EverQuest II's toughest, meanest warriors better get ready because on Saturday all hell will break loose in the 2008 Legends of Norrath monthly qualifying tournament. Registration is free of charge, and the top 16 at the end of day one will duke it out in a playoff-style tourney the next day. Find out what's at stake in the detailed version.

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)]

 

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.

You might have read our earlier post on the shutdown of Gen Con So Cal. Yep, after four successful conventions that drew gamers, fans, and people of all shapes and sizes to congregate and have fun for four great days of pure gaming bliss, Gen Con So Cal is no more.

In order to give fans an explanation of their decision, Gen Con's CEO Peter Adkison has posted an open letter on the official Gen Con website, simply entitled "The End of Gen Con So Cal". Read on for an excerpt that deals with one of their main reasons for the decision.

The "problem" is the Gen Con format is a very expensive format for a convention. Most conventions are only an exhibit hall, a vast area where companies set up booths and sell (consumer shows) or promote (trade shows) or both. But at Gen Con we like to be more than just a big exhibit hall. We dedicate tons of space to games and fun events that are of interest to gamers, overlapping with gaming culture, but do nothing to generate revenue.

There's still hope, though, as according to Adkison, "Gen Con Indy is very profitable and is in no danger of going away." He also says that they currently have plans of "taking Gen Con Indy and Star Wars Celebration and making them even better, without compromising anything that’s there now. Funds that were being invested in Gen Con So Cal will be diverted to these shows."

Click on the "read" link below to read the full open letter.

It seems that the Guild Wars players who participated at the Indy Gen Con reverted to some "Good Old Days" fun.

You might be thinking by now that we're not making any sense here, but just hear us out. A Sealed Play Tournament was held during the convention and the "Good Ol'Days" team (composed of players, Morgan, Spencer, Wik and Darren) emerged as the first qualifiers for the semi-finals that will be held on the 12th.

In a Sealed Tournament, teams with four members compete against each other in a PvP arena. Each team is given 64 skill cards. Now these skill cards represent the skills that particular team must use in the tournament, which is the fun part, because everyone's in for a surprise.

Eight skill cards will be used as a player's initial build, while the other eight are used as a sort of sidedeck. Those eight skills are the only skills you are entitled to use in combat.

In the Gen Con, seven teams showed up to compete, and as said earlier, the Good Ol'Days team took first place by winning five tournaments consecutively while two other teams followed closely behind. Prizes amounted to $5,000 in total.

Pirates of the Burning Sea taps into your inner swashbuckler-slash-pirate wannabe. It's set in the 18th century, and as a captain, you go on epic-scale naval battles and search for loot and treasure. Back in July, we showed two Pirates of the Burning Sea screenshots. Now we have two more from FlyingLab, and both feature scenery from one of the many tropical villages you'll be able to see in the game.

Expect to see the Pirates of the Burning Sea team at the Gen Con Indy on August 10-13. The release date would be available at PAX in Seattle, according to FlyingLab.

It seems that there will be be much in store for Pirates of the Burning Sea fans out there. For more updates, just stay tuned to QJ. In the meantime, enjoy the screenshots that we have for you guys.

 

Heads up, DDO fans! You might want to check out the Gen Con Indy at Indianapolis, Indiana on August 10-13, 2006 as the Dungeons and Dragons Online Team (David Eckelberry, Lead Designer; Terry "SIG" White, Quality Assurance Manager; Victor "Sporkfire" Wachter, Online Community Relations Manager; and Jesse "Eldorudo" Smith, Online Community Relations Representative) will be at booth 1645.

Not only will you get a chances to chitchat with the DDO team, you could also get to play DDO right there, and be updated on the latest plans and upcoming events for DDO - including what they're calling 'the biggest things to hit DDO yet' (we've no idea yet what that might be about - why don't you folks find out?). So mark August 10-13 on your calendar and go on a road trip to Indiana for some DDO fun.