Aspiring football coaches can finally shake the dust off their playbooks as EA Sports announced the newest iteration to their premier football management sim with the upcoming NFL Head Coach 09 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next-gen consoles. The latest title in the NFL Head Coach series will feature Indianapolis Colts' Tony Dungy as the "cover coach" for this year's title. More in the full article.

The official Tabula Rasa website has reminded interested gamers that the Player Meet and Greet event at Gen Con will be happening this weekend.

The Meet and Greet has been set for August 18 from 6:00 P.M. until 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time. It'll take place at the Alcatraz Brewing Company, which is within walking distance from the Convention Center. In case you don't know the venue for this year's Gen Con, it's at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Ave. Indianapolis, Indiana.

If you plan to drop by for the Meet and Greet event, don't forget to bring a photo ID or an email confirmation. You'll need either of those in order to enter the event.

Atari has sent 'round a press release announcing that three of its upcoming titles will be available for hands-on demos at Gen Con Indy this year. All three of the games are RPGs, so you RPG fans out there who will be at the event might want to check them out. Here's the list of titles straight from the press release.

• The Witcher (PC). Returning to the roots of the role-playing genre with a fresh and modern approach, The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it.
• Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (PC). Set in harsh, spirit-rich Rashemen, near the powerful nation of Thay, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer presents players with an exciting new 20-30 hour campaign filled with meaningful choices, rich characters and surprising outcomes as an expansion to the top-rated NWN2.
• Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics (PlayStation Portable) offers an original storyline, filled with intrigue, set in a newly created D&D world. Alignment is critical, as it affects the end of the story and allows players to change from good to evil, or the other way around, depending on which quests they choose.

This year's Gen Con Indy will be taking place next week on August 16 to 19 at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Ave. Indianapolis, Indiana. Drop by if you have a chance. It should be one heck of an experience.


Buy: [The Witcher (PC)]
Buy: [Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (PC)]
Buy: [Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics (PSP)]

NCsoft, one of America's biggest online gaming firms, will be hosting player and developer meet-ups in Indianapolis, Indiana and Austin, Texas in the coming months where there will be lots of food and goodies for everyone.

The event is under the company's GenCon banner and it aims to bring together players from all over the country to socialize, find teammates, share ideas and ask questions from the creators of their virtual worlds.

NCsoft is the company behind such hits as Guild Wars and Lineage which have both proven popular to a wide age group. They are also in the process of developing MMORPGs for next-generation consoles.

The Indianapolis GenCon will be in the 18th of August in a location which is yet to be announced. The Austin gathering, on the other hand will take place on September 22nd at Dave and Busters. Both are slated in at 6:00pm to 10:00 pm.

Registration is free as long as you own an account for NCsoft games. You can register for limited slots in their site and you'll be sent an email if you're among the lucky ones. Those below 16 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian above 21 years of age to participate. The parent or guardian must also register for the event.

Destineer has announced that it is bringing some old-school racing action to Nintendo systems in the form of Indianapolis 500 Legends, a new title for both the Wii video game console and the DS handheld system.

In Indianapolis 500 Legends, players assume the roles of 30 of the sport's most daring real-life legends as they draft, dodge and slingshot through the tracks on a hand-built 1960s speed machine that hits speeds of nearly 180 mph, yet rides only 7 inches off the ground.

Players can choose to get behind the wheels of the last of the front-engine roadsters or experiment with the first turbine cars. Players can also customize their machines and strap on the earliest sets of bolt-on wings. Unlockables include Indy memorabilia, and there are also pit stop mini games that utilize the Wiimote and the DS stylus.

Indianapolis 500 Legends is slated for release this holiday season. The Wii version will be available for US$ 49.99 while its DS counterpart will have a price tag of US$ 29.99.

Here's a convention-goer advisory: If you're headed to Comic Con in San Diego (July 25-29), to Gen Con in Indianapolis (August 16-19) or to PAX in Seattle (August 24-26), then you're definitely in for a treat: you may just be able to see NCsoft make a formidable appearance right in the thick of things with a prime selection of their online product lineup for everyone to try out! Catch the Tabula Rasa fever that'll make the summer burn ever hotter!

And that's not all NCsoft has in store for the common convention-goer! There's also giveaways and a few unannounced surprises in the pipeline for those blessed enough to see NCsoft in their favorite conventions - so watch out!

There is certainly some types of games that we never grow tired of. Racing games are definitely one of them - insane speeds, beautiful cars, and of course the bragging rights of seeing the checkered flag first. Today, we'll show you some new screenshots from Nascar 08.

This is the eleventh title from Electronic Arts' NASCAR franchise. Nascar 08 will feature Tony Stewart, driver for Joe Gibbs Racing sporting the number 20 Home Depot Chevrolet. He currently has two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championships under his belt. He has impressive statistics - in 59% of all the races he participated in, Stewart finished in the top 10. Think you can beat him at his hometrack the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Nascar 08 boasts to be the most realistic NASCAR game so far and it will be coming on top speed for the PS3, Xbox360, and PS2. So rookie, ready to race? Check out the screenshots for a sneak peek of races to come.

Check out the rest of the screenshots after the jump!

Brought to you by the curious consumer research minds at Scarborough Research, the investigation they conducted found that Salt Lake City, Utah is the number one local U.S. market for game console-equipped homes.

Lexington, Kentucky and Flint, Michigan also follow behind to form the top three U.S. game console markets. The numbers seem to coincide with Nielsen Media's own findings for the most part. The top ten list for the markets around the U.S. that "got game" are:

1. Salt Lake City: 32%
2. Lexington: 30%
3. Flint/Saginaw/Bay City: 30%
4. Toledo: 30%
5. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: 29%
6. Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News: 29%
7. Indianapolis: 28%
8. Green Bay/Appleton: 28%
9. Atlanta: 28%
10. Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto: 28%

Also, Wal-Mart gets mentioned as the most popular retail for video game households. No surprise, it's been hogged for months with people looking for the Wii. It's also the number one retail in Salt Lake City, too. This comes with a close-call count with Best Buy who snags second best with Target way behind at third. The top five audio/video stores for game console-equipped households stand at:

1. Wal-Mart: 33%
2. Best Buy: 30%
3. Target: 16%
4. Circuit City: 15%
5. Radio Shack: 7%

Click on Full Article to view the entire local markets chart across the U.S. and see if you and your pals got game.

 

Just a gentle reminder for the guys who have been keeping tabs on Gen Con Indy, set to take off this August 16-19. Badge (entry ticket) pre-registration for this hallowed gaming convention started last February 11, and will continue until Monday, July 9, 2007. Just make sure to have your cash ready: a pre-ordered four-day badge will go for US$ 65, with a pre-ordered one-day badge going for US$ 35.

It pays to pre-register: if you wait to buy either badge at the front door, then you'll have to pay 10 bucks more for either badge.

Gen Con is one of the larger gaming conventions known in North America, and is a favorite gathering ground for RPG fans of all shapes and sizes, be it a table-top classic like Dungeons and Dragons, or perhaps something as computerized World of Warcraft.

Then there's the comic (*ahem*, graphic novel) fans, the otaku, the trading card aficionados, the cosplayers... well, you get the idea. Now, if you're one of the 25,000 yearly visitors to this major event, check out the read link to see the full details on what will be going down this August. Just make sure to sign up early - with Gen Con So Cal gone, expect a significantly higher turnout for "The Best Four Days in Gaming" happening over at the ICC in Indianapolis.

We know, we know, you folks have no other god than World of Warcraft and the shiny green buttons on your latest gaming console. But to the rest of the world, the idea of God, creationism and the theory of evolution have been clashing forces ever since Charles Darwin presented the theory of evolution in his book - On the Origin of Species.

People who believe in creationism mostly came from the Christian sector; according to them, what the Bible tells us about how the world came to be is all true. Evolutionists, meanwhile, believe that the whole of our civilization evolved from single-celled organisms except that the hand that moves the mouse pointer is unknown.

The differences in the theories of evolution and creationism led to a lot of debate and arguments. "For far too long, strident voices, in the name of Christianity, have been claiming that people must choose between religion and modern science," says Michael Zimmerman, founder of Evolution Sunday and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis.

But apparently, there are some who believe that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is just another way of presenting creationism, and what the Bible tells us. Zimmerman and his backers believe the biblical account of creation is allegorical. Evolution and Creationism must be related to each other after all, with people like Zimmerman saying that you can have your faith, and you can have your science.

Zimmerman and his backers believe the biblical account of creation is allegorical. "Creationists fear that if you believe evolution, you're an atheist," he says. But for Zimmerman, attempts to try and "ratify God's existence" through intelligent design signify lack of faith. "If you have enough faith, you don't need science to prove God exists, and science can't prove this anyway," he claims.

Support for "Evolution Sunday" has grown 13 percent to 530 congregations this year, from the 467 that celebrated the inaugural event last year. Organizers see it as an increasing proof that Christians are comfortable with evolution.

So next time you think of evolution, think of this: our ancestors may have/could have been chimps or amoebas for all we know, but then again, maybe God just willed us to be created that way and nothing could be wrong about believing that.