

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Cartoon Link's on a train instead of a boat and possibly armed with a bow, a boomerang and some bombs? (Nintendo DS)

Batman: Arkham Asylum - Pushed back to late August, impressive in previews, features a Batman exceptional at both brawling and detective work. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Preview here).

Final Fantasy 13 - Square-Enix's role-playing game. Perhaps you've heard of it? (PS3, Xbox 360)

Dissidia Final Fantasy - It's a Final Fantasy mash-up! (PSP, Import review here.

Dragon Age: Origins - BioWare's spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. (PC, PS3 Xbox 360. Preview here.)

Mass Effect 2 - BioWare's successor to Mass Effect. (PC, Xbox 360)

Spyborgs - Capcom's flashy co-op Wii brawler, with a special scan-the-screen-with-the-Wii-pointer gimmick. (Wii. Preview here.)

Brutal Legend - Tim Schafer and team take their video game comedy expertise to a heavy-metal-ized open world of guitar-swinging, headbanger-commanding, road-raging and demon-slaying. (PS2, Xbox 360. Preview here.)

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - Square-Enix's first Disney-Final-Fantasy mash-up for the DS. (Nintendo DS, Trailer here.)

Alpha Protocol - Development studio Obsidian makes what might be too simply described as a spy-themed Mass Effect, but you get the idea. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Impressions from the last E3.)

Fallout: New Vegas - Perhaps Bethesda will have more to show at E3 of this Obsidian-developed Fallout 3 spin-off? (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, presumably.)

Ghostbusters - I probably should have put this in the shooters list. I forgot. (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP. Preview here.)

No More Heroes 2 - The only Nintendo Wii game with bathroom breaks, an unlicensed lightsaber and a sexy lady who speaks to you through your Remote's speaker is back with a sequel. (Wii)

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - Developer Vanillaware's latest, prettiest side-scrolling action title, from Ignition. (Wii. Gorgeous screenshots here.)

Mini Ninjas - From the makers of Hitman, a family-appropriate game about some cute ninjas. Really. (Wii)

Spore Hero - EA brings Spore to a home console, focusing on the creature stage and making it something of an action-RPG. (Wii)

The Saboteur - Pandemic's long-in-the-making World War II adventure starring a resistance fighter in occupied France who must defeat Nazis in a game world drained of color. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Bayonetta - Platinum Games puts a pioneer of Devil May Cry to work making an even more over-the-top action game, starring a woman who wears little more than eyeglasses and her very long hair. (PS3, Xbox 360.)

Nier Square-Enix's newly-revealed possible answer to the likes of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. (PS3, Xbox 360)

Mafia 2 - Recently delayed to some time after Halloween, the decade-spanning and genuinely mature mobster drama still has promise to wow E3 with its Madmen-esque 1950s visual style. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Preview here.)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - Lots of Marvel characters. Fighting. (PS3, Xbox 360 Wii, PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS)

Pirates of the Caribbean - An action role-playing game from Propagana Games, the makers of the Turok re-make. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest - The creators of Battalion Wars make a kid-friendly re-telling of the Lord of the Rings Saga. (Wii, with PS2, PSP and DS versions too. Wii preview here.)

New Jak and Daxter - Announced for the new PSP. (PSP)

Alan Wake - Ah, the mystery game of the Xbox 360. Moody adventure from the makers of Max Payne. Not seen publicly in a couple of years. Shall it return? (Xbox 360)

Dead Rising 2 - Supposedly not coming to E3 because of health concerns related to the H1N1 virus, it still seems like its zombies-in-casino-town angle will get shown at the big show via a trailer like this one. (PC, PS3, Xbox 360).

Trico - This would be the new game from Team Ico that had a somewhat odd trailer leak recently. (PS3)

Beyond Good and Evil 2 - Not slated for 2009, but this sequel to the cult hit action game starring heroine Jade and some animal friends may have a trailer at E3 that looks kinda like this.

Hideo Kojima's project - What a tease this guy is. Was he referring to that Metal Gear PSP game?

Some sort of Mario/Zelda/etc from Nintendo - Because Nintendo can't go two E3s in a row without a major single-player adventure for its hardcore fans, right?

OMISSIONS: Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony not included in this list (although I guess I just did) because development studio Rockstar is skipping E3. Any other games deserving of inclusion aren't here because I forgot them.

What's the trend here?

There isn't much of a trend here, except that action-adventure games continue to tend to be single-player. While almost every shooter gets support for multiple players, most of the games listed here are announced as being playable for just one.

You can also check out our E3 Racing Game Preview and our E3 Shooter Preview.

What good is E3 hype if none of it comes true?

To get you ready for this E3, we've subjected ourselves to re-living the major press conferences of last year's big show. We've pulled all of the predictions, promises and other verbal constructions Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony used to get you excited about their console. And we've seen what became of all those thrilling statements.

Microsoft, your E3 2008 promises are being checked today — exhaustively.

Background: The Microsoft press briefing occurred on July 14 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. This showcase lasted more than 90 minutes.

Big Money From Hardcore Games

Don Mattrick, Microsoft's senior vice president of interactive entertainment business (i.e. he's the Xbox boss), starts hyping Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable II and Gears of War 2: "Combined these games represent over a half a billion dollars in projected sales. And they will drive console demand in the coming year."

Verdict: Let's see. Gears sells two million in its first week, so that's about 120 million right there. Fallout 3 sells 4.7 million copies in less than a month, so that's about 282 million. We're over 400 million and we're not even at Fable or RE5, so we'll stop counting now. Good first prediction, Don Mattrick!

A Lengthy Fallout

Bethesda lead game designer Todd Howard demos Fallout 3 and says: "This is a huge game with over 100 hours of gameplay."

Verdict: Sure, that sounds about right, though the main content in the game could be finished in about 40 hours.

Fallout DLC TBD

Howard: "We're going to be doing substantial downloadable content for Fallout 3 and it will be exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows."

Verdict: True! All three DLC packs are now out for both platforms, and are not out on PS3.

Resident Evil 5 Release Date Confirmed?

Jun Takeuchi, producer of Resident Evil 5, says Resident Evil 5 "will be available in a simultaneous worldwide release in North America and Europe on Friday the 13, March 2009." (Screen showed March 12 2009 for Japan).

Verdict: Incorrect, sir! RE5 came out a week earlier than promised in Japan, on March 5.

Fable II Would Be Awesome

Peter Molyneux, creative director of Lionhead Studios, hyping Fable II: "You've never experienced anything like the dog in a game, but what I want to show you is the ability to play co-op over Xbox Live" [Verdict: OK, kind of hard to disagree]….The story will be great. [Verdict: That's subjective, Peter] … Your son grows. Your children will grow up with you [Verdict: Possibly misleading; those kids don't grow up]… Fable 2 will be out in October of this year [Verdict: Correct!]

Gears of War 2: For The World

Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games: "Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide November 7, exclusively on Xbox 360."

Verdict: True if you count the U.S. and Europe as the world; untrue if you consider Japan part of this planet.

Sony To Be Crushed

Mattrick: I'm so confident in our momentum and our bright future that I'm willing to declare here today that Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide this generation than PlayStation 3.

Verdict: Too soon to say, but so far so good for Microsoft.

A New - sort of - Xbox 360 Coming Fall 2008

John Schappert, vice president of Xbox Live, software and services: "I'm excited to announce today that for the first time in history a consumer electronics device will be completely reinvented through software… When people around the world turn on the Xbox 360s this fall they will be greeted by an entire new interface, an entire new dashboard, creating a brand new Xbox through the magic of software."

Verdict: The New Xbox Experience did indeed go live in the fall, transforming the Xbox 360 from the inside out.

Avatars Will Be Great, Omnipresent

Brendan, last-name-less Rare software design engineer, describing the NXE's Avatars: "You'll see them in the dashboard when you turn on the system. [Verdict: True] You'll see them in your friends list. [Verdict: Yep] You're going to see them in games all over the place and you'll see avatars on websites. [Verdict: We're counting Uno Rush and a Kingdom Kieflings once apiece, ok? Seems that we've got Avatars in a little more than 10 games so far.]

Avatars Will Have Lots of Clothes

Chris, last-name-less Rare producer: "Really, the number of clothes is ultimately going to be limitless. You can expect to see new clothes released in the same way you'd go into a shop and see summer fashion and the winter fashion, you're going to see the same thing here."

Verdict: True. New clothes keep getting issued for Avatars.

Prime Time Is Coming Soon

Schappert: "I'm going to take us to a new channel, Xbox Live Prime Time which we are unveiling today and rolling out this fall [Verdict: No, make that some forthcoming month in 2009]… This fall you'll be able to play along with all of Xbox Live either as the One, the One Hundred or one of the thousands that watch and play this huge prime time game. And the best part, you'll all be able to win real prizes… Instead of just checking to see what's on TV this fall you'll turn on your Xbox 360 to see what's on Live. [Verdict: Whoa, whoa, slow down there John. Xbox Live Prime Time still isn't live, nor is its launch game show, 1 Vs 100, which is, at least, now in beta.]

XBLA Games Coming

Schappert Announced Geometry Wars 2 for "next month"; Galaga Legions announced as 360 exclusive for "next month," Portal Still Alive coming in the fall "with brand new levels and achievements," coming to Xbox Live Arcade.

Verdict: All accurate predictions.

And South Park Too

Announcer in short promo for South Park Xbox Live Arcade game: "Coming exclusively in 2009…"

Verdict: No sign of it yet, but there is plenty more of 2009 to come to keep from the unnamed Announcer to be known as a Liar.

Community Games coming

Schappert: We will launch Xbox Live Community games this fall as part of the New Xbox Experience.

Verdict: True

Netflix 360 Will Be Big

Schappert: "Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets members who are also Netflix subscribers instantly watch more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes more than doubling our current content offering."

Verdict: Seemingly accurate, though we haven't counted to ensure that more than 10,000 movies and shows were added.

Netflix Watching Will Be Communal

Schappert: "I'm thrilled to announce that you can share your movies and tv shows with your Live party. We all can watch TV and movies together."

Verdict: Uh-uh. This was cut.

GTA DLC Will Be Huge Part Of 360 Fall '08 Line-Up

Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development (but at the time he was running the gaming part of Xbox: After hyping coming of Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Pro Evo, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, Need for Speed, which all came out, [Verdict: True], he said, "The release of the first downloadable episode for Grand Theft Auto IV later this year promises to be another huge event for Xbox 360 and Xbox live." [Verdict: Ugh. We think he meant to say "February 2009," not "later this year."

Lots of 360 Games Coming

Kim: All told, by the end of 2008 more than 1000 games will be available for the Xbox 360.

Verdict: Too tired to count this one, but we are not encouraged by the fact that the ESRB as of today lists only 703 rated games for the 360. Was he counting Community Games?

Fun Games For Families Too

Kim announced Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, Viva Pinata, BK XBLA, Scene It Box Office Smash, You're In the Movies — all of these games are coming this holiday exclusive for Xbox 360. Also from Kim: "You're In The Movies will include an Xbox Live Vision camera when it ships this holiday.

Verdict: Correct!

Guitar Hero World Tour Will Be Great, Launch New Rock Stars

Kai Huang, co-founder of Red Octane, out to hype Guitar Hero World Tour: "On disc we're going to ship with the greatest number of master tracks ever from some of the best bands of all time, more than 85 songs with tons more at launch and beyond [Verdict: True].. Our new music studio in Guitar Hero: World Tour is going to for the first time let people make and share music from around the world. This is going to revolutionize the way people create, share, discover and play new music. And with GH Tunes when that launches it's going to be the premiere online distribution platform from where a community of aspiring artists are going to become the next big rock stars." [Verdict: Kinda hard to verify, but we're going to say…not yet?]

And GH Will Have REM

Huang: "Guitar Hero World Tour owners will be able to download an REM track pack featuring three songs from their new album before anybody else."

Verdict: True

And Metallica

Huang: "Metallica is joining forces with guitar hero in a huge way… for the first time in music and vg history. Metallica's highly anticipated new album death magnetic is going to be offered as downloadable content in its entirety at the same time the album is released. First for Guitar Hero 3 in September and then again when Guitar Hero World Tour launches in the fall."

Verdict: Not only true, but proven to be an understatement with the recent launch of Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Lips Will Be Fantastic

iNis founder Keiichi Yano, hyping the holiday launch of the Xbox 360 karaoke game Lips: "It's breaking new ground by being the first game that lets you sing from your own music collection. It's going to be great. Imagine plugging in your Zune or your iPod into your Xbox 360 and singing along to all of your favorite songs. [Verdict: True, though not without complaints from reviewers that not all iPods synced with the game] Lips is also going to be the first game ever to feature these wireless mics that light up with your music performance. And these guys are also motion-sensitive so I can do stuff like this (cymbal hit) even when I'm not singing. So it's going to be fun Lips will ship this holiday featuring best songs from many regions and genres inclusion rock hip hop country r and b, pop a lot of your favorite artists you guys love to sing to. [Verdict: The rest was spot-on.]

Lips Will Be REALLY Fantastic

Kim: Lips is definitely going to be the gotta-have-it gift for this holiday for everyone.

Verdict: Oh, come on. Lips might have been fantastic, but he didn't really mean that, did he?

Rock Band Sort of Exclusive

Kim: Rock Band 2 will premiere exclusively on Xbox 360 this September.

Verdict: True, since he meant it would be a timed exclusive.

Rock Band 2 Will Have Rose, Dylan, ACDC

Alex Rigopulos, co-founder, Harmonix, discussing Rock Band 2, said, there would be 84 songs on the disc, every single one of them a master recording. He said Axl Rose's Shackler's Revenge will premiere in RB2, as would Bob Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue and ACDC. And, he said, "the soundtrack will also include 20 bonus tracks available for download in the fall."

Verdict: All accurate.

Rock Band 2 Will Also Have Fine Print

Rigopulos: "We've made all of the downloadable tracks from the original game forward-compatible into Rock Band 2.. furthermore, if you own the original Rock Band you'll be able to export almost all of those tracks into the Rock Band 2 game as well. So no need for disc-swapping… by the end of this year I'm happy to announce there will be over 500 songs available for play in Rock Band 2.

Verdict: True, just note that he said "almost."

Square-Enix Will Have Three RPGs For Xbox 360

Yoichi Wada, president of Square-Enix: dropped some release dates for Infinite Undiscovery — September 2, in NA, 9/5 in Europe, 9/11 in Japan and Asia — Star Ocean for the spring, and Last Remnant for November 11 with a TBD for it coming to Games For Windows.

Verdict : Wada nailed it.

Make That Four

Wada: "An Xbox 360 version of final fantasy xiii , the latest in the final fantasy series, that has more than 85 milion units shipped worldwide, is planned for release. We believe that releasing an xbox 360 version for Final Fantasy XIII will allow us to provide a game to even more fans in the two regions in North America and Europe."

Verdict: No reason to think this won't happen.

Note: No mention was made during the press conference of 2008 games Too Human, Braid or Dead Space, despite the latter two becoming two of the most acclaimed games on Xbox 360 in 2008.

To Sum Up.... Microsoft did a decent job predicting things, but whiffed big on Rockstar and 1 vs 100. We weren't promised any full games that we didn't get. And most of the hype for upcoming games' features was fair. Plus, they did the awesome thing of predicting that they would conquer Sony, which should be fun to follow in the future. For the sheer number of future-looking statements and overall accuracy, we're giving them a B.

Next Victim: Nintendo

[PIC]

If I have to explain what The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is to you people, then you might be at the wrong website. The second outing for Link on the Nintendo 64, Majora's Mask is one of the darkest and most original games in the Zelda series, and it can now be yours to play on your Wii for 1,000 Wii points. An extremely nice way to celebrate the big 300.

The rest of the Nintendo Download isn't too shabby either. The DSi gets a new Art Style game in Pictobits (500 DSi Points), and WiiWare gets the second helping of Final Fantasy-themed defense gaming with Crystal Defenders R2 from Square Enix (800 points), along with Agetec's Silver Star Chess (500 points).

As always, check out the official description of the titles from Nintendo below.

So, anyone picking up Majora's Mask? Anyone who owns a copy of the original game and a functioning Nintendo 64 planning on buying it anyway?

Virtual Console
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Cartoon Violence, 1,000 Wii Points™): Link™ must save the world! This time, he finds himself trapped in Termina, an alternate version of Hyrule that is doomed to destruction in just three short days. Link must race to recover the Ocarina of Time (which allows him to manipulate time in multiple ways), defeat challenging bosses in dungeons spread across Termina and discover the key to the mystery of Majora's Mask. Along the way, he'll obtain new weapons and items and help other characters (some strangely familiar) in their everyday lives. In addition, Link must use a wide assortment of masks scattered throughout Termina, each with its own specific use or power. Never before have three days offered so much in the way of action, mind-boggling puzzles and depth. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an adventure unlike any other!

Nintendo DSiWare
Art Style™: PiCTOBiTS™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points™): Your goal in Art Style: PiCTOBiTS is simple: clear large blocks that fall from above ("megabits") by combining them with "bits" (square blocks) of the same color. Add in the ability to pick up bits and place them anywhere on the touch screen, and you'll quickly find that strategy is critical to your success. By clearing the bits, you gradually reveal each stage's hidden game character - look for favorites from classic NES™ titles - and earn coins that can be spent to unlock DARK stages or to listen to the game's soundtrack in MUSIC mode. This grand mix of familiar elements and new game play leads to the uniquely enjoyable experience that is PiCTOBiTS.

WiiWare
CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 (SQUARE ENIX, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): In CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2, you must deploy various units, such as Fencers and Black Mages, to stop waves of encroaching monsters from escaping the area with your party's crystals. There are many types of units to choose from: Some specialize in powerful short-range attacks, some wield far-reaching magicks and still others are equipped with bows, enabling them to bring down aerial foes. Deploy units in strategic locations to take full advantage of their traits. Each time an enemy breaches your defenses and reaches a map's exit, your party will lose crystals. When all your crystals are gone, the game is over. CRYSTAL DEFENDERS R2 offers several new, challenging maps containing multiple entrances and exits. It also introduces three varieties of Power Crystals, allowing you to enhance the abilities of your units, while new jobs, including Flintlock and Tinker, set the stage for even more complex strategies. Can you defend all the maps without losing a single crystal?

Silver Star Chess (Agetec, Inc., 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Suggestive Themes, 500 Wii Points): Silver Star Chess has two modes: 1-Player and 2-Player. 1-Player mode allows you to play a chess match against the computer opponent. 2-Player mode allows you to play against another person. In 1-Player mode, you can select one of five different computer opponents, as well as turn the background music off, adjust sound effects and access in-game help features. Also, during the match, you can redo your last move, save the game at any point or resign from the game. After the match has ended, you can review each move made during the match. While reviewing the match in this way, you can resume that match at any point.

Back in March, rumors flew about a new batch of downloadable content for Gears of Wars 2 called Dark Corners, but Epic denied that such DLC existed. Turns out that they were absolutely correct. Dark Corners is not just DLC. It's a new map pack being included in the Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection, available exclusively at retail worldwide on July 28th. The collection includes all of the Gears 2 DLC to date, along with Dark Fronts, a collection of seven new multiplayer maps which you can find detailed below and a new single player chapter titled "Road to Ruin".

In order to make the pack worthwhile to those who've already downloaded the majority of the Gears 2 DLC, the package also contains an introduction from Cliff Bleszinski for "Road to Ruin", a collectible poster, a strategy guide, and a custom Xbox Live theme.

And the price? $19.99, £14.99, or €19.99, depending on who you're paying for the privilege of taking the package home. A great value for those who've yet to download map one for the game, though things get a bit sketchy the more you've already purchased.

The Dark Corners DLC will also be available for download via Xbox Live on July 28th for 1600 Microsoft points, which is also $20. Extras aside, is $20 too much for seven new maps and a single-player chapter? Perhaps the map descriptions will help you decide.

The seven new multiplayer maps in the "Gears of War 2: Dark Corners" Game Add-on are:

* Allfathers Garden: Honor the sacred grounds of the Coalition founders in this explosive map, where powerful weapons catalyze fast and furious action at this COG landmark.
* Memorial: Set near the Eternal Flame, which pays tribute to the fallen soldiers on the battlefield, a hard-fought battle ensues at the Tomb of Unknowns. Putting their flank formation and evasive skills to the test, players will fight to control the Boomshot.
* Sanctuary: Once a peaceful ground for reflection and remembrance, all that remains of the Sanctuary is the chill of death. Feast your eyes on the arsenal of weapons available as you make your way through the tight paths and blind corners of the Locust-damaged temple corridors.
* War Machine: In the abandoned train station that once served as a hub for travel, players will need to master the Longshot, Mulcher and Boomshot weapons to advance the fight while evading fire from the platforms above.
* Highway: Take the fight deep into the Locust Hollow in the complex passages of this underground highway system brimming with enemy vermin. Stick together, separate the enemy and have an exit strategy ready or it'll be a one-way trip.
* Way Station: Sitting in limbo between death and "processing" are Locust way stations filled with fallen COG soldiers. Tread lightly and practice patience as it's better to sacrifice firepower for stealth while navigating this minefield of hidden grenades.
* Nowhere: Set in the middle of what was once a destination for weary desert travellers, the land is now barren and devoid of life. Pick off your enemies with the Longshot sniper rifle and make your way to the stairwell with a well-fortified team during this intense firefight.

League of Legends began life as Defense of the Ancients, a custom scenario for Blizzard's real-time strategy game Warcraft III, which features teams of player-controlled hero units trying to infiltrate the opposing team's base in order to destroy their Ancient - generally a strategically placed destructible building. Widely considered to be one of the most popular gaming mods ever created, Defense in its various incarnations is also one of the most played player-created gaming mods, in some parts of the world even rivaling the popularity of Counter-Strike, the ridiculously popular mod to Valve's Half-Life.

So how does a popular gaming mod make the leap to full-fledged video game? Just ask the team at Riot Games, the developer behind the upcoming persistent strategy title League of Legends, which takes the core gameplay of the Defense of the Ancients mod to the next level. Better yet, we asked them for you.

The Evolution of Defense of the Ancients
Marc Merrill, the Executive Producer for League of Legends and President of Riot Games, explains that League came about primarily due to the limitations of Defense of the Ancients as a game mod. Being an offshoot of Blizzard's Warcraft III, there were simply too many features that players were demanding that wouldn't work within Warcraft's framework.

"League of Legends primarily came about because the fans and players of (Defense of the Ancients Allstars) were constantly demanding more features and better around-game services that simply couldn't be provided in the mod. All of our guys felt this pain as early members of the (Defense) community and came together to help address this gap and to deliver something awesome to fans."

League of Legends' Director of Systems Design Tom Cadwell elaborates on some of the features that players craved that Defense of the Ancients couldn't deliver, such as matchmaking, stat tracking, and methods to deter players from simply quitting halfway through a match when their team was losing, which has ruined many a Defense game.

"It also lacks polish in a lot of little places — there are no custom hotkeys, the interface is built for an RTS, not for (Defense), there is no tutorial, etc. And of course, the item shop gameplay is tricky to use since the War3 store interface is not designed to support it. As we thought about developing LoL, it became more and more clear that there were many areas where we could make things better suited for a (Defense)-style game and provide a much more fun experience for players."

Assembling the Team
With exactly that goal in mind, Riot Games was formed in late 2006, with the intention to create League of Legends as its first product. Over the course of the past two years, the team has grown to include nearly 40 members spread across design, art, gameplay, engineering, platform engineering, and community.

Riot Games' team member credits include Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, World of Warcraft, Total Annihilation, Neverwinter Nights 2, Counter-Strike, Dungeon Siege, Sly Cooper, and Heroes of Might and Magic, but despite the high level of pedigree among the professionals, Merrill explains that the core development is still being driven by "the mod guys", including original Defense of the Ancients Allstars co-creator Steve "Guinsoo" Feak.

"The product vision is really being driven from the consumer point of view and is largely in the hands of Guinsoo and the mod guys; they have amazing ideas and are really talented guys."

Tom Cadwell himself worked extensively on the talent system on World of Warcraft, as well as heading up play balance for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne during his time with Blizzard.

"When I was working on War3 at Blizzard, a lot of us were fans of (Defense). It's been a lot of fun to work with Guinsoo and the guys to instill some additional game design principles into League of Legends."

So What is League of Legends?
While League of Legends does benefit from the incredibly large fan-following Defense of the Ancients enjoys, Merrill explains that introducing new players to a title that is very nearly a new genre - team-based tactical role-playing - presents a real challenge.

"By far the more difficult thing for us will be explaining to non-(Defense) users how the gameplay works and why it is fun. It's extremely fun, but it's also new to many people, so breaking through that user education challenge is one of the problems we're focused on solving. "

Breaking out of the Defense of the Ancients mold a bit, League of Legends presents a much more persistent experience. Players take on the role of a Summoner - an avatar tied to the player's account that advances in power and grows over time. Summoners call forth Champions to represent them in combat, aiding their team in defeating the enemy team. Champions come in many different forms with a variety of unique functions, delivering what Merrill compares to the experience of playing different classes in various traditional role-playing games.

So rather than building up forces as you would in your normal real-time strategy game, you pick one Champion at a time, selecting them based on the powers and abilities you feel would best enhance your team's performance. League of Legends in effect adds specific classes to the RTS formula, similar to a game like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare giving players a choice of which role they hope to fill in their team.

The Call of Duty 4 similarity is no coincidence either, as Cadwell reveals the game was a major influence on League of Legends progression system as well.

"There is no perfect gaming analogy to capture the Summoner / Champion relationship, but some games are starting to come close. We drew a lot of inspiration from the COD4 and Battlefield 2142 unlocks system in designing this system. These offer very simple advancement compared to an MMORPG, but players love the sense of progress and purpose they get from knowing that a couple more wins will unlock something cool. We feel that by further expanding this, and creating a cool persistent identity that players can customize based upon their accomplishments that we can create something even more fun. "

So, in a nutshell, League of Legends is an online team-based strategy game with persistent-world elements akin to the sort of ranking system you would find in a first-person shooter like Call of Duty 4.

Creating a League of Their Own
Taking a mod for an established title like Warcraft III and crafting it into a standalone title takes more than just building upon the gameplay elements established in the Defense of the Ancients mod. The team at Riot has poured a great deal of effort into breaking out of the Warcraft III aesthetic, creating a world that is truly their own.

Art direction plays a big part in creating any game, and especially in a title that springs from

"Our Art Director, Hokyo Lim, is the key artistic visionary for the look and feel of League of Legends. Hokyo was previously on Sly Cooper 1, 2 & 3 up at Suckerpunch Studios in Seattle and just has a phenomenal eye. He brings a very stylized look to the game and has a team of talented guys who have worked on distinctive stylized games like Jak and Daxter and Psychonauts prior to joining Riot. "

The artistic pedigree of the League of Legends certainly shines through in the design of the world and its Champions, a motley crew of super-powerful beings that the player's Summoner can command. From the adorably deadly dark child Annie to the mysterious cardmaster Twisted Fate, each is completely unique to the world of League of Legends, the products of a creative team positively overflowing with new ideas.

"We've created a robust internal process that allows everyone to create Champion ideas," Merrill explains. "We have so many cool ideas, Champion themes and ability kits that by far the hardest part is filtering them down to focus on the best ones that also fulfill a core design need of the game."

Further aiding in making League of Legends is the team's focus on keeping things fun, creating what Tom Cadwell calls "a unique blend of whimsy with hardcore."

"Humor is pretty important to League of Legends. We wanted to create a universe that appeals to the hardcore while maintaining the ability to make fun of itself and not take itself "too seriously". We think that a lot of great games (Team Fortress 2 and World of Warcraft come to mind) have managed to create great gameplay that appeals to the hardcore gamer with lots of badassery, but still manages to have a good sense of humor and reach a wide audience. "

For an excellent example of Riot Games' sense of humor, be sure to visit their team bio page, where each team member is not only given a brief paragraph explaining their existence, but is also assigned a special power, such as Marc Merrill's "Night Merrill" ability.

Marc temporarily enters Beast Mode, which causes all employees to fervently increase in productivity by 300% for the next two hours.

What Comes Next
Nearly two years in development, League of Legends is rapidly approaching the the initial beta phase, where the game will be put to the test by the same people who inspired the original Defense of the Ancient mod, and Tom Cadwell couldn't be more excited.

"We're excited to have gotten the reactions we have seen so far, but ultimately can't wait to get users in the game because that is really what matters. That's really what it's all about for us. For me personally, all of my best experiences in design have been during betas, when you get to see how the stuff you worked on plays out, and see people enjoying the work you've done. "

Players interested in getting in on the ground floor of what could be one of the biggest games ever to sprout from a game mod can visit the official League of Legends website to get the scoop on upcoming beta dates while checking out the game and the talented team behind it.

As for what's coming next from Riot Games, the developer currently has two more games in the works, and while Merrill was tight-lipped about details, he assures us that Riot will continue to innovate in the multiplayer gaming space.

"Our plans for the future are to continue to develop titles that leverage our core technology platform that includes a proprietary back end as well as a game engine and associated toolset, while staying true to our core design philosophy which focuses on replayability through multiplayer emergent behavior, instead of creating massive amounts of linear content that you really only want to play through once. "

For now, Riot continues to work on League of Legends, taking a relatively simple player-made mod for Warcraft III and creating something hopefully as legendary as its name.

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Can't say the visuals in the trailer do much for me, and I've never really been a big fan of the House of the Dead series outside of the arcade versions, but I'm really digging the drive-in horror film vibe they've got going in the marketing. Not enough where I'd consider picking up the game, mind you, but I probably wouldn't mind watching you play it.

So. When can I come over?

Previously you could only create a Death Knight on a server which housed a level 55 or higher character on your account. The next update takes away that restriction, allowing Death Knights to pop up all over the place...well, almost.

With the next minor content update for World of Warcraft, we will be opening up death knight character creation so that if the account you play already has a level 55 or higher character in World of Warcraft, you will be able to create a new death knight on any realm within your region. Please keep in mind that restrictions still apply to new, non-transfer realms such that death knights cannot be created on those realms until you level a character to level 55 on that realm or until transfer restrictions are removed.

Those of you who paid $25 to transfer a 55+ character to a friend's server in order to play Death Knights with them before this announcement remain completely screwed.

Account-Wide Death Knight Creation [World of Warcraft Forums via WorldofWar.net]

We actually did invite Gears developer Cliff Bleszinski, but his handlers said he was too busy. But Jaffe certainly wasn't some sort of alternate or sub, as the head of his relatively new studio, Eat, Sleep, Play and the lead designer of God of War for the Playstation 2, Jaffe knows his stuff. He also surprised quite a few people recently when he called Gears of War 2 not only the best game of the year, but the best looking console game he's ever played.

Jaffe solidifies his position as one of Kotaku's favorite developers in this podcast where he discusses what he likes about Gears, how God of War 3 will compare and his take on the Playstation 3's successes and failures in 2008.

Despite being exclusive to Sony, Jaffe even talked about his interest in developing a Wii title.

The famously outspoken developer also talks about the ups and downs of blogging on his own site and how he too missed prom. We almost even got him to spill some beans on his next big project for the Playstation 3, but it sounds like we're going to have to wait for an update on his blog for that.

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Don't forget to check out our other Holiday podcasts:
A Very Special Kotaku Holiday Podcast
Media Molecule Talks LittleBigPlanet Moderation, New Pitches and How The Found Out About That Recall
Resistance 2 Podcast: Multiplayer Tweaks Coming
Call of Duty: World at War: Balancing Historic Realism With Fun
Castle Crashers with Major Nelson
Chet Faliszek Talks Left 4 Dead's Future
Home Could Remain in Beta Indefinitely

As I was standing there an ambulance pulls up, with medical technicians rushing into the building. A couple of minutes later they come up with an Asian teen writhing about in the stretcher, screaming the most blood-curdling scream I've ever heard, over and over again. I saw no blood, and his body looked okay outwardly - he was just screaming nonstop. I waited til they closed the door to snap the picture, out of respect, but even within the sturdy van I could still hear him wailing away.

I did ask around to see if anyone knew what happened, but no dice. I am just going to go ahead and assume he got hopped up on speed and attempted to play My Horse and Me 2.

Reason for the delay: lengthen the development process to improve the quality of the product. That has back-to-the-drawing-board written all over it, IMHO. The game involves surviving/coping with repeated natural disaster strikes while taking down a rogue military unit that's seized a nuclear weapon — 24 meets The Day After Tomorrow meets The Core meets ... So it will need big visuals and super realistic physics to be a winner. Maybe that's the problem, who knows.

Disaster: Day of Crisis Delayed Indefinitely [Quickjump Network, thanks El Cernex]

"The team at Smoking Gun has worked passionately together for over 7 years, building teams that have created the most critically acclaimed games in their genre." said John Johnson CEO and Creative Director, "As the industry evolves so do the ways that people interact with video games. With our collective input Smoking Gun will be at the forefront of producing innovative best-selling titles, that really push the envelop further than we've gone before",

Premier Development Studio Smoking Gun Interactive Formed By The Creators Of The Award Winning Company Of Heroes

Creative forces behind the highest rated strategy game* of all time reveal new development studio

VANCOUVER, CA (June 4, 2007) - The creators of the critically acclaimed game Company of Heroes today announced the formation of their new interactive entertainment software development studio, Smoking Gun Interactive Inc. The development studio will focus on creating innovative award winning cross platform games based on original or company owned intellectual property.

Smoking Gun Interactive Inc, has been founded by John Johnson, Angie Radwan-Pytlewski and Drew Dunlop all former senior staff from Relic Entertainment. The studio is led by CEO and Creative Director John Johnson who was previously the Director of Franchise Development and Producer on Company of Heroes, while Angie Radwan-Pytlewski served as Art Director and Drew Dunlop as Lead Programmer on the critically acclaimed real-time strategy hit.

"The team at Smoking Gun has worked passionately together for over 7 years, building teams that have created the most critically acclaimed games in their genre." said John Johnson CEO and Creative Director, "As the industry evolves so do the ways that people interact with video games. With our collective input Smoking Gun will be at the forefront of producing innovative best-selling titles, that really push the envelop further than we've gone before",

Working with Smoking Gun Interactive are key personnel from the team that created Company of Heroes including the Audio Director Crispin Hands and Story and Script Writer Duane Pye. Collectively the management and executive team have over 30 years of experience and have worked on best-selling franchises including Company of Heroes™, Impossible Creatures™, Homeworld™, Need for Speed™, NHL™, NBA Live™ and FIFA Soccer™. With their collective experience in leading passionate teams and creating award winning products, Smoking Gun is destined to become one of the industry's leading premier development studios.

For updated news and additional company information, please visit the official Smoking Gun Interactive site www.smokingguninc.com

This is Smoking Gun...

Bits, Bytes, Pixels and Sprites posted up these glorious screens of the Cod of War costume found in God of War II. That's right, in case you missed it, on your second run through the PS2 game you can play dressed in a giant cod costume. Yes, that includes playing the mini-sex game as well. Brian Crecente

GOW: Cod of War Costume [bbps]