zeroinitiate - A World of WarCraft Rogue Blog

World of Warcraft players will now be able to enjoy patch 2.4, which opens Sunwell Isle. New dungeons, items and rewards are now accessible to players. The update also includes bug fixes, balance changes and UI improvements. Head over to the patch notes for the full details.

Highlights of Fury of the Sunwell:

Sunwell Isle:
The glorious fount of arcane energy known as the Sunwell empowered the high elves for millennia, until the death knight Arthas laid siege to the elven kingdom and corrupted its sacred energies. Seeing no other alternative, a band of survivors led by Prince Kael’thas destroyed the ancient fount, and over time the surviving elves fell prey to a crippling magical withdrawal. Now, promising salvation for his people, Kael’thas has returned. Soon the Sunwell will shine once again, but whether the sacred fount will usher in deliverance or destruction remains to be seen.
This area includes:

• A new quest hub
• Magisters’ Terrace - a 5-player instance
• Sunwell Plateau - a 25-player instance
• New badge rewards

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The ESRB has the rating for GTA IV. Here it is:

You weren’t expecting anything less than an “M”, were you?

EA recently announced the next chapter in its popular series with The Sims 3. The official website is now live and it’s loaded with screenshots so you take a preview of what’s in store. Here’s additional information courtesy of the About page.

The Sims 3 lets you immerse truly unique Sims in an open, living neighborhood just outside their door! The freedom of The Sims 3 will inspire you with endless possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief.

New Seamless, Open Neighborhood—Explore the neighborhood freely.
Your Sims can roam throughout their neighborhood, visit neighbors’ homes, and explore the surroundings. They can stroll downtown to hang out with friends, meet someone new at the park, or run into colleagues on the street. If your Sims are in the right place at the right time, who knows what might happen?!

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D3Publisher of America Reveals New Expansion Pack for Critically Acclaimed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords on Xbox LIVE Arcade

D3PA and Developer Infinite Interactive Call on Fans to Name New Addition to Puzzle Quest Universe at www.puzzle-quest.com

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) today revealed a robust new expansion pack for critically acclaimed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords™ for Xbox LIVE® Arcade. Code-named “Puzzle Quest: 1.5” internally to reflect its tremendous amount of content, the expansion pack includes four new Hero professions, scores of new spells to cast and items to collect, challenging new quests, monsters and bosses and much more including the introduction of a new archenemy, Antharg, the Lord of Plague. D3PA and Infinite Interactive ask the devoted fan base to leave their mark on the Puzzle Quest universe by submitting game title suggestions to www.puzzle-quest.com starting at noon PDT Monday, March 17 and ending at noon PDT, Friday, March 21. The winning game title and two runners-up will be announced on April 2. The soon-to-be-named expansion pack will be available for play as an addition to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in spring 2008.

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Akayuki has some scans and information about Fallout 3. The Q&A portion is very interesting, covering topics ranging from gameplay to design. In-game weapons and locations are discussed in greater detail than we’ve seen from previous interviews, shedding some light on what to expect from Bethesda’s latest endeavor.

As always, the controversial first-person perspective direction is raised. Thankfully, Fallout 3 executive producer Todd Howard tackles it head-on, giving us some insight on just how Oblivion-like Fallout 3 is going to be.

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Fallout is the kind of franchise that would scare most developers. On one side you’ve got one of the best-loved RPGs this gaming world has ever known and on the other you’ve got the hardcore fans who love it so much they would eat you alive if you did something wrong with it. And by wrong, I mean turn it into a first-person shooter and make it look like it’ll be another Oblivion, only with guns and power armor. Since that’s exactly what Fallout 3 developer Bethesda is doing, the fans have been having a field day enumerating all things wrong with the game. For those hardcore fans, lead designer Emil Pagliarulo had this to say:

“That’s always the toughest question. You listen to the fans and respect their ideas, but once you start designing a game that they want to make specifically, then you can get yourself into trouble … You have to make the game that you’re making and know that it’s a good one and continue with that.”

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Fight Along Side Your Team-mate to Become the Deadliest Two-man Military Outfit a Government Can Buy

Montreal, Canada, March 5, 2008 - Never go into battle alone! The highly anticipated 3rd person co-op shooter from EA Montreal has arrived. Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that ARMY OF TWO™ has shipped to retail stores. The game will be on retail shelves on March 7 in North America and Europe. Launching on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, ARMY OF TWO is a brand new action experience that throws gamers into hot spots ripped from today’s headlines.

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D3PUBLISHER OF AMERICA AND INFINITE INTERACTIVE
ANNOUNCE A CAPTIVATING NEW ODYSSEY TO CONQUER
WITH BRAND NEW VIDEOGAME PUZZLE QUEST: GALACTRIX!

LOS ANGELES—February 25, 2008—Thrilling casual and hardcore gamers alike with the announcement, D3Publisher of America, Inc. and Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd. today confirmed their partnership for the development of brand new videogame Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, a rich new addition to the beloved Puzzle Quest universe. The game incorporates a powerful blend of casual and hardcore gameplay elements, similar to those adored by fans of the critically acclaimed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, into an all-new futuristic, science-fiction setting. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is scheduled for release in Fall 2008.

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Epic Collaboration Creates First Music-Based Game to Feature One Band Free Download of ”Dream On” Offered to Commemorate Alliance

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb 15, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Fire up the fret board, crank the amp to 11 and get ready to rock this way with Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq:ATVI) Guitar Hero(R): Aerosmith(R), the first game built around the legendary music of America’s Greatest Rock ‘N Roll Band: Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. Slated for release this June, this latest installment from the franchise with the #1 best-selling video game in 2007, puts players in the shoes of Perry (guitar), Whitford (guitar) and Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Tyler and drummer Kramer. Gamers will experience Aerosmith’s GRAMMY(R) winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty, in a way that no other entertainment vehicle offers.

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2008 Worldwide Invitational Announced

The fourth Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational is coming to Europe! The event will be held at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center, Paris, France, over the 28th and 29th of June 2008. Open to gamers from around the world, the Worldwide Invitational will feature a wide variety of activities, including:

• Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
• Artist and developer signings
• Professional eSport tournaments and casual tournaments for attendees
• Hands-on play with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II
• Merchandise and other products based on the Blizzard Entertainment game universes
• Silent auction
• Musical performances
• And more…

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