JC writes "It looks like Tolkien fans will get one of their biggest dreams with Turbine's Middle-Earth Online. Originally expected about November, we're now looking at a Northern Hemisphere Autumn release date. The New Zealand Herald has a good article."

Darniaq writes "While a relatively small game as defined by player count, A Tale in the Desert was a rather robust experiment into just how much crafting a massive online gamer would like to do. The game is also more evocative of a massive online real-time strategy game than a roleplaying one ala Everquest or City of Heroes. And now there's a sequel. The staff at Grimwell.com has temporarily relocated to Egypt, and provides a live report."

Thanks to DIY Games for its column discussing the state of freely downloadable independent PC adventure games for July. The author raves: "I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that July was by far the best month for independent adventure gaming this year", and goes on to profile titles such as A Very Special Dog ("You play a German shepherd with the task to save a life and find the culprit... you'll sniff objects, bark at people or lick them, all in order to successfully complete the game") and Apprentice II: The Knight's Move ("top quality independent gaming... [with] a very deep story and great character development.") Talking of character development, I'm afraid this is my (simoniker's) last ever Slashdot story post. Read on for details...

wgrover writes "The New York Times Magazine (reg yada) has a new longform article exploring computer games funded for training/recruitment purposes by the U.S. military, as previously covered on Slashdot. 'For the past three years, the military has been entertaining the surprising idea that video games, even those that you play on a commercial system like Microsoft's Xbox, can be an effective way to train soldiers.' Aside from training, the games also improve young people's perceptions of the military: '30 percent of a group of young people with a favorable view of the military said they had developed that view from playing America's Army.'"

Philipp Lenssen writes "According to German Spiegel Online, the Gametrak controller by In2Games just won the "Best of GC" award at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. Cyber-glove Gametrak is announced to launch across Europe next month for the Playstation 2. Once the right software is released (fighting game DarkWind comes first) you should be able to punch opponents, use golf clubs, dance around, and bounce virtual basketballs. A demo video is available."

Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing more evidence that Viacom may be considering a takeover of publisher Midway, following Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone's increasing financial stake in the company. Redstone noted in an SEC document: "The management of Viacom Inc. has... considered the possibility of participating more extensively in the electronic games business... Midway could be considered as a potential licensee of Viacom intellectual property, or as an acquisition candidate." It's noted that: "Regardless of whether Viacom buys Midway, the filing clears the way with regulators for Midway to compete for Viacom licenses." In any case, with Warner Bros also making in-roads into the game market, it seems some larger media conglomerates are considering getting back into the games industry.

Oshuma.Shiroki writes "Rockstar Games has launched the official site for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This is particularly notable because it comes complete the very first trailer for the game, as well as some new screenshots. In any case, GTA:SA is due out for PlayStation 2 on October 19th. Head on over and take a look."

Joe Barr writes "IT Manager's Journal is running a story this morning by Robin Miller and Matt Moen on Infinium Labs, the controversial game console maker. The long promised console finally appears to be a reality, but there are serious questions about Infinium's longterm viability in the game console market. ITMJ, like Slashdot, is part of OSTG."

TheAdventurer writes "Andre Lamothe, author of many popular video game programming books, has released his XGameStation. The initial offering, the XGameStation Micro Edition, is a retro level hardware platform, similar to the old Atari and NES systems, designed to teach enthusiasts and students the elements of console hardware design and effective low level programming skills. The unit comes with an e-book written by Andre on how to develop on the platform using its assembly language IDE (included) and how to make your own extensions to the device. It is priced at $199."

MrOion writes "Marius Grigoriu has posted a HOWTO for running the PC MMORPG Anarchy Online under Linux (screenshot). This is done using Cedega from Transgaming, in addition to the patch from Marius Grigoriu. A thread on the official Anarchy Online Messageboard contains more information on how the players are experiencing running AO under Linux."

Thanks to Always On Network for its analysis of China's MMORPG-hungry Internet cafe denizens. According to the piece: "Pacific Epoch estimates that of the U.S. $2 billion-plus that online gaming will generate in China this year, about $1.2 billion will flow through internet cafe coffers." However, since "China is growing so fast and its citizens are becoming wealthier", changes are in motion: "One internet cafe owner explained that SARS prompted a large number of newly wealthy Chinese to go out and buy computers... [and many] don't play games at the internet cafes anymore because they can now do so in the comfort of their own homes." Blizzard's ravenously-awaited World Of Warcraft is now hoped to revitalize the Chinese online gaming scene: "Although never officially announced, [Chinese online company] The9 is rumored to have paid up to U.S. $12 million for the right to operate WoW in China."

jm writes "The Classic Gaming Expo 2004 kicks off this weekend, with over 60 industry guests. This year the CGE is being held at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center, August 21st & 22nd. Learn about the origins of the video game industry, straight from innovators like Al Alcorn and Steve Wozniak. Check out new games for classic consoles, plus the latest retro game offerings from SNK, Konami, Midway, Digital Eclipse, among others. Also this year is the CGE 'swap meet', where you can buy and sell classic gaming goods, with table proceeds going to the Special Olympics. Another favorite is the CGE Museum exhibit, where you will find all kinds of rare video game console hardware on display. For those into arcade gaming, there will also be coin-ops in free-play mode, plus of course tournaments."

Jason Scott writes "While we're celebrating 30 years of Dungeons and Dragons, Slashdot readers might as well sit back with their DVD players and enjoy a few documentaries that have recently popped up; all of them done by independent filmmakers, too! Uber Goober: The Movie calls itself 'A Film About Gamers' is a not-taking-itself-too-seriously overview of the life of RPGs and LARPs. Life With the Dice Bag, a 'Documentary about Role Playing Games and the people who play them' looks to take itself a bit more seriously as it covers the last GenCon held in Milwaukee. And finally, who can resist the pull of The Dungeons and Dragons Experience?"

mutewinter writes "CounterFrag.com has posted an article reviewing the recent CounterStrike Source beta. What is unusual about Source is that it keeps the same gameplay, including guns and maps, of the original CounterStrike and simply brings CounterStrike (which uses the original Half Life engine) up to date graphically. Imagine if Doom 3 had been just like the original Doom, but with a better engine. Many gamers look down on recycled content, but is this a problem for a 5 year old game that is still as popular as ever?" S!: We also had an alternative look at the Beta over on Slashdot Games a couple of days back.

AbyssLeaper writes "Microsoft is closing its Xbox sports game studio in Redmond and laying off 76 employees. In a Seattle Times article, Robbie Bach, Microsoft's Xbox chief, cites the difficulty of competing in the game development space and the expansion of 3rd party support - this move wasn't surprising based on their focus on making the Xbox profitable. MSNBC/Seattle Post-Intelligencer speculates that it might also be due to an increased partnership with EA Sports." We previously reported on many XSN Sports titles skipping 2004.

Thanks to GameSpy for its series of articles helping commemorate the 30th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. Continuing previous articles about the occasion, the week-long feature includes a look back at SSI's Gold Box series (" the first series of games to truly bring the D&D experience to video gamers"), The Daily Show's Stephen Colbert discussing his D&D schooldays ("We were all complete outcasts in school -- beyond the fringe, beyond nerds"), and a feature on Planescape: Torment ("One of the greatest, and certainly the weirdest, RPGs ever made.")

MagicDude writes "Nintendo has patented key console online gaming features. Specifically, it has received patents on things such as player league tables, voice communications and online gaming host services. While the article doesn't address how Nintendo will use these patents, it makes you wonder if this is the first step for Nintendo to become a major player in the online gaming market."

Zordak writes "I came across this amusing story on CNN about a new PC game published by UbiSoft that's hitting store shelves this week called 'Political Machine.' It's a strategy game in which you run a presidential campaign through speeches, ads, campaign stops, and good old-fashioned mud slinging. You can choose to be one of the current candidates, one of several contemporary political figures (like Hillary Clinton or Condoleeza Rice) or you can make your own candidate. The game attempts to be extremely realistic, including using statistical data from the various states."

Thanks to RPGFan for its post covering forthcoming U.S. PlayStation 2 RPG releases from Japan-based publisher Atlus, linking to a preview of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, "big news for fans of the series, given that it typically doesn't see many releases outside of Japan." In addition, the site previews Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner, "a brand new creation from the MegaTen creators" also coming to the States, and also looks at Phantom Brave, explaining that Atlus "had a hand in getting NIS America's (The North American division of Disgaea and La Pucelle: Tactics developer Nippon Ichi) [title] ready for prime time." Elsewhere, in more signs that the 'hardcore' Japanese RPG is making a U.S. comeback, NIS America have announced in-progress plans to bring Gust's Atelier Iris - Eternal Mana, "the sixth installment in a popular line of alchemy-based [RPGs]" to the States.

Thanks to Eurogamer for its editorial discussing the phenomenon of having too many videogames and too little time. The author starts by suggesting: "Take a look at your own shelves. Look closely. Spot any shrink-wrapped games you definitely will get around to playing some day?" He continues: "Let's have a look at this writer's personal 'to play' pile: MGS: The Twin Snakes, Super Mario Sunshine, Knights of the Old Republic, Full Spectrum Warrior, True Crime, Deus Ex 2", before concluding: "Games. We love them. We could fill about 47 lifetimes playing them. But we hate them too. Most are overblown, bloated, and chaotic in their design. If they were movies, most of the footage would be on the cutting room floor. Few games designers seem to know how to edit, and weigh down the production process in the belief that we need bigger games."