Release dates are being slightly pushed back

Publisher Codemasters confirmed Archlord MMORPG will experience a slight delay than previously anticipated, with an October 2nd US release date followed by an October 6th launch in Europe. Unfortunately, Codemasters gave up the greatly hyped PLAYplus system in favor of a unique subscription package, the standard monthly MMO payment model. The publisher is currently evaluating a series of in-game rewards for the game’s most loyal players, to compensate for the loss in an attempt to build up the community needed for such a socially inclined title.

“We have listened to our community and delivered. From the start of the test of the PLAYplus system, we had an open dialogue with players to monitor reactions to the system. Thanks to their feedback and continued support, we are pleased to confirm that ArchLord will now launch with a single standard subscription package,” said Codemasters Online Gaming director of marketing Ed Reef.
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Archlord Dismisses $10 PLAYplus Pricing Scheme

Rise to the challenge of growing up with Fable 2

Peter Molyneux did a wonderful job at hyping up the original Fable, so good that many eventually got disappointed by the final version. This doesn’t make Fable a lesser game in any way though, and with the second installment under development at Lionhead Studios, time has come again for Molyneux to reveal some of the gritty details of his upcoming work. We find out more via 1UP.

Fable 2 promises a fully interactive world where players can willingly affect the environment. Should you take a small encampment ten years from now, it will become a thriving village, but if you decide to kill of its inhabitants, returning in 10 years will only bring you to the edge of a not so exciting forest.
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Molyneux Talks Gritty Fable 2 Details

Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

The other day, word leaked out that various guild leaders had started receiving emails from Blizzard, asking them to bring a couple of their guildmates along for an awesome adventure to the Outlands — aka participate in a closed beta test of the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. Of course, as excited as these fans might be, some were worried this was nothing more than a hoax Thankfully, that’s not the case.

Nethaera, a Blue Poster (otherwise known as a Blizzard employee) on the Official WoW Forums, cleared things up late yesterday with a thread detailing exactly how, and who, was receiving these invites.
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Blizzard on WoW Expansion’s Closed Beta

A Complete Campaign Setting

Certain adventures only come around once. Like when the grizzled old warrior decides to go after the dragon, and asks who’s coming with him. Or when the dark-eyed sorceress slowly surveys the crowd of peasants, waiting for one to step forward and pull the sword from the stone.

This boxed sets contains those adventures. Dungeon Crawl Classics #35: Gazetteer of the Known Realms brings together the Dungeon Crawl Classics modules into one comprehensive world. This magnificent set includes:

* Gazetteer of the Known Realms, a 120-page book describing the archetypal fantasy world of Áereth.
* Three 24″x36″ poster-sized full-color maps of Áereth ready to host your adventures.
* GM’s Guide to the Known Realms, a 136-page sourcebook describing deities, equipment, creatures, and NPCs, plus rules for starting campaigns with 0-level characters and adventure paths that you can build from existing DCC modules.
* A 24″x36″ poster-sized players’ map of Áereth.
* Halls of the Minotaur, a 32-page adventure module for 0-level characters perfectly suited to starting off your campaign in Áereth.
* The Thief Lord’s Vault, a 32-page adventure module for levels 4-6 that sends the heroes into the legendary treasure vault of Cazül the Chaotic.
So take up your broadsword, blow the dust off your spellbook, and saddle the horses. The mailed Kings of the North are calling out your name, demanding an audience. It is up to you to give an answer.
Source: goodmangames.com

Editors pick the hottest games at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

Tokyo Game Show 2006 is over and done with. Makuhari Messe’s massive halls are crammed with new exhibitions, the cosplayers are back in their normal clothes, and everyone’s attention has shifted elsewhere. And now that the editors of 1UP, EGM and OPM have shaken off our jetlag and snagged enough sleep to ensure our ability to string together a few coherent sentences, we’ve taken a look back at the highlights of this year’s show.
Best of Show (Playable)

Motorstorm | Sony | PS3 | Racing
By nearly unanimous vote, Motorstorm took the TGS prize for the most sheer fun to be had. Five out of seven editors agree: not only does it look spectacular, it also controls wonderfully and feels absolutely perfect. Sony may be pinning its launch hopes on Resistance, but the accessible exhilaration of Motorstorm is the sort of thing that sells system.
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The Best of TGS

The final battle takes place one day prior to the October 1st launch

Being published by Codemasters, Archlord is the player versus player oriented MMORPG in development at Korean NHN Games studios, due for release on October 1st. The moment of truth approaches as Archlord’s beta testing phase is coming to an end, and developers herald a massive and lengthy event to end it all in style. An epic stress test is thus planned to offer the last opportunity for people to join the game servers before final release. While final location and time are still to be announced, preparations for large scale PvP battles are underway, guaranteed to make the last day testing day one of the most memorable in Archlord’s incipient history.
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Archlord Ends Beta with Epic Stress Test PvP Event

God of War director has given up on making you cry.

David Jaffe is no longer working on the PSP game that was supposed to make you burst into tears. “That game is- for the moment- on the shelf,” said the typically outspoken developer in his blog. “The core reason is that it was very ambitious and so was/is WarHawk. The same developer is making both games … so Scott (head of Incog) and I said: fuck it. We’ll do HL later…maybe.”
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David Jaffe’s Project HL Dead, Working on PS3

Ubisoft’s tropical shooter sequel is close to completion
Someone from the Ubisoft staff recently did a huge no-no as a 2GB file leaked tremendous amounts of information to the internet, revealing unannounced titles, including sequels in the Far Cry and Splinter Cell series. Although the file was quickly removed, the damage is
done as it contained artwork, screenshots, logos and additional files like the Far Cry Vengeance tech demo. The first installment was a tropical first person shooter that follows the story of Jack Carver, a man seeking tranquility aboard his boat, who always manages to get himself into trouble with hordes of armed goons.
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“Far Cry: Vengeance” Bites Back on Wii Launch Day

Is this a good sign for Microsoft in Japan?

Whether or not these games actually make a difference for Microsoft remains to be seen, but if the interest in Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon by TGS show goers is any indication, 360 may just have a chance in Japan. Both titles saw huge lines — with wait times of well over an hour or two — on the first public day of the show.
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TGS 2006: Long Lines for 360 RPGs

Lair might hit the shelves at PS3 launch dates

Factor 5 developers are the studios responsible for the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series, yet it appears that’s not the only franchise they are currently working at. Sony officially announced Lair, where huge dragons, bewitching fiery beasts, are soon enough coming to PS3. Lair is an action adventure game that has you playing as a dragon-riding warrior.

The game has been in development as a PS3 exclusive for more than eighteen months, but with the notable exception of the 2005 Playstation meeting, there has been a shortage of screenshots and trailers. Although details such as pricing, rating or release date are still unknown, Liar might very well be one of the
last minute additions to the Playstation 3 list of launch day titles.
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Lair: Dragon Riding and Flaming Air Battles on PlayStation 3