wcg
Latest
Halo players to compete in WCG ODST tournament
We're not big fans of pro gaming, in fact, we think it's all a little hokey. But maybe you're a fan of getting free money for being good at Halo and really, who are we to stand in the way of that? It's in that spirit we tell you about the WCG USA Halo 3: ODST Locked and Loaded Tournament. The 24 teams participating will have a chance at $5,000 in cash and Samsung-related prizes. If you'd like to join the kinda hokey but possibly lucrative fray, you can register here.
WCG Ultimate Gamer reality show hits SciFi Channel March 10
If you've found yourself looking for new mediums of entertainment since the heartbreaking season finale of The Bachelor, a new program on SciFi Channel might tickle your reality programming fancy. WCG Ultimate Gamer, the first episode of which airs Tuesday, March 10, will follow 12 gaming enthusiasts as they "embark on an intense and emotional journey" for a prize of $100,000, some Samsung products and the right to represent the titular World Cyber Games league at gaming events across the globe. We anticipate they'll learn a bit about themselves along the way. That's the best prize of all, really.Contestants will compete in popular video games (Rock Band 2 is the focus for episode one) and -- wait for it -- "real-life challenges inspired by best-selling game titles." As much as we wish they'd leave that particular enterprise in more capable hands, we'll probably check it out. We could ostensibly watch reruns of Rock of Love: Charm School to satisfy our debilitating reality TV addiction, but, well, we already know how that one ends.
New Sci-Fi gaming show takes the physical challenge
The Sci-Fi Channel has partnered with Samsung and Granada America to hunt down the most well-rounded gamer in the United States as part of WCG GameQuest, a new "elimination-style" game show. Besides bragging rights (and sore thumbs), the winner of the "competition series" will also walk away with $100,000 and trips to attend future World Cyber Games events. However, to survive the eight-episode tournament, contestants will not only have to stand up to the rigors of gameplay, but also real-life "physical challenges." We hope to see the gaming elite vie for superiority by plunging head first Double Dare-style into pools of slime when WCG GameQuest hits the airwaves in the first quarter of 2009.
World Cyber Games finals in Seattle this weekend
The World Cyber Games finals are being held in Seattle starting today and ending Sunday. The event is being held at the Qwest center and tickets are $10 per day. Opening ceremony starts at 6PM today. There's a whole slew of events going on and if there's anything you're really interested in seeing it's probably best to check out the schedule.Apparently Spike TV will be there putting something together for early November and GameTrailers is doing some video coverage as well. We've been informed that Rock Band will be playable at the event. If you live in the Seattle area, there's something to do this weekend, let us know how it goes.
Circuit City shoppers invited to compete in World Cyber Games
The nation's best cyber-athletes are already beginning to gather in New York City for the World Cyber Games US Open. Who knows what kind of trials they've endured as they've trained for months, quite possibly years, analyzing the subtleties of each individual frame of animation found in their favorite video game. These competitors, after tirelessly battling countless opponents, will ultimately prove themselves by facing their greatest challenge yet ... you.For those confident in their gaming skills, it's not too late to join the World Cyber Games. The WCG is the leading video game tournament in the world, offering corporate sponsored cash prizes that are beginning to rival other more legitimate sporting events. Those that want to partake in the competition will want to find one of 28 Circuit City stores that are participating in the newly announced World Cyber Games Tour.The Tour will feature two tricked out motor coaches, loaded with HDTVs and tournament games, including: Gears of War, Dead or Alive 4, Project Gothem Racing 3, Tony Hawk's Project 8, FIFA Soccer 07 and Need for Speed Carbon. Players will be competing for a chance to earn wild card slots into a regional WCG event, where they'll have a chance to be defeated by one of the nation's top players. For more details on the tour, visit Circuit City's website.
GoW tourney delayed, chainsawing starts tomorrow
The ever so delayed WCG Gears of War global online tournament will be kicking off tomorrow April 20th with an old fashioned leaderboards reset. The Gears online tourney was supposed to start on April 9th, but due to leaderboard reset difficulties they had to push it back a few days. And since the competition is just getting started tomorrow, they are also extending the registration through May 12th with the tournament ending on May 13th. Grease your chainsaw and practice your roadie run, because there are points to be earned and global leaderboards to conquer.
Gears of Warnament starts next month
Microsoft and World Cyber Games are holding a tournament for Gears of War starting on April 9th and continuing through May 6th over Xbox Live. For those four weeks, registrants will compete in online ranked matches, where the top 11 players on the leaderboard will win a trip for two to Prague, one of the inspirations for the "destroyed beauty" look of Gears of War, to compete in the finals. Registration opens today and continues on through April 29th. Fortunately, they mean it when they call this a "Global" tournament, as over 24 countries are eligible to enter. Are you going to give this a shot? Do you think everyone who registers will "play fair"?
Sony announces BRAVIA X2550 series, now with x.v.Color
Sony was still rolling out new BRAVIA's this morning, with three new models in its Japanese X2550 line that should give a preview of the successors to the current XBR models we'll see here. The piano black finished LCDs all feature 1080p resolution, wide color gamut backlighting, BRAVIA Engine and Sony's new x.v.Color technology, and we assume, dual HDMI 1.3-compatible inputs to deliver all that many-hued madness. No mention of new 120Hz technology for these LCDs, but the expanded color space should match up well with other upcoming Sony products. All should start shipping April 25th the 52-inch KDL-52X2550 for 720,000 yen ($6,098 U.S.), 46-inch KDL-46X2550 for 490,000 yen ($4150 U.S.), and 40-inch KDL-40X2550 for 420,000 yen ($3,557 U.S.). Check after the break for another pic of that glossy finish head-on (apply directly to forehead).
Samsung cornering the HDTV gaming market
Got to give it up for Samsung. They stood up and noticed that the gaming market was one huge untapped market for display makers and went after it. First, they received exclusive rights to all the XBOX 360 retail display units, then they developed a gaming mode for their new HDTVs, and now are sponsoring the World Cyber Games for a fifth time. They just seem to understand that gamers are a huge market that spend money. The 1080p PS3 is right around the corner and some people are going to want a new 1080p HDTV to match it. You can bet that Samsung will be right there, pushing their new 1080p DLPs.Are you as a gamer, more opt to spend your hard earned cash with someone that sponsers gaming events?
Offer for one free year of EGM ends today
"Free" offers on the internet often come with annoying trials and lengthy cancellation procedures, but this one here's legit -- it's actually running from the subscription web site of the publisher of EGM, Ziff Davis Media.You may have seen this offer for 12 free issues of Electronic Gaming Monthly on Joystiq or other game sites out there. Basically, what's happening is the Ziff Davis Game Group is running a subscription drive for the mag, sponsored by the World Cyber Games. Free subs are only on offer through today, however, so get a move on if you want a piece of the printed action.Of course, EGM may be no OPM, but it's helpful for even the healthiest fanboy to get a balanced diet of multiplatform news and information on a regular basis. Also, please note that you're under no obligation to sign up for the World Cyber Games page which follows the EGM subscription one, so you can absolutely get your free mag without registering with the WCG.[Via Joystiq]
Pro gaming tournament sets sights on U.S.
The news that the World Cyber Games is headed for Seattle in 2007 goes hand-in-hand with this recent announcement of a new U.S. office for the WCG. Headed up by Michael Arzt, the office serves to show quite how much faith pro gaming leagues like the WCG have in the American market.While professional gaming as a career is mostly associated with Eastern countries, especially Korea, it's been rising in profile in the West recently. As well as the World Cyber Games, the Major League Gaming (MLG) and Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) tournaments are going strong--if you've got the skill and the dedication, there's some serious money to be won in gaming nowadays.
