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Of all the licenses I expected to see on the Wii, the ultra-violent Manhunt title was not one of them. Coming to the 'next-gen alternative' trifecta of PSP, PS2, and Wii this summer is Manhunt 2 (not to be confused with the Sierra Manhunter adventure game series). The followup to the violent Rockstar title from 2003 will 'push game design and storytelling forward', sticking close to the original's dark suspense/stealth motifs.

An anonymous reader writes to mention an EToyChest article with a bit of perspective on the departure of Doug Lowenstein from the Entertainment Software Association. Lowenstein, who helped to kickstart the group, was instrumental in the ESA's grown and continued well-being. Now that he's moved on a new gig, the article points out that the industry is in for some changes in the years ahead. From the article: "Doug Lowenstein, a man that Jack Thompson has likened on separate occasions to such delightful despots as Saddam Hussein and Hitler, has been the advocate de jour for the industry since he signed on in 1994. Refusing to directly engage firebrands like Thompson in televised debates, Mr. Lowenstein has a history of picking and choosing his battles. Where Thompson prefers to argue his position in front of cameras, Mr. Lowenstein fought his battles quietly, but persistently. Under his guidance, the game industry has undergone its biggest transformation; it's now expected to gross in the area of $12 billion worldwide, more than four times the business it was doing when he signed on. While one would hesitate to give Mr. Lowenstein credit for the industry's success, his steady hand has been instrumental in sidestepping many of the media landmines that we've come across on the way. "

Happy Halloween, game folks. There are a couple of creepy-themed game articles floating around the web today, and they're all lists ... disturbingly. eToyChest gives us the top five most horrifying moments in games. Next Generation offers a ten-point guide to inspiring fear in games. And finally, GameTrailers.com has an entertaining top ten scariest games list, complete with video. Even if I don't agree with some of their placements within the list, I think their #1 is a pretty accurate pick.

simoniker writes "Gamasutra has put up an in-depth interview with former Clover head and Okami co-creator Atsushi Inaba, conducted before the Capcom division was dissolved. Inaba explains exactly how Capcom's Devil May Cry franchise came about: 'I actually did get on the Resident Evil 3 team, but when I joined there was a Resident Evil 1.5 project, which actually became Resident Evil 3. When the PS2 came out, the Resident Evil 3 team's name was changed to the Resident Evil 4 team. That didn't go so well, so we thought — 'what can we do with this,' and Devil May Cry was the result.'" Relatedly, eToyChest has up a great post-mortem of Clover Studios, giving their own reasons why they think the little studio that could was shut down.

Roger Helgeson at eToyChest has up a multi-part look at this past weekend's DigitalLife Summit. A consumer games event thrown by Ziff Davis, his write-ups include general impressions from the hall, and commentary on the public's perspective of the gaming world. From the article: "My assumption was verified when I arrived Saturday afternoon. The same booths existed with the same games and gadgetry, but the show floor was now jam packed with people. Now, there were lines almost everywhere. The PlayStation 3 and HD-DVD areas reminded me of Nintendo's deathtrap Wii booth back at E3, with people lined up in square perimeters. There were also more shows and public speeches and, it seemed, more contests. Additionally, the tournament I had previously attempted to qualify for was now filled to the brim with potential contestants. This time around, family-oriented gadgets were being promoted in full force, especially mobile phone and camera/camcorder technology. There was no spot on the main concourse in which someone would be out of earshot of one of the various camcorder booths. Additionally, there was much more swag on Saturday than on Thursday, though 'much more' didn't really amount to that much: a few extra pens, Verizon was handing out a few game packs on CD, and so forth."

Roger Helgeson at eToyChest has up a multi-part look at this past weekend's DigitalLife Summit. A consumer games event thrown by Ziff Davis, his write-ups include general impressions from the hall, and commentary on the public's perspective of the gaming world. From the article: "My assumption was verified when I arrived Saturday afternoon. The same booths existed with the same games and gadgetry, but the show floor was now jam packed with people. Now, there were lines almost everywhere. The PlayStation 3 and HD-DVD areas reminded me of Nintendo's deathtrap Wii booth back at E3, with people lined up in square perimeters. There were also more shows and public speeches and, it seemed, more contests. Additionally, the tournament I had previously attempted to qualify for was now filled to the brim with potential contestants. This time around, family-oriented gadgets were being promoted in full force, especially mobile phone and camera/camcorder technology. There was no spot on the main concourse in which someone would be out of earshot of one of the various camcorder booths. Additionally, there was much more swag on Saturday than on Thursday, though 'much more' didn't really amount to that much: a few extra pens, Verizon was handing out a few game packs on CD, and so forth."

An anonymous reader writes "Voting for the 12th annual Interactive Fiction Competition (IF Comp) has begun! Standout entries this year include a new game from acclaimed writer (and previous IF Comp winner) Emily Short, an interactive moebius strip, the requisite bible game(s) and a game about making games. A full list is available on the IF Comp website, and eToychest kicks off their IF Comp coverage with an interview with Stephen Granade, the competition organizer."

eToyChest is reporting that Majesco (and thus Double Fine) have inked a deal with Valve to feature some of their hit games on the digital download service. BloodRayne 1 and 2, as well as Advent Rising, are already available on the service. The cult favorite Psychonauts will be coming next month. From the article: "BloodRayne 2 and Advent Rising are available now via Steam for $19.99 while the first BloodRayne costs $9.99. Those who purchase any of the titles during the first two weeks of availability will receive a 10% discount." They're a little pricier than I'd like, but it's interesting to see titles from a variety of publishers on the service.

Above and beyond the announcement of their videogame last Friday, PAX apparently passed pleasantly for the PA fans who made it to Bellvue, WA this past weekend. Various news organs have a look at what transpired. eToyChest has a journal of each day, with firsthand accounts and lots of pictures. Gamasutra covers the Penny Arcade Scholarship announced at the event; $10k towards an education to get yourself into the games industry. Kotaku was there to liveblog the keynote, while Joystiq covers the making a comic panel. For wrap-up, we have an IGN report, and the ever exhaustive 1up minisite for everything you'd want to know.

Above and beyond the announcement of their videogame last Friday, PAX apparently passed pleasantly for the PA fans who made it to Bellvue, WA this past weekend. Various news organs have a look at what transpired. eToyChest has a journal of each day, with firsthand accounts and lots of pictures. Gamasutra covers the Penny Arcade Scholarship announced at the event; $10k towards an education to get yourself into the games industry. Kotaku was there to liveblog the keynote, while Joystiq covers the making a comic panel. For wrap-up, we have an IGN report, and the ever exhaustive 1up minisite for everything you'd want to know.

Above and beyond the announcement of their videogame last Friday, PAX apparently passed pleasantly for the PA fans who made it to Bellvue, WA this past weekend. Various news organs have a look at what transpired. eToyChest has a journal of each day, with firsthand accounts and lots of pictures. Gamasutra covers the Penny Arcade Scholarship announced at the event; $10k towards an education to get yourself into the games industry. Kotaku was there to liveblog the keynote, while Joystiq covers the making a comic panel. For wrap-up, we have an IGN report, and the ever exhaustive 1up minisite for everything you'd want to know.

eToyChest's regular 'I roll 20s' column today looks at the different faces of Shadowrun in the world of Videogames. Before the most recent, ill-conceived, 360 title there were several other attempts to bring the rich cyberpunk-meets-Tolkien world to gamers with controllers. Some met with more success than others. From the article: "In the Genesis Shadowrun, you played an actual Shadowrunner, the sort of guy a corporation would pay to do their dirty work, and then deny the existence of after the fact should things manage to find a fan and hit it. Moreover, you were given the ability to create a character designed after whichever abilities and archetypes you found to be most savory, and as a result, a huge array of hybrid character styles were available, creating a game with a good deal more replay value than most Sega Genesis action RPGs."

eToyChest takes a look back at five gaming magazines worth subscribing to. Tellingly, four out of five are no longer published. From the article: "What can be said about Next Generation Magazine that would truly do it justice? In its seven-year run starting in 1995, Next Generation virtually defined what good game journalism should be in the U.S. Interviews with prominent industry figures, even those unrelated to game-making such as Henry Jenkins of M.I.T. and Senator Joseph Lieberman were erudite and informative. Imagine what fun they would have had with Jack Thompson." As I've said before, Futurenet's Edge is my personal favorite print magazine. What is yours?

eToyChest has an article up entitled Half-Life 2 Bite-Sized Contempt. The author registers his dissatisfaction with the state of episodic content so far on Steam. While he liked Episode One, the projected released date early next year makes it hard to be excited. From the article: "Episodic content could really take off if done correctly, something which so far hasn't been the case. Episodes need to be of decent quality, arrive in a timely manner, and be made available for an attractive price. Then you will create a slam-dunk impulse-buy environment that solidifies the marketplace as a viable one — think iTunes Music Store for games."

Via eToyChest, a sobering look at the not so distant end of the Xbox. The article at 'Dubious Quality' also discusses the current/next-gen boundary for Sony, Nintendo, and the PC. From the article: "While there are already 40 Xbox 360 titles earmarked for release in 2007, the original Xbox has exactly zero titles currently scheduled with the retail chain. What does this mean exactly? Not much on its own, as company's could have things planned that are simply not in the system yet, but it sure does not paint a very rosy picture for the gigantic console that gave us so many fond memories."

eToyChest is reporting that many of the developers are Wolfpack Studios, closed since May 15th, have banded together to keep Shadowbane running for the players. Now known as 'Stray Bullet Studios', they'll be running the game for Ubisoft while they work on a new MMO for the 'next generation'. Via his Zen of Design blog, it appears Damion Schubert will not be among the Shadowbane handlers.

With E3 coming up on us fairly fast now, we're going to start seeing some of the larger company's expected lineups for the event. eToyChest has the titles Square/Enix will be showing off at the event. Gamastura reports on one additional title that didn't make the list; A collaboration between Square/Enix and Nintendo. From that article: "The application in question combines an email application with virtual pet-like interaction abilities, and features various Pokemon characters heavily. Although Nintendo has been relatively reticent to enter the burgeoning mobile content market, which is particularly active in Japan, it has recently started to enter the segment, with the recent licensing of ring tones and animated images for a 'Nintendo Mobile' service on Japanese cellphone providers, and now this announcement of a Square collaboration."

eToyChest has an article on last week's introduction of six new stars to the Walk of Game, at the Metreon in San Francisco. With Adam Sessler MCing, the following individuals and games were inducted into the group: Everquest, Lara Croft, John Carmack, Sid Meier, and StarCraft. From the piece: "The newest additions to the attraction are now open to the public, in time for the Game Developers Conference, an annual gathering of the global game development community, and a Walk of Game partner for the second year. New to Metreon's attraction in 2006, gaming fans can come experience why these games are the voters' choice at the Walk of Game Station - unique stations featuring inducted games."

GamesIndustry.biz has a discussion with Arena.net cofounder Jeff Strain. During the course of the interview, Strain states that he considers Xbox Live imperfect for MMOG titles. From the article: "Their whole goal is to encourage people to go and buy games on the shelf, then there's an online component for it ... But for us, when you buy it on the shelf, that's just the beginning of our relationship with you - and we want a direct connection with our customer so that we're always giving you new content, always supporting you directly. Xbox Live just wasn't really built, from a business standpoint, to support that." Relatedly, Guild Wars' World Championships were recently held. eToyChest has a few words on the Korean dominance of the event.

The year is finally picking up some steam, with new game announcements, ship dates confirmed, and delays expected. Besides the already announced Zelda delay, Nintendo actually has good news to offer. New Super Mario Bros. is slated for a May 7th release here in the states. Fallout 3 will not be at E3 this year, despite the highly anticipated nature of the game. Oblivion, Bethesda's upcoming RPG, doesn't quite have a release date yet. It should be coming out 'soon', though. NCSoft is apparently working on a dungeon crawler themselves, with the City of Heroes publisher announcing Dungeon Runners at the Taipei game show. For those of you who (like me) loved the title, there are sequels to F.E.A.R. on the way. They won't be carrying the stupid name, thankfully. There will also be a sequel to God of War, slated for release next February. Finally, for classic gaming fans, the GameTap service will be offering the Ultima series of games for play in the near future, probably around the same time that Street Fighter 2 will be on the Xbox 360 Arcade. Looks like we've got a 2006 worth looking forward to. Update: 02/22 20:18 GMT by Z : Changed the God of War information link to Gamasutra; Eurogamer pulled the info after legal threats from Sony.

The year is finally picking up some steam, with new game announcements, ship dates confirmed, and delays expected. Besides the already announced Zelda delay, Nintendo actually has good news to offer. New Super Mario Bros. is slated for a May 7th release here in the states. Fallout 3 will not be at E3 this year, despite the highly anticipated nature of the game. Oblivion, Bethesda's upcoming RPG, doesn't quite have a release date yet. It should be coming out 'soon', though. NCSoft is apparently working on a dungeon crawler themselves, with the City of Heroes publisher announcing Dungeon Runners at the Taipei game show. For those of you who (like me) loved the title, there are sequels to F.E.A.R. on the way. They won't be carrying the stupid name, thankfully. There will also be a sequel to God of War, slated for release next February. Finally, for classic gaming fans, the GameTap service will be offering the Ultima series of games for play in the near future, probably around the same time that Street Fighter 2 will be on the Xbox 360 Arcade. Looks like we've got a 2006 worth looking forward to. Update: 02/22 20:18 GMT by Z : Changed the God of War information link to Gamasutra; Eurogamer pulled the info after legal threats from Sony.

The year is finally picking up some steam, with new game announcements, ship dates confirmed, and delays expected. Besides the already announced Zelda delay, Nintendo actually has good news to offer. New Super Mario Bros. is slated for a May 7th release here in the states. Fallout 3 will not be at E3 this year, despite the highly anticipated nature of the game. Oblivion, Bethesda's upcoming RPG, doesn't quite have a release date yet. It should be coming out 'soon', though. NCSoft is apparently working on a dungeon crawler themselves, with the City of Heroes publisher announcing Dungeon Runners at the Taipei game show. For those of you who (like me) loved the title, there are sequels to F.E.A.R. on the way. They won't be carrying the stupid name, thankfully. There will also be a sequel to God of War, slated for release next February. Finally, for classic gaming fans, the GameTap service will be offering the Ultima series of games for play in the near future, probably around the same time that Street Fighter 2 will be on the Xbox 360 Arcade. Looks like we've got a 2006 worth looking forward to. Update: 02/22 20:18 GMT by Z : Changed the God of War information link to Gamasutra; Eurogamer pulled the info after legal threats from Sony.

eToychest has the results from a three year study, showing the effect of online gaming communities. Overall, the study found, such communities have beneficial results. From the article: "'Our study shows that the online gaming communities are complex and highly developed, acting as training grounds for the transition from school to work' Nic continues: 'When playing, gamers are undergoing a complex process of work related learning - learning how to cope with work scenarios - which is far removed from the traditionally held negative view of gaming. Put simply, these games have a central - and positive - role to play in the development and education of young people.'"

It's that time of year again, when a person's fancy turns to new games. It's still nice to think of old flames, though, and eToyChest wonders about games you've loved. From the article: "In 1992 I was spending time getting my gaming legs on a then-aging 486 PC. It was loud, ugly, and far from state-of-the-art. But it could still run games off the shelf, and when a friend of mine brought over what he was calling the "best role-playing game he had played since Ultima V", I knew I had to check it out. What began that afternoon stands out as one of the most important events in my life as a game, for as I installed each of the two high density diskettes comprising Sir-Tech's Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant, I somehow knew that I was in for a treat. What followed were two years of swords, sorcery, and the slaying of many humanoid rats." So what game do you still remember fondly, even if you haven't played for quite a while?

Shodan writes "eToychest writes that a new game union of sorts has been formed to both recruit new industry talent, as well as give them a unified voice when it comes to maintaining a work/life balance. PEER (Professional Electronic Entertainment Recruiters) was created to establish and maintain ethical work standards and optimum recruiting service for game industry developers, publishers, and related industry companies." From the article: "The part that catches my eye is 'ethical work standards', which I cannot help but think was established, at least in part, due to all of the fervor surrounding EA and the treatment of its employees. The group seems to be a sort of 'worker's union', as they say that in an era where quality of life and rapid growth are chief concerns, PEER gives its members 'a representative voice.'" It will be interesting to see where this leads.

eToyChest has a look at some current MMOG market leaders, and specifically takes a look at what they're 'good' at. If you've been thinking about playing an online game, this might be a useful tool to help pick the one game you'll enjoy most. From the article: "MMORPGs have evolved rapidly in terms of technology and gameplay, and with the continually growing number of gamers being pulled into these games, more and more titles have been shoveled onto retail shelves in order to keep up with the demand. Despite the fact that there isn't any one clear front-runner in the genre currently, the diversity and variety in MMORPGs today (both in the games available now and in the months to come) give many more options to most any gamer. However, here we will discuss those games that serve as the premier offerings for gamers today, as well as those set to be released in the near future, and we'll identify why these games are the Kings of the Hill."

The Guardian Gamesblog kicked off a great discussion on their site, talking about games that just keep pulling you back in. Games that, even if you've played through them once, you just have to pick them up again. eToyChest and Kotaku both have related threads. So, what about you? What are some videogames that, even years later, you just have to play through one more time? For me, besides my ongoing fascination with World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies, and Everquest II, there aren't that many that needed more than one playthrough. Both Half-Life titles, of course. I needed to play HL2 just to get everything I missed the first time. Jedi Academy and System Shock 2 required additional plays to try the game at a different angle. Similarly, I've played through the Diablo titles more than once each, as there's just so much clicking to be had. I somehow managed to avoid the gravity well of Civ4 for the most part, but Civilization 3 was almost the only game I played in college. Good times.

eToyChest is reporting on a response that Running With Scissors (the makers of the ultraviolent game Postal) has released in response to Jack Thompson's latest rantings. From the article: "There are no missions based on slaughtering innocent bystanders. You play in a detailed environment and are given simple tasks such as buying milk and cashing a paycheck. As in the real world, the player may find weapons in that environment if they seek them. And, just as in the real world, the choice of what to do with those weapons is yours. Misuse results in severe consequences, in Postal you're always held accountable. In our opinion that makes Postal 2 the most politically correct game ever made."

eToyChest reports on a study indicating that over 50% of UK teachers would consider using educational games in the classroom. From the article: "The Poll findings also highlight some barriers to the use of games in schools, noting a lack of access to equipment capable of running the games as well as a lack of strong evidence of the educational value of games, an issue of focus for the Teaching with Games project. The appropriate choice and suitability of computer games to be used was also noted by respondents. Despite over one quarter playing computer games themselves, around two-thirds still felt, for example, that computer games may present stereotypical views of others and lead to anti-social behaviour."

eToyChest has an interview up with Bill Roper, formerly of Blizzard Entertainment, discussing progress on the action-RPG Hellgate: London. From the article: "Hellgate: London is playable as a stand-alone single-player game, but it's the multiplayer components that we believe will really make it shine. We're building our own online destination for the game that is comparable in features to any MMORPG. This means a client/server structure to provide safe and secure gaming, character databases, customer service, guild support and so on. We want to provide ongoing content for the game long after it has shipped, and we're building both the game and our infrastructure to lay the ground work for doing just this."

eToyChest is reporting that, if you play your cards right in the game version of the Kong film, King Kong might return home the end of the game. Apparently the designers thought people wouldn't want to play if they already knew the ending. From the article: "To unlock the alternate ending, players must complete the entire game and then go back and play through various maps and earn a total of 250,000 points. Other unlockable features include several Weta Digital concept art galleries, interviews with both Peter Jackson and Phillipa Boyens, an "old movie" filter, a King Kong theatrical trailer and more."

A study conducted by Nielsen and Activision has concluded that in-game advertising works on the traditional gamer demographic. From the eToyChest article: "The study was conducted among 1350 active male gamers ages 13 to 44. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of nine test or control cells. Respondents who were assigned to four game test cells, featuring the games MTX Motortrax, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Need For Speed Underground 2 and NHL 2K6, were then exposed to brands and products at various levels of integration and pervasiveness within each game. Participants assigned to two game control cells played the same games without any products integrated or placed in the game. According the study, it confirms earlier findings that product integration helps to drive awareness and recall, but also uncovers a new variable, pervasiveness, which contributes to driving brand awareness as well."

eToyChest is reporting on a truly inspiring setting for Half-Life 2: the arcade. A complicated pair of seats allows players to enjoy the FPS goodness, and a card allows them to save their progress for later play. From the article: "Built upon the company's recently unveiled PC based board, TypeX (which seems ideally suited for these kinds of PC ports, don't you think?), Half-Life 2: Survivor will feature a Story Mode, as well as a couple of multiplayer offerings. From the looks of this beastly machine, the game will have players engaging in typical FPS gameplay through the use of multiple joysticks and foot peddles."

eToyChest reports that Publisher Take-Two has acquired Firaxis studios, developers of the Civilization franchise. From the article: "At this point I'm not sure what to think. If Take-Two takes a hands-off approach, and lets Firaxis do their thing, then I'm all for this. I just don't want this to become a matter of "too many cooks in the kitchen", and somehow negatively impact future titles that spring from Sid Meier's genius. Your thoughts?"

shrouded writes "Rumors have been growing the last few days about hardware shortages for the launch of Microsoft's new video game console this month. No one is speaking about it officially, but off behind-the-scenes whispering makes it sound like initial supplies won't even cover people who have pre-paid for their machines. eToychest spent the weekend asking retailers what they anticipate for the Nov. 22 release date, and its not pretty."

For some end of the day eye candy, eToyChest has a photo spread of the new 360 lounge in Tokyo. From the article: "This setup reeks of the kind of spread Microsoft had going on in their back-room party at the Shrine at E3, only with more game playing and less milling around wondering what was going on. The lounge has numerous Xbox 360 kiosks, two sofa areas set aside with 42-inch HD televisions for players to test drive titles such as Ridge Racer 6 and Ninty-Nine Nights, and one gigantic 200-inch big screen TV where players can weep knowing that they will never be able to have this kind of setup in their own home."

Many reactions to last week's violent games bill. Primotech writes "I first heard of California's AB1179 late Friday night. Like most others, who simply shrugged the bill off as inconsequential, my first thought was strikingly indifferent. Beyond the perfunctory glance, however, it becomes evident that this bill brings into focus and, more importantly, actually probes some of the more serious issues facing the industry. Above all else, examining and dissecting the proposal reveals some truly frightening facts." Relatedly, Shodan writes "Hal Halpin, the President of IEMA, today issued a statement in response to California Assembly Bill 1179, which is on the floor to address the issue of violent videogames." Other states are taking their lead from Illinois and California. KymBuchanan writes "I'm sad to say my state is on the bandwagon, and the charge is being lead by Democrats. From the article: 'Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has announced that she will sign legislation later this week that will make the sale or rental of mature or adult-rated video games to children illegal ... The fine for anyone caught selling a "violent title" ( apparently defined by the bill as real or simulated graphic depictions of physical injuries or physical violence against parties who realistically appear to be human beings) to minors will initially be $5,000, and can go as high as $40,000 ...'"

Many reactions to last week's violent games bill. Primotech writes "I first heard of California's AB1179 late Friday night. Like most others, who simply shrugged the bill off as inconsequential, my first thought was strikingly indifferent. Beyond the perfunctory glance, however, it becomes evident that this bill brings into focus and, more importantly, actually probes some of the more serious issues facing the industry. Above all else, examining and dissecting the proposal reveals some truly frightening facts." Relatedly, Shodan writes "Hal Halpin, the President of IEMA, today issued a statement in response to California Assembly Bill 1179, which is on the floor to address the issue of violent videogames." Other states are taking their lead from Illinois and California. KymBuchanan writes "I'm sad to say my state is on the bandwagon, and the charge is being lead by Democrats. From the article: 'Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has announced that she will sign legislation later this week that will make the sale or rental of mature or adult-rated video games to children illegal ... The fine for anyone caught selling a "violent title" ( apparently defined by the bill as real or simulated graphic depictions of physical injuries or physical violence against parties who realistically appear to be human beings) to minors will initially be $5,000, and can go as high as $40,000 ...'"

eToyChest has an insightful column up looking at the realities of the modern game store shelf, and how the titles there relate to the youth of today. From the article: "This year's summer trip to the software store made one thing very clear to me: In its efforts to follow initial adopters into adulthood, the videogame industry has--inadvertently or otherwise--left children in the dust. There is no denying the fact that today's kids aren't going to have the same experience we had when we were young. Back then, the bread and butter of the big game companies (i.e., Atari, Sega, Nintendo and others) was the child market. Games were appealing to grown-ups, too--if only for the tech factor--but appealing to the kids was where the most money could be had. Walking into the game store meant finding a wall full of games dedicated to the young player."

eToyChest is reporting that there are two new Castlevania titles coming to the current generation of consoles. Castlevania: Curse of Darkness will be released on the Xbox and the PS2, while Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow will see the dual lights of the DS. From the article: "While past Castlevania games have focused on the struggle between Dracula and the Belmont clan, Curse of Darkness introduces players to an entirely new storyline and main character - Hector, a Devil Forgemaster, and former Lieutenant of Dracula. Told in true Castlevania style by award winning producer Koji Igarashi, this action-packed tale of betrayal and revenge takes players on a journey through an expansive world filled with formidable foes and beautifully rendered environments to the ruins of Dracula's castle."

You may or may not have caught the Xbox 360 unveiling on MTV Thursday night, but the internet will provide. A plethora of sites have photos, videos, commentary, specifications, and interviews about the new system. Your fellow readers have pulled together to provide links to: 1up.com, Joystiq, Gamespot, The BBC, CNN, NYT, Gamespy, Team Xbox, Voodoo Extreme, Anandtech, and eToyChest. The official Xbox 360 site opened last night as well for word straight from the source. For more official images Ourcolony.net has been 'solved', and now features an OurColony specific video preview. Finally, for commentary on the event, the Video Game Ombudsman provides an alternative to the press releases. From the post: "Kyle Orland (9:28:42 PM): The future of gaming is a girl in a blue dress? Dan Dormer (9:28:47 PM): The future of gaming is a girl with a bag? Kyle Orland (9:28:57 PM): She's the Xbox! OMG!"

eToychest writes "Sony Online Entertainment just sent notice that some poor baby has been named after a character in EverQuest. Apparently players really, really love this game. Case in point: player Tabitha Ayers gave birth to a baby girl January 6, 2005, and promptly named her Firiona Vie Ayers, in honor of EverQuest's famous spokes-elf. The path to geekdom for this child has aready been paved in 12-sided dice and character sheets." At this point I think it's safe to say that SOE is going to be the cause of the downfall of Civilization.

eToychest writes "Sony Online Entertainment just sent notice that some poor baby has been named after a character in EverQuest. Apparently players really, really love this game. Case in point: player Tabitha Ayers gave birth to a baby girl January 6, 2005, and promptly named her Firiona Vie Ayers, in honor of EverQuest's famous spokes-elf. The path to geekdom for this child has aready been paved in 12-sided dice and character sheets." At this point I think it's safe to say that SOE is going to be the cause of the downfall of Civilization.

An anonymous reader writes "eToychest has posted news that Ubisoft will be developing a series of sports games. The company has signed an exclusive license with Vijay Singh to produce a Vijay Singh-titled golf game. Ubisoft also announced that it has acquired the technology, tools and source code shipped in Microsoft Game Studios team sports games, including NHL Rivals, NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive and MLB Inside Pitch." GamerCentric.com has a quick piece on this as well.

eToychest writes "In a move that indicates the video game industry is embracing digital distribution as a vehicle to expand the market, more than 20 game publishers have signed on to supply titles for the Phantom Game Service." Their previously reported financial status is undoubtedly still an issue, though.

eToychest writes "In a move that indicates the video game industry is embracing digital distribution as a vehicle to expand the market, more than 20 game publishers have signed on to supply titles for the Phantom Game Service." Their previously reported financial status is undoubtedly still an issue, though.

eToychest writes "According to a post by David Yeeon on the front page of the official EA site, PC MMO title Ultima X: Odyssey has been cancelled. The post reads: 'As of today, development on Ultima X: Odyssey has ended. We feel that Ultima Online is where we need to focus our online efforts and most of my team will be moving to the UO expansion pack, the UO live team, and an unannounced Ultima Online project.' It's too bad, but perhaps it was for the best." GameSpot sketches out the background, explaining: "The [August 2003-announced] game went through an evolution when its design and development staff were recently moved from EA's Austin, TX studio to the company's main Redwood Shores campus... UXO was to have picked up where the Ultima IX storyline left off", and GameSpy adds that the new Ultima Online expansion pack "will be officially revealed later this month at an EA press event."

eToychest writes "According to Reuters, a video game programmer has sued Vivendi Universal Games, claiming he and his colleagues were regularly forced to work extra hours and denied overtime pay. The suit, filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, is one of many filed against companies in the state in recent months, as employees seek to be classified as overtime-eligible to obtain compensation for working more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. The suit seeks payment of back overtime wages plus other damages. This comes the recent announcement that the company said it would cut more than one-third of its staff, excluding Blizzard. Of the things mentioned in the suit, the complaints include no overtime compensation, and employees being ordered to falsify timesheets to indicate they worked shorter days." This report is especially interesting in light of the recent IGDA 'Quality Of Life' survey for game developers.

Thanks to eToychest for its round-up of the favorite console strategy RPGs of all time. The piece argues: "a strategy RPG is (generally) a console game in which battles take place over a grid", and highlights include Vandal Hearts ("This is where everyone interested in the genre should start"), the Tactics Ogre series ("the replay value here is unmatched, due to multiple endings in each game"), and Disgaea/La Pucelle Tactics both on the top spot ("If you don't know why these two titles are sharing number 1, go play them.")

etoychest writes "To be honest, I venture over to IGN.com about as often as I find myself in the all-natural food section at the local supermarket. That is, next to never. Still, occasionally some information does leak out of the site that makes you wonder if there is a reason to go back. This time, thanks to our friends over on the Penny-Arcade forums, I was made aware of a tidbit tucked away in the current IGN Pocket mailbag, as written by Craig Harris: 'Well, this was something that I've known for months about, but was literally sworn to secrecy by the people involved (just like many OTHER things I know but can't say). But since it's been mentioned in another publication, I can confirm that, yes, Halo is in the works for the GBA. That's all I can say, on risk of having my fingernails ripped off with a bottle opener.'" But are we sure they're not talking about this GBA Halo? Update: 06/12 12:05 GMT by S : There's a rather definitive official denial of this rumor over at Bungie.net.