Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that it is creating Tom Clancy's EndWar, a new brand in the Tom Clancy series of video games. Led by strategy veteran and Ubisoft creative director Michael de Plater, Tom Clancy's EndWar is being developed by a world-class team at Ubisoft's Shanghai studio whose members have experience developing Ubisoft's hit franchises including Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Tom Clancy's EndWar is scheduled for release on next-generation consoles in fiscal year 2007/2008.

Set on the battlefields of World War III, Tom Clancy's EndWar will push the standards of technology, showcasing artificial intelligence, graphics, physics and animations that were not possible prior to the launch of the new hardware systems. Tom Clancy's EndWar has been built from the ground up as a revolutionary war strategy game solely for next-generation consoles.

"Our development teams are invigorated to be creating the first 100 percent next-generation Tom Clancy brand," said Serge Hascoët, chief creative officer at Ubisoft. "Our success with Tom Clancy franchises is unparalleled in the next-generation and Tom Clancy's EndWar will be a marvelous addition to the already critically acclaimed library of games. A strategy game like no other, EndWar will allow gamers to lead their own armies against hundreds of others online in real global locations on the massive battlefields of World War III."

Ubisoft's Tom Clancy video games are consistently among the best-selling and most critically-acclaimed video game series in the industry. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon games have collectively sold more than 45 million units worldwide to date. In 2006, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas was named Best First Person Action Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter took home the Best Video Game of the Year award from the prestigious BAFTA awards.

May '07 Dash Update on Live! 02:09 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: Xbox 360 (6 comments)
Major Nelson brings word that the May '07 360 Dash update is now available on Xbox Live! Its another one of those "rolling" updates, so don't freak out if you don't download it the second you login. Some highlights include: Windows messenger, new achievement pop-up, new marketplace blade (or as we call them, tabs), a better friends list, some power saving stuff and oh-so much more.

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 12:57 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Boards

• Gigabyte N680SLI-DQ6 - [H]
• MSI K9AGM2-FIH - Viper Lair

  Cases
  

• Gigabyte Mercury Pro Case - Hardware Secrets

  Cooling
  

• OCZ Vindicator CPU Cooler - Xbit Labs
• ZEROtherm GX815 Gamer Edition VGA Cooler - ThinkComputers.org

  Memory
  

• Mushkin 4GB XP2-8500 - TechAge

  Video
  

• Asus EN8800GTS/HTDP/320M Geforce 8800GTS - PCStats
• Foxconn 8600 GTS - Bjorn3D
• XFX 8800 GTS XXX 320MB - OCC

RPG Vault Goodness 12:52 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)

Nexon Team Q&A; #1
We ask four individuals for their feelings on two popular titles now in North America, Audition and MapleStory

Game Reviews 12:31 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (1 comment)
Just a reminder: No review score = no review link. 'Nothin personal, mang.

PC

• ArmA: Combat Operations - GameSpy - 3/5
• Sam & Max Episode 6 - Eurogamer - 7/10
• Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific - GameSpy - 3/5
• Spider-Man 3 - PC.IGN - 4.7/10

  360
  

• Armored Core 4 - Gaming-Age - B-
• CNC3 - 1Up - 7/10
• CNC3 - Yahoo - 3.5/5
• CNC3 - TXB - 8.3/10
• CNC3 - GameSpot - 8.7/10
• Enchanted Arms - 1Up - 6.5/10

  PS3
  

• Formula One Championship Edition - Play.tm - 74%
• Spiderman 3 - GamePro - 4.25/5

In Other News... 12:28 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (24 comments)
I managed to get a nice tan yesterday out by the pool. Shocking, I know! I have some family from the great white north in town this week, so I figured I'd nip the "why don't you have a tan in Arizona" questions right in the bud. It's that, or tell them I'm a vampire. Either way, it does feel nice in a glowy, radioactive kinda way...

Today's question:

What was the last game you actually pre-ordered?

I can't remember the last boxed game I pre-ordered, although I do pre-load stuff on Steam and D2D.

IGN: How do the NATO units differ in play style from US and Soviet forces?

Magnus Jansén: They're all quite alike, as we want players to be able to jump in and play any faction without having to worry about not getting to play their favorite team. They all have their own sets of heavy tanks, medium helicopters, etc. However, there are some differences, such as different special abilities and Tactical Aid, which make them unique in comparison to their counterparts. Veteran players will eventually learn how these subtle changes make a difference (and on what maps), but it's important to us that if you adopt a strategy you'll be allowed to play it regardless of what team you end up playing for.

Spore Acquires Lengthy Delay 05:35 pm - Andrew Burnes - Games: General News (21 comments)
A Reuters story reports that Spore has been delayed, and will likely not be released before March 2008:

Electronic Arts Inc. posted a wider quarterly loss on Tuesday and forecast fiscal-2008 adjusted profit below expectations, saying its widely anticipated video game, "Spore," could be delayed.

Redwood City, California-based Electronic Arts said it taken out "Spore," a game where players build organisms from scratch, from its financial projections for the fiscal year ending in March 2008, adding that the game could be delayed until fiscal 2009.

Later into the call executives suggested that the game could slip back even further.

Hellgate: London Subscription Fees Detailed 04:52 pm - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action / Roleplaying (59 comments)
Picked up the latest issue of Games For Windows Magazine via the wonderful internet, and found that the subscription plan for Hellgate: London that everybody freaked out about was revealed inside:

• Multiplay will be free!
• Elite Multiplay will cost $9.95 a month
• Secure, closed servers hold your characters, even if you're not Elite
• Elite players get 24/7 phone and online support; plebs get basic online support as with any other game
• If there are queues to get on a server, Elite players go to the front
• Elite players can have 12 characters in total; plebs get 3
• Elite players can store around 40 items in "lockers" spread throughout the world; plebs can have 20. Elite players can also transfer these items to characters on other servers; plebs cannot
• Elite players get unique gear and can wield the most powerful weapons in the game. Said weapons can also be emailed by the Elite to others of their kind
• Elite players can board shuttles that transport them quickly to hard-to-reach corners of London
• Elite players can become officers of guilds and own, enter, or operate player housing and guild buildings; plebs can be members of guilds, but will not be allowed to enter said buildings, or purchase property for themselves
• Elite players get access to more gametypes; plebs not allowed into servers or areas where those gametypes are operating
• Elite players will get new content each month, such as new monsters, new gametypes, new items, and so on

So there you have it - you can get by without paying, but in PvP you're pretty much screwed as the Elite will always be able to wield those more powerful weapons that you cannot.

Cry Gaia Revealed 04:38 pm - Andrew Burnes - Games: General News (25 comments)
Via Fallen Earth you'll find a Flash puzzle that eventually reveals the name 'Cry Gaia,' and directs you to a forum suggesting that, "Dark days are coming." Also appearing at regular intervals, post-puzzle completion, are pieces of artwork featuring ladies with big titties and men dressed in long leather jackets holding religious iconography. Couple that with the dark artwork of London and one gets the feeling that the game will involve shooting undead beasties in the English capital.

A further bit of leg work reveals that the forum is hosted on a server owned by Funcom, who are dedicated to the creation of MMOs at this present time.

Anyone getting a Hellgate: London, MMO vibe?

Hour of Victory Video 01:50 pm - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (22 comments)
Coming only to the Xbox 360 is this freeform World War II first person shooter:

Quake Wars Box Art 12:16 pm - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action (22 comments)
The community Quake Wars people have updated their swanky new site with the official box art for the standard and limited edition versions of the game:

Liam Neeson To Star In Fallout 3 11:04 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Role-Playing (23 comments)
Dude, D.C. got fucked up.

Bethesda Softworks is pleased to announce that highly acclaimed international actor Liam Neeson will lead the cast providing voice work in Fallout 3. Neeson will play the role of the player's father and will appear prominently throughout the game. Fallout 3 is currently under development at Bethesda Game Studios, creators of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which won numerous Game of the Year and RPG of the Year awards in 2006.

"This role was written with Liam in mind, and provides the dramatic tone for the entire game," said Todd Howard, Executive Producer of Fallout 3. "Liam is absolutely amazing to work with."

Neeson is known for starring roles in blockbuster films such as Schindler's List, Star Wars: Episode I, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Batman Begins. Throughout his illustrious career, Neeson has been the recipient of numerous honors for his work in film and theater, including Academy Award, Golden Globe and Tony Award nominations.

"It's been a pleasure bringing the father to life and working with the wonderfully talented people at Bethesda on Fallout 3," said Neeson. "I hope the fans of the franchise and the game will be excited by the results."

Colin McRae: DIRT Movie 11:02 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Racing (7 comments)
Here's seven minutes of footage from a DIRT preview build:

For screenshots hit this page, and if you want to see the various clips in HD go here.

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:10 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Boards

• ECS NF650iSLIT-A Motherboard - Hardware Logic

  Cases
  

• Codegen M701-CA Casing - Burnout PC

  Cooling
  

• OWT VSC-158 - Overclockers Online
• Thermaltake V1 - Legion Hardware
• Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooler - Hardware Secrets
• Zerotherm BTF90 CPU Cooler - BootDaily
• Zerotherm BTF95 Fanless Copper Heatpipe CPU Cooler - Tweaknews
• ZEROtherm GX 815 - RealWorldBenchmarks
• ZEROtherm BTF-90 - RealWorldBenchmarks
• Zerotherm GX815 Copper Heatpipe VGA Videocard Cooler - Tweaknews

  CPU
  

• Intel's CPU architects talk about Penryn, Nehalem - Hexus

  Memory
  

• Mushkin Interview and Tour - OCC

  Video
  

• MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC - NV News
• nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB SLI Videocard Head On Comparison - PCStats
• XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra XXX - Tweaktown

RPG Vault Goodness 12:56 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (1 comment)

Tales of Pirates Interview - Part 1
Approaching launch in the west, a non-subscription online world from developer Moliyo and regional publisher IGG

Jonric's Blog
Jagex' RuneScape reaches the million subscriber plateau

Game Reviews 12:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (4 comments)

PC

• Genesis Rising - 2404 - 8/10
• Sam & Max: Bright Side of the Moon - Armchair Empire - 8.5/10
• Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific - GameSpy - 3/5

  360
  

• Rapala Tournament Fishing - 360.IGN - 4.5/10

  Wii
  

• Spiderman 3 - GameSpy - 2.5/5
• Spiderman 3 - GameSpot - 4.7/10
• Spiderman 3 - 1Up - 3.5/10

In Other News... 12:30 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (41 comments)
Can one game last a lifetime? That's what 1Up recently asked a few developer types. You know, if you got stranded on a desert island with power, an internet connection and a shady palm tree to play under...

Today's question:

What one game would you most want to be cast away with?