Source: videogamesblogger.com

The fifth expansion pack for EverQuest II, entitled EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey, released for the PC yesterday and thus is out now. The newest expansion follows in the success of the award-winning, best-selling previous expansion, EverQuest II: Rise of the Kunark.

The new pack will take players both new and veteran alike on a journey through a substantial amount of exquisite content with more than 20 new zones, including the Moors of Ykesha, a massive outdoor zone once known as Innothule Swamp, and the legendary dungeon Guk.

Check out the launch trailer for the game.

In an age long passed, a band of extraordinary heroes embarked on a journey to free Norrath from the clutches of a shrouded threat.

Key features of EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey include:

* New Zones: Journey through more than 20 new zones, including the new overland zone, Innothule Swamp
* Dungeon Adventures: Experience nostalgic EverQuest dungeon themes, such as Najena, Mistmoore and The Sebilisian Empire, and adventure through more than 18 goal-based dungeons, such as Ruins of Guk and Befallen
* Achievement Point: An achievement level cap increase to 200 that offers new achievements for class-specific lines
* Dungeon Delving: A new mission system for players to replay content with new and different experiences.
* Heritage Quests: Five new quests with unique rewards being added
* Shard Reward System: A new, mysterious group of erudites with powerful new armor and equipment will barter for void shards earned during players’ encounters
* Epic Tales: Stories told through battles with dozens of new creatures and hundreds of new quests.
* New Deities: Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul are introduced into Norrath
* Access to All Previous Content: Includes all previous expansion packs and adventure packs.
* Legends of Norrath: Includes strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck and booster pack

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Lots of PC Expansion Packs just hit store shelves, including Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir, which just released yesterday, November 18th, for the PC.

There have been several interesting blogs posted by the developers of the game, particularly this one about Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir’s orchestral musical score. So be sure to check those out.

About the game:
In the aftermath of the defeat of the King of Shadows, the Sword Coast is in the midst of an uneasy economic recovery. Trade syndicates have sprung up to exploit the post-war confusion for their own ends and the players’ party will wade into this uncertain environment. In order to increase their own fortunes, they can either ally with a syndicate to create a trade empire, or cut their own path through Faerun by preying upon caravans and selling the goods on the black market. As they attempt to extend their influence, players will become aware of a new faction working behind the scenes: the evil, shape-shifting, serpentine Yuan-Ti.

In addition to trading and economic manipulation, the Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Overland Map allows players to explore the Chultan Peninsula and Sword Coast in a non-linear manner never before seen in any of the Neverwinter Nights games. Exploration will take players from well-known locations, like Neverwinter and Crossroad Keep, to more exotic areas, such as the xenophobic jungle nation of Samarach. Groups of highwaymen and monsters populate the Overland Map and the farther from civilization the player roams, the more difficult the encounters become. The 15-hour campaign in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is also packed with new classes, spells, creatures, and playable races.

Key Features of Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir include:
* Travel the Sword Coast and Samarach using the open-ended exploration of the new Overland Map. Use skills like Spot and Survival while on the Overland Map to avoid ambushes and even find hidden locales and lost artifacts
* Create your own full party of adventurers. Devastate your foes with a squad of fireball-flinging Sorcerers, form a solid wall of steel with a party of Fighters, or strike the perfect balance in your party by spreading out the classes you choose for your characters
* Improved party gameplay including streamlined party conversations, a new Teamwork Benefit System, and powerful party feats
* The world’s economy reacts to your adventures and choices. And, through trading and quests, you can expand your merchant company into a massive trading empire

Last but not least, here is a developer interview from E3 2008.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The expansion pack for Gothic 3, Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods, for the PC, is out now and ready to purchase on store shelves.

Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods is a third-person RPG expansion pack that offers a new episode for a new glimpse into the amazing world of Gothic. Forsaken Gods includes new quests, new monsters and many of the old friends whom gamers around the world got to know in previous episodes.

Features of Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods include:

* Lively and interactive environment which reacts to the player’s actions, creating a very intense and realistic atmosphere
* Improved graphics quality thanks to updated engine technology
* Enhanced user interface
* 15-20 intense hours of gameplay
* Improved combat system with new combat rules
* Plenty of new weapons, armor, monsters and quests

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria is the first expansion pack for The Lord of the Rings Online, the MMORPG game based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien (i.e., NOT based on the flims). Like all expansions packs, the game will add a bunch of new content for players of the subscription based MMO. The game was released today for PC.

The game is available in a normal as well as Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition includes:

*Unique premium book packaging
* 3 in-game item tokens
* Exclusive 22” x 22” premium cloth map of the Mines of Moria
* Exclusive special gold plated replica of The One Ring complete with chain and pouch
* Mines of Moria poster
* Middle-Earth map
* Exclusive The Lord of the Rings Online Art and Music Collection with the official Mines of Moria Soundtrack
* Full color Collector’s Edition Starter Guide
* Exclusive Online Community Badge for The Lord of the Rings Online forums

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria expands the online world of Middle-earth to let players explore the ancient underground cities of the dwarves, battle epic characters in the depths, face off with the Watcher, be a part of the fateful release of Durin’s Bane, and more.

Here is a list of features in the expansion:

* Speak Friend, and Enter – Moria, called Khazad-dum by the dwarves, was their capital and the grandest of cities. This enormous underground cavern in north-western Middle-earth, comprises an immense network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls that run beneath and ultimately through the Misty Mountains. For the first time, players of The Lord of the Rings Online will enter this ancient city which has served as the foundation for the modern-day dungeon-crawling adventures to battle the hordes of goblins and the Nameless of the Deep and journey through hundreds of new quests within six new kinds of stunning environments
* The Epic Continues — The Mines of Moria represents the beginning of Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online. Players can experience six new books as part of this update and participate in the release of Durin’s Bane, battle the Watcher, aid Galadriel and more
* Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 60, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests. The crafting system will also expand, giving players the ability to craft even more powerful items
* Discover Two New Classes — The Rune-keeper and the Warden, the first new classes to be introduced since the launch of the game, allow players to build exciting and powerful new characters in The Lord of the Rings Online in diverse new ways
* Forge Legendary Items – The Mines of Moria will introduce Turbine’s new item advancement system to The Lord of the Rings Online. Players will be able to forge weapons and class-related equipment and evolve them to build a legacy the likes of Bilbo’s Sting and Gandalf’s Glamdring. These legendary weapons will level-up along with the player, allowing customization by advancing the item’s virtues, adding runic legacies, modifying its titles and forming fables

Source: videogamesblogger.com

David Hasselhoff aka “The Hoff” has entered the building! Or rather, entered the PAIN.

Sony has announced that David Hasselhoff is going to be added as a playable, flingable, “feel free to run me over with a car or fling me through a glass window” character in Idol Minds PS3 downloadable game, PAIN. You will be able to download him on November 6th, 2008 as part of the PAIN Movie Lot expansion (which isn’t free).

So how did this come about? Here are some details straight from the mouth of The Hoff via the PlayStation blog:

“What am I doing in PAIN you ask? It’s the Movie Studio! What’s a movie studio without The Hoff? You can now put The Hoff into a launcher and fling me into harm’s way – exploding crates, cars, people – everything is fair game. And best of all, you’ll never even put a scratch on this mug of mine!

When I was first approached about PAIN, I really didn’t know what to think. I mean, it’s great to think that someone would want to put me in a game, but THIS game is all about flinging people into walls, smashing them into cars, and spanking monkeys. While I wholeheartedly approve of the monkey spanking, I wasn’t too sure about the rest of the game. When I finally got my hands on PAIN though, everything changed, and I “got it”. If anybody can understand silly fun, it’s me.”

In addition, David Hasselhoff recorded an exclusive song which is a cover of Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”.

Another really cool tidbit revealed in the comments section by the creator of PAIN is the fact that he “honestly tried to get Chuck Norris”! Come on Chuck! PLEASE RECONSIDER!

By the way, Chuck has finally gotten his own game, called Chuck Norris: Bring on the Pain . . . but now he needs to TAKE THE PAIN!

It’ll be interesting to see what other celebrities Idol Minds will be able to add to pain. What celebrities would you like to see?

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Unreal Tournament 3 has sold 1 million copies worldwide and a new expansion pack is on the way announced developer Epic’s Vice President Mark Rein.

He told GameSpot that the deal between Epic and publisher Midway isn’t a licensing deal, but rather a publishing agreement, and added that the new expansion is a “major” one that will “excite and grow” the customer base. He did not mention whether the new expansion is a full-on retail product, or if it will be released as downloadable content or reveal any other details.

Mark then mentioned that Unreal Tournament 3 has sold over a million copies worldwide, 476,000 of those sales at U.S. retailers. This should help qualm any fears that gamers had of Midway potentially dropping the franchise due to a recent announcement in which Midway said they would drop any titles that were underperforming due to recent financial troubles. That is, of course, unless Epic themselves decide to seek another publisher.

Although Unreal Tournament 3 has been sitting in the shadow of Epic’s OTHER shooter (the Gears of War series whose latest offering, Gears of War 2, hits next month), the game has apparently performed well enough to green-light the expansion, which is good news to those fans of the series.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

About a month after the release of the PC life sim Spore, the first Spore expansion has been revealed by Electronic Arts as the “Creepy & Cute Parts Pack”. The pack isn’t so much a gameplay expansion as it is an item add-on pack. It will set you back $19.95. You can pre-order it for digital download via the EA Store for its release date on November 18th, 2008. It’ll be available at retail stores as well.

I don’t know if you’ve seen Spore’s YouTube upload page or the Sporepedia, but editing together new creatures keeps proving to be really popular with nearly 37 million creations so far.

It’s expected the second Spore expansion pack will be for a Flora Editor.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Halo 3: Recon is Bungie’s brand new campaign experience for Halo 3 on Xbox 360, that was previously titled Halo 3: Keep It Clean. No further info was revealed except for a Fall 2009 release.

With the slogan “New Hero. New Campaign. Prepare To Drop.” it looks like Master Chief is taking a holiday.

Check out our official announcement trailer which builds upon the teaser and provides new insights into what awaits this mysterious new Orbital Drop Shock Trooper/ODST (a United Nations Space Command/UNSC Marine Corps Special Forces unit) recon marine and the A.I. helping him/her around enemy (invaded) territory.

Photo by Joystiq

Source: videogamesblogger.com

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King has a final release date of November 13th, 2008 at a price of $40 for the standard edition.

The game is the next expansion pack for the most successful Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) of all time and the follow-up to the first World of Warcraft (WoW) expansion, The Burning Crusade.

Wrath of the Lich King will be getting a Collector’s Edition as well that will retail for $70. It will include:

* A unique case
* The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, a 208-page book featuring never-before-seen images from the game.
* An exclusive in-game pet: Frosty, the baby frost wyrm.
* A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews on all aspects of the game’s creation, the Wrath of the Lich King intro cinematic with director’s commentary, footage of the panel discussion from BlizzCon 2007 and more.
* The official soundtrack CD, containing 21 epic tracks from the game, along with exclusive bonus tracks.
* A mouse pad featuring a map of the newly opened continent of Northrend.
* Two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game March of the Legion(TM) starter decks, along with two exclusive cards available only in the Collector’s Edition.

Man talk about a ton of extras! Even though it’s the same stuff that was include in the Burning Crusade Collector’s Edition, I still almost want to buy it for the artbook and soundtrack CD alone! But what can I say, I’m a sucker for extras.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will launch simultaneously in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia on November 13th and a day later in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Additionally, it will be available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on November 18. No date is yet set for mainland China.

“We’re looking forward to launching Wrath of the Lich King and finally giving World of Warcraft players a chance to take on Arthas and his minions,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Until then, we’ll continue to refine and playtest the expansion content to make sure it provides a highly polished and entertaining experience.”

It should be noted that you are required to have the original WoW and the Burning Crusade expansion in order to play Lich King.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

2K Games announced that Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization is the next (standalone*) expansion pack in the award-winning Civilization IV universe. It’s being developed by 2K’s Firaxis Games studio and was conceived from the ground up to take advantage of the Civilization IV engine, Colonization will be available fall 2008 exclusively for Games for Windows PCs.

“We’ve received many requests from fans over the years to bring back Colonization and now seemed to be the perfect time to do that,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “The Civilization IV engine provided a fantastic foundation for a new Colonization experience and allowed us to create something great for both new players and long time fans of the game.”

In Colonization, players lead one of four European nations on a quest to conquer and rule the New World. Players will be challenged to guide their people from the oppressive motherland, discover the New World, and negotiate, trade and fight with both the natives and other nations as they acquire power and fight for freedom and independence.

As a complete reimagining of the 1994 classic, Colonization is a total conversion of Civilization IV that combines Civilization’s addictive “just one more turn” turn-based strategy gameplay with all-new graphics and features that add more depth to the franchise. New features, such as a brand-new interface, improved diplomacy options and the included modding tools ensure that Colonization will be the next great title from gaming’s premier strategy game developer.

*Standalone means that Colonization does not require the original Civilization IV to be played.