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Letters from the front line of World War One

post from Gaming Nexus on 27 August 2008 08:21:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Randy Kalista
NEWS - - France, October 1914 -

Dear Mum,

Finally! After two months of training and waiting we have arrived close to the front line in France. I think the Boss intends to move this battalion on tomorrow or the next day to join up with the rest of the Regiment who are now all stationed along the frong and in the trenches. You can hear the noise of what must be thousands of men all waiting for the off from miles away.

I must say, I'm not half tired. The prospect of camping in this muddy field before the final march on a half empty belly is enough to make you faint. It's been bitterly cold too; water supplies are freezing up and the smell of damp is heavy in the air. Dinner, if you can call it that, has been bully beef and biscuits every night so we're all getting used to it now. I can almost taste the sweet smell of home baking, it's what keeps me going.

I was sad to leave you all behind but they say the war will be over by Christmas so I shouldn't have to put up with it for long. The conditions aren't great but it's the company that makes up for it. We keep each other's spirits up with plenty of loud singing, poking fun at the gerries and smoking cigarettes, if we can find any.

I suspect the real action will start quite soon. Most of the chaps are quite excited about it really. I just want to prove myself to King and country. Don't worry about me. It's good fun and with God's blessing I will see you all very soon.

With love to you all,
TommyComment

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SOE Launches SWG Online Trading Card Game [Star
Wars Galaxies]

post from Kotaku on 27 August 2008 08:20:00 PM. © Kotaku

Today signals the launch of the first installment of Sony Online Entertainment's brand new online Star Wars trading card game, Champions of the Force. The game depicts the epic battle between the forces of good and evil using a set of over 250 virtually collectible cards. Play alone in solo-play mode or challenge your friends and enemies online in between bouts of whatever it is you SWG players actually do online.

Right now the SOE store has a deal where you can get the original game, The Rage of the Wookies and Jump to Lightspeed expansions and a starter deck for the card game for $14.99, with all paying subscribers receiving five free booster packs each month to help bolster their decks. Starters are available for individual purchase for $9.99, with boosters running $2.99 or $99.99 for a virtual box of 36 boosters. Honestly I am a bit hazy on how the whole thing works, so why not head over to the trading card game page and figure things out for yourself? May the force be with you and all that.

LUCASARTS AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCH THE STAR WARS GALAXIES? ONLINE TRADING CARD GAME

The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, ?Champions of the Force? Now Available

AUGUST 27, SAN FRANCISCO ? LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the launch of the Star Wars Galaxies? Trading Card Game and its first release: Champions of the Force.

Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars® trading card game offered exclusively online. Available to both current and former Star Wars Galaxies subscribers*, the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game provides players an entirely new gameplay experience by combining the challenge of a trading card game with the adventures and community of the massively multiplayer game. For the first time online, players can:

* Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and build their own Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game decks to fight virtual matches for the Rebel, Imperial, Jedi or Sith;
* Enhance their digital card decks with 15-card Booster Packs;
* Find more than 20 ?loot? cards in the first release, Champions of the Force, that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use within the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game for players with a Star Wars Galaxies account*;
* Challenge their skills in story-based solo-play or against other Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game players in epic one-on-one matches, cooperative Heroic Encounters, and official tournaments.

In addition, all Star Wars Galaxies subscribers with current, valid, paid accounts in good standing are eligible to automatically receive five digital trading card Booster Packs each month included with their paid Star Wars Galaxies subscription at no additional cost, providing a simple way for them to quickly and easily build their decks.

More than 250 unique virtual cards are available for players to collect in the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, all of which feature beautifully detailed original Star Wars artwork depicting scenes from the story-based solo mode. In the story mode, players will battle through ten scenarios that revolve around an ancient Jedi holocron, the Codex of Tython, which players must work to reassemble and ultimately use against their enemies.

Anyone wishing to try the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force can do so at no charge through a downloadable trial that includes limited access to a tutorial and practice games with a provided virtual Starter card deck.

The Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force may be also be accessed from inside Star Wars Galaxies, including trial participants while taking advantage of the Star Wars Galaxies 14-Day Trial. This trial, offered at no charge for up to two consecutive weeks, also includes all the content of the base game, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided? and its first expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed?. Available by download from www.StarWarsGalaxies.com, the 14-Day Trial gives players a chance to meet and fight with or against their favorite Star Wars characters as they explore this massive online universe filled with thousands of other Star Wars fans.

As a bonus for trying the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force, players are eligible to receive a loot card that can be redeemed in Star Wars Galaxies for the choice of either a Rebel or Imperial flight suit*. Plus, becoming an active, current, paying Star Wars Galaxies subscriber, after trying the Trading Card Game, offers additional benefits including:

* One Starter Deck of their choice: Jedi, Rebel, Imperial or Sith;
* A Cybernetic Experience Chip, which gives a 20% experience point increase that can be used up to 50 times in Star Wars Galaxies when redeemed*;
* The complete third expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookiees?.

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Joystiq hands-on: Guitar Hero World Tour

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 08:14:23 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Features, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Rhythm

"Hang on a minute," I thought as I played Guitar Hero: World Tour at Activision's booth at the Leipzig Games Convention, "Isn't this Rock Band?" The layout on the World Tour screen is almost identical to Harmonix's series, with the guitars on either side, the drums scrolling down the middle (with the same horizontal bars displaying bass notes, except in World Tour they're purple, not orange) and the vocals on top. The star power meter, along with the rock meter, is kept in the top left, which means that if you're playing drums or bass guitar, it's not very easy to see.

It took a little while to get used to the drums. The two-tier structure with the cymbals feels great, but can be slightly confusing at first. The drums are a lot bouncier than the Rock Band ones, making them not only quieter, but more fun to play. With Rock Band, the bounce seems to come more from the way the sticks are held, rather than out of the structural nature of the pads. Not hearing the constant thok, thok is definitely preferable too, as anyone who has bought silencing pads for their Rock Band drums will know. [Editor's note: Rock Band 2 also features quieter, bouncier drums.]

Gallery: Guitar Hero: World Tour

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Guitar Hero World Tour

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Fan's Labyrinth: del Toro approves of Team ICO

post from Joystiq on 27 August 2008 08:14:23 PM. © Joystiq

Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 2

In an interview with Edge, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro establishes two very interesting facts:

del Toro, who has been enamored with gaming's charming beeps and boops since the days of Pong, lavishes a considerable amount of praise on Sony's Team ICO. "There are only two games I consider masterpieces," he says. "Ico and Shadow of the Colossus."
The popular filmmaker has excellent taste in games.

Those are from the only titles he appreciates, however, as he tells Edge that he "absolutely loved BioShock." In addition, he approves of Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Silent Hill, which he likens in particular to a "Lynch, Polanski or Romero type of horror experience." It seems our only point of disagreement can be found in his "happy" working experience with Konami's Hellboy: The Science of Evil. Nobody's perfect, eh?

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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Prepare your decks: Magic: The Gathering coming
to XBLA next spring

post from Destructoid on 27 August 2008 08:10:00 PM. © Destructoid

Prepare your decks: Magic: The Gathering coming to XBLA next spring screenshot

Oh, Wizards of the Coast. How much of my childhood allowance did you end up taking after I became enamored with your tiny pieces of rectangular cardboard adorned with pretty fantasy pictures? It was quite the princely sum, to be sure (at least for a kid in elementary school), but the hours spent summoning guys whose names ended with en-Kor and casting Lighting Bolts (three damage for one mana!) seemed totally worth it at the time.

Now it seems that the Hasbro owned card-makers and developer Stainless Games are set to take the sort-of-like-real-money-but-not-quite Microsoft Points from people that are drawn to collectible card games all over again -- in the form of their newly announced Xbox Live Arcade game Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Plainswalkers.

Although most of you probably don’t recognize it, that title was used before for a Magic game released on the PC back in 1998. Although the original Duels of the Plainswalkers saw players using their cards to defend a world from an invading Plainswalker and the local wizards he had corrupted, this new title will set players in the shoes of one of the dimension-hopping immortals that can use their memories to create magical effects.

Computer controlled opponents will of course be on hand to provide an immediate challenge, but the real draw (get it? draw? cause you draw the cards from the deck … ) will be in playing against other people over Xbox Live. Although no multiplayer modes have been specifically mentioned yet, I would expect to see to some sort of ranked, unranked, and tournament game types. Yep, we collectable card players sure do love us some tournaments.

Is this a game you might consider picking up? Do you already have enough real Magic cards lying in a box somewhere to consider buying virtual ones?

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Easter Egg! Hidden karaoke game in Castle
Crashers works with Rock Band mic

post from Destructoid on 27 August 2008 08:09:00 PM. © Destructoid

[ Not streaming? Upgrade your Flash version. Videos auto-playing? Fix it.] Watch more videos

Congratulations to everyone over at The Behemoth for the breakaway success that is Castle Crashers. It seemed like everyone on my XBL friend list was playing it this weekend ... that, or designing another Final Fantasy-inspired Soul Calibur hooker. But just how well exactly is the new "it" indie game selling? Heaps!

Resident House of the Hominid fangirl named in the friggin' game credits spoke to lead designer Dan "Defecating Forest Creatures" Paladin who kindly informed Destructoid that they have already sold over 35,000 units, outselling Braid and possibly Penny Arcade Adventures on its first day (to be confirmed over heavy drinking and screaming this weekend). Despite some kinks golf claps are definitely in order!

As for the easter egg, well, you're just going to have to watch the video to understand. See you at PAX!

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Easter egg! Hidden karaoke game in Castle
Crashers works with Rock Band mic

post from Destructoid on 27 August 2008 08:09:00 PM. © Destructoid

[ Not streaming? Upgrade your Flash version. Videos auto-playing? Fix it.] Watch more videos

Congratulations to everyone over at The Behemoth for the breakaway success that is Castle Crashers. It seemed like everyone on my XBL friend list was playing it this week ... that, or designing another Final Fantasy-inspired Soul Calibur hooker. But just how well exactly is the new indie "it" game selling? Heaps!

Resident House of the Hominid fangirl named in the friggin' game credits spoke to lead designer Dan "Defecating Forest Creatures" Paladin, who kindly informed Destructoid that they have already sold over 35,000 units, outselling Braid and possibly Penny Arcade Adventures on its first day (to be confirmed over heavy drinking and screaming this weekend). Despite some kinks, golf claps are definitely in order!

As for the easter egg, well, you're just going to have to watch the video to understand. See you at PAX!

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Rush Rock Band DLC Delayed [No Rush]

Looks like Rush fans are going to have to wait a bit longer for the release of one of the greatest albums of all time to be released on EA's Rock Band. Citing technical difficulties, the Harmonix folks have decided to shuffle things around until they can get whatever issues they're running into squared away.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen technical difficulties, we won't be able to release Rush's "Moving Pictures" this week. We'll be working on it as hard as we can, but it looks like it could be a couple of weeks to fix. In the meantime we will be moving around our schedule so we still have DLC coming out each week

I'm guessing they're trying to determine some way to keep people from trying to sing as high as Geddy Lee, which can lead to strangulation by your own vocal chords. Bring it down an octave folks, don't be a hero.

In the meantime, savor the irony of the "Rush Delay".

Rush Delay Info [Rock Band Forums - Thanks BatDanNG!]

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New Divinity 2: Ego Draconis Trailer [Divinity 2:
Ego Draconis]

For those of you who played Divine Divinity or Beyond Divinity you're going to get another chance to enter the realm of Rivellon. Larian Studios is hard at work on Divinity 2: Ego Draconis or "I of the Dragon" in Latin. The game looks like it is shaping up well to be honest, though maybe I could have done without the voice over in the trailer. The game will be hitting PC sometime next year.

Divinity 2: Ergo Draconis Screens

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Lego Batman Coming To iPhone [Rumor]

The latest installment in the LEGO Thing franchise — LEGO Batman — could be heading to the iPhone, reports Pocket Gamer.

There have been earlier Java midlet versions of LEGO games - notably Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, but it would be nice to think that theiPhone would get a proper conversion..

The possibilities for manipulating LEGO bricks using multi-touch gestures could make for an interesting twist on the LEGO gameplay. Even if it is just a port of the DS version, though, it should be worth checking out providing the thorny issue of lack of D-Pad is resolved.

Pocketgamer don't mention a source for the news — hence the rumor tag — but as soon as we get more details, you shall be the first to know.

LEGO Batman goes crimefighting onto iPhone [PocketGamer]