MAME32b 1.05.3 ALSO AVAILABLE

MAME32 has already been updated to support the 4th intermediate release of MAME v.105. Head on over to the MAME32 page here.

MAME V.105U4 RELEASED

The latest intermediate version of MAME v.105 has been released on the public. If you like to use the intermediate updates, head over to Mamedev.org and get the new files. Click here to see what’s new in this update.

MERCENARIES ARMING UP FOR SEQUEL

According to Gamespot, Pandemic Studios has announced that they are working on a sequel to the hit game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. The sequel, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, will be shown at E3 this month and is slated for release on next-generation consoles. Gamespot notes that not only are specific consoles not mentioned, but that Pandemic did not identify the games publisher, meaning that LucasArts may not be working with them on this one.

BLIZZARD UPGRADES WORLD OF WARCRAFT SERVERS

Blizzard unveiled their latest “battle plan” for World of Warcraft on their official forums today, and the news is something WoW players have been wanting for awhile now. Blizzard noted that they are upgrading the older servers to new, faster servers which should eliminate the lag that pervades more crowded servers and will be working on dispersing the population on the more popular servers by opening their realm transfer service later this year. Check out the details at the official World of Warcraft forums here.

NEXT CALL OF DUTY WILL BE CONSOLE EXCLUSIVE

Gamespot is reporting that Activision announced today that based on sales, the next Call of Duty game will not be appearing on PC, but will instead be a next-generation console exclusive. An item of some small consolation to PC gamers is that the next title in the series is runored to be a spin-off game and not a true sequel. Check out the Gamespot article here for more details.

WOE TO MMOG PLAYERS EVERYWHERE – ALLAKHAZAM’S HAS FALLEN

1UP.com is reporting that in the battle between mmog players and the gold farmers, the gold farmers seem to have won another round. Allakhazam’s Magical Realm reported today that they have been bought out by the parent company of IGE, one of the largest item selling companies out there, and the owners of Thottbot.com as well. While the moderators at Allakhazam’s are stating that IGE’s parent company has made sure to put the 2 in different divisions, gamer’s aren’t buying it.

Now I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with gold famers in World of Warcraft, so I’m not holding out much hope for Allakhazam’s to be left unscathed. Personally, I’d advise to be very careful if you use them to price items before you toss them up in the auction house. Adding insult to injury, it was also revealed that Allakhazam’s will be renamed Zam.com.

WOE TO MMOG PLAYERS EVERYWHERE – ALLAKHAZAM’S HAS FALLEN

1UP.com is reporting that in the battle between mmog players and the gold farmers, the gold farmers seem to have won another round. Allakhazam’s Magical Realm reported today that they have been bought out by the parent company of IGE, one of the largest item selling companies out there, and the owners of Thottbot.com as well. While the moderators at Allakhazam’s are stating that IGE’s parent company has made sure to put the 2 in different divisions, gamer’s aren’t buying it.

Now I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with gold famers in World of Warcraft, so I’m not holding out much hope for Allakhazam’s to be left unscathed. Personally, I’d advise to be very careful if you use them to price items before you toss them up in the auction house. Adding insult to injury, it was also revealed that Allakhazam’s will be renamed Zam.com.

F.E.A.R. COMING TO XBOX 360

Viviendi Games announced today that their smash hit PC game F.E.A.R. will be coming to the Xbox 360 this fall and will be displayed to the press at E3. The press release from Viviendi also noted some exclusive content for the Xbox 360;

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“Already a critical and commercial smash on the PC, F.E.A.R. will bring a new level of FPS game play to Xbox 360 with brand new single player content designed to immerse the player deeper in the world of the F.E.A.R. team, as well as brand new multiplayer content created to fully utilize Xbox Live.” -Viviendi Press Release
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This was one of those titles that I’ve wanted to try for awhile now, but haven’t gotten around to. Looks like I’ll be getting a second chance.

MICROSOFT ACQUIRES MASSIVE INCORPORATED

Microsoft’s employee blog, Gamerscore Blog, is reporting that as rumored, Microsoft will be acquiring in-game advertising company Massive Incorporated for an undisclosed sum. Kevin Johnson, co-president of the Microsoft Platforms and Services division, summed up the purchase like this;

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“Joining forces with Microsoft will allow Massive to deliver even greater benefits for advertisers, game developers and gamers through one of the world’s largest, most comprehensive online networks,” said Mitchell Davis, CEO of Massive Inc. “While our current business relationships will remain in place, with Microsoft we have the prospect of extending our technology into a vast array of new markets and online environments.” – Kevin Johnson
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It should be interesting to see how this plays out as far as deals Massive has with other Console makers such as Sony.

DS-LITE TO HIT U.S. SHELVES ON JUNE 11TH

Nintendo made the official announcement we’ve all been waiting for today – The Nintendo DS-Lite will be coming to the U.S. on June 11th at a cost of $129.99. Online retailers such as EBGames.com and Gamestop.com are already taking pre-orders, so act fast to make sure you get one at launch. You may now perform the dance of joy.

DS PRICE DROP AT GAMESTOP & EB – SORT OF

Gamestop and EB Games are offering the current model Nintendo DS in a bundle with Animal Crossing: Wild World for $129.99 – the previous cost of the system by itself. Odds are they feel the need to start moving the system out of inventory before demand drops when the DS-Lite hits on June 11th. If you don’t want to wait for the DS-Lite (and the inevitable DS price drop once it comes out) and are already planning on buying Animal Crossing, this could be the deal for you.

DS PRICE DROP AT GAMESTOP & EB – SORT OF

Gamestop and EB Games are offering the current model Nintendo DS in a bundle with Animal Crossing: Wild World for $129.99 – the previous cost of the system by itself. Odds are they feel the need to start moving the system out of inventory before demand drops when the DS-Lite hits on June 11th. If you don’t want to wait for the DS-Lite (and the inevitable DS price drop once it comes out) and are already planning on buying Animal Crossing, this could be the deal for you.

TOP SPIN 2 DEMO NOW IN XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE

2K Games has released a demo of Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360. The demo can be obtained via the Xbox Live Marketplace and weighs in at 487.91 megabytes.

ELECTRONIC ARTS DELAYS SUPERMAN & MEDAL OF HONOR

Gamespot is reporting that Electronic Arts is delaying both their upcoming games Superman Returns and Medal of Honor: Airborne. Superman Returns, based on the upcoming film of the same name, was scheduled to be released at this June alongside with the film, and will instead release sometime this holiday season in conjunction with the DVD release of the film. Medal of Honor: Airborne will not make it’s Holiday 2006 launch window and instead will be released sometime in the first quarter of 2007.

ELECTRONIC ARTS DELAYS SUPERMAN & MEDAL OF HONOR

Gamespot is reporting that Electronic Arts is delaying both their upcoming games Superman Returns and Medal of Honor: Airborne. Superman Returns, based on the upcoming film of the same name, was scheduled to be released at this June alongside with the film, and will instead release sometime this holiday season in conjunction with the DVD release of the film. Medal of Honor: Airborne will not make it’s Holiday 2006 launch window and instead will be released sometime in the first quarter of 2007.

UPDATE TO THE OBLIVION SITUATION

So I decided to do some research myself as I felt that the statements by the ESRB and Bethesda seemed a bit vague and contradictory. From what I can determine, the “problem file” is the upper half of a female body that is fully detailed. Apparently the file itself has a clothing mesh on it, which is what the modders are removing, showing the fully detailed model underneath. That file is now being further modified to make it more visually appealing, which is probably what is leading to the statements about the file being completely created by modders. Keep in mind, this is all based on internet discussions of the mod(s), so take the whole bit for what it’s worth. From what I saw, if you want to use the “Bethesda created” topless model, all I can say is you’d have to be pretty ill to want to play with it – pretty it ain’t. Think grandma and you’re on the right track.