Farmville, World of Warcraft Are Divorce Lawyers' Latest Weapons in CourtSocial sites and massively multiplayer online games aren't just a great place

Social sites and massively multiplayer online games aren't just a great place to catch up with friends and be entertained, they're also a great place to dig up dirt on a soon-to-be ex, according to an article in USA Today.

The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 81% of its members have used or faced evidence from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking sites, including YouTube and LinkedIn, over the last five years, according to the article.

Evidence like:

Father seeks custody of the kids, claiming (among other things) that his ex-wife never attends the events of their young ones. Subpoenaed evidence from the gaming site World of Warcraft tracks her there with her boyfriend at the precise time she was supposed to be out with the children. Mom loves Facebook's Farmville, too, at all the wrong times.

So the next time you're sexting in World of Warcraft, or logging 10 hours in Farmville, you might want to remember that someone could be watching... and taking notes.

Divorce lawyers: Facebook tops in online evidence in court [USA Today]

Kinect preorders 'very low' - UK retailer

courtesy of Gamespot

Microsoft confirmed a November 4 launch for its Kinect motion-sensing camera peripheral at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, but it didn't nail down a price for the device. Despite the lack of official word, US retailers began taking preorders for Kinect at $150, and while Microsoft declined to make the number official, it opened up its own preorders at the same price point. Now one retailer is saying that price is too high, and preorders have suffered as a result.

ShopTo's CEO says customers aren't exactly clamoring for Kinect.

In an interview with Eurogamer, ShopTo CEO Igor Cipolletta told the site the number of Kinect preorders the retail chain has received is "very low." As for the pricing, ShopTo currently offers the Kinect for €153.75 ($188), while the executive pointed out that a Wii can be had for just a little more. ShopTo's online site is currently sold out of Nintendo's hardware, but the Wii Sports Resort bundle ordinarily sells for €166 ($203).

"It's too high," Cipolletta said of the Kinect price. "We believe that with this current economy it should be around £70 ($105)."

When Kinect arrives, Microsoft expects 15 games to launch alongside the device. First-party offerings include Kinect Adventures, Kinectimals, Kinect Joy Ride, and Kinect Sports. A number of third parties are also on board, developing such titles as EA Sports Active 2, Konami's DanceMasters, and Sega's Sonic Freeriders. Publishers have also promised postlaunch support, such as a Star Wars game from LucasArts, Q?'s Child of Eden, and THQ's UFC Trainer.

Free-to-play World of Warcraft a possibility

courtesy of Gamespot

Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft has largely cornered the massively multiplayer online role-playing market since its launch in November 2004, boasting a current paid subscriber base of some 11.5 million. However, a number of other MMORPGs have been able to carve out a spot by employing a free-to-play, microstransaction supported business model, including Dungeons & Dragons Online, The Lord of the Rings Online, and a wide variety of Asian titles.


So would Blizzard consider a free-to-play model for its already massively successful MMORPG? Maybe, according to WOW lead designer Tom Chilton. As part of an interview with PC Gamer magazine, the veteran game designer noted that having players pay for a $15 monthly pass might not always be the best option in terms of monetizing WOW. However, Chilton also said that the trend toward the free-to-play model isn't necessarily a reaction to WOW.

"I feel like they're doing that to compete with other games that are on a similar subscriber level to what they were at," he said. "I imagine that when one of them went free to play it cannibalized some of the other subscribers. I can definitely imagine that being the case with World of Warcraft. If another game comes along and blows us away it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee. Or even further down the line, when we have another MMO out."

Though WOW remains a subscription-based game, Blizzard has already implemented a number of microtransaction features into WOW. In addition to in-game services ranging from server transfers for in-game characters to name and faction changes, the studio also sells in-game items such as the $25 Celestial Steed and $10 Lil' XT pet. Blizzard also offers gamers remote access to manage WOW's in-game auction house from a Web browser or mobile phone for an extra $3 a month.

New MTG Game Announced at E3 2010 'Magic The Gathering: Tactics'

*** So far only announced for PC and PS3 ***

Trailer





Demo Walkthrough Part 1

Video Games | Magic: The Gathering: Tactics | E3 2010: Demo Walkthrough Part I (Cam)

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Demo Walkthrough Part 2

Video Games | Magic: The Gathering: Tactics | E3 2010: Demo Walkthrough Part II (Cam)

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Pokeball Life

Animatronic Halo Elite Costume Will Have You Screaming “Wart, Wart, Wart!”

courtesy of devicemag
We’ve seen home made costumes from many videogame series. Most use cardboard boxes and paint, the guys at PeteMander GFX went above and beyond to make this suit as realistic as possible.

Standing at least 7 feet tall, this mountainous suit would make any Master Chief wannabe wet his own pants.

And here is a brief making of video …

Just a Rock