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Championship Gaming Series Standings

Chicago Chimera powered into first place of the CGS last night after drubbing 3D.NY 31-15. Chicago’s dynamic PGR duo set the pace for the evening and the Counter-Strike and DOA squads followed suit. NY took points back in the FIFA competition, as Matt “Wizakor” Wood blanked Andrew “Anomaly” Brock, 3-0.

Official CGS League Standings as of 7/2/2007

Note: Standings are sorted by wins/loses, then differential between points for/points against

Microsoft owns It, Now Get over It!

Microsoft has failed to STOP racism from joining the Forza 2 gaming community. Yesterday over at 360Gamer they posted an article about people using the Forza 2 paintjob editor to create racist themed cars and place them for sale into the online auction. Full Story »

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements Screens and Info for the Xbox360

In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements, players will be introduced to the dark and unforgiving world of Ashan, scarred by a bloody history and threatened by the apocalyptic prophecy of the Dark Messiah.

The game will sport a refined experience thanks to several improvements in gameplay, design and other technical aspects. Players will embody the young hero Sareth and choose his evolution path to acquire spells, skills and abilities that will set his destiny.

Key Features of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements for Xbox 360 include:

• More action, new challenges. Experience Might and Magic like never before, with refined game mechanics carefully crafted for pad-controlled carnage, including a brand new lock-on feature and tweaked level design and game statistics. Explore three previously unreleased secret levels with new objectives, gameplay, and rewards.

• Multiplayer remixed. New multiplayer maps have been created exclusively for Xbox 360, while all other features have been completely remastered for an optimal Xbox LIVE experience, allowing you to play with up to 10 players. Enlist with the Humans or the Undead and choose to play as an archer, priestess, mage or knight. Make use of powerful and unique skills and spells on the battlefield, including powers such as meteor shower, berserk charge and rain of arrows.

• Cutting-edge technology. Discover the power of the Source engine on Xbox 360, featuring jaw-dropping environments, incredible graphics and top-notch physics. Immerse yourself in a gritty first-person experience with complete body awareness, realistic movements and physics rendering, making Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements the first action game to feature a complete first-person combat system.

· Environmental mischief. Use your environment as a weapon to outsmart the most fiendish monsters. From bottomless pits to diabolical traps, players will find that that their spells and weapons are not always the most effective solution to dispatching their foes.

• Never-ending action. Challenge the forces of evil across 12 chapters and master over 30 weapons and 12 devastating spells. Engage the enemy in intense melee combat with swords, bows, staffs and daggers; summon magic powers or sneak in the shadows to stalk depraved creatures. Show no mercy as you carve deep into the enemy’s flesh and use the environment as a weapon to outsmart the most fiendish monsters.

• The Might and Magic universe’s darkest side. From bottomless pits to abandoned temples, dark catacombs and swelled cities, explore the remotest recesses of Ashan, populated with fearless Orcs, dreadful Undead, elusive Cyclops and many other creatures that defy nature’s creation. This is the darkest side of the legendary Might and Magic universe, where the forces of evil are stronger and more cunning than ever.

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements will be released in Q1 2008.

FATAL INERTIA: Futuristic Combat Racing Game for Xbox 360

KOEI, today announced that Fatal Inertia is scheduled to ship to North American retailers on September 11, 2007 for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Fatal Inertia is the debut title from KOEI’s Toronto-based development studio, KOEI Canada. The team is led by Producer Takazumi Tomoike, creator of the Dynasty Warriors series, and KOEI Co-Founder and Chief Advisor Yoichi Erikawa, who under the pen name Kou Shibusawa is regarded as one of the world’s top video game designers.

About Fatal Inertia
In the middle of the 22nd century mankind’s thirst for excitement has spawned an evolutionary sporting event that draws from the combined disciplines of rally racing, demolition derby and high-performance aeronautics. In this brave new world of combat racing, gravity-defying machines are no longer confined to the speedways and stadiums of centuries past. In this grand spectacle of racing, the amphitheatre where drivers must prove their superiority is the untamed wilderness.

Through harsh environments spanning dense rainforests to immense glacier fields, and canyons of razor-sharp rock there is little room for error as drivers will reach speeds of over 500 mph. But Fatal Inertia is not merely a test of speed. The brave men and women who choose to compete must face the mental and physical punishment of low-altitude combat maneuvering.

In Fatal Inertia each craft will be armed with a unique array of unconventional weapons that manipulate velocity, force and even time. Explosive magnets that impact racecraft stability and rockets that can counter thrust and velocity are just some of the dangers drivers must face. But with each racecraft hovering just a few feet from the earth, any misguided attempts to evade or dislodge these weapons can result in total (if not fatal) disaster.

Powered by the award-winning Unreal® Engine 3 from Epic Games, Fatal Inertia boasts fast-paced single and online multiplayer experiences, eight racing series, six distinct racing environments, plus full racecraft customization. Fatal Inertia delivers a glimpse into the future of racing in stunning 720p HDTV and in game Dolby® Digital audio.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS

What do you get when you combine the world’s best-selling video game system, the Nintendo DSâ„¢, with one of Nintendo’s best-loved franchises, Zelda? An epic new adventure that satisfies longtime fans but draws in new players with intuitive touch-screen controls. Launching Oct. 1, The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass, complete with crisp 3-D cartoon graphics and multiplayer battles over Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, marks the debut of the franchise on Nintendo DSâ„¢.

“Since 1987 The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold more than 52 million units worldwide,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass stays true to the richness of the console Zelda franchise while introducing new controls that allow veterans and first-time gamers to become fully immersed in the adventure.”

The game involves legendary hero Link and Tetra, the leader of a band of pirates, as they discover a ghost ship in dense fog. Link falls into the ocean when Tetra gets into trouble, and he wakes up alone on the shore of a mysterious island. Throughout the game, Link collects sand for his Phantom Hourglass, which allows him to explore deeper and deeper into a time-limited dungeon in his quest to find Tetra.

You can play the entire game with only the Nintendo DS touch screen. Walk up to characters and tap them to start a conversation. Slash your stylus across the touch screen to swing Link’s sword. If players touch an enemy with the stylus, Link attacks. Players can even navigate their ship or set a route for their boomerang simply by drawing a path on the touch screen.

The robust single-player adventure will have Zelda veterans and newcomers alike engrossed by the story as they move through the game with the stylus. A special two-player battle mode lets players connect locally or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. One player controls Link as he tries to gather as many Force Gems as possible, while the other player manages the enemies who pursue Link. The replayability of these winner-take-all matches is virtually endless.

In both style and characters, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass echoes the smash-hit The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerâ„¢ for Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢, which sold more than 2.2 million in the United States alone. But the inviting, easy-to-understand story and ease of control will attract casual and younger players who might be new to Zelda games.

As a special bonus for Nintendo’s rewards club, My Nintendo members who register the game and their Nintendo DS hardware at MyNintendo.com and fill out a short survey will receive a special Nintendo DS stylus that looks like an old-fashioned quill pen, modeled after an item in the game (subject to availability).

THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

This week the Wii Shop Channel is all about a healthy diet. Grab lots of vegetables, drink plenty of water and top it off with some eggs. As an appetizer, might we recommend starting with Super Mario Bros. 2â„¢, a delicious morsel starring everyone’s favorite plumber. But in this game, players can control three other characters as well. As an entrée, try the dolphin. Not to eat, of course, but to play. Eccoâ„¢: The Tides of Time is a swimmingly fun underwater adventure. Finally, let a multi-headed dragon help you cleanse your palate in DRAGON SPIRITâ„¢. This week is a veritable feast of delicious games.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wiiâ„¢ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Pointsâ„¢ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Join Mario™, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad in an incredible fantasy world on a quest to save the day. This time, they have little more than vegetables to defend themselves with. Pick up items and throw them at your adversaries to clear levels in seven massive worlds. Even enemies can be picked up and tossed across the screen. Each character has a unique set of abilities: Luigi can jump higher and farther than any of the other characters, Toad can dig extremely fast and pull items out of the ground quicker than anyone and the princess is the only one who can jump and hover temporarily. This unique installment in the Mario series will keep you coming back for more.

Ecco: The Tides of Time (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): In this sequel to Ecco the Dolphin, everyone’s favorite underwater hero must battle the Vortex Queen and her hive of drones. The wicked queen followed Ecco back to Earth from the future and quickly established her hive. It’s up to Ecco to defeat this alien threat by navigating the depths of his side-scrolling world, solving puzzles and receiving help from his marine-mammal friends. When Ecco used the time machine to save his pod, he split the stream of time in two. He must now restore the rift before the world is permanently changed into a mechanical world, sucked dry by the Vortex.

DRAGON SPIRIT (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): A fantastic world of adventure unfolds in this vertical-scrolling shooter. Sealed away by the gods long ago, the Evil Demon of Darkness, Zawell, seeks to rise again and unleash a new reign of evil. The brave warrior Amur races to rescue Princess Alicia from the demon’s wretched clutches. Amur takes the form of the legendary Blue Dragon and fights his way through the legions of monsters that await in the sky. Battle your way through eight different areas, using your Dragon Breath to bring down airborne targets and Fireballs to wipe out targets on the ground. Destroy flashing enemies and smash Eggs to uncover different kinds of power-up items. Boost your firepower by increasing the number of heads your dragon has, and defeat all the bosses as you make your way to Zawell’s dark lair.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North Readies For August 31 Release

Guild Wars: Eye of the North, the first ever expansion to the subscription-free Guild Wars franchise of fantasy online role-playing games, will be released to the public on August 31, 2007. The Guild Wars: Eye of the North expansion will be available for an expected price of $39.99 in North America and €34.99 in Europe, as well as through the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com and in the Guild Wars in-game store.Guild Wars: Eye of the North will continue the no subscription fee model pioneered by ArenaNet, and will provide new content accessible to players who own both the expansion and any one of the three previously released Guild Wars campaigns (Guild Wars, Factions^TM, or Nightfall^TM).

The Guild Wars franchise has sold more than 3.5 million units since the release of the original Guild Wars campaign, in 2005, making it one of the most popular online role-playing games of all time.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North follows up on events told in the original Guild Wars campaign, and is set in previously unexplored areas of the continent of Tyria. The expansion contains a host of new features that will appeal directly to veteran Guild Wars players, including 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all ten Guild Wars professions, ten new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and more items, weapons, and titles. Additionally, through the innovative Hall of Monuments, Guild Wars: Eye of the North creates a path for players to carry the legacy of their characters into the upcoming Guild Wars 2. The Hall of Monuments will allow players to preserve their accomplishments and titles from Guild Wars, Factions, and Nightfall, which can then be claimed in Guild Wars 2.

Brain game pulled in UK Over Derogatory Term

The problem emerged after a Belfast woman contacted BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show. Nicola told the show she had been playing the game - aimed at ages three and above - to pass the time while in hospital giving birth to her baby son, Austin, four weeks ago.

It was a fraught time for the young mother, who had lost her other son, Logan, just before Christmas. The three-year-old - who suffered from cerebral palsy and was severely brain damaged - passed away after contracting pneumonia. Nicola was shocked when she had performed poorly at one part of the game and it rated her efforts in a manner derogatory to the disabled. For the Full Story View it here.

Age of Fury Beta Starts Friday

The Age of Fury is drawing ever closer and players wishing to unleash their competitive spirit can sign-up now at the Closed Beta registration page. The first phase of Closed Beta for testing is scheduled to commence at 3pm PST Friday July 6th. Invitations for players who have already registered will start being sent out in the coming days, so keep checking your inbox to see if you have made the cut. We’re expecting thousands of new players so make sure you keep your calendar clear for next weekend.

Gone are the days of level grinding and countless hours spent wandering the barren terrain of your typical “MMO.” Fury is a fast-paced, online, player versus player game that blends the speed and excitement of a First Person Shooter with familiar MMORPG combat and character advancement. From the minute you log in, Fury keeps the action flowing at breakneck speeds, never letting up and pushing you to your limits. This Closed Beta version includes 3 game types, a new Tutorial, new vendor areas, new gameplay balance and a host of bug fixes and tweaks.

This is your chance to get an edge on the competition. The Dev Team is already hard at work adding the finishing touches to the Open Beta version, where players can look forward to significant performance and graphics improvements, loads of new content and major updates to the game economy. So what are you waiting for? Fury is a game of skill, not brute force, twitch or time played – the only way you’ll succeed is by mastering the game itself. Here’s your chance to become a master before anyone else. Are you up to the challenge?

**New** Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 2