Activision has called upon the services of Agent 007 to promote his upcoming game, Quantum of Solace. James Bond video game fans can check out the teaser site which gives a sneak peek at some of the in-game locations the English superspy will be visiting. For more details about the game, check out our full article after the jump.

As we enter October, Halo 3's groundbreaking launch finally passed, and it's time for other big titles to shine. Will you be able to stay on your couch playing Slayer matches when The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is on shelves? Fine, so you can play that during breaks. How about Project Gotham Racing 4 or Enemy Territorry: Quake Wars? Can you resist high-speed racing or topnotch FPS action that don't involve Spartans?

If those games don't ring a bell, this week's got other goodies to float your boat. The famous bandicoot is back in Crash of the Titans for a spin on various platforms, while EA Sports' NBA Live '08 go at it against 2K Sports' NBA 2K8 as both vye for hard court domination. Our favorite superhero Spider-man is also making an appearance on all platforms in Spider-man: Friend or Foe. PC gamers, on the other hand, are getting much love from budget titles to full blown role-playing games.

Project Gotham Racing 4. Two years have passed after the previous installment in the PGR series, and Project Gotham Racing 4 is finally coming with major improvements that Bizarre Creations worked hard for. Apart from a revamped career mode, revised Kudos system, new tracks and iconic vehicles, this entry introduces the dynamic weather system.

• Microsoft Xbox 360 - October 2, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Bizarre Creations and Microsoft

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Link's next adventure following the events of Wind Waker, what producer Eiji Aonuma considers as the original Legend of Zelda's remake, is coming to the DS utilizing touch screen controls like we've never seen before. If you haven't been keeping tabs on this title, you're missing out.

• Nintendo DS - October 2, 2007
• US$ 34.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• Nintendo

Find the rest after the jump!

When we heard of CSI: Hard Evidence (Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PS2, DS) being under Ubisoft's banner, we knew the license was in good hands. Break down evidence, recreate crime scenes, squeeze answers out of suspects; doing whatever it takes to unmask the criminal just like in the popular TV series sounds fun. Take a glimpse at what awaits by watching the video we've found.

Gritty atmosphere? Check. Cinematic presentation? Positive. Mysterious villains and equally mysterious victims? They're all there. Pack that in a video game, slap good graphics, then you've got a crime going on. In this video, you'll see gameplay footage from what seems to be a murder attempt in the casino. It's hard to miss all the elements that we've mentioned.

Be careful not to flinch, this one's dangerous:

We just reported earlier about the rather belated news of the expulsion of a Chinese student. He was expelled from Clements High School because he was spotted playing a game of Counter-Strike on a map that, according to the police, was based off of his own high school's floor plan.

Unfortunately, because many facts have been hidden from the media, I, for one, am very skeptical about such a claim. I've searched high and low for more information on the story, but all of it revolved around relations to the Virginia Tech shooting and some executive board members soiling their underpants fearful of another incident. The most specific of facts were hidden, but to what aim? Fairness? Speaking of fairness...

Authorities claimed that hallways in the map were reminiscent of the student's high school's hallways. Granted that may be so, is the high school made up of just those hallways?

It's sad that we ended up drawing speculations here, but because the evidence (the map layout coupled with the high school floorplan) was never revealed to the media, can you blame us for doing so?

But let's take this into another point of view. There are many issues that gamers and some third-party onlookers have raised with this development, just about equally for and against the rash decision of the district board. First is the issue of maps depicting real-life locations and understanding what map making entails.

The second issue that people have had, which includes the 17-year-old senior's supporters, involves blowing the Virginia Tech shooting to proportions way off the "common sense Richter scale." In fact, it either began to look like the budding of another racial stereotype or, as one district board member claimed, the first of probably many overreactions, thanks to the VA Tech shooting and anti-video game activists. But let's tackle these one by one.

Click on Full Article to read more on this opinion piece.

 

So Zork is turning 30, and Leisure Suit Larry will be blowing 20 candles on his cake this year. To celebrate, there's the AdventureCon bash, not only for Zork and Leisure Suit Larry, but to all adventure game fans out there as well.

As we reported earlier, AdventureCon, the first ever convention for adventure game fans, will be happening at the Mirage Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas trip on August 28 to 29 this year. While that's still a good four months away, you'd be glad to know that ticket prices have been announced, and as it stands, is now available for only US$ 69.

Not bad for a convention that promises a star-studded affair with adventure games bigwigs like Scott Adams, Al Lowe, Jane Jensen, and Chris Jones. More importantly, it shows how the convention organizers actually give much import to fans' inputs as the organizers initially faced complaints regarding the expensive ticket prices. And this is the result of all you fans' persistence.

"Dirt-cheap ticket prices at a world-class vacation resort." This can't get any more inviting than that. For more AdventureCon info and details, might as well head on to their official site by clicking on the Read link below.

The Casino City Times reports that Las Vegas tourism officials are currently considering blocking videogames developer Surreal Games from trademarking the phrase "Only in Vegas."

According to the Times, the officials say it infringes on the trademarked phrase "Only Vegas," which was registered by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Midway Games, Surreal's corporate parent, declined to disclose any specific details on what title they are planning to use the phrase for. "I guess it all depends," Midway spokesman Reilly Brennan said.

Brennan also added that Midway doesn't always turn ideas into new games. "Sometimes they never actually become products."

According to the agenda for the upcoming convention and visitors authority meeting, the protagonists in Surreal's upcoming title are "attempting to stop a businessman from turning Las Vegas into a sanitized, family friendly destination." Players must create their own powerful empire to stop his takeover, and the right choices will "give you control of Las Vegas and put the sin back in Sin City."

This is the second time in less than a year that a videogame has caused displeasure among Las Vegas officials. Last year, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman blasted Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, saying that the game might not even be entitled to protection by the First Amendment.

Two months after owning every casino and poker house in the Americas, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson finally heads to Australia to look for a new apprentice. And mind you, he's not coming alone. He's bringing with him top caliber poker players such as Joseph Hachem, Phil "Unabomber" Laak, Jennifer Tilly, and lots of copies of World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions (X360, PSP).

Err, actually, nobody is coming. It's just that the game is finally available in the Australian market. Like all the other versions elsewhere, the game features more than 20 top pros, extensive poker tools and of course, the very interesting DigiMask Technology for the console version. Also, the console version has an expanded Live and multi-table tournaments.

World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions was developed by Activision. The company, above others, is very proud of the game's sensory experience that allows players feel like a real poker player.

Buy: [World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions (X360)]
Buy: [World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions (PSP)]

This post is sort of an update to the last one that featured the tracks and in the world of Electronic Arts' Need for Speed Carbon.

We've got three embed videos here. First up is a short one featuring the Canyons. A nice thing about the canyon stages is that it really gives the player that Initial D-must-drift feel. Y'ah don't believe us? Let's go through a check list. Night-time driving? Check. Downhill track? Check. Poorly lit mountain side roads with not much railing? Check. Death upon failure to drift? Uber check.

We really are hoping there's a Trueno in the game. We wanna to see if it can out run the cop cars. The rest of the videos feature San Juan and Silverton. That's the "Latin" and "casino" areas of the game. The videos for those tracks emphasize how much went into the design of each stage. Anyway, enough talk. Let's watch. Click play people. Enjoy!

Buy: [Need for Speed Carbon PS3]
Buy: [Need for Speed Carbon Xbox 360]

Activision's World Series of Poker: TOCwill be battling Texas Hold 'em on the Xbox 360 for poker supremacy pretty soon, and the team over at Achieve360Points has posted the achievement list for the game. The game features 35 achievements that add up to the usual retail amount of 100 gamer points. The achievements range from winning tournaments in different cities to getting all of the collectors chips.

The game features more than 20 top pros, gives players access to extensive poker tools that will help them improve their game, and includes DigiMask Technology that actually maps a player's face into the game thanks to the Xbox Live Vision Camera. Unlike the XBLA Hold 'Em, this game actually has a storyline. So if you're a big card shark, you better get your poker face ready as the full achievement list is as follows:

• (10) Casino Events - Finish the Home Game to unlock the Casino Events.
• (15) ITM at Tunica Casino - Finish In The Money in any event at Grand Casino Tunica.
• (20) FT at Tunica Casino - Reach the Final Table in any event at Grand Casino Tunica.
• (25) Tunica Event 1 Win - Win Event 1 at Grand Casino Tunica.

View the rest of the list after the Jump!

A new Rainbow Six: Vegas video is loaded with stunning visuals and lots of intense shootouts. This time, the action begins at Dante's Hotel and Casino, where a reporter becomes a hostage of a terrorist group. To subdue the Tangos (terrorists), players must be able to devise a good strategy and utilize maximum stealth as the game is more focused on tactics than on sheer firepower.

The developers opt to tell the game through plot-advancing section in the gameplay. The game also involved the use of real-life location, which didn't sit well with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. He has already voiced his concern about the use of the city as backdrop for an anti-terrorism game.

Download: [Rainbow Six: Vegas - Dante's Hotel & Casino Video]

Pre-order: [Rainbow Six: Vegas]