Source: videogamesblogger.com

Much like our past World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King preview. In this recent World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King video interview with Blizzard’s Designer J. Kaplan and Producer J. Allen Brack, the two talk for 10 minutes about scroll inscription creating and what else World of Warcraft’s upcoming expansion has to offer.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack is still set for a 2008 release. As such developer Blizzard recently reveiled a few new gameplay videos of the PC / Mac game that show off vehicle combat and some of the new regions. The expansion takes place in Northrend, which is a crescent-shaped continent in northern Azeroth. The continent is roughly half the size of the Eastern Kingdoms, but is expected to match Outland in length and width. Although Northrend is known for its snow and ice, the developers stated that only parts of the continent will be frozen over. Northrend will feature approximately eleven zones, take a look at some of them below.

Ride your winged beast into the heat of battle! Watch the vehicle combat gameplay video:


The oceans teem with life, but upon the surface of the Borean Tundra live creatures of unimaginable horror. The Naga are attempting to melt the continent’s ice in Borean Tundra. Watch the Borean Tundra gameplay video:

The grizzled hill is home to more than a few new foes. The Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills zones are located in the southern central part of the continent, and the ursine Furbolgs reside in the forested Grizzly Hills. The Dragonblight features graveyards of dragons who came to die. Watch the Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills gameplay video:

When they first arrive, players will land by boat either at the Howling Fjord or the Borean Tundra zones, located at opposite ends of the continent. Howling Fjord is home to evil vampiric half-giants called the Vrykul as well as Utgarde Keep, the first dungeon to be described in the expansion. War has reached even the deepest fjord. Watch the Howling Fjord and Sholazar Basin gameplay video:

In other news Blizzard’s Blizzcon 2008 gaming conventionwill be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard’s Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises. In response to the demand to accommodate more attendees, this year’s event has expanded from two convention halls to three.

There you’ll be able to enjoy:
* Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment releases
* Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
* Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
* Areas and activities devoted to licensed products such as the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game
* Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes
* Commemorative merchandise based on the Blizzard Entertainment franchises
* A silent auction
* More exciting activities to be announced

Tickets for BlizzCon will go on sale in the next few weeks at a price of US$100 per person.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Blizzard Entertainment announced today that World of Warcraft, its subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), is now played by more than 10 million gamers around the world.

That’s a full one million more than the number of monthly players World of Warcraft had back in July 2007 six months ago. And all this before the release of the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion pack in mainland China, which Blizzard expects to give a huge increase in gold farmers, no wait they didn’t say that, they said an increase in new and returning subscribers.

It’s interesting to note that if the World of Warcraft were a nation, CIA’s World Factbook says that out of 236 listed countries it would be the 82nd most populated country on Earth above Hungary, but behind Serbia.

World of Warcraft now hosts more than 2 million subscribers in Europe, more than 2.5 million in North America, and approximately 5.5 million in Asia.

“It’s very gratifying to see gamers around the world continuing to show such enthusiasm and support for World of Warcraft,â€? said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re always pleased to welcome new players to the game, and we’re looking forward to sharing the next major content update with the entire community in the months ahead.â€?

Since debuting in North America on November 23, 2004, World of Warcraft has become the most popular MMORPG around the world. It was the bestselling PC game of 2005 and 2006 worldwide, and finished behind only World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, the first expansion pack for the game, in 2007. In addition to being the bestselling PC game of 2007 in both North America and Europe, The Burning Crusade holds the record for fastest-selling PC game of all time, with nearly 2.4 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and approximately 3.5 million in its first month. Development is underway on World of Warcraft’s second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which was unveiled at the company’s BlizzCon gaming festival in August 2007.

Please note: These subscriber numbers are not for all-time, but they are in fact monthly active subscribers. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft Subscriber Definition reads:
“World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees territories are defined along the same rules.â€?

Source: videogamesblogger.com

What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Carnival Games (Global Star), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Konami), 4. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo), 5. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Dragon Quest Swords: Kamen no Joou to Kagami no Tou (Square Enix), 2. Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor (Bandai), 3. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 4. Hajimete no Wii (Nintendo), 5. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo).

Europe: 1. FIFA 08 (EA Games), 2. MySims (EA Games), 3. Super Paper Mario (Nintendo), 4. Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo), 5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (EA Sports).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. Halo 3: Limited Edition (Microsoft), 3. BioShock (2K Games), 4. Halo 3: Legendary Edition (Microsoft), 5. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Microsoft).

Japan: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. Halo 3: Limited Edition (Microsoft), 3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike), 4. Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume (Namco), 5. Bullet Witch — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (AQ Interactive).

Europe: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 3. Halo 3: Limited Edition (Microsoft), 4. Gears of War (Microsoft), 5. BioShock (2K Games).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Heavenly Sword (SCEA), 2. NBA 2K8 (2K Sports), 3. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA), 4. Warhawk (SCEA), 5. NBA Live 08 (EA Sports).

Japan: 1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike), 2. Agarest Senki (Compile Heart), 3. Minna no Golf 5 (SCEI), 4. Gundam Musou (Bandai), 5. Blade Storm: Hyakunen Sensou (Koei).

Europe: 1. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 2. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEE), 3. MotorStorm (SCEE), 4. Formula One Championship Edition (SCEE), 5. Warhawk (SCEE).

PlayStation 2
North America: 1. Guitar Hero II Bundle (Activision), 2. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports), 3. Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix), 4. God of War II (SCEA), 5. NBA Live 08 (EA Sports).

Japan: 1. Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor (Bandai), 2. Bakumatsu Koihana: Karyuu Kenshiden — Limited Edition (D3 Publisher), 3. Clannad (Interchannel), 4. Metal Gear 20th Anniversary: Metal Gear Solid Collection (Konami), 5. Bakumatsu Koihana: Karyuu Kenshiden (D3 Publisher).

Europe: 1. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 2. SingStar Rock Ballads (SCEE), 3. SingStar ’90s (SCEE), 4. Rugby 08 (EA Sports), 5. SingStar Pop Hits (SCEE).

PC
North America: 1. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard), 2. World in Conflict (Sierra), 3. Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (THQ), 4. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (EA Games), 5. World of Warcraft (Blizzard).

Japan: 1. Hatsune Miku (Cripton Future Media), 2. Phantasy Star Universe: Illuminus no Yabou (Sega), 3. Nitro Royale -Heroines Duel- (Nitro+), 4. Little Busters! (KEY), 5. Clannad (Key).

Europe: 1. World in Conflict (Sierra UK), 2. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (Atari), 3. The Settlers: Rise of an Empire (Ubisoft), 4. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Activision), 5. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage (EA Games).

Nintendo DS
North America: 1. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo), 2. Brain Age 2 (Nintendo), 3. Brain Age (Nintendo), 4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 5. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Ash: Archaic Sealed Heat (Nintendo), 2. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: KanKen DS 2 + Jouyou Kanji Jiten (Rocket Company), 3. Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Motto Eigo Duke (Nintendo), 4. Chuugaku Eitango Target 1800 DS (IE Institute), 5. TOEIC Test DS Training (IE Institute).

Europe: 1. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima (Nintendo), 3. Cooking Mama (505 Games), 4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 5. MySims (EA Games).

PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Jeanne D’Arc (SCEA), 2. Star Wars Battlefront II (LucasArts), 3. Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow (SCEA), 4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar), 5. Daxter (SCEA).

Japan: 1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 2. Gundam Battle Chronicle (Bandai), 3. Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki SC (Nihon Falcom), 4. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (Konami), 5. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom).

Europe: 1. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (Square Enix), 2. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar), 4. Call of Duty 3: Roads to Victory (Activision), 5. Sega Mega Drive Collection (Sega).

Anyone care to guess what Xbox 360 game is once again at number one worldwide? Halo 3 of course! Carnival Games still on the Wii games top this week. Heavenly Sword stays at the PS3 top in America. The Guitar Hero II Bundle is on the PS2 top. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade returns on top on PC. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass comes in at #1 in America on DS. And lastly the PSP’s recently released game Jeanne D’Ar is at the top again. — More analysis at Gamasutra.