A month after the fantasy/adventure game Eragon was launched for the Xbox 360, the PSP and the PC, 20th Century Fox is then releasing its movie version on the second week of December. Now, the movie seems to be looking good. But what about the video game?

For those of you have yet to grab a copy of the game for your platform of choice, maybe this Xbox 360 gameplay vid just might get you to deciding fast. We have here for you the Hack n Slash vid, and truth be told, it seems just as intriguing and fascinating as the original story from author Christopher Paolini.

With just the right amount of mystical fight actions, along with spells and potions, this game was meant to be hot in more ways than one.

You can also download the gameplay right here.

Download: [Eragon: Hack n Slash gameplay]

Buy: [Eragon for the PSP]

For the guys who've already read Eragon, Christopher Paolini's much-prized fantasy novel, we've got very good news for you. A premier to the December 15 movie? Haha. Funny.

Not exactly, but if you're itching to get a glimpse of how the movie's gonna turn out, want something more interactive than a canvas screen, and would love to hear how the likes of Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Garrett Hedlund and Robert Carlyle sound, then this news should put fire in your belly: Sierra Entertainment's just announced they launched the Eragon video game yesterday (That's Nov. 14) for the Xbox 360, the PSP and the PC.

This fantasy-adventure game puts you in the saddle of a Dragon Rider, and for those who haven't been keeping in touch with our collection of pics and trailers here, the game promises to be filled with swords, spells, and the winged, fire-breathing reptiles we all so love - dragons. As Vivendi Game's chief strategy and marketing officer, Cindy Cook said, "we are excited to capture the adventure and beauty of Eragon for fans worldwide and to create an interactive experience authentic to the Eragon universe in the official video game of the Twentieth Century Fox film."

Buy: [Eragon for PSP]
Buy: [Eragon for Xbox 360]
Buy: [Eragon for DS]
Buy: [Eragon for PC]

Eragon game producer Tim Ramage was interviewed by GameZone and they talked about development issues and went over some gameplay details. The interview gets a bit lengthy, so if you guys just want the meat of it, here are some of the bits that stand out more.

When asked about the difficulty involved in developing a game inspired from an unfinished trilogy, Ramage says that the game is actually based on just the movie, which according to him, is only about the first novel. So they didn't have much trouble with the storyline. He does add that they hope that they would be able to make follow up games based on The Eldest.

They didn't get to work closely with Christopher Paolini as they worked more with the creative personnel from the movie (the product they have rights to), but they were able to get some feedback from Christopher on some of the book-based levels in the Microsoft Xbox 360 version of the game. As far as transition goes, Ramage said that their goal was to close the gap between the book version and the movie version of the tale.

When asked about the flow of the game and the challenges involved with linear plots, Ramage wonders why "linear" is considered a bad word in gaming...he adds that it is a very narrow point of view. He claims that with linear path games, it is what you do in the path that makes the game shine. Here's exactly what he said:

Eragon, at its core, is a hack-and-slash action adventure... with this very cool dragon flight mechanic. So as you progress through the story, it’s the action within the context of the story that makes or breaks the game.

Okay so now the meta-game stuff is over with, we can now focus more on the game-play side. Ramage says that next gen versions of the game will have two unique levels that are drawn from locales in the book as well as a new enemy character - the Kull.

Spellcasting in the game was problematic for them, as the story actually specifies that using too much magic can kill a caster. They can't just have the character die from using spells, so their workaround was this: Eragon cannot simply use magic any time he wants, as the story dictates, he has to make judicious use of it. So they work with that concept and apply it to game language.

When you start the game the "recharge rate" for casting is slow as molasses. It does get faster as the game progresses though, and the effects of each cast are "worth" the casting time. Don't expect spell-slinging action here. Eragon will be released on November 14 for the Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, PSP, DS, mobile, and PC.

Buy: [Eragon for PSP]
Buy: [Eragon for Xbox 360]
Buy: [Eragon for DS]
Buy: [Eragon for PC]

Love it or hate it, don't knock it 'til you've tried it -- or at least that's how this writer's philosophy goes. A lot of you guys have been saying that Eragon sucks, and that you can't expect much from something that's a book/movie-turned-into-a-game.

While we can't really comment on Eragon just yet ('coz we haven't tried the demo), here's something for all knock-downers to think about: if books/movies that are turned into games always suck, then how come Tom Clancy-based games are good? Look at Rainbow Six, for example, it's pretty awesome right?

So anyway, we're not here to preach or anything, we just wanna let you guys know that the Eragon demo is now up on Xbox Live Marketplace and is downloadable for free for all Gold members. Sadly though, our fellas in Asia and Mexico won't be able to try it out 'coz it not available in their regions. But for all you guys who have gold accounts in XBL, we suggest you try it out. It's free anyway and you can always delete it if you don't like it, so what have you got to lose? *winks*

Let's get one thing straight first. Eragon the game is based on Eragon the movie, which in turn is based on Eragon the book (which is undoubtedly based on an amalgamation of fantasy books written in the last half-century or so). Now that we got that out of the way, let's move on to the news.

IGN has recently reported that the Eragon videogame has gotten a helping hand from the cast of the film adaptation of Christopher Paolini's bestselling Eragon novels. When Eragon the videogame is released next month, gamers will hear the voices and see the likenesses of the stars from the upcoming movie on which the game is based. Cast members who will appear in the game are Edward Speelers (Eragon), Sienna Guillory (Arya), Garrett Hedlund (Murtagh), and Robert Carlyle (Durza).

In the videogame version of Eragon, players will get to control the title character, Eragon himself, as he and his trusty dragon Saphira wage an epic struggle against the cruel King Galbatorix and his hordes of Urgals. This multi-platform game will be released on November 14 for the Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, PSP, DS, mobile, and PC.

Pre-Order: [Eragon (DS)]
Pre-Order: [Eragon (PSP)]
Pre-Order: [Eragon (Xbox 360)]

Microsoft has been releasing exclusive downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the past few days. It's day six of "Bringing It Home" and its still giving Xbox 360 owners with all-new access pass to some of the biggest video games events like the TGS 2006 and the upcoming X06 right in the comfort of their homes.

This is a must-have for all Xbox 360 fans who are looking to further personalize their Xbox 360 experience with new demos, videos and other downloadable contents. Here is the list of new contents up for grabs, according to Major Nelson. Check them out:

Trailers:
Battlestations: Midway
Eragon
Import Tuner Challenge
Need for Speed: Carbon
The Darkness

Demos:
FEAR

Picture Packs:
Mass Effect Picture Pack
Battlestar Galactica  (US Only)

Videos:
TGS Showfloor video 3

You all might have noticed that Christmas is just around the corner, and game developers and publishers probably noticed this too. And here's another hint that the holidays are so near: great game releases. And there's enough to get every gamer excited.

If you ask us though, gamers who fancy the sports games will be the ones who'll find it very hard to sleep at night especially with this list of titles that will be released in the coming days, weeks, months... Just be sure you won't be cranky in the morning for lack of sleep from anticipating - or playing - the games.

So here's the list of Xbox 360 games' European release dates:

September:
22:  Just Cause
30:  Mad Tracks
TBC:  LMA Manager 2007
TBC:  World Snooker Championship 2007

October:
6:  Import Tuner Challenge
6:  Open Season
20:  Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
27:  NBA 2K7

November:
3:  Need For Speed: Carbon
10:  WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007
17:  Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
TBC:  Cars
TBC:  Eragon
TBC:  Football Manager 2007
TBC:  Pro Evolution Soccer 6
TBC:  The Sopranos

Click "Full Article" for the complete list.

'Allo, mates! Ol' St. Nicky will be coming around in a few short months, and if you're reading us from Oz, then we here at QJ will be glad to help you with your Chrissie wish lists! We have this courtesy of your fellows over at PAL Gaming Network Australia who've compiled this list. After all, the Pacific should never be a barrier to people who share the passion for gaming.

All dates are subject to change if their respective game publishers decide to change them, though (it's happened before, right?). Stay tuned to QJ for any new updates to this list as we find them.

September 2006:
21: Just Cause, Test Drive Unlimited
22: Xbox 360 Joytech Control Center
28: Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged, Ninety-Nine Nights, Samurai Warriors 2
30: LMA Manager 2007

October 2006:
  5: Xbox 360 Genuine Wireless Entertainment Pack Bundle
  6: NHL 2K7
12: Import Tuner Challenge
13: Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (DVD ROM)
15: Crackdown
19: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, NBA Live 2007
20: NBA 2K7
26: Xbox 360 Genuine Xbox Live Vision
31: Sonic The Hedgehog, Phantasy Star Universe, Bomberman: Act Zero, Eragon

November 2006:
  2: World Series of Poker, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, FIFA 2007, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007
  9: Tony Hawk's Project 8, Superman Returns
10: Championship Manager 2007, WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2007
16: Need For Speed Carbon (and Collectors Edition), Call Of Duty 3, Rainbow Six: Vegas
22: Xbox 360 Genuine Wireless Headset
24: Viva Pi?, Gears of War
29: Xbox 360 Genuine Wireless Steering Wheel

January 2007:
31: Battlestations Midway

Whenever a book-to-movie-to-game title comes out, there's bound to be mixed feelings about it. Now we have the game Eragon, based on the upcoming movie, which was based on the Christopher Paolini book. With that alone said, some of you (perhaps fans of the book, like me) might be whooping for joy at seeing this boy-meets-dragon story unfold as a game. And some of you might just be groaning your pants off, because when we posted Eragon's first trailer, ThisStinks (#7) commented that the game was "...based off of a crappy movie based off of a ripoff (and boring) book." We all have our biases, and we're all entitled to share them too.

But as for the game itself, no one can really judge until it's out, right? And maybe this new trailer will help people decide. Make sure you watch the video through to the end, to see Saphira!

The graphics are a bit iffy, considering it's for the 360. But do note that Eragon is being released across a lot of platforms! The game will also be released for the PSP, Nintendo DS, Xbox, ps2">PS2, and PC. Of course, all these platforms have different video output, so surely some versions will be suped up more on the graphics-side.

But graphics are graphics. What about the dragon? Honestly, I'm quite impressed when I saw Saphira flying through towards the end of the video. It seems like you can actually control her and fireblast, dragon-claw, and tail-whip your way through hordes of orcs and goblins... Now, that's what I call fun!

Download: [Eragon Official Movie - Gameplay Trailer]

We have already mentioned that Eragon is based on the worldwide literary phenomenon by Christopher Paolini about a boy named Eragon whose destiny is revealed with the help of a dragon. It also appeared as Fox 2006 film starring Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons and Academy Award nominee John Malkovich. This game immerses players into a world filled with dragons, destiny, adventure, magic, and power.

Eragon will be released this November for PC, ps2">ps2">PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and PSP. Gameplay for the console and PC will be different from the handheld. The PC and console version focuses on intense battles with an unparalleled combo and magic-based combat system, including stunning finishing moves, multiple grapples, and degradable blocks with unique counter attacks. The adventure is heightened with breathless dragon flight-based combat and devastating dragon summon attacks and players can opt for a 2-player co-op, featuring team attack bonuses and dragon fight/flight combo gameplay. Eragon for Nintendo DS players offer an action-filled combat-RPG with touch screen spell casting and unique dual screen attack mode.

Without further ado, we deliver you the freshest trailer of Eragon. Enjoy!

Download: [Eragon Trailer]