TOG - The Older Gamers

New Releases: July 5th-11th, 2009

4 July 2009 |The Bigs 2, Tales of Monkey Island, Bioshock & The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and ARMA II all hit store shelves this week!

Left 4 Dead 2 Doug Lombardi Interview

4 July 2009 |We talk to Doug Lombardi about Left 4 Dead 2 at a recent preview event in London.

Madballs in Babo: Invasion Official Trailer 2

4 July 2009 |Let the Avatars attack!

Divinity 2 - Ego Draconis Official Trailer 3

4 July 2009 |Check out this hot new trailer for Divinity 2!

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Fear and Anticipation Trailer

4 July 2009 |What drives you? Fear or anticipation?

Ashes Cricket 2009 Screens

4 July 2009 |5 new shots posted.

Empire of Sports Screens

4 July 2009 |6 new shots posted.

Left 4 Dead 2 Hands-On Preview

3 July 2009 |We went hands-on with brand new content from Valve's zombie horror sequel.

GodsWar Online Screens

3 July 2009 |4 new shots posted.

East India Company Multiplayer Movie 4

3 July 2009 |Fresh new look at the Multiplayer in East India Company

Frogster America Celebrates Independence Day With New Runes of Magic Server

4 July 2009 |New server kicks-off weekend of celebration including in-game fireworks, item shop specials, online item quest and more.

Announcement of French and Spanish Runes of Magic Open Beta

4 July 2009 |Open beta still set to launch in France and Spain this month.

Ultimate Knight Windom XP – Popular 3D Robot Action Indie Game from Japan Goes on Sale

4 July 2009 |3D robot FPS from Japanese independent developer released.

Bioshock 2: Multiplayer Musings

3 July 2009 |Can this formerly solitary shooter become a multiplayer hit?

Natural Selection 2: Meet the Onos

3 July 2009 |It's pronounced OH-nohss, and you'll find out why.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Videos

3 July 2009 |All is not quiet on the western front.

Natural Selection 2 Onos Reveal

3 July 2009 |It's pronounced "OH-nohss", and you'll find out why.

APB Video Podcasts

3 July 2009 |Realtime Worlds takes you behind the scenes.

APB Video Podcasts

3 July 2009 |Check out these 4 awesome podcast videos.

America’s Army 3 Review

3 July 2009 |You're in the Army now, and loving it.

Lord of the Rings Online “Still Growing,” Turbine Says

20 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Lord of the Rings Online contemporaries like Hellgate: London and Tabula Rasa are long gone. Age of ...

Sam Fisher In His 50s For Conviction

17 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Captain Kirk once said that, "Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young." That rule doesn't ...

Activision Considering New CoD Online Service for Monthly Fee? 

16 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> It's no secret that Activision makes a lot of money by releasing a new Call of Duty every year, but ...

Final Warhammer Online Live Expansion Event Dated

12 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> The Warhammer Online "live expansion" Call to Arms is nearing an end, with the final event scheduled to ...

Major Mount Changes Coming to World of Warcraft

12 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> A Blizzard spokesperson dropped by the official World of Warcraft forums last night to discuss yet ...

The Sims 3 Sells 1.4M in a Week

11 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Even piracy isn't enough to slow down the adoption of little humans that live inside your computer. ...

Borderlands Set for Release in October

9 June 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> It was first announced way back in September of 2007, but after delays and even a full-blown visual ...

Sony Online Pulls Plug On Matrix Online

30 May 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> After limping along with a small but dedicated fanbase for four years, Sony Online Entertainment is ...

Sniper’s “Jarate” is Last Team Fortress 2 Unlock

22 May 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Valve has revealed the final weapon unlock, for the Sniper vs Spy update coming to Team Fortress 2. ...

Third Team Fortress 2 Spy Unlockable Revealed

20 May 2009 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Joining his two new cloaking tools, the Spy will also sport a long-range pistol called "The ...

Mass Effect 2 Coming to Multiple Platforms, says EA

11 February 2009 |On the fiscal conference call, EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello notes that the company will be releasing BioWare's Mass Effect 2 as a multiplatform title.

Crytek Acquires TimeSplitters Dev Free Radical

11 February 2009 |[UPDATED] Free Radical had gone into administration in December, but now Far Cry dev Crytek has come along to save what remains of the TimeSplitters and Haze developer.

Mythic Discusses Layoffs for Warhammer Online Team

11 February 2009 |Mythic Entertainment VP Mark Jacobs tries to put a positive spin on things, but things can't be great at Mythic with subscriptions down for Warhammer Online.

Capcom Grapples with Bionic Commando in May

11 February 2009 |The famous Bionic Arm makes its return with Bionic Commando, starring the former lead singer of Faith No More and launching this May on 360 and PS3.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate Gets Voiced

11 February 2009 |Sadly, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie are too cool for this game - only some of the "B" actors will reprise their roles.

CyberConnect2 Boss Talks ‘Quality Of Life’ For Japanese Developers

4 July 2009 |Talking to Gamasutra, CyberConnect2 president Hiroshi Matsuyama (.hack) has been discussing why stressing quality of life and instituting core hours at the Japanese developer has helped its focus and success. The comments came as ...

July’s Top 25 Facebook Games Topped By Zynga, MindJolt Titles

4 July 2009 |Zynga's Texas Hold'em Poker and Mafia Wars were the two most popular titles on Facebook this past month, according to Inside Social Games' new chart, with the former claiming some 14.2 million active players. Mafia Wars, which ...

Round Up: Gamasutra Network Jobs, Week of July 3

4 July 2009 |In this round-up, Gamasutra highlights some of the notable jobs posted in its industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Blizzard, Microsoft Game Studios and more. Each position posted by employers will ...

Analysis: Mapping Gamer Dialect

4 July 2009 |[Examining the relationship between language, culture and video games, columnist Daniel Johnson examines a lexicon of gamer-native lore and terms in search of the mystical 'gamer dialect'.] A few weeks ago, just after my last ...

Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Weapons To Frustration

4 July 2009 |In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by ...

Namco Bandai Gets Dragon Ball Game Rights

3 July 2009 |Namco Bandai Games America has attained the North American rights to publish official games for all platforms based on the Dragon Ball anime and manga series. The company says its new five-year agreement supersedes publisher ...

Warner’s $33M Midway Acquisition Approved By Judge

3 July 2009 |Warner Bros. can proceed with its proposed buyout of beleaguered publisher Midway and its assets, following approval granted by a bankruptcy judge, reports the Chicago Tribune. The $33 million deal will close within 10 days. First ...

Interview: Sidhe’s Wynands On Work-For-Hire’s Decline, New Paradigms

3 July 2009 |[New Zealand-based developer Sidhe (Gripshift, Speed Racer) is trying to transition its business model, and MD Mario Wynands tells Gamasutra about why it's a "crazy time to be trying to run a work-for-hire studio", and how the firm ...

Feature: Game Design Essentials - 20 RPGs

3 July 2009 |In the latest in his popular Game Design Essentials series, which has previously spanned subjects from Atari games through 'mysterious games', 'open world games', 'unusual control schemes' and 'difficult games', writer John Harris ...

An Indie Game Music Roundtable: Night, Flower, Eden and Proud

3 July 2009 |[In an all-star roundtable, the musicians behind PixelJunk Eden, Flower, Night Game, and Jonathan Mak's next project gather to share their philosophies on creating game soundtracks.] Recently four composers met to share their ...

News: Sony patents motion control using ordinary objects

4 July 2009 | Following its unveiling of a new EyeToy-compatible motion controller at this year's E3, Sony has patented more motion control related technology which lets users dynamically map everyday items for use in a game. ...

News: Tecmo Koei asks Sony to “please cut the price” of PS3

4 July 2009 | The CEO of newly-formed publisher Tecmo Koei has said that he would "welcome" a price cut on the PlayStation 3. He said that in discussions with Sony he always asks the ...

News: Cultural test for games “a problem” - EGDF

4 July 2009 | The chair of the European Game Developers Federation has said that determining which development projects should be given tax breaks off the back of a cultural test is a flawed system. ...

Interview: Guillaume de Fondaumiere - Part One

4 July 2009 |The final session at this year's GameHorizon conference was an in-depth demonstration of Sony's forthcoming story-driven title Heavy Rain, by the co-CEO of the development studio Quantic Dream. But Guillaume de Fondaumiere hasn't ...

News: World of Warcraft Twitter client launches

4 July 2009 | Modders have created a fully functioning in-game Twitter client for World of Warcraft that allows players to send and receive Tweets during play. The full list of ...

News: Activision: DJ Hero is “tremendous value”

4 July 2009 | Activision has told our sister site Eurogamer.net that DJ Hero, which costs over GBP 100 in the UK, represents "tremendous value". "We don't comment on our product ...

News: Wii Sports Resort bumps up hardware sales in Japan

4 July 2009 | The number one game in the Japanese chart comes as no surprise following news earlier in the week that Wii Sports Resort shifted over 350,000 copies during its first four days on sale. ...

News: Valve: Steam can boost boxed sales

4 July 2009 | Valve has batted away the latest fears that its digital Steam service is damaging traditional retail, revealing it has data that shows boxed sales increase when it runs promotions via its digital distribution channel. ...

News: IGDA appoints new executive director

4 July 2009 | The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has appointed a new executive director. Joshua Caulfield has been recruited into the role from outside the games industry following a career that has, to date, ...

News: Namco Bandai secures Dragon Ball rights for 5 years

4 July 2009 | Publisher Namco Bandai has secured the US publishing rights for the Dragon Ball Z franchise for five years. The agreement is for all major consoles and handheld systems, ...

Greatest Video Game Fireworks

5 July 2009 |Just in time for the July 4th celebration, Crispy Gamer has posted a terrific compilation of fireworks scenes from video games.Check out the video here.

Greatest Video Game Fireworks

5 July 2009 |Just in time for the July 4th celebration, Crispy Gamer has posted a terrific compilation of fireworks scenes from video games.Check out the video here.

Virtual Fireworks Machine From Sega

5 July 2009 |So you'd like to put on a July 4th fireworks show for your crew but lack the...moneypermitspyrotechnic expertiseall of the aboveNo problem. As Oh Gizmo reports:Sega’s got a new projector coming out... it will project a ...

Virtual Fireworks Machine From Sega

5 July 2009 |So you'd like to put on a July 4th fireworks show for your crew but lack the...moneypermitspyrotechnic expertiseall of the aboveNo problem. As Oh Gizmo reports:Sega’s got a new projector coming out... it will project a ...

Little Big Planet’s Sacktue of Liberty

4 July 2009 |Via fidgit we've been clued into Sackboy, done up in patriotic style as the Sacktue of Liberty......which reminds us that Hillary Clinton's face appeared on the Statue of Happiness in Grand Theft Auto IV. So, are there other Statue ...

Radio Alert: Game-Bashing Eagle Forum Schedules Game-Bashing July 4th Guest

4 July 2009 |Last week, GamePolitics broke the news that the ultra-conservative Eagle Forum had filed a "friend of the court" brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Calfornia's bid to have its 2005 violent video game law ...

(sort of) Funny Look at (sort of) Patriotic NES Games

4 July 2009 |Give the creator of this YouTube vid an A for effort as he stretches to pull in patriotic elements to what amounts to video reviews of a pair of NES titles:XenophobeGolgo 13

More Lists of Patriotic Video Games

4 July 2009 |Here are a few more lists of allegedly patriotic games for your July 4th weekend perusal. Some choices seem spot-on, others a bit of a stretch.1up (2008): Top 5 Insanely Patriotic Video GamesFugitive HunterThe Sims ...

Five Patriotic Video Game Moments

4 July 2009 |With the Independence Day weekend upon us here in the United States, we note that News4U has posted its list of 5 Patriotic Video Game Moments.The list is interesting and contains some games that will surprise you. The five ...

IGDA Names New Executive Director

3 July 2009 |Following months of seraching, the International Game Developers Association has named a new executive director.Gamasutra reports that Joshua Caulfield (left) will replace Jason Della Rocca, who departed earlier this year. ...

Steve Harris hints at the future of the reborn EGM

6 July 2009 | When Electronic Gaming Monthly closed its doors back in January, it not only left behind an issue that never got published but also a brand that gamers everywhere easily recognized. The magazine's original founder, Steve Harris, ...

Micro-transaction model a possibility for WoW

6 July 2009 | VideoGamer.com's recent interview with Blizzard's Tom Chilton, game director for the totally underground MMO World of Warcraft, is full of interesting tidbits for the WoW-innoculated -- info on the possible new races and classes ...

Micro-transaction model a possibility for WoW

6 July 2009 | VideoGamer.com's recent interview with Blizzard's Tom Chilton, game director for the totally underground MMO World of Warcraft, is full of interesting tidbits for the WoW-innoculated -- info on the possible new races and classes ...

The first video of N+ dev’s ‘Robotology’

6 July 2009 | In fairness, Metanet Software's first video for Robotology (found after the break) is more physics demo than it is gameplay demo -- or even proof of concept, for that matter. Though considering the pedigree behind the game ...

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup totally loves America

5 July 2009 | Happy Birthday, America! Let us be the first to say -- and we really mean this -- you've aged spectacularly well. How old are you? Two-hundred and thirty-three? No, that can't be right. Seriously, you look like you're still in ...

Wolfenstein motion comic serves up action with a side of cheese

5 July 2009 | GameTrailers has posted a new Wolfenstein motion comic. We're not quite sure how to feel about it really. Sure, it's nice to see B.J. Blazkowicz doing what he does best. We also like that Wolfenstein's famous chain gun-wielding ...

Wolfenstein motion comic serves up action with a side of cheese

5 July 2009 | GameTrailers has posted a new Wolfenstein motion comic. We're not quite sure how to feel about it really. Sure, it's nice to see B.J. Blazkowicz doing what he does best. We also like that Wolfenstein's famous chain gun-wielding ...

New Section 8 trailer drops in

5 July 2009 |<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="580" height="346" id="viddler_c42261b2"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/simple/c42261b2/" /><embed ...

TMNT: Turtles in Time: Through the Ages: A Comparison Video

5 July 2009 | You know what the best thing about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is? Throwing enemies into the screen. Thankfully, that feature is retained in the upcoming XBLA remake. The HD remake is obviously going to be a much ...

TMNT: Turtles in Time: Through the Ages: A Comparison Video

5 July 2009 | You know what the best thing about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is? Throwing enemies into the screen. Thankfully, that feature is retained in the upcoming XBLA remake. The HD remake is obviously going to be a much ...

Sunday Supplement: “We should have been doing other things”

5 July 2009 |Welcome to your Sunday reservoir of interesting writing about video games. Grab your reading jacket, a cup of coffee and get ready to exercise the brain.Chewing Pixels: Lest We ForgetSimon Parkin ponders what it means to make a ...

InFamous Defeats Prototype In Cross-Dressing Playoff

5 July 2009 |In a recent Zero Punctuation review, Yahtzee couldn’t declare which blockbuster game “about super-powered assholes” was better, but would give the honour to the studio that best drew the rival game’s ...

InFamous Defeats Prototype In Cross-Dressing Playoff

5 July 2009 |In a recent Zero Punctuation review, Yahtzee couldn’t declare which blockbuster game “about super-powered assholes” was better, but would give the honour to the studio that best drew the rival game’s ...

Valve: PS3 Orange Box Players “Got The Stepchild Version”

5 July 2009 |In an interview with CVG, Valve’s Doug Lombardi says the experiences of putting Half-Life on PS2 and Orange Box on PS3 have put them off Sony development for the near future. (more…)

Valve: PS3 Orange Box Players “Got The Stepchild Version”

5 July 2009 |In an interview with CVG, Valve’s Doug Lombardi says the experiences of putting Half-Life on PS2 and Orange Box on PS3 have put them off Sony development for the near future. (more…)

Bank Heist Causes Bank Run In EVE Onlne

5 July 2009 |Last month, the swindling of more than 200 billion ISK resulted in an actual run on a virtual bank in EVE Online. The best part? The loot was sold IRL - just $US5,000. (more…)

Bank Heist Causes Bank Run In EVE Onlne

5 July 2009 |Last month, the swindling of more than 200 billion ISK resulted in an actual run on a virtual bank in EVE Online. The best part? The loot was sold IRL - just $US5,000. (more…)

Donkey Kong Easter Egg Discovered 26 Years Later

5 July 2009 |Last year, the coder who wrote the Atari 400 port of Donkey Kong revealed it had an Easter Egg but it’s “totally not worth it.” Someone has gone to the trouble of finding it. (more…)

Donkey Kong Easter Egg Discovered 26 Years Later

5 July 2009 |Last year, the coder who wrote the Atari 400 port of Donkey Kong revealed it had an Easter Egg but it’s “totally not worth it.” Someone has gone to the trouble of finding it. (more…)

Tecmo Koei: Xbox 360 Is Doing “Well” In Japan

5 July 2009 |Remember when the Xbox 360 launched in Japan? Boy, that was embarrassing! Microsoft has turned things around of late and found a small degree of success in the region. (more…)

De Fondaumiere: Cultural Tax Breaks Are A Problem

4 July 2009 |European Games Developer Federation chair Guillaume de Fondaumiere has issued a warning to countries looking to implement ‘cultural tests’ for tax credits: move with the times or risk withholding the lifeline until ...

Tecmo Koei Boss Speaks Out

4 July 2009 |Kenji Matsubara, CEO of newly-formed publisher Tecmo Koei, has wasted no time in making a repeat request for a PS3 price cut, and is cautiously optimistic about Xbox 360 in Japan. "Whenever I discuss this with Sony reps, I ...

Charity Launches Military-Only Gaming Network

4 July 2009 |The US military often lands itself in hot water by using videogames as recruitment tools, but charity Pro vs. GI Joe would rather preach to the enlisted. Its latest venture, the Military Online Gaming Program (MOG), allows troops ...

Interview: What Price An iPhone Game?

4 July 2009 |With the recently released OS 3.0 for iPhone adding features like embeddable maps, peripheral support, and push notifications, the variety of products in the iTunes App Store is increasing by the day. The same can be said of its ...

Trine Project “A Big Mess,” Says Developer

4 July 2009 |Shadowgrounds developer Frozenbyte has admitted that the cross-platform launch of Trine, marred by a controversial gap between PC and PS3 price points, is “not really the optimal way to do a game launch.” read more

Bleszinski “Shocked” By Id Acquisition

4 July 2009 |Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski has admitted to being shocked by the acquisition of id Software by Bethesda parent ZeniMax. In an interview with Develop, the Gears Of War designer compares the move to 3D Realms’ recent ...

The Friday Game: Paper Toss

4 July 2009 |Format: iPhoneDeveloper: Backflip StudiosDirect App Store link  read more

Midway Sale Approved By Court

3 July 2009 |Warner’s bid to purchase Midway has officially been cleared following a court hearing. The majority of Midway’s US assets will now be transferred to Warner within the next ten days. "We had a court hearing ...

IGDA Names New Executive Director

3 July 2009 |The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has appointed Joshua Caulfield as it new executive director. Described as an avid gamer who has held a number of senior positions in business management and marketing, Caulfield ...

Nintendo Buys TV Quiz Show

3 July 2009 |Nintendo has reportedly spent £2 million to bankroll a primetime quiz show on UK TV channel Five. Britain’s Best Brain will see contestants compete in memory, co-ordination, numeracy, recognition and risk tasks. The ...

SEXUAL and PERVERTED Video Game Moments

5 July 2009 |Some games have great moments and some have bad moments...... and some other games have some totally weird moments but in this case.. sexual and perverted moments... You just don't expect to see this kind of stuff in video games..

SEXUAL and PERVERTED Video Game Moments

5 July 2009 |Some games have great moments and some have bad moments...... and some other games have some totally weird moments but in this case.. sexual and perverted moments... You just don't expect to see this kind of stuff in video games..

Battlefield Heroes review: The Great (Cartoon) War

5 July 2009 |The premise is simple: take Battlefield, then make it absolutely free to play, by stripping some elements out and reserving them for paying customers, while supporting the whole thing via front-end advertising. Such a move is like ...

Battlefield Heroes review: The Great (Cartoon) War

5 July 2009 |The premise is simple: take Battlefield, then make it absolutely free to play, by stripping some elements out and reserving them for paying customers, while supporting the whole thing via front-end advertising. Such a move is like ...

Portable Super Nintendo (Step-by-Step Gallery)

5 July 2009 |Nintendo released a re-designed, smaller Super Nintendo sometime in the mid-90s. Perfect candidate to chop up.

Portable Super Nintendo (Step-by-Step Gallery)

5 July 2009 |Nintendo released a re-designed, smaller Super Nintendo sometime in the mid-90s. Perfect candidate to chop up.

Catching Up With… Jonathan Coulton—Still Alive

5 July 2009 |FTA: Coulton wrote the song "Still Alive" for Portal and secured his cult status.

Flash DOOM 2D (Platformer)

4 July 2009 |DOOM is back as 2D Jump-N-Run Game.

Flash DOOM 2D (Platformer)

4 July 2009 |DOOM is back as 2D Jump-N-Run Game.

The Making of ‘Batman Arkham Asylum’

4 July 2009 |Take a first look at the 'Inside the Asylum' Video.

ArenaLive, an Open Source MMOFPS

6 July 2009 |ZeXx86 writes "ArenaLive is a new open source game based on the well-known OpenArena. Its aim is to become an open-source alternative to id Software's QuakeLive. The main idea is to make a game available in your web browser. So ...

Game Companies Intrigued By 3D Tech

5 July 2009 |An editorial by Rob Fahey looks into the possibility of game companies experimenting with modern 3D technology. Over the past decade, advances in the field have been enough for film studios to give 3D another shot, but significant ...

Despite New Owner, id Still Lives Or Dies By Their Engines

5 July 2009 |The Guardian has an article about id Software's status after being purchased by ZeniMax (Bethesda's parent company) not long ago. While id gained considerable financial stability out of the deal, it's clear that what Bethesda has ...

Despite New Owner, id Still Lives Or Dies By Their Engines

5 July 2009 |The Guardian has an article about id Software's status after being purchased by ZeniMax (Bethesda's parent company) not long ago. While id gained considerable financial stability out of the deal, it's clear that what Bethesda has ...

Massive Bank Fraud In EVE Online

4 July 2009 |djconrad was one of several readers to point out the latest major scandal in EVE Online, the space MMO notable for its large, player-driven economy and the entertaining stories it often generates. A player named Ricdic, chairman of ...

Massive Bank Fraud In EVE Online

4 July 2009 |djconrad was one of several readers to point out the latest major scandal in EVE Online, the space MMO notable for its large, player-driven economy and the entertaining stories it often generates. A player named Ricdic, chairman of ...

The Essentials of RPG Design

3 July 2009 |simoniker writes "As the latest in his Game Design Essentials series for Gamasutra, writer John Harris examines 10 games from the Western computer RPG (CRPG) tradition and 10 from the Japanese console RPG (JRPG) tradition, to ...

Universal Lands Rights To Asteroids Movie

3 July 2009 |It seems Universal Studios has won the highly sought-after movie rights to the 1979 Atari game Asteroids. Disney's Matthew Lopez will be writing the adaptation, having previously worked on the scripts for Bedtime Stories, The ...

What Are the Best First Steps For Becoming a Game Designer?

3 July 2009 |todd10k writes "I've recently decided to go back to college. I have a lot of experience with games, having played them for most of my adult life, and have always toyed with the idea of making them one day. I've finally decided to ...

Blizzard Confirms No LAN Support For Starcraft 2

2 July 2009 |Kemeno writes "Blizzard has announced that they will be dropping LAN support for Starcraft II, citing piracy and quality concerns. Instead, all multiplayer games will be hosted through their new Battle.net service. I suppose I ...