Not too long ago, it was revealed that Blizzard (now formally known as Activision Blizzard) had another MMO game in the works for the near future. With Starcraft II still being months if not years away from completion and release, it would be hard not to assume the highly likely chance of the game being associated with or a size-story of Blizzard’s crowning achievement, World of Warcraft.

Turns out that those assumptions would be wrong. Blizzard has recently announced that the new MMO will be it’s own separate game, and not linked to WoW or any of the other games produced in the past by the company. While this very well might not be the Diablo III that many of Blizzard’s loyal fans have been wishing for, it seems as though the PC gaming giant may be trying to spice up it’s MMO’s with something new.

At the very least, it could be the respite that people who don’t wish to shell out gobs of money a month have been waiting for. That, and it would be a welcomed fix for those twitchy individuals anxiously awaiting for more development to be released about Starcraft II.

And who better to show us around the new maps than the crew from Red vs Blue?

Bungie has an FAQ about the new maps downloads here. Additonally, they have some notes about a play list update (which isn’t yet live as of this writing) and more right here.

PoweTip: Download the maps from Marketplace so you can do background downloading instead of waiting at the screen. Better to kill time in an XBLA game or watching a video than staring at a progress bar.

Fellow Powet Soldier Extra Zero showed me this video. Its a compilation of undocumented abilities and tricks in Super Mario Galaxy. Highlights include how to get a fast start in a race with Cosmic Mario and how to make your butt-stomp home in like Sonic’s spin jump in Sonic Adventure! Also, be wary of the “Spoiler Alert” as everything after that in the video contains stuff for after you complete the game and go for the final star.

During the mid-90s, Michael Crichton’s novel about the perils of genetic manipulation and dinosaurs was rising in popularity. A movie had just been released, and the obligatory marketing blitz soon followed. There were action figures, comic books, lunch boxes, and of course video games. Games based on the original movie have been released on various Nintendo and Sega platforms, including Sega’s Genesis side-scroller (in which players can choose to play as either Dr. Alan Grant or a raptor) and Ocean’s SNES top-down/FPS hybrid. With the success of these video games and the popularity of the source material, there were bound to be sequels. However, with no movie sequel at the time, developers took liberties with the franchise when creating new projects.
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Take Geometry Wars, pour in a cup of music rhythm game, and add in a dash of puzzle. Stir it all together and bake it for 45 minutes, and you get this downloadable surprise hit. Created by Jonathan Mak, Everyday shooter takes the familiar dual analog control scheme (left stick for movement, right stick for shooting) and integrates music into the gameplay. You play through several levels, each with their own graphical style, music, and play mechanics. The trick is to create explosions, and chain them together to add on more points. Each level has a different method of creating chains, and only by practice will you discover them all. Besides competing for high scores, the points you earn can be used to unlock features in the game’s shop. The play mechanics of Everyday Shooter are as simple as they get, yet it’s addictive and hard to master. For only $10, you can download this title from the Playstation Network’s online store.

This past week was Thanksgiving, and we have a lot to be thankful for. Friends and family for being in your corner, Butterball and a bunch of dead turkeys for supplying dinner, and the staff at Powet for giving you the latest news, insights, and info. Castlevania fans have Konami to thank for finally releasing Dracula X over here, and they also have Sindra to thank for letting us know how awesome it was as seen below. Gamers on a budget have me to thank for giving them the lowdown on cheap games. Most importantly, the citizens of Metro City have Mike Haggar and his friends to thank for keeping the peace, and beat-em-up fans have Capcom to thank for allowing them to witness his adventures first hand, by way of the Final Fight series.
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Description from CoolJapaneseToys:

The FRAÜLEIN REVOLTECH Rei Ayanami stands six inches tall and features multiple articulation points, including a newly developed joint and body system known as E.L.F.. The five innovations of “E.L.F.” are as follow:

1) – The ball & socket joints are hidden inside the torso, imparting an elegant shoulder shape.

2) – The shoulders rotate on all axis, allowing poses never before possible, including folded arms.

3) – The special concealed custom Kaiyodo’s Revolver joints maintain the natural leg shape and posture.

4) – The curved lower pelvis flows smoothly into the leg and creates a natural bikini line.

5) – The ankle Revolver joint clicks comfortably into position for graceful poses.

In addition to this new joint system, FRAÜLEIN REVOLTECH Rei Ayanami will include multiple accessories; the Lance of Longinus, 2 sets of hands and a display base.

FRAÜLEIN REVOLTECH Rei Ayanami will be imported to the U.S. via Organic Hobby in January 2008 with a SRP of $23.00.

Its pretty cool that they threw in the Lance of Longinus as an accessory, not to mention the new joint system. The figure looks amazingly posable. You can bet this line will be popular among anime fans, toy collectors and pedophiles!

   

Newly independant Halo developers Bungie have been talking a lot about new maps, using code words and vague tempting descriptions, but now they make the trio of multiplayer additions official.

Available December 11, 2007 for 800 MS Points ($10 US) will be the Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack. You’ll be able to download these using your XBox Live account connection. There are 3 maps in all: Standoff, Rat’s Nest, and Foundry.

Standoff is a symetrical map with 2 bases set at dusk and giant satellite dishes in the background. Rat’s Nest is the companion to the campaign mission Crow’s Nest, featuring indoor and outdoor settings. Foundry was designed from the ground up for Forge alterations; apparently almost everything in the map can be moved or deleted.

Those not wishing to buy the maps will get them free in Spring, right when the next map pack goes for sale.

Read all about maps direct from the designers at Bungie.net