Ending a rash of speculation, White Wolf Publishing announced today that it will be releasing a second edition of its wildly popular pen-and-paper roleplaying game Exalted in 2006. White Wolf first gave hints of its intentions with a titillating "leak" in its quarterly catalog, and it has now confirmed that the Second Edition will be in stores early next year. The early ''leak'' brings to mind White Wolf's long campaign of hints and teases surrounding the original 2001 release of Exalted, which left fans speculating for more than a year as to what the prospective game might actually be about. This time around, though, White Wolf promises fans a far shorter wait for this much advanced version of its anime- and wuxia-inspired reimagination of epic fantasy storytelling.

[Source: White Wolf Publishing, Inc.]

Do you love Exalted? Do you like to run games for other people? Do you get bored waiting for your next tabletop game? Are you online half of the time anyway? You are in luck. White Wolf is currently looking for good Storytellers who are interested in volunteering to help run games in our official online Exalted chat RPG game. If you already play in the official online game, and are interested in being part of the Storyteller team, please contact us through our Volunteer Signup Form. If you aren't familiar with our online Exalted game, then Login to check it out - if you like what you see and you think you can help make the game better, then volunteer today.

[Source: White Wolf Publishing, Inc.]

White Wolf Publishing has licensed the rights to a comic book series based on its successful roleplaying game Exalted to Toronto-based UDON Entertainment. The first issue in the series will be on comic book stands in October of 2005, and a special #0 issue comes out this summer.

UDON has a longstanding involvement with the Exalted property, having provided covers and interior art for many supplements, as well as covers for the Exalted novel series and all card art for the upcoming Exalted Trading Card Game. This history of close collaboration has given White Wolf confidence that UDON can do justice to the property.

The first full issue of the Exalted comic releases this fall, but a special preview issue (Exalted #0) will be on sale at the White Wolf and UDON booths at various summer comic and gaming conventions beginning with Origins in Columbus, Ohio (June 30-July 3). In addition to an exclusive prelude story, Exalted #0 features behind-the-scenes information about the series, as well as sketches and exclusive gaming content provided by White Wolf. Each regular issue features two stories and all-new game material from White Wolf.

[Source: White Wolf Publishing, Inc.]

Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the long awaited fourth installment in the award-winning Elder Scrolls series, will make its public debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles on May 18. The powerful combination of unprecedented graphics and freeform game play allows gamers to unravel the main quest or explore the vast world at their own pace.

Played from a first or third person perspective, Oblivion opens with the mysterious death of the Emperor of Tamriel, tasking the gamer with finding the lost heir to the throne while combating the demons loosed from the gates of Oblivion, or hell. Pioneering technology makes Oblivion's combat more bloody and visceral, as the gamer navigates his way through lifelike towns, dungeons, and the most realistic forests ever created. Oblivion has already received a wealth of pre-launch attention, and has been recognized as one of this year's most highly-anticipated games.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has not yet been rated by the ESRB and is slated to ship for PC and Xbox 360 in winter 2005.

[Source: Elder Scrolls.com.]

Download the High Quality Playstation 3 - Final Fantasy VII Demo (and read about it below)

One of the many demos at E3 displaying the new, incredible power of Sony's Playstation 3 was Final Fantasy VII. As IGN says, the demo was a complete recreation of the beginning of Final Fantasy VII but with mind-numbingly beautiful graphics. The gorgeous trailer depicts the intro with more detail than the original, but all rendered in non-cg, real-time graphics. Don't go to your local store to reserve the title yet- Square says they won't be remaking Final Fantasy VII for the PS3. They are, however, promising some form of Final Fantasy on Sony's new machine.

In the meantime, email Square and tell them they might want to reconsider re-making the best videogame that ever existed. You may also want to inform them that they haven't done anything half as good since its release back in 1997.