By Lesley Smith

So the first day of Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational is over: Diablo III is official and fans stream out into the streets of Paris to rejoice. Of course the Opening Ceremony wasn't the end of the event; merely the beginning.

The ceremony itself took place on the main stage which was jam-packed with over 3,500 people and many more standing. Attended by press from all around the world as well as several special guests such as the VPs of Global Finance and Human Resources (yep, we were all humbled too). Hosted by pop star China and stand up comedian and film star Anthony Kavangh, the event saw Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime take to the stage and congratulate the gamers of Europe as well as reminding all those present that this is the first time an invitational has been held outside of Korea. He took us on a trip back in time to last year's event in Seoul - a movie which includes a classic sound bite in the making from a teenaged Korean fan: "It's fun because Blizzard made it." Morhaime also commented on the Activision-Blizzard merger, provoking laughter when he said they'd 'leveled up'.

by Lesley Smith

If last year's BlizzCon is anything to go by, it won't be too long before the goodies (and the bag itself) given to attendees at this year's WWI start appearing in auction sites. Sad but true, some people will just put the swag straight on eBay in order to make a quick buck or two. But how much should all this swag set this back and is it worth the £55/€70 ticket or the even bigger sum you might end up paying via an auction site?

Fortunately, as Blizzard have a shop selling many of these exclusive goodies, we can tell you.

Blizzard's concept of a shop, however, is not something you'd recognise instantly; with one per floor they only stand out thanks to the humongous sign and the enormous, never diminishing queue. Rather than go in an browse, attendees can drool over items for sale which are handily displayed in several glass cabinets, they then fill in an order form, wait in the queue for what must seem like for ever, hand over fistfuls of Monopoly money (sorry, Euros) and depart with their goodies.

There is an assload (U.S. measurement, roughly 12 percent lighter than the Imperial arseload and metric arseload) of Diablo III videos over on Gametrailers and assorted game video sites. I know about them all, up here in the Kotaku tower, and I could spend all day posting them. Instead, I've embedded this one, which features 20 minutes -- an Imperial shitload -- of gameplay. And it is indeed awesome. Links to the other trailers are after the jump. There are many, including a series featuring the specific abilities of Witch Doctor and Barbarian classes. Enjoy, and we'll see you back here tomorrow.

My favourite part of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" came when they figured out the paradoxes of time travel and, simply by saying "Must remember to bring a trash can!" one appears in Ted's hands and he stuffs it over a bad guy's head.

Not that you can do any of that in "Chronotron", but the idea is the same, think in the present, giving orders to yourself in the past. Sort of. In Chronotron, the idea is to Clone multiple versions of yourself, using a time machine, to get through a puzzle level. The catch -- all past versions will spawn and recreate your actions, so you need to think in chronological order for each step of the puzzle, and leave enough time for your final self to get through the gates and ride the risers to your objective.

It's a hell of a fun flash game -- my co-worker showed it to me yesterday, so I can vouch for its productivity killing effect.

Chronotron [Addicting Games]

That's one of the tidbits coming out of a 90 minute interview Shigeru Miyamoto did with Wired, in which he expounds at great length on Wii Fit and to other degrees on subjects such as the Wii's graphical capabilities, competitor imitation of the Wiimote, and other matters. Here's an interesting excerpt:

Miyamoto: I think that the understanding of the Wii remote technology has certainly proliferated to developers, and their understanding of how it works is now very strong. But, I think that in terms of developing games for the Wii remote, it's really more about the focus of the team and how thoroughly they consider the user interface and the end experience for the consumer in terms of how intuitive that is and how easy it is to use. And, at this point, I think it's just difficult for me to say how many teams that are really focused on that experience ae out there and are working on games.

Tucked into a wide-ranging interview with IGN is this nugget from Cervat Yerli, the CEO of Crytek, developer of Crysis:

It's crazy how the ratio between sales to piracy is probably 1 to 15 to 1 to 20 right now. For one sale there are 15 to 20 pirates and pirate versions, and that's a big shame for the PC industry. I hope with Warhead I hope we improve the situation, but at the same time it may have an impact on [our] PC exclusivity in the future.

Yerli goes on to say that if a game isn't an online multiplayer game, it's up for grabs to piraters, and for that reason the company is spending development effort making Crysis: Warhead more difficult to crack. But if it doesn't pan out, and PC games continue to be pirated at the 15:1 ratio he offers, it's going to affect Crysis' development strategy in the future. "We would only consider full PC exclusives -- if the situation continues like this or gets worse -- I think we would only consider PC exclusive titles that are either online or multiplayer and no more single-player", Yerli says.

So I guess the message is: PC gamers, stop pirating and start snitching on your friends if you want more exclusives out of Crytek. And to show he's serious, he also tells IGN they're working on a non-Crysis console game.

Cevat Yerli Q&A [IGN]

Anders Tychsen has some interesting ideas on how to leverage elements of tabletop RPGs in order to make their digital cousins more compelling (and thus keeping players enthralled for longer). Tychsen points to issues of integration — something many tabletop games are quite strong on, but an area that has seen less work in creating console or PC RPGs — as an area that could use some work, and create more positive gaming experiences:

If you're getting dominated in TF2, ganked in AoC, pwned in Halo 3; feeling blue after finishing MGS4 or down in the dumps because your 360 RRoD'd -- or if you're just feeling awesome and want to feel even better about this crazy habit we have, which forces us to sit inside for hours on a perfectly good day otherwise, then just watch this video that ThatsMrOffDutyNinjasent us, and sing along.

Chris Plante has posted a plea over at GameSetWatch -- one for bringing more global entertainment to the West (well, America specifically). His idea? Some sort of portal that will be able to showcase games from all over the world, dragging American gamers kicking and screaming into acknowledging foreign countries that are outside of East Asia. Interesting concept, and one that could theoretically be implemented right now:

For all you MGS4 gamers, reader Christine L. has a couple new cheat codes for you. These look new to us, so we're passing them along. With them you can get the .45 pistol and the Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle before they unlock in the game (which happens after you meet up with the Metal Gear Mark II.) It doesn't exactly rock the foundations of science, but it might be useful to some of you.

Missed UCSD's SoftWhere 2008 conference and curious what went on? Well, video of the public portion of the conference is now popping up on the SoftWhere 2008 page in QuickTime and YouTube. A lot of big names (like Ian Bogost, above) had some very interesting presentations on a variety of topics -- even my Japanese historiography professor showed up and had a lot to say about history, time, and software. It was a pretty diverse group, and owing to the zippy format, you can get a good feel for a lot of the research and ideas without spending half an hour or more listening to one presentation. Confining academics to such a short period of time? Sheer brilliance.

SoftWhere 2008 videos [Grand Text Auto]

Internode Games Network reports that Blizzard brass hat Rob Pardo (tell us what we've won!) in his Worldwide Invitational presentation, has slammed the door on rumours Starcraft II drops December 3. Saith Internode:

Speaking about the game's development, he explained that they were "about a third of the way through" the campaign, and were concentrating on story structure and cinematics at this point - commenting that by the end of the year, Blizzard should have something very impressive to show off.

That said, Mac gamers can expect a simultaneous release of this title, too -- whenever it arrives.

StarCraft II -- Not Happening in 2008 [Internode Games Network]

It's a Saturday, I'm jetlagged, and the internet seems to be blazing with news of nothing but Diablo III; perfect time for a light and cute flash timewaster. This one is called Bowja the Ninja 2, a point and click puzzler that's nicely illustrated and oh-so-cute. Not terribly challenging, but a good thing to spend a bit with on a lazy Saturday.

Bowja the Ninja 2: In Bigman's Compound [Pencilkids via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

by Lesley Smith

Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Morhaime formally announced Diablo III during the WWI's opening ceremony this morning, not that this will come as a surprise to anyone with the Diablo III forums already active on the official Blizzard site and rumours running rampant for nearly a fortnight.

After recapping on the success of the previous Invitational held in Korea, Morhaime premiered a trailer and then demoed a level playing as a Barbarian and a Witch Doctor, showcasing some of the improvements over the original game as well as giving attendees a hint at what they can expect from the final product. This includes a new UI in place of the potion belt and the ability to play the game just by using a mouse. Similarly the health system has been augmented by God of War and Devil May Cry style red globes which replenish not just the health of the character but also those near by.

So faithful reader TheGameCritic was at the WizardWorld Chicago, which he describes as a "comic/pop culture convention of sorts." He saw Boba Fett walking around, he saw some kids playing Guitar Hero, he got an idea and he made it happen.

Worlds In Motion sat down to talk about IMVU with CEO and president Cary Rosenzweig; I think we're seeing the second coming of Second Life if the New York Times picks up on this. The interview itself is interesting, with a lot of attention paid to the creative/economic aspects of item transactions and so forth. On how it all works (and how it's working out in IMVU):

Over on Valve's official TF2 blog are the fronts and backs to two trading cards built for promotional uses but never used. Valve promises more updates as time goes on, so all you get now are Engineer and Demoman. They're filled with fun facts. Engie's bio says he has "11 hard science PhDs". Jesus. I can only think of, like, four off the top of my head. And Demoman lost his parents thanks to "a terrible plan to kill the Loch Ness Monster".

Doesn't Scout carry a bat? Seems he'd be obvious for the first batch. Hi res cards after the jump, or you can go get 'em from TeamFortress.com directly.

Described as an "eternal struggle between two sisters: Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood", the new MMO Secondhand Lands has just been announced and is currently in closed beta. The game, developed by Austin-based Callipygian, will be distributed Pixel Mind and will utilise their microtransaction system:

Said Callipygian founder and Secondhand Lands lead, "We chose to work with Pixel Mine because they offered us the best value for our company and our players. As an independent developer it is very difficult to find a distribution deal that gives us a package with everything we need to manage accounts and handle payments. Also, we are excited to be working with another Austin company; this town is rich with talent and services tailored for game creation".

Contrary to earlier plans, there will be no beta of Guild Wars 2 this year. That per an official FAQ from developer ArenaNet, which also helpfully states the game will be released "when it's finished", among other tidbits. Here's the complete excuse explanation.

Although we publically alpha- and beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game's release. With that in mind, we will not start beta testing in 2008 as we had originally planned. Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it.

Hear that, Guild Wars 2 fans? It's all because of your rightful high expectations. Hope you're happy.

Guild Wars 2 Frequently Asked Questions [Guildwars.com via Blue's News]

Hi there! Um, so, Rainbow Six Vegas 2's nice. I mean, you know, like Diablo III's totally hot and all but Rainbow Six's Fan Pack has a super-great personality and is really kinda into you and maybe you could compliment it on its new maps? Cause like everyone here's hitting on Diablo III and she's not the only girl at the party. Just sayin'.

OK, so, Ubisoft about a couple days back sent out word on its forums about the DLC coming in the "early July" (not more specific, sorry) release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2's Fan Pack. There will be several new gameplay details and three maps. It's all free, and will all be available via Ubi's site, Xbox Live Marketplace, or Playstation Network depending on your flavour of platform.

Re: the maps (from Ubi's post).

There are three maps included in the free DLC: Murdertown - Dark, CQB Training - Dark and best of all the much-requested fan favourite Calypso Casino! The three map layouts have not been changed. The re-lit "Dark maps" have a very eerie atmosphere, and may require players to use night vision to spot enemies. Calypso Casino returns with updated lighting and textures. The three maps are playable in all Versus modes and Terrorist Hunt.

As for gameplay, there are new ranks, new A.C.E.S., some rebalancing of weapon characteristics, multiplayer tweaks, and a handy-dandy frag indicator to help you not get your arse blown off. The entire announcement is quoted after the jump, plus the video (hosted at Gametrailers) referenced in the announcement.

I know the headline and the picture should try to say something about the story, but in truth, neither are in any way related. I just wanted to quote from Crecente's brilliant backhanded compliment to Ultimate Band for the Wii, which he said is "quite a bit of fun" despite acknowledging it "looks like a recipe for a douche simulator." I also could not resist repubbing McWhertor's awesome mashup (left) of Old Snake and the PS2, which ran in a report about Old Reliable's declining contribution to the Console Wars. Suffice to say that's my new comment icon. Because Playstation 2 is no hero. Never was. Never will be. Just an old killer, hired to do some wet work.

This Samsung Xbox 360 TV Looks Fake (But It's Not A Bad Idea)
Sony's Stringer Foresees Profitability This Year
First Shots Of PS3 Video Download Service, Due In "Summer 2008"
Crave's ESA Departure Due To Impending Acquisition
Increasing PS3 Sales, Strong PSP Helped Sony Narrow Losses In FY08
Console War Has Changed, PS2 Declines In Old Age
Hands On With Ultimate Band: Disney's Peripheral-Free Band Game

More highlights after the jump.

Survey Leaks Guitar Hero IV Playable Rockers Including Hendrix, Ozzy, And Sting
Rock Band 2 To Get A Jolt Of AC/DC, Survey Says
Will Half-Life 2: Episode Three Be At E3? Valve Says 'No'
I Beat Harry Potter's Executive Producer In A Wand Duel
Actually, Zubo Is Fun For All Ages
Blizzard Splashwatch Day Five - Death Knights, Protoss, And Purple Penguins
Hirai: "True Generation" PS3 Titles To Come
Frankenreview: Alone In The Dark (Xbox 360)
A Terrifying Glimpse Into The Future Of The Halo Franchise?
Square Enix Classics Start Hitting Japanese PSN
ESA Responds To Crave Departure
Red Alert 3's Cocktail Menu
Skate It Wii May Get Skateboard Frame for Balance Board
NECA's Ninja Gaiden II Figure
MGS4 Ships A Million In Europe
Left 4 Dead Impressions: Sloppy Seconds
Hasbro Family Game Night Invades the Wii
Industry Apologetics: It's Not Just A Game
Sony Lost Over $AU 3.12 Billion To PS3 Cost, Pricing Imbalance
Zubo Hands-On Impressions
Gabe Newell: Left 4 Dead is All About Directing Action
Call Of Duty 5 Screens, Details (4-Player Co-Op)
PSN Cards FINALLY Hitting Stores