Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced Medal of Honor Vanguard, the latest installment from EA's critically-acclaimed Medal of Honor™ franchise which has been credited with pioneering the First-Person Shooter (FPS) WWII genre when it debuted in 1999. Building on the key tenets of the franchise including historical accuracy and authenticity, Medal of Honor Vanguard will ship to stores in March 2007 under the EA™ brand for the PlayStation� computer entertainment system, as well as the Nintendo Wii.

Step into the boots of Frank Keegan, Corporal of the 82nd Airborne Division and engage in battles throughout Europe. From Operation Husky on the shores of Sicily to Operation Varsity inside Nazi Germany, you'll fight behind enemy lines in the epic WWII battles that turned America's first paratroopers into heroes of WWII. Featuring spectacular graphics adding to epic combat intensity, Medal of Honor Vanguard makes you the driving force in the struggle to liberate Europe. As the first game in the Medal of Honor series to be released on the Nintendo Wii platform, players can expect Medal of Honor Vanguard to take full advantage of Wii's one-of-a-kind controllers.

"Medal of Honor Vanguard features a strong storyline told in classic MOH fashion," explained Matt Sentell, Senior Producer at EALA. "We are really excited to offer this game both on the PS2 and Wii, which will allow fans to experience MOH in a completely new way."

Battlefield 2142 v1.10 Patch 01:20 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (0 comments)
EA has released the v1.10 patch and server for Battlefield 2142. Snag a copy from:

• 3D Gamers
• Actiontrip
• Gamershell
• Filefront
• Computer Games.ro
• GG Mania
• Worthplaying

Top 10 Best Selling US PC Games 01:11 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)
Here are the NPD's top-10 list of best selling PC games in the US for December 3 - December 9th:

1) The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $29
2) World Of Warcraft - Vivendi - $20
3) MS Flight Simulator X Deluxe - Microsoft - $63
4) Medieval II: Total War - Sega of America - $46
5) The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff - Electronic Arts - $15
6) The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts - $36
7) Deal or No Deal - Global Star Software (Take 2) - $20
8) Nancy Drew: Creature of Kapu Cave - Her Interactive - $14
9) Cars Radiator Springs Adventures - THQ - $20
10) Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts - $45

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Audio

• Logitech X-540 Speakers - GWN

  Boards
  

• abit NF-M2 Motherboard - Motherboards.org
• Foxconn Q9657MC-8KS2H - CDR Info
• NVIDIA nForce 680i Solutions - [H]

  Cooling
  

• Cooler Master Eclipse and Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX - Digit-Life
• Cooler Master Hyper TX - Overclockers Online

  Memory
  

• Super Talent PC2-6400 - CDR Info

  Mice
  

• Logitech G25 - GWN
• Logitech G5 Laser Gaming Mouse: Battlefield 2142 Edition - Hardware Secrets

  Pads
  

• Ratpadz XT Premium Mousing Surface - Virtual-Hideout

  Power Supply
  

• Etasis 850 Watt PSU - Overclockers Club
• Etasis 850 Watt PSU - 3DGameMan

  Video
  

• ATI Avivo and Nvidia's Purevideo Dissected - THG
• Galaxy GeForce 7900 GS - Guru3D
• GeCube X1950PRO Champion Edition with "TEC" Cooling - Tweaktown
• HIS X1950 Pro IceQ3 Turbo - XYZ Computing
• GeForce 8800 GTX and 8800 GTS Performance - HotHardware

GameSpy's PC Game of the Year 01:21 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (20 comments)
GameSpy is the first out of the gate to kick up its Best of 2006 game awards for the PC. If you don't want to scroll through all 24 pages, check out the recap here. A lot of surprises in there.

RPG Vault Goodness 01:15 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Myth War Online Interview - Part 2
Enemies, items, quests, death et al as we wrap up our overview of Unigium's colorful massively multiplayer game - Includes four exclusive screenshots

Jonric's Blog
Guild Wars hits three million units, Obsidian's Alien RPG

Game Reviews 01:10 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)

PC

• Dominions 3: The Awakening - GameSpot - 8.3/10
• Medieval II: Total War - Game Revolution - B+
• RoboBlitz - GG Mania - 85%
• Space Empires V - Strategy Informer - 7/10
• Warhammer: Mark of Chaos - Play.tm - 69%

  360
  

• Pimp my Ride - GameSpot - 4.5/10
• Rainbow Six Vegas - Boomtown - 9/10
• Sonic the Hedgehog - Gaming Age - F

  Wii
  

• Call of Duty 3 - Pro-G - 5/10

  GameCube
  

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 1Up - 10/10

In Other News... 12:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (8 comments)
Those Core 2 Duo price cuts that are coming got me back in PC upgrade mode. I figure March or April will be a great time to get that "next-generation" PC. For under 2 grand you should be able to get a very high-end (for today's standards) multi-core, DX10 capable machine. That should keep ya in gaming bliss for the next few years. At least keep you above the 60 fps mark for console ports (cough). 2007 should be a much better year for PC gamers than 2006, if not for the simple fact that most of the good games missed their release dates... Ah, well... Speaking of 2006, today's question is from Libidinous_Anchovy, who asks:

I'd like to see people's pick for most underrated/overlooked game of 2006.

R.I.P. Joe Barbera of Hanna-Barbera fame. :(

Sony on PS3: Power Overwhelming 01:31 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: PS3 (48 comments)
The Sony propaganda machine keeps rolling with bold statements from Phil Harrison:

Companies love to brag about how their latest-and-greatest release pushes a machine's hardware farther than anything else on the market. Gears of War was the last time we'd heard such remarks, but Sony's President of Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison, who has become a treasure trove of precious PR statements destined for ridicule, believes PlayStation 3 will never be maxed out.

Speaking to MTV, he said "nobody will ever use 100 percent of its capability" due to firmware upgrades and new uses for the Sixaxis controller.

QuakeCon 2007 Details 12:04 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (3 comments)
The hype is building a little early this year, but with Quake Wars on the horizon, I can see why!

That's right! It may be winter outside, but it's time to start planning that summer vacation to the ultimate multiplayer gaming event and party - QuakeCon 2007. We're locked and loaded for August 2-5, 2007 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, TX, and we've got more gaming, events, exhibits and fun planned than ever before.

This year's BYOC Area will consume the entire Trinity Hall 1, with over 70,000 square feet of floor space and 2,700 player spots - over 1,000 more seats than 2006. We've also increased the exhibit area 5X to 25,000 square feet, enough to accommodate up to 50 exhibitors demonstrating their latest games and computer hardware. Of course, it wouldn't be QuakeCon without our high-stakes pro gaming tournaments; and attendees can also look forward to the return and expansion of our enormously popular and one-of-a-kind "Quick Draw" tournaments, which pit randomly selected attendees against each other in high-pressure battles for serious cash. And in keeping with QuakeCon tradition, every day will be packed full of contests, conferences, announcements, and entertainment.

Registration for the BYOC Area will kick off at 9:00pm EST on March 2, 2007 at www.quakecon.org, and if you've been under a rock for the last 12 years, the event continues to be FREE thanks to the support of the incredible volunteer QuakeCon Staff, id Software, and our yearly sponsors and exhibitors.

Nintendo Hooligans Behaving Badly 11:44 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: Nintendo Wii (25 comments)
And here I was thinking that the Nintendo Wii fans were the nicest of the bunch! This report over at CNN Money chronicles the adventure of one of their staffers buying the last Wii at an unnamed store and the reaction of the blood thirsty Nintendo Hooligans:

While paying at the register, the man handling the Wii's said very loudly to the line full of people still waiting, "Sorry folks, that's it. There's no more for today." Instantly I started hearing groans and seeing other disappointing gestures. It was then that I realized the position I was in...here I was in line with all these tense guys who didn't get a game system and I did. All at once, I felt their angry, jealous eyes shift focus to me. To them, I was an easy target. But I felt confident that I could deal with angry Christmas shoppers. After all, there were still 2 weeks left of shopping. That's plenty of time to get a Wii.

"Hey, I'll give you triple for what you just paid..."

"There's no way you deserve that game system..."

"You probably don't even know how to play. Here, give it to me. I'll put it to good use..."

Were these people crazy?? Yes, they were. It only went downhill from there. While I was walking toward the exit, unsatisfied customers began to grab at my bag. Just like that! They were acting as if I was just going to give it to them. There was no way anyone was taking this away from me. I was caught off guard in a game of tug-a-war when a security guard intervened and rescued me from the chaos.

He took me outside. And the crowd followed.

The security guard flagged a police car. I thankfully jumped in. And it was a police escort for me and my Wii back to work.

Prince of Persia Rival Swords Announced 09:42 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Nintendo Wii (9 comments)
Updated version of Two Thrones with Wiimote support hitting shop shelves next March:

Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced Prince of Persia Rival Swords will release in March 2007 for the Wii. Based on last year's highly successful Prince of Persia The Two Thrones, the game takes advantage of the revolutionary Wii remote and Nunchuck. Players will be able to clash swords with enemies, execute speed kills and perform the Prince's well-known acrobatic moves such as running on walls. Prince of Persia Rival Swords creates an epic experience by combining two playable characters in a masterly balanced gameplay, with the perfect mix of combat, platforming, puzzles and a compelling storyline.

About Prince of Persia Rival Swords

The Prince of Persia makes his way home to Babylon, bearing with him Kaileena, the enigmatic Empress of Time, and unspeakable scars from the Island of Time. But instead of the peace he longs for, he finds his kingdom ravaged by war and Kaileena the target of a brutal plot. When she is kidnapped, the Prince tracks her to the Palace - only to see her murdered by a powerful enemy. Her death unleashes the Sands of Time, which strike the Prince and threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. Cast to the streets, hunted as a fugitive, the Prince soon discovers that the Sands have tainted him, too. They have given rise to a deadly Dark Prince, whose spirit gradually possesses him. Game features include:

Play and master two distinct characters: Wield the powers and weapons of two master warriors with different combat styles, attitudes and histories.

Choose your way to kill: Master the expanded Free-Form Fighting system to destroy enemies in your own style, strangle enemies from afar with the deadly Daggertail or use a new stealth art to inflict surprise decapitations - the choice is yours.

Battle freely through Babylon: Dominate enemies on the perilous rooftops, dodge through chaotic streets and ambush pursuers in dark underground passageways.

Immerse yourself in a dramatic story: Experience unparalleled depth in storytelling as you fight your way through a twisting tale filled with adrenaline, tension and discovery.

Manipulate time to surprise enemies: Execute powerful attacks against entire armies by slowing down or rewinding time, or surprise them by using some all-new Sands of Time powers.

Experience a masterful blend of gameplay: True to the Prince of Persia franchise, the game provides a variety of action combat, agility and story-driven puzzles - all masterfully blended into a rich gaming experience.

Battlefield 2142 Patch 1.10 Coming Soon 09:40 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action (5 comments)
Here's the changelog for the upcoming Battlefield 2142 1.10 patch:

Bug Fixes

Remove ability to resupply all unlimited ammo objects

No longer able to use Sentry Gun pushing player into Titan Crate collision

No longer able to use RDX DemoPaks drop through first section of the 3rd and 4th upper hallways of both Titans

Away Bonus is now used when calculating in-game promotions

Improved communication with GameSpy Database

EU Duty Ribbon/PAC Duty Ribbon awarded correctly when all criteria are fulfilled

"Commander score" statistic no longer resets to zero

Enabled tabbing to password field when using a dedicated server

News Tickers Speed time to display increased

When scrolling through the list in Multiplayer you no longer move both at the same time as the server info

EMP effect on Gunships reduced from 4 to 3 seconds allows the gunship to recover when throttled up at medium altitude

SL drone: Tweaked the acceleration on the left right aiming for the bot. It now acquires targets properly

Adjusted pistols: Increased ROF Clamp values, slightly reduced damage fall off over range

Adjusted up the damage of the HMG rounds to counter its lower RPM

Adjusted and/or increased entry radius points for all vehicles

Removed unused RangeFinder setting from EU Walker, Titan Guns to fix the APC/Railgun/FAV draw out bug

Fix for latency and TV guided missiles (lowered the acceleration on the missile and fixed firing lag)

Fixed active camouflage to no longer offset image

Changed default server port to 17567

Update to most current PunkBuster client files

Features

Reserved Slot Enhancement (Gives reserved slots the ability to be filled if not used)

Unranked Unlock Control (Option to give all first level unlocks and Enable/Disable control of all other unlock levels use)

Spectator Function

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl Screenshots 09:02 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action (12 comments)
The story of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a hypothesis based on real events that took place in the 1980s. During this time, a huge antenna was built in Chernobyl to emit radio-waves some experts believed were psychoactive. Some of our photos taken during the trip to Chernobyl captured the structure of the antenna far away on the horizon. According to several unsubstantiated rumours, the emission was directed into Western Europe - and that it was indeed a covert military experiment to determine the psychotropic impact on the human psyche. These rumours have been loosely proven and are the kind of experiments that the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. storyline is built around. We touch upon fact, fiction and conspiracy theory, where the lines are blurred, presenting a credible less salubrious undercurrent. It is the story of a post-apocalyptic world littered with its own tragedies, heroes and laws - a 'what if' scenario loosely rooted in reality. More poignantly it represents a disturbing window into a future that could still grace this earth.

In 2006, a second explosion occurs at Chernobyl, followed by strange occurrences - flashes of bright light, raucous thunder, lighting, earthquakes - all coming from the hub of the exclusion zone. While common belief is 'the reactor has exploded again', nobody knows for sure. Scientists who go in to research the occurrences disappear without trace, as do their followers. Clearly, the exclusion zone becomes a dangerous place. Witnesses report spots of 'invisible' deadly energy consuming the area. Ultimately, the government, given little alternative, cordon off the area and seal it from intrusion until a solution is found. As time passes, the Zone continues to be active and even grows by several kilometers in size.

In 2008 eerie mutant creatures appear at the borders of the Zone, with the army, driven by fear, forcing their retreat through firepower. At the same time, curiosity among civilians in the area grows as they become more intrigued by the occurrences, myths and rumour that pervade within the Zone. Some of the more courageous decide to venture into the Zone, sneaking through the army cordons. Many die, but those who manage to return bring back not only unbelievable stories, but also 'artefacts' (bearings of the Zone - objects which have absorbed its anomalous energy), which instantly command a high price from curious scientists, corporations and the like.

Since then, more and more have tried their luck in the Zone. Those who go into the Zone in search of artifacts and fortune soon pick up the moniker of 'stalkers'.

The game begins in 2012 as you, the player, is found comatose in the Zone after a brutal crash. You appear to be one of the stalkers, but have lost all memory of your past.

You wind up on the desk of a zone dealer. In an effort to repay the dealer (of arms and valuable artifacts) who helps you recover, you will need to complete several missions, taking your first steps into the Zone.

Good luck to you, young stalker, and beware!

Unreal 3 Engine Performance With Rainbow Six: Vegas 01:51 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (26 comments)
Wondering how your PC will handle Rainbox Six Vegas? AMD Zone posted some benchmarks with video cards ranging from the NVIDIA 7600 Golden Shower all the way to a new 8800 GTX.

We can certainly attest to the fact that Rainbow Six: Vegas is a great looking game, with excellent character detail and animation. However, if you were to ask us is this the best looking game on the market the answer would be no. This probably isn't the best use of the Unreal 3 engine and honestly we had a hard time differentiating it from it's Unreal 2.5 engine counter parts. In fact in some cases we'd say that the recent Splinter Cell game, Double Agent, looked better. Most of this is probably not because of the UE3 engine its self but perhaps the fact that this is strictly ported over from the XBox 360 with very few refinements or that Ubisoft haven't had enough time with the UE3 engine. It is a very good looking game but not quite up there with say Gears of War, however still a demanding game on system requirements as we see from our benchmarks and have heard from others who have purchased the game for the PC. Still, it is a nice snapshot into the potential of the Unreal 3 engine and we look forward to getting to know it better in the coming year.

The Week Ahead... 01:50 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: General News (9 comments)
Your guide to all that is being released in the week ahead.

PC:

• Alexey's Dwice
• Fly the Airbus A380 V2
• Hipsoft Puzzle Game Collection
• Model Train 3D
• Paws & Claws Pet School
• Wizard's War Chest

Playstation 3:

• No Releases

Playstation 2:

• No Releases

Playstation Portable:

• Bubble Bobble Evolution

Xbox 360:

• Rapala Trophies

Xbox:

• No Releases

Nintendo Wii:

• No Releases

Nintendo GameCube:

• No Releases

Nintendo DS:

• No Releases

DVD:

• A Scanner Darkly
• All the King's Men (Special Edition)
• Altered
• American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (Rated - Full Screen)
• American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (Unrated - Full Screen)
• American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (Unrated - Widescreen)
• Brooklyn Lobster
• Dreamland
• ER: The Complete Sixth Season
• Gabrielle
• Hogan's Heroes: The Complete Fifth Season
• Invincible
• Jet Li's Fearless (Full Screen Unrated)
• Jet Li's Fearless (Widescreen Unrated)
• Lady in the Water (Full Screen)
• Lady in the Water (Widescreen)
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Married... With Children: The Complete Sixth Season
• My Super Ex-Girlfriend
• National Lampoon's Pledge This! (Rated R)
• National Lampoon's Pledge This! (Unrated)
• Operation Crossbow
• Police Story (Special Collector's Edition)
• Presenting Lily Mars
• Spirit Trap
• Step Up (Full Screen)
• Step Up (Widescreen)
• The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania
• The Celestine Prophecy
• The Illustrated Man
• The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
• The Promise
• The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season
• The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season (Collectible Lisa Head Pack)
• The Wicker Man (Full Screen Unrated/Rated)
• The Wicker Man (Widescreen Unrated/Rated)
• Up Periscope
• Walt Disney Treasures: More Silly Symphonies
• Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto: Volume 2
• Walt Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club Featuring The Hardy Boys
• Walt Disney Treasures: Your Host, Walt Disney
• When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

Blu-Ray:

• All the King's Men
• Flightplan
• Invincible
• Lady in the Water
• Pearl Harbor (60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)
• The Sopranos: Season Six, Part 1

HD-DVD:

• Casino
• Derailed
• Lady in the Water
• Scary Movie 4
• The Matador
• The Scorpion King
• Wolf Creek (Adventure, Thriller)

Movies - Now Showing:

• Charlotte's Web
• Eragon
• The Pursuit of Happyness

Movies - Opening Friday December 22nd:

• Curse of the Golden Flower [Limited]
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Night at the Museum
• Rocky Balboa
• The Good Shepherd
• Venus [Limited]
• We Are Marshall

A fair few good lookin' movies out this week, plus A Scanner Darkly's out on DVD, and even though the rotoscoping effect gave me a whopping headache, I'll pick up a copy.

What will you be spending your money on in the week ahead?

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Boards

• ASUS P5B Motherboard - Hardware Secrets
• ASUS Striker Extreme Revisited - [H]

  Cooling
  

• Cooler Master Eclipse Cooler - 3DGameMan
• CoolIT Freezone Liquid Cooling System - Virtual-Hideout
• Cooler Master Mars, Eclipse and Hyper TX Cooling Solutions - Xbit Labs

  CPU
  

• AMD Socket-F Opteron vs. Intel Woodcrest - Anandtech

  Keyboards
  

• Everglide t-1000 pro Professional Gaming Keyboard - GG Mania

  Memory
  

• Kingston HyperX 2GB PC2-6400 Kit - GideonTech
• OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 FlexXLC Edition - Legion Hardware
• OCZ PC2-6400 Titanium Series - Pro-Clockers

  Power Supply
  

• Sytrin Nextherm 460W PSU - TechDomain
• Tagan TG1100-U95 1100W Power Supply - TechAge

  Video
  

• ATI Catalyst 6.12 Performance Analysis - Tweaktown
• MSI GeForce 8800 GTX - TechSpot
• MSI NX7600GT Diamond - Madbox PC

Vote for Mod of the Year 01:28 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (1 comment)
Enjoy mods? Vote for mod of the year over at Mod.db:

The Top 100 consists of an interesting mix of incumbents and rising stars. Returning for a 4th year in a row are Natural Section, ESF and Sven. While rising stars include World of Padman, Empires, Iron Grip and many more. Once again Half-Life mods are very popular. However, this year the top mods originate from over 21 games. All mods have a chance to be recognized as the best of the best, the Mod of the Year!

The winner will be joining an elite tier of successful mods that have been published. Many past winners have become incredibly successful commercial projects (e.g. Garrys Mod, Red Orchestra and Natural Selection).

RPG Vault Goodness 01:12 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning First View
Our thoughts on the current status of EA Mythic's endeavor based on Games Workshop's popular tabletop wargame

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Media #2
New high-resolution images showcasing various types of scenes we can expect to find in Sigil's online offering - Five exclusive 1600x1200 screenshots

Game Reviews 12:58 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)

PC

• Dark Messiah of Might & Magic - Tuscaloosa News - B-
• Dark Messiah of Might & Magic - GameDaily - 8/10
• IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 - PC.IGN.UK - 8.6/10
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance - Computer Games.ro - 84%
• Rainbow Six Vegas - Bit-Tech - 7/10
• Rainbow Six Vegas - PC.IGN - 8.4/10
• Rainbow Six Vegas - GameSpot - 8.7/10
• Splinter Cell Double Agent - GameSpy - 2.5/5
• Star Trek Legacy - Strategy Informer - 6.3/10

  360
  

• Call of Duty 3 - GameHelper - 8.5/10
• Eragon - GameHelper - 6.5/10

  Wii
  

• Excite Truck - GameHelper - 8.3/10
• Far Cry Vengeance - Wii.IGN - 4/10
• Rayman Raving Rabbids - Atomic Gamer - 90%
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - GameHelper - 6/10

  DS
  

• Yoshi's Island - Pro-G - 8/10

  PS3
  

• NBA 07 - GameHelper - 5.8/10

  PS2
  

• Final Fantasy XII - Killer Betties - 5/5
• Mercury Meltdown Remix - Boomtown - 7/10
• Mercury Meltdown Remix - Pro-G - 6/10

In Other News... 12:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (39 comments)
Just one more week until Christmas!

Today's question is from raistmaj42:

What are your top 5 dreadful or freaky "HOLY S#^T!" gaming moments?