We want to make something very clear. We are in no way scanning your computers for your personal information or taking any personal information without your knowledge. The only time that Flagship or Ping0 would collect your personally identifiable information is when you actually decide to give it to us. Examples are when you create an account for Hellgate: London online or when you provide us your personal information when you enter a contest. The language in the portion of the EULA that has been cited is actually fairly standardized language that is used in the vast majority of EULAs for recent on-line software. It was unfortunately also somewhat broad in scope and potentially ambiguous in nature in an attempt to keep the legalese at a minimum.

This catch-all statement was included so that we have the ability to determine if someone is using hacks, unauthorized mods or other abusive applications while playing the game which spoils the gameplay for everyone else. We also use this catch-all to protect other parties offering technical support, such as our online provider, Ping0. This is a completely legitimate function and other leaders in the MMO space do it in an effort to stop hackers and provide better technical support. In order to stop hacks and cheats, as well as attempts at outright fraud, we may need the ability to scan our player’s computers for applications running at the same time as our game. This paragraph was designed to be able to allow for such functionality. It is also important to point out that EA does not determine what we do in regards to online and offline for our game security.

Also, this has nothing specifically to do with advertisements. EA has nothing do with Massive or potential ad-serving in Hellgate: London. First and foremost, any in-game advertising that would be in Hellgate: London is there to simulate how London looks in the real-world. Ads that represent this have been in the entirety of the beta, and in fact, have been shown in the game for well over a year. The fact is that we did not agree to potentially have ads in the game just to make more money. If we did not work with Massive, we would have to get individual approvals from every single company that we want to feature in the Underground stations. This is simply too time consuming and it’s much better to have the experts to do it, allowing us time to focus on making Hellgate: London better and better while getting a realistic portrayal of London in the process.

Should we elect to serve ads, they must be approved by us, Flagship Studios. We would demand that they be in-context with the game world - aged, weathered, only shown in appropriate areas, just as the static posters you see in the Stations are now. We have no interest in putting giant, bright-white billboard in the middle of your battles or having you wield swords of Brand X Cola.

Finally, Hellgate: London and all of the online play and components are controlled by Flagship Studios and Ping0. We’re all gamers here, and we’re as sensitive to protecting our personal information as you are. This is why we have spent the past six months becoming a member of the ESRB Privacy Online certification program. This means that we’re meeting the most rigorous standards in the industry for protecting your privacy and the information that you provide us.

Expansion packs for two of the most celebrated franchises in gaming history, “Age of Empires III” and “Flight Simulator X,” add a wealth of new features and content sure to please fans, just in time for the holidays.

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that the expansion packs for two critically acclaimed Games for Windows franchises, “Age of Empires III” and “Flight SImulator X” have begun shipping to retailers throughout North America today.

From renowned real-time strategy developers Big Huge Games and Ensemble Studios, “Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties” introduces gamers to Asian civilizations and a host of new gameplay features including new ways of winning and trading, random map styles that feature remixes of classic “Age of Empires” game styles, and the return of Wonders – a favorite gameplay element in “Age of Empires II.”

“Flight Simulator X: Acceleration” adds a wealth of new content such as three exciting new aircraft including the F/A-18A Hornet, a new multiplayer racing mode, more than 20 new missions and DirectX 10 capabilities that enhance environmental effects such as bloom, water realism and virtual cockpit shadowing.

Both expansion packs are Games for Windows branded titles, ensuring easier installation, enhanced reliability standards and support for key Windows Vista features, including the Games Explorer and Parental Controls.

“Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties” and “Flight Simulator X: Acceleration” are available for the estimated retail price of $29.99 for Windows. “Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties” is rated “T” for teens ages 13 and older and requires “Age of Empires III.” “Flight Simulator X: Acceleration” is rated “E10+” for everyone 10 and older and requires “Flight Simulator X.”

For more information about “Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties” please visit www.ageofempires3.com.

For more information about “Flight Simulator X” please visit http://www.microsoft.com/games/pc/flightsimulatorx.aspx.

• Hellgate: London
  Tyler Thompson on Hellgate: London on GamersGlobal hears from Flagship's Technical Director about his work on Diablo 2 and more recently on Hellgate.
• Empire Earth III
  Empire Earth III Q&A on the Sierra Community Forums hears from Mad Doc about the now-complete RTS sequel, discussing the tech tree, events, resources, AI, epochs, and more.
• Hellgate: London
  The Hellgate: London Q&A on Computer and Video Games talks with Flagship's Bill Roper about their upcoming action/RPG.
• Stargate Worlds
  The Stargate Worlds Q&A with Kevin Balentine on TenTonHammer discusses the upcoming Stargate MMOG in an article-format interview.
• Kane & Lynch
  Technical Q&A for Kane & Lynch on PC Games Hardware Extreme is a conversation with the folks behind the upcoming shooter, discussing details about the game engine.
• Tabula Rasa
  RPG Vault's Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Team Q&A #1 asks various folks at Destination Games about their contributions to the upcoming MMORPG.
• Culpa Innata
  RPG Vault's Culpa Innata Interview - Part 2 continues this discussion of Momentum's imminent adventure game.
• Carbine
  The Carbine Studios Q&A on Troika Chronicles talks with the folks from startup developer Carbine, taking a shot at getting them to reveal details about their secret MMOG project.
• Gala-Net
  Gala-Net's John Young On The PlaySpan Deal on WarCry discusses this company centered around peer-to-peer item trading in MMOGs, and their eventual plan to enter the controversial field of real money transactions.

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Gamespy.
• Championship Manager 2008 on GameSpot.
• Escape from Paradise City on GameShark.
• EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark on WarCry. Tradeskills Diary #3.
• Fallout 3 on GameBanshee.
• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men on GameSpot.
• Shadowgrounds Survivor on GameZone.

• BioShock, Wii Sports top BAFTAs.
• Independent Games Festival 2008 Roundup on bit-tech.net.
• Guild Wars: Eye of the North Game Box Giveaway on WarCry.

• Psychonauts Sequel Rumors Shot Down.
• EA Playground Ships to Retailers Today! Get Ready for Play Time!
• Crash of the Titans in Stores Today.
• EA Ships The Sims 2: Castaway.
• Q&A: Turn 10 on Forza 2's new DLC track.
• Xbox alive with family-friendly TV content. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• Unedited Manhunt 2 leaked by SCEE employee.

• Hellgate London Demo GPU Performance on AMDZone.

• Verizon Unveils Symmetrical 20Mbps FiOS - So far only in NY, NJ and CT.... Thanks Ant.

• WARNING: device driver updates causing Vista to deactivate. Thanks Ant and Digg.
• Regression bugs in Firefox 2.0.0.8. Thanks Ant and Broadband Reports.
• Online privacy For young people, that's old-school.
• Targeted attacks on the rise, Microsoft report says.

• The Escapist issue #120 is now available, titled "Raid," as it focuses on MMOGs…

Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that Empire Earth III has gone gold and will be available on Windows PC November 6.

The pre-order campaign has already kicked-off at select retailers nationwide and features three exclusive unlockable units.

    • Machine Mortar (Far East Region, Future Epoch) – A genetically engineered soldier that launches a devastating, area-affect salvo of shells

    • Persian Mercenary (Middle East Region, Ancient Epoch) – An ambidextrous warrior armed with a pair of lethal blades

    • Urban Special Forces (West Region, Modern Epoch) – A highly disciplined, well-armed Urban Special Operations soldier

Empire Earth III is a real-time strategy (RTS) videogame that places the entire globe at the touch of the fingertips making the earth a canvas for the strategy mind. Gamers will build and command an enduring global empire with the goal of World Domination. Empire Earth III is one of the few strategy games that offers players the scale and scope to take an empire from the ancient world to the far future.

Developed by Mad Doc Software, Empire Earth III is rated “T” for Teen. For more information, please visit the game's official Web site at www.empireearth.com.

DreamCatcher Inc. of the JoWooD Group, a leading worldwide publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software, today announced that Painkiller: Overdose, the next installment in the critically-acclaimed and award-winning franchise Painkiller, has shipped to retail stores.

The popular high-energy, frantic-styled gameplay is back in full force to continue the frenzy started among FPS fans in 2004 with the release of the original Painkiller. This sequel to the eventual prequel is packed with tons of fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled single player and multiplayer levels of mayhem. Painkiller: Overdose brings with it 8 innovative demonic weapons, mind-bending physics, lightning-player maps, over 40 demented and sickly-twisted monsters from Hell and gigantic end bosses that will blow your mind!

“FPS fans - get ready for another gory dose of intense painkilling action!” said Albert Seidl, president of the JoWooD Group. “We have worked closely with the talented development team at Mindware Studios to bring what started out as a community mod to a full-fledged shooter that we are all very excited about.”

Painkiller: Overdose has an ESRB rating of ‘M’ for Mature in North America and will sell for a suggested retail price of $39.99 USD. For further information, please visit the official website at http://www.painkilleroverdose.com/.

Just in time for the scariest holiday of the year, Codemasters today announced its long-awaited action/horror game Clive Barker's Jericho has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. A terrifying squad-based shooter based on an original concept by the master mythmaker, Clive Barker's Jericho is available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system from Sony and Games for Windows, and is rated "M" (Mature - Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language - Content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older) by the ESRB. Cited as, "A poop your pants scary video game," in the October 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine, Clive Barker's Jericho is a spectacular, creative, blast from Barker's cannon of nightmares, and an interactive experience that mingles the darkest elements of his horror fiction with an ambitious, age-spanning story aimed at mature gamers, fans of Clive Barker and horror fiction enthusiasts.

Clive Barker's Jericho dispatches gamers to the Middle-Eastern city of Al-Khali, where the most ancient of evils has resurfaced; causing intense paranormal activity that has caught the eye of the military. Controlling the Jericho squad, an expert strike team skilled in both conventional and paranormal warfare, players fight their way through slices of time on a grueling journey as they make their way toward the heart of the evil. Along the way, gamers encounter the horrific armies of hellish denizens that now rule the city and corrupt everything they touch, and as they incrementally approach the source of evil, players will have to rely less and less on traditional weapons and instead focus on the combined psychic talents of the Jericho Squad.

Additionally gamers can still download the Clive Barker's Jericho playable demo for the Xbox 360 from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PLAYSTATION 3 system version from the PLAYSTATION Network, with the Games for Windows demo available from the official game website.

Players wishing to own Clive Barker’s Jericho can purchase the game via download from GameTap’s digital storefront. By providing Clive Barker’s Jericho for purchase and play on the same day as retail release, GameTap offers gamers a variety of ways to experience this blockbuster horror epic that represents the future of digital distribution.

Just in time for the fright-filled holiday of the year, Codemasters today announced that its long-awaited action horror game Clive Barker's Jericho™ is now shipping and will be available from retail stores this Friday, 26th October, for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows®.

Clive Barker's Jericho is a spectacular blast from Barker's cannon of nightmares and an interactive experience that mingles the darkest elements of his creative works with an ambitious, age-spanning story for mature gamers and horror fiction enthusiasts.

Clive Barker's Jericho dispatches gamers to the Middle-Eastern city of Al-Khali, where the most ancient of evils has resurfaced; causing intense paranormal activity that has caught the eye of the military. Controlling the Jericho squad, an expert strike team skilled in both conventional and paranormal warfare, players fight their way through slices of time on a gruelling journey as they make their way toward the heart of the evil.

En route, gamers encounter the horrific armies of hellish denizens that now rule the city and corrupt everything they touch. As the squad incrementally approach the source of evil, players will have to rely less and less on traditional weapons and instead focus on the combined psychic talents of the Jericho team.

Ahead of the game's arrival on Friday 26th, sample a slice of its supernatural assault with the playable demo, now available for the Xbox 360 from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, the PLAYSTATION 3 system version from the PLAYSTATION®Network, with the Games for Windows® demo available from the official game website www.codemasters.com/jericho (in Downloads).

• Warhammer: Age of Reckoning on WanderingGoblin.

• New video game show off to rocky start. E for fewer than all.
• Play Assassin's Creed on Saturday at the London Games Festival.
• Eight Crazy Weeks of Giveaways - Week TWO of EIGHT on Futurelooks. Sponsored by ANTEC.
• Make your plans for the Vintage Computer Festival 10.0.

• Demo Guitar Hero III on Xbox LIVE. All Xbox LIVE regions.
• Demo: Need for Speed ProStreet on Xbox LIVE. All Xbox LIVE regions.
• Demo: Eternal Sonata on Xbox LIVE. Not available in Asia or North America.
• Officially Announcing the Xbox 360 Arcade (finally).
• THQ: Stuntman, Juiced Performance 'Not Acceptable'. Problems with Unreal 3 engine and PS3.
• Dennis Dyack: One Console Future Is "Inevitable".
• Psychonauts 2 in development?
• Catching up with Warhawk updates.
• THQ Announces Arrival of Conan for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
• Diagram Comparing The PlayStation 3 Models. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• It's coming: Bungie is getting the Halo 3 ban-hammer ready. Thanks Mike Martinez.

• AMD's Quarterly Results and Analysis.
• Samsung develops new flash memory chip.
• Windows Vista Memory Tweak Guide.
• The Computer Repair Utility Kit on Technibble. A collection of essential utilities.
• Microsoft exec: Desktop application software is not dead.
• TiVo supercharges high-def DVRs with latest software upgrade.
• Western Digital Confirms 500GB My DVR Expander Drive Works With TiVo.
• Dell reaches deal to sell computers at Staples.
• Hitachi exits personal computers.

• THQ announces Nicktoons Attack of the Toybots. Thanks Gamer's Hell.
• AOL launches new mobile services.

• MySpace Games to launch in 2008.
• Comcast 'Delaying' Not 'Blocking' Traffic.
• Comcast to face lawsuits over BitTorrent filtering.
• Bloggers should be allowed to join the journalist party.
• How much are people really paying for Radiohead?
• Web Sites Offer DNA Testing.
• Hollywood writers prepping strike over Internet residuals.
• Phone cable to link China and US.

• Violence in video games and its effect on children.
• Eve Online Shuts Down To Fix Security Breach.
• Children warned of social Web site dangers.
• Study: identity thieves still highly dependent on low-tech schemes.

• DoJ doesn't want to extend Microsoft antitrust oversight.
• Microsoft won't appeal European antitrust ruling.
• NSA cooperation: OK for e-mail, IM companies?
• Huge pirate music site shut down.
• $500K Bail Set for Teen 911 Hacker.
• ID thieves have a 50-50 chance of going to prison.
• Poker players fight online gaming ban.
• House committee demands FTC take second look at dangers of P2P.
• Identity thief busted by calling tech support for his stolen driver's license printer.
• Jack Thompson Says He Will File Best Buy Lawsuit Today. Yawn.

• Half-Life 2: Episode Two on YouGamers.
• Narobiyu on Out of Eight.
• Plant Tycoon on Killer Betties.

• A-DATA 16GB Class 6 SDHC Memory Card on I4U News.
• Akasa Revo Cooler on DriverHeaven.net.
• Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. S Type Case on Overclockers Club.
• ASUS Maximus Formula Special Edition Motherboard on Elite Bastards.
• ASUS P5E3 Deluxe Motherboard on Phoronix.
• Club 3D 8600 GT 512Mb DDR2 Video Card on MADSHRIMPS.
• Danger Den Torture Rack on Hardware Logic.
• Edifier M3400 2.1 Speaker System on Hardware Canucks.
• HP Compaq 2510p Laptop on Digital Trends.
• Kustom PC Premium Lapping Kit on XSReviews.co.uk.
• MSI RX2600XT Diamond Radeon HD 2600XT Video Card on PCStats.
• Lian Li PC-B25B Black Aluminum Mid-Tower ATX Case on Benchmark Reviews.
• Logitech Harmony 1000 Universal Remote on TrustedReviews.
• OCZ ATV 8GB & ATV Turbo 4GB Flash Drives on Legion Hardware.
• OTTO Digital Gaming Headset on WarCry.
• Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ70 42" Plasma TV on TrustedReviews.
• Razer Diamondback 3G Gaming Mouse on TheTechLounge.
• Rosewill RX-358-S-SLV eSATA and USB Hard Drive Enclosure on Big Bruin.
• Scythe Kamacross CPU Cooler on ProClockers.
• Thermaltake TMG i1 CPU Cooler on Hardware Secrets.
• Ultra X3 600W PSU on DriverHeaven.net.
• Viewsonic VA2226w 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor on PC Perspective.
• VVIKOO GeForce 8600 GT Turbo Video Card on techPowerUp.
• Zalman CNPS8700 LED INTEL-AMD CPU Cooler on Hi-Tech Reviews.
• Zalman Reserator XT Liquid Cooling on Guru3D.
• Zotac 256MB GeForce 8600GTS Video Card on OCIA.net.
• Zotac 8800GTX Amp! Edition Video Card on DriverHeaven.net.

• HMV launches Pro-gaming partnership with Gamerbase.com…
• Park To Play Lets You Use Your Car as a Gaming Joystick…