Always on the lookout for opportunities, Blizzard Entertainment has teamed with the Pandaren Xpress restaurant chain to provide meals to your door from within the world of Azeroth. From the press release: "Blizzard Entertainment, in conjunction with the Pandaren Xpress® chain of quality restaurants, is proud to announce the /panda program! Don't let the inconvenience of eating impede you from reaching your Maximum Gaming Potential!...Now, thanks to Pandaren Xpress®, creators of low-priced gourmet meals, you no longer have to leave the group for a food break...No more tedious walking over to the telephone! No more arduous pushing of unfamiliar phone numbers!" Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

Via Final Fantasy Online: Warcry, a link to the official FFXI site stating that starting on May 1st PS2 service will be withdrawn. Playstation 2 players will no longer be able to access the Square-Enix title, as according to the site: "The limitation of the Playstation 2 has restricted and held back certain developments to the game and its continued support would make future updates and content limited." Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

Details about the background behind the upcoming Unreal III are available at Voodoo Extreme. From the article: "The highly-anticipated Unreal 3 takes gamers into the mysterious past of their favorite royal alien parasite inside the body of a giant slug, TCA pilot Ne'ban, last seen being blown to smithereens at the end of Unreal 2." Sounds like an interesting story concept. Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

FuzzyGuru writes "Hot on the heels of the 'Most Important Ever' MySQL reaching Beta status, Microsoft is finally taking the Linux plunge. Microsoft has decided to release a version of MSSQL2005 for Linux, Unix and XBox." From the article: "We thought it was important to address the Linux/Unix marketplace, providing a key database for their use on that platform as applications are developed and deployed...In addition, with the Xbox development opportunities, it's clear that SQL Server is the database platform that can now be used in the full customer lifecycle - from business-related applications support to consumer and gaming applications, the full line of SQL Server offerings will be available to support those needs."

Voodoo Extreme has news from the Camelot Herald, with notes about a new patch to the Massive game Dark Age of Camelot. In the patch notes, they state: "Due to overwhelming population imbalances, we have removed the realm of Albion from the game on two out of every three clustered servers and have credited players with an equivilant toon in Midgard or Hibernia". This decision finally puts an end to the realm of Albion, which had consistent population problems across many of the DAoC servers. Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

The previously mentioned Shadowrun Fourth Edition is apparently going to be more than just a rules overhaul. Rumours circulating on the fan forum Dumpshock.com have been confirmed by a post to the livejournal of Adam Jury, the webmaster for the Shadowrun website. From the post: "No self-respecting shadowrunner will do anything illegal, so they now all ride pedal-bikes everywhere." Indeed, posts to the Dumpshock message boards now indicate that Shadowrun will be a cyberpunk flavoured messenger game, which will draw on materials such as A Coder in Courierland and other first hand accounts of bike messenger life. Players will take on the roles of "Shadow Runners", individuals who move packages, letters, and blueprints (by hook or by crook) across the post-industrial remains of the city of Seattle. Major development time has apparently been spent on the delivery mechanics, bike customization rules, and seduction tables (both for receptionists and secretaries). The new rules set is still expected out at this year's GenCon game fair. Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

Oculus Habent writes "In an attempt to increase Apple's market share in the home sector, Steve Jobs announced today that he would personally fund prizes for ports of popular gaming titles to the Macintosh platform. Citing the common complaint of lack of game availability for Mac OS X, Jobs suggests that work in this area could seriously improve Macintosh acceptance. Said Jobs, "We've got incredible, stylish computers and an insanely great operating system. The Mac mini made has a huge impact, but it is only the tip of the iceberg." Prizes include Steve's yearly salary for the first ten ports, and twice that amount for "hot new titles" with a simultaneous release." Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

webhat writes "It seems that the website for the webcomic Little Gamers has been shut down by the MPAA because it '... facilitates the illegal downloading of copyrighted motion pictures via so called 'Torrents'.' Sorry guys. Good luck with whatever you're doing next. Update: 04/02 18:02 GMT by Z : April 1st hoax story.

Nintendo President Iwata has reaffirmed details already released about the upcoming Revolution console. Gamsutra has details from his talk, where Iwata touches on the wireless capability of the Revolution, the designer friendly attitude of the console, and the secretive nature of the console's controllers. From the article: "For the next-generation console, we plan to introduce a friendly user interface so that, for example, a mother who's watching her child playing a game might say, 'Oh, I'd like to try that too.' However, user interfaces are devices that can be easily imitated by other companies, so I can't reveal any details right now." GamesIndustry.biz also has coverage on this topic.

From the pages of Gamecube.IGN comes a look at the upcoming Zelda title for the Gamecube. Their examination includes both established facts: "Looking at the official screens and trailers, it's apparent Link will once again mount a mighty steed and battle on horseback", and some wishful thinking: "Will Link transform into a wolf in his latest adventure? Undoubtedly, it's the most talked about rumor."

Gamespot has word that the planned pre-E3 showing of the Playstation 3 console, to be held in Japan, has been canceled. From the article: "Sony told Reuters that it decided to cancel the PS3 meeting because it 'would pressure game publishers' if held in March, but it left the door open for another pre-E3 event. The company also emphasized that the cancellation is not a sign that the PlayStation 3 development is falling behind, and it still intends to unveil the machine at E3 at the latest."

bulldog232 writes "This year's Game Developers Conference missed the ball with Mobile GDC. Mobile gaming has been around for years with the likes of the Game Boy and other mobile consoles. There is huge opportunity in games for cell phones but there are other parts to mobile entertainment. TheFeature takes a look at the new Mobile Game Development Special Interest Group (MGD-SIG) created within the International Game Developers Association. As the MGD-SIG is the first independent (i.e. not affiliated with a publisher, handset maker, research firm or carrier) information exchange with real backing, it will push innovation in mobile games by offering details on new technologies, genres unique to mobile, and techniques for bypassing the carriers' walled gardens."

Spacefaring races always seem to get into trouble, and game designers love to put us into the shoes of the explorers and soldiers of tomorrow. Unfortunately, futuristic titles can be just as tiresome as Dungeon Crawl #457. Both MechAssault 2 and Nexus: The Jupiter Incident are examples of this truism. Both games are well conceived, with fine pedigrees behind them, but neither manages to deliver satisfying gameplay or long-term enjoyment. Read on for my analysis of these two titles...in spaaaaaaaaace.

EvilBastard writes "Sony Online Entertainment has announced the next round of server consolidation, where 36 Everquest Servers will be merged over the next 6 weeks, with 18 servers vanishing for good. Servers to vanish include Veeshan, Karana and Mithaniel Marr. Where two servers merge, the server with the highest population keeps it's name, however some characters will have the option to add their server as their in game title. This is the third server merge that Sony has performed, after the earlier combination of the 4 PVP servers and an earlier proof-of-concept merger."

John Callaham writes "Computer Games Magazine has learned that Stardock, developer of Galactic Civilizations and The Political Machine, is now working on an unnamed massively multiplayer real time strategy title that will be free to play." From the article: "...the development team is trying to solve the problems that have kept other similar games from being as popular as other MMO titles. When asked to describe the gameplay Wardell said, 'I like to call it The Sims meets Total Annihilation.'"

lunatick writes "After a year and a half in the making, details for the fabled Combat Upgrade for Star Wars Galaxies are posted to the message boards. It is being met with cheers, boo's and a certain amount of skepticism. Can the game truly survive such a massive reconstruction almost 2 years into live?" From the post: "The Combat Upgrade focuses on the entire spectrum of the combat experience, combat-related professions, their special abilities, and all of the weapons and types of armor in the game. Choices players make about each of these elements will be more intuitive and be significantly more impactful in the new system. Individual profession abilities and attributes, terrain and environmental elements will take on more consequence, making combat more engaging and fun."

MilenCent writes "We're starting to see our first mainstream media reports on the PSP's (lack of) sales performance, from the Seattle Times: "But while Sony is touting the rollout as a success -- and many retailers did sell their entire stock -- the event might not have been the complete blockbuster that was expected." In summary, the article says that more systems were sold than not, that dedicated gaming stores were more likely to sell out than department stores like Target, and that the biggest reason gamers didn't pick it up is likely its price -- which wasn't helped by some retailers' sale condition that customers also purchase games, which could raise the price to nearly $350. Will demand pick up once the unit is out there and seen by people, or will it take a price cut before the system sells satisfactorily?"

cibe writes "A Shanghai online game player has stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber-sword. Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest after he was told Zhu had sold his "dragon sabre", used in the popular online game Legend of Mir 3, the newspaper said a Shanghai court was told yesterday. Qiu and a friend jointly won their weapon last February, and lent it to Zhu who then sold it for 7,200 yuan ($A1,129)." Update: 03/30 21:15 GMT by Z : More commentary available on Game Girl Advance.

Ayaress writes "As reported on Gamestop, Sony will now warranty PSP units suffering from dead pixels. Sony still insists that dead pixels are a common problem in all LCD displays, saying "A very small number of dark pixels or continuously lit pixels is normal for LCD screens, and is not a sign of a malfunction," and asks that PSP owners use theirs for at least a week or two, to see if it still bothers them. User who encounter, "persistent and aggravating dead pixels," are instructed to contact Sony customer support, and will be allowed to mail in their PSP to recieve a unit with a new screen."

glengineer writes "A deep bow and an "I'm not worthy" to Kent Simon, at the University of Kentucky, Ed Lyons in London, and Chris McArthur in Canada who have made the dream come true for GTA fanatics like me - GTA3 and Vice City online multiplayer! Now I can streetrace and play Liberty City Survivor with real people, not just use the "crazy pedestrians" cheat. Rockstar would be nuts not to hire these guys. So, anyone up for a deathmatch? Meet me at the Malibu Club in Vice, or the construction site on Staunton Island."