World Of Warcraft 2.3.0 Patch Released

World of Warcraft patch 2.3.0 has been released, updating v2.2.3 of the game to v2.3.0. The 281mb download introduces a new level 70 instance called Zul’Aman, over 50 new quests to Dustwallow Marsh, Guild Banks, changes and bug fixes, while also adding new gear and items for PVP Arena Season 3.

Offline Download:

• ActionTrip
• Games32
• FileShack
• Fileplanet

Full Patch Notes After The Jump:
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Alone in the Dark Coming to Wii and PS2

Atari announces today some good news for Wii and PS2 users. Their upcoming version of the Alone in the Dark game will have Wii and PS2 versions. Developer Hydravision will port the game to those platforms while Eden Studios will continue work on the previously announced PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions.

Developed by Hydravision, Alone in the Dark for Wii and PS2 follows the same story as the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC version, where over the course of one apocalyptic night, hero Edward Carnby must uncover the earth-shattering secret hidden in New York’s iconic Central Park.

“Realizing the enormous ambition of Alone in the Dark is a huge technological challenge,” said Hudson Piehl, Vice President of Production, Atari, Inc. “Hydravision has risen to the occasion to ensure Wii and PlayStation 2 owners will be impressed by the gripping gameplay experience.”

The game still does not have a release date.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Trailer

EA Mythic Releases a new trailer for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning or just WAR as some would call it. Video includes some of the first game play footage of Altdorf, the Empire capital city.

 

Aion: The Tower of Eternity Trailer

NCsoft released from its forthcoming MMORPG Aion: The Tower of Eternity a mouthwatering new trailer highlighting the Elyos and Asmodian races as they lock swords and battle deep within the Abyss.

Championship Gaming Series World Finals

The details on the world finals for the first season of the Championship Gaming Series, sponsored by DirecTV have been announced today. The finals will take place Dec. 6-14 at the Sony Studios in Los Angeles with 12 teams battling for a total of $1 million with $500,000 of that money going to the world champion team. Counter-Strike Source, FIFA 07, Dead or Alive 4 and Project Gotham Racing 3 are the tournament’s official games. In addition a World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade 2v2 tournament will also be held for a top prize of $30,000.

CGS World Final prize distribution is as follows:

TEAM WORLD FINAL
1st Place $500,000
2nd Place $150,000
3rd-4th Place $70,000
5th-8th Place $30,000
9th-12th Place $15,000
MVP $25,000

INDIVIDUAL WORLD FINAL
1st Place DOA4 (men’s) $5,000
1st Place DOA4 (women’s) $5,000
1st Place PGR3 $5,000 (x2) CORRECTED
1st Place FIFA 2007 $5,000
1st Place CS:S $5,000 (x5)

WORLD OF WARCRAFT: BURNING CRUSADE ARENA 2V2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
1st Place $15,000 (x2)

Grand Total Prize Purse $1,075,000

CGS WORLD FINAL EVENT SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:
December 6: CGS World Final press conference
December 6: First round day 1
December 7: First round day 2
December 8: WoW:BC 2v2 CGS Championship (Competition will be webcast on thecgs.com)
December 8: Individual World Final (Competition will be webcast on thecgs.com)
December 10: Quarterfinals day 1
December 11: Quarterfinals day 2
December 13: Semifinals
December 14: Final

The CGS official teams participating in the World Final are as follows:

Berlin Allianz
Birmingham Salvo
Carolina Core
Chicago Chimera
London Mint
Mexico City Furia
Rio Sinistro
Seoul Jinhwa
Singapore Sword
Stockholm Magnetik
Sydney Underground
Wuhan Dragon

Kwari - Frag For Cash Game Play Trailer and ScreenShots

Kwari the first-person shooter (FPS) with a difference; players make money off each other in real-time. Today they have released a new in-game Trailer and some new screenshots for your viewing pleasure. For more details on the workings of the game check out the FAQ.

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Dont Buy COD4 From Steam If you Live in Europe

It seems that if you want to buy Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Steam and live in the USA it will cost you $49.95, but in Europe that price is $69.95. It’s also worth noting that users from Europe are also charged tax on top of their Steam purchase, bringing the price even higher. Valve has stated that “Pricing on Steam is set by the publisher.” which means it’s time to contact Activision and ask them why.

NVIDIA ForceWare Release v163.75 WHQL Drivers

NVIDIA offers the new WHQL ForceWare reference drivers (v163.75) for GeForce cards. The update features performance improvements for various games.

• Improved compatibility and performance for NVIDIA SLI™ technology on Microsoft DirectX® 9.0c and OpenGL® 2.1 applications.
• Improved compatibility for The Way It’s Meant To Be Played™ game titles:
BioShock, Crysis, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, and World in Conflict.
• Added PureVideo™ HD decode acceleration for GeForce 8600, 8500 and 8400 series GPUs.
• Improved performance of the graphics memory manager on GeForce 8 series GPUs running DirectX 9 applications in single‐GPU and NVIDIA SLI configurations.
These improvements solve cases of reported performance slowdowns in some 3D applications with high graphics settings and resolutions.
• Improved compatibility with PT Boats: Knights of the Sea
• Added NVIDIA SLI profile for Team Fortress 2
• Improved compatibility for Half‐Life 2: Episode 2
• Added NVIDIA SLI profiles for Half‐Life 2:Episode 2, Portal, Clive Barkerʹs Jericho

NCsoft and City of Heroes

NCsoft announces they have taken sole ownership of the City of Heroes intellectual property they previously co-owned with developer Cryptic Studios. They also announce the hiring of some former Cryptic employees, including designer Matt Miller, to open a new studio in California to create further sequels and expansions for the MMO superhero franchise:

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 6, 2007—NCsoft® Corp, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced the formation of a new development studio in Mountain View, California. The announcement comes as the company begins a renewed push to further develop the City of Heroes® property, which is now 100 percent owned by NCsoft. Previous to today, ownership of the intellectual property (IP) was split between NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the original developer of the project.

The new studio will be built around key members of the City of Heroes team from NCsoft and Cryptic Studios including the art, programming and design team leads.

“We’re happy to announce that NCsoft has acquired full ownership of the City of Heroes IP,” said Brian Clayton, NCsoft executive producer and manager of the new studio. “Our plans are clear. We are now in a position to make a major reinvestment in the City of Heroes product line. With our existing Cryptic and NCsoft team as the core, we will be able to run our current service without any interruption to our players, expand our studio to deliver triple-A content, and take City of Heroes to new heights.”

NCsoft will soon be announcing formal plans for the City of Heroes IP, which will include expansions and sequels to the popular comic-book inspired massively multiplayer online (MMO) game.

Matt Miller, Lead Designer on the City of Heroes project and formerly with Cryptic Studios said, “We’re thrilled to be bringing the CoH franchise to the next level. And we couldn’t be more pleased to be working completely under the NCsoft banner. We feel that City of Heroes’ best days are in front of it.”

EA Confirms EA Chicago is Closing

EA Chicago has closed! Shacknews.com has confirmation from EA that they are indeed closing their Windy City studio, which employed some 150 people. This comes as part of a planned restructuring by the publisher.

“Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability….Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn’t been able to meet that standard….Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I’ve made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there.”

EA Chicago was responsible for titles like Def Jam, Fight Night, and the Marvel fighting game. No big loss when it comes to game titles, but wow EA should really look at its CEO bonus structure to cut before slashing the people that can make the games.