SteelSeries (a leading manufacturer of various gaming accessories such as headsets, keyboards, mouse pads, and mouse accessories) just struck a partnership with Reason Gaming (a British team that manages squads for Quake 4, Counter Strike, Call of Duty, Battlefield 2, and Halo 2; and was even chosen to represent UK in the World Cyber Games 2005) to produce cool videogame accessories.

As such, Reason Gaming will take part in promoting SteelSeries products. Also, both companies are preparing for various UK LAN events for 2007, so that's something to look forward to.

Says, Kim Rom, Head of SteelSeries' PR & Communications:

SteelSeries have been supporting a wide range of eSports teams since our inception in 2001. We select partners carefully, ensuring they are well suited to represent our brand. Reason Gaming has already had solid results with Gladiator Computers and Western Digital.

The Winterfest season has finally kicked off, and various guilds are sure girding their loins really hard for the playoffs.

After all, this season's quite different from the rest, as players are only required to use Core (the ones from the first Guild Wars game, Prophecies) and Nightfall skills. Now, as Nightfall has been released just recently, this one's going to be quite tricky.

And everyone's a-buzz with excitement with the challenge this season poses. Even Guild Wars freelance reporters Harold J. Chow, Adam Sunstrom, and Christian Brellisford have shared their predictions on the winning guilds for this season. Interestingly, Team Quitters seems to be a common denominator in all three predictions. Of course, that didn't come as a surprise, as Team Quitter's one solid guild, even though they came in second in the team ladder. This team is Harold and Christian's number one bet, while it comes in second in Adam's prediction. To check out the full list, click the ink below.

For many, traversing the Foundry of Failed Creations is really an adventure. After all, this is where the Titans were formed, causing a domino effect in Ascalon: from the Charr invasion to its untimely demise during Searing where it was burnt from the ground up. These fire-wielding Titans sure love to wreak havoc, and boy, are they good at it.

As their power revolves around fire, it would be helpful if your team will disperse over the area, to lessen the Area of Effect damage. It will also be wise to bring a Monk who specializes in Protection Prayers to reduce damage.

In the Stygian Veil, you can find armies of stygian and demonic monsters. Stygian creatures lack ranged skills and attacks, so it will be helpful if ya bring some snare skills.

In the event that these monsters team up with demons, it will be wise to slay the demons first, as they are the ones who have the snaring and slowing down abilities that may hamper the strategy aforementioned earlier.

On a lighter note, players can expect more rare items in chests, as a Vabbian nobleman is sharing his family's weapons to the masses (as a way of sharing his joy over his daughter's wedding). Sure is a fun time for some monster-slaying in Guild Wars, eh?

So the Winterfest season is just around the corner, and I'm sure you guys (along with loads of other guilds) are prepping up for it.

And it's going to be one exciting season, as players are restricted to just the Core skills (the ones that came with Prophecies) and the new Nightfall skills. Sure is going to be tricky for those who still want to push through with Ritualists and Assassins, as they're much dependent on Factions skills.

Our source reports that Shadow Prison Warrior/Assassins, Warrior/Monks, Warrior/Paragons, Elementalist/Assassins, Crippling Shot Rangers are getting quite popular these days, and we might see more of them in the future. No doubt, it's going to be quite an exciting weekend, with the playoffs and all. For your daily dose of Guild Warsupdates, better stay tuned here at QJ.

No doubt, Second Life is a virtual world, in all sense of the word. Here, you can watch your favorite TV shows, purchase Adidas trainers, line up for a Radio 1 event, attend a Reebok block party, go to an MTV Fender promo, and well, meet real people.

So it's no surprise that companies are taking this "real life sim" seriously. As I said earlier, there's Adidas, Radio1, Reebok, and MTV - as well as Philips and 20th Century Fox. It's "big business" after all. According to our source, "90% of Second Life users are also voracious users" who spread the gospel of Second Life in teh intarwebs.

"It's about Second Life going out into the real world. It's going to become part of web services, and be on more devices. It's effectively walking back through the mirror to the real world," says Justin Bovington, CEO of Rivers Run Red, which works with record labels and brands within Second Life.

PvP battles, or Guild battles (in Guild Wars, of course), to be more specific, can be approached in various ways. One tactic is to split the team. This week's "State of the Game" is all about that, and we'll take a glimpse of it here.

First off, if you guys intend to split the team, make sure you maintain good communication lines. After all, you need to constantly update each other of what you're going to do, since you're not going to be together.

Second, familiarizing yourselves with the map is a big MUST. After all, having a runner is no good if he or she ends up getting lost anyway.

Third, timing is of key importance. Splitting right away may give your opponents an idea of your strategy, and they might opt to go for your bases right away if the whole team's away (or make a dash for the runner).

Fourth, better know your team's build. A team with a spiker build will work better if they stay together. According to our source:

Spike teams usually send back a flag runner along with a Monk so as not to sacrifice too much damage. However, this type of split for a team with a typical two-Monk backline may leave the main group overly exposed if the opponent's offensive squad collapses back on the flag stand.

So there you have it folks. Hopefully, these tips help you out!

So you're at home, taking a break from the 30-hour EverQuest II spree you just had with your buddies. You resemble someone who's waaaay wasted on beer minus the vomit: blabbering non sequiturs, laughing uncontrollably, and basically looking downright stupid.

And what better way to keep your gaming hangover at bay than to dive in this week's EverQuest II treasure chest. What's on the list? Go check 'em out:

• It seems that Jethal has been bitten by the Frostfell bug, and he's spreading the spirit with load of cool (cool, Frostfell, get it?) songs
• Catch up on Traveler's Tale, with Songsta's tale of a "Hardened Killer"
• Brn2rgu shows off his crib on the Norrathian Homeshow

Ahoy mates! Get ready to haul out those oars, as Voyage Century Online is ready to sail the seas, but definitely not without you.

As you might have known, Voyage Century Online is Internet Gaming Gate's (IGG) "massively multiplayer online nautical role-playing game." Players can barter and invest within guilds, and even participate in city battles. The guild who eventually emerges as the winner gets to impose taxes, make weapons and ships at minimum costs and even call out free trade. Heck, you can even search for hidden treasures if you want!

In the play testing phase, players have an equal opportunity to create their own guilds.The top 20 guilds in Voyage Century will be rewarded with in-game funds and items, while the top 3 guild leaders will be given a sailboat model and in-game tiger, wolf, and parrot pets.

We also heard that players can look forward to "intense combat" and stunning graphics, so I guess that's more than enough reason to check out this MMO right?

So you're playing Nightfall, but haven't tried out the Hero battles yet? If you answered yes, well, you're missing out on some cool stuff. So better stick around, as this article's gonna give you some useful Hero Battle tips here.

First things first. If you don't know how to get a Hero, don't fret. Just make a PvP character, then head to the Hero Battles arena, located on the right side of your map, or to the Great Temple of Balthazar, if you're with a roleplaying character. Then speak to a Priest of Balthazar, select three Heroes to unlock, and voila! You got three Heroes in an instant.

Now that you got your heroes, you might want to take note of these effects:

• Resurrection: It's like a re-spawn area for dead members who get killed in the heat of the battle.
• Base Protection: When you're within the area of the Resurrection Shrine, your team deals 50% more damage and get 50% less.
• Morale Shrine: This is usually located near the maps' center. Whenever your team controls this area, you get one point every 30 seconds.
• To The Pain: When you're in the capture range of the Morale Shrine, all creatures receive -10% Health and deal +10% more damage.
• Morale Points: In Hero vs. Hero Battles, your team gets one point for every enemy killed, whether it's another player or hero. Once you get 20 points, your team is declared the winner.

Hope those tips help you when you try out HvH battles. For more Guild Wars tips and game updates, be sure to tune in here at QJ.

Nexon just announced today that their MMORPG, Maple Story, will be making its way to North American shores. And it will surely hit U.S. with a bang, as a partnership with MTV Networks guarantees full-blown marketing promotion from the hip network mogul.

The said MMO's success in South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia has led to other tie-ins with various companies such as Coca-Cola. Maple Story features cute characters and colorful backgrounds that will surely make you go "squeee!" Also, we heard that there will be "special content" for the American audience that "reflects gamers' tastes and pop culture trends", so that's definitely something to get excited about.

Maple Story is available for free via online download (click the Via link below), and uses a "cash shop/micro-transcations/item-selling" system, where players buy (in real currency, mind you) various in game items for customization and whatnot.