It's one thing to look at the past in order to learn from it; it's quite another thing to examine the present and to see which direction you're heading toward. In the light of recent developments, various game industry insiders have taken to doing precisely those things. More reflection ensues in the full article after the jump.

IDG Entertainment is sending word that instead of August, this year's E for All Expo has been moved to October. This news should serve as a relief for those worried the the event may conflict with PAX's own schedule for 2008.

Details are in the full article. Just click the "read more" link below.

Nothing like a bit of good news to end the year with a bang, eh? The Child's Play charity movement run by Penny Arcade has reportedly exceeded its projected million-dollar mark for this December. Details on this big news are available in the full article.

Another video game has managed to entrench itself in controversy, but like the infamous ongoing Manhunt debate, the controversy concerns not just the game itself but is relevant to the entire industry, and even includes us gamers.

The controversy surrounds Jeff Gerstmann, who was recently fired from his post as editorial director of GameSpot. Speculation goes that he was fired because of the politics surrounding his review of Kane & Lynch. More in the full article.

Penny Arcade's Child's Play, a five-year-old fundraising outfit that started out dedicated only to the Seattle Children's Hospital, has now evolved into a full-time charity drive.

Child's Play is now extending its reach throughout North America and five countries. Major online retailer Amazon is also giving Child's Play a boost-up by letting participating hospitals create wishlists of items to give to children.

Read more about Child's Play at the full article link below!

It's never too early to reserve a place in the next Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). It was announced today that the event will be accepting registrations as early as January 2008. The last PAX had 37,000 gamers roaming its floor. Tickets were sold out so early registration may be a good idea.

PAX 2008 will be held on August 29 to 31 and attendance is expected to double again. "Again" because attendance has been doubling ever since the first PAX. The attendance grew so large that the last event was held in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle just to fit everyone in.

Next year's PAX will mark the expo's fifth year and will continue the tradition of game exhibitions, conference programs (about games of course), concerts, tournaments, freeplay gaming and general fun times for everyone and all in the gaming community.

Have you already seen the Cave of Eos level for the upcoming PSP title God of War: chains of Olympus? We believe you haven't yet because Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Read at Dawn have just sent in an email announcing the said new level that will be included in the demo disc.

Take note that this level isn't the same as the one video game journalists had tried during the recent Penny Arcade Expo and E3. This is solely for us fans, probably to show that they're taking good care of us. Anyway, Eos is actually the Goddess of Dawn who will take Kratos further in his quests.

But just like the other gods and goddesses, the road to Eos isn't going to be easy as it's littered with many trials. According to the email sent in by SCEA, the Minotaurs from the first God of War game will be back. Here's what they said:

The rewards awaiting you are a new magic granted by Eos that adds to the vast array of mechanics Kratos already possess. But to advance to the end of the level, Kratos will have to prove himself by using his new abilities to solve a challenge so deadly it could have only been created by the Gods of Olympus.

Well, that is something to look forward to, indeed. While the demo disc will be released later this month, Ready At Dawn has yet to announce a concrete release date for the full retail version of God of War: Chains of Olympus.

This may be one of the hard evidences of Nintendo DS's immense popularity among the handheld market: Almost every handheld gamer in Penny Arcade Expo 2007 (PAX 2007) had a DS, but there was nary a PSP in sight. Well, almost. A Wired reporter eventually found a lone PSP owner, and that's after he spent some time searching for one.

Most of the handheld gamers present in PAX 2007 were found lounging on enormous beanbags on the hallways, entertaining themselves with multiplayer DS games and Pictochat.

The Sony PSP and Nintendo DS are both very good and competitive handhelds, but it is rather a bit disconcerting to find out that Sony's multi-media handheld wasn't at all present in PAX 2007, given the fact that the place was packed and full to the brim with gamers. Or maybe they were just protective of their PSPs like that?

More PAX 2007 updates to come!

Namco Bandai's coming to Penny Arcade Expo 2007, and it's bringing a gigaton of games along with it for some good old hands on gaming. For those of you attending PAX 2007 which starts tomorrow in Seattle, you can find Namco Bandai at booth 616.

Perhaps the biggest highlight to grace their booth this year is the photorealistic Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation for the Xbox 360. Namco is setting the game loose for competitive and cooperative fighting on Xbox Live with multiplayer supporting up to 16 players so be ready to set the skies on fire.

Another highlight although in a completely different genre is Beautiful Katamari (also for the 360), whose multiplayer supports up to 4 players. Another game that would probably have you rolling to Namco's booth is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam that mixes the world of Gundam with the hack and slash gameplay of Dynasty Warriors.
   
Other games the games publisher will be showcasing are Eternal Sonata, Tales of World: Radiant Mythology, Culdcept SAGA, .hack®//G.U. Vol. 3: Redemption, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes, Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2, Time Crisis 4, Warhammer Battle March and collections of classic Namco Bandai games for the Wii and Nintendo DS in Namco Museum DS and Namco Museum REMIX.

 

When PaRappa the Rapper is in the house, we know there's more than just chopping onions and driving lessons. Chop Chop Master Onion's Rap Showdown was announced just last month, yet hundreds of aspiring rappers and series fans already sent in their entries.

The dough is finally shaping up and the winner is about to be crowned. Ten finalists have been chosen, and it's up to you to vote for your favorite rapper. To do that, just head over to the PlayStation site, which you can find via Read link below.

We were quite amused watching the videos. Contestants range from teens, to dads dressing up their sons as PaRappa. Still, we'll have to say each and everyone in the top ten deserve their spots. Most of them are ghetto style, but some also nailed the PaRappa feel.

Whoever gets branded as crowd favorite will earn a trip for two to PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, WA, August 24, 25 and 26, 2007. One double-occupancy hotel room for three nights and spending money for meals and transportation for three days are also included in the package. Two PSPs and two copies of PaRappa the Rapper are also for grabs.