Arbalet Europe is set to take place on May 14-16th at the Inferno Online LAN Center in Stockholm, Sweden. 14 teams have been confirmed for the event with two more teams still set to be announced.

It has also been confirmed that there will be no All-Star Tournament, however the prize money put aside for that will be added to the total prize pot, increasing it to $37,000.

The official team list is as follows:

Evil Geniuses
fnatic
MYM
SK Gaming
H2k Gaming
mTw
Ravens
PinG
mousesports
Alternate
WeMade FOX
Frag eXecutors
forZe
UNiTED
TBA
TBA

Prize Breakdown
1st – $15,000
2nd – $10,000
3rd – $6,000
4th – $3,000
5th-6th – $1,000
5th-6th – $1,000
7th-8th – $500
7th-8th – $500

Stay tuned to compLexityGaming.com for more coverage and updates regarding the event.

Recently on ExplicitGamer.com, ShadowOfTheStatue has posted an article about the corruption of the innocent by videos games according to “experts.” As with most of the “experts,” they believe that video games are the cause of violence and crime amongst teenagers and young adults. The article hits the nail on the head in the violence vs video games debate. Below is an excerpt from the article, however we recommend reading the full thing:

Just on the off chance that any anti-video game folk find their way to this article, here are a few home truths that you can consider next time you decide to campaign against a little bit of 18+ gaming.

1. Movies find their way into the hands of children as easy, if not more so, than video games. There are many movies and TV shows out there that are readily available for younger audiences at any time. These days, anything can be found online, and there are no age restrictions on who watches a movie on the internet. Violent movies are even shown on TV sometimes, again with no age restriction.

2. It’s a known fact that teenagers will look up to and attempt to copy their heroes and idols. These people are more often than not music, movie, or sports stars that are in the public eye every single day. Its no secret to anyone that many are also from gangs, on drugs, and are constantly seen falling out of nightclubs half-naked, unable to stand. Good example to be setting? I think not. It’s not very often that a kid idolizes a game character, and to be quite honest, if he does he’s not going to be breaking laws anytime soon.

3. Games tend to keep us OFF the streets. People who play games enough to have even the slightest chance of being corrupted don’t go out enough to cause any trouble. They’re usually safe and sound at home, concentrating on their K/D ratio or building a pretty level on Little Big Planet. If you believe that there is anyone out there who shoots someone on a game and gets to urge to go out and do it for real then you probably haven’t played many games. Don’t speculate on something you’ve never been a part of before. If somebody commits a terrible crime and it turns out that they were a fan of video games that does NOT mean that the game is responsible. Studies have shown that only children that have already been exposed to great levels of violence are affected by violent games. This means that even if a violent child plays games, his aggression was most likely brought on by something earlier in his or her life. Plus, if a child is even in the frame of mind that copying a game is a good idea then surely that says more about the environment they are living in, rather than the games they are playing.

4. Games are all age rated judging on how much violence, sexual content, swearing or other adultery is featured within it. The same can be said about any other piece of media. Consoles also have parent locks, to prevent their kids playing adult games without their parents knowledge or consent. It can be argued that some shops will sell underage people things that they shouldn’t, but surely the blame then lies with the company or shop keeper who sold it? The same can be said about parents who buy their kids adult rated games. If you think they will corrupt your child, DON’T BUY THEM IT.

We would highly recommend that you check out this article by clicking here

Arguably the best gaming console on the market, the Xbox 360, has sold over 40 million since its public debut in November of 2005. Early yesterday, Microsoft announced that sales in the third quarter are up 2% opposed to last year. In the third quarter alone Microsoft has generated an astounding $1.67 billion in revenue.

Unfortunately, with the holiday rush coming to a close, Microsoft also announced that their sales are down 12% since the end of the holiday season. Of course, they have nothing to fear as Project Natal, a motion camera add-on for the 360, is set to launch later this year. Also, it’s being rumored that a new Xbox 360, only half the size of the original, could be on the market later down the road. Some are expecting it to be announced at the 2010 E3 convention in June.

Source: ign

Pro’s Asked – WoW 3.3.3

by Sascha “Yiska” Heinsich

The patch is a couple of weeks in and many top players have been trying to stay in shape for the TR, testing the newest changes. We asked a couple of questions to players both from Europe and North America about the most important changes and how they will effect the tournament scene. The answers were interesting to say the least.

Rogues had been buffed in the last patch and old school Rogues have been trying it out as most would describe it as the “more fun” spec to play. While more fun does not exactly equal more success but rather a break from the usual Mutilate spamming, players like Reckful have been fairly successful with it. Check out his video if you haven’t.

Let’s see what the top players think of the changes. First I asked:

“What was your opinion with the changes to Subtlety Rogues? Do you think we will see them in live ladder or tournament play?” 

Here are the responses:

“I think we will see it come up more as time goes on for ladder play, shd requires less babysitting  than mutilate so you can expect other healer dps / shd rogue comps to work better than before. As for RMP I definitely think it will be used in tournament play” – Kalimist, Team Dignitas

“They will have more of the option of using the spec now at least” -Twixz

“I like how Shadowdance is now a viable spec for Rogues that understand how to play the spec.  Verty/Sodah and I did many RMP games with Reckful while he was playing dance and I really enjoy working with a dance Rogue in arena.  Subtlety is also interesting because it doesn’t seem like it’s a spec that anyone can be successful with, since it doesn’t consistently have high damage like Mutilate Rogues do.” -Pookz, Team EG

Exciting answers from Pookz and Kalimist in terms of continent perception of the spec. Both seem convinced that Subtlety now is a viable option for tournaments, which should definitely get some mind games going. Pookz hinted at this as well, stating:

“I feel Rogue teams with Druid healers will attempt to play Shadow Dance and teams with Shaman (RLS) will continue playing mutilate for ladder play.  Tournament play is different because they’d know what comp they would be fighting so the spec of the Rogue would depend on the comp they are fighting” 

From my own personal experience I can say that, for example, RMP mirrors change entirely as sticking to the Mage while always having the option to switch to a different target in a heart beat (or a Shadow Step *cough*) seemed very viable. Great options and mind-games ahead people!

On to the next question:

2. How big was the Bladestorm change? (for those unfamiliar with the change; it can now be disarmed) 
 

“The Bladestorm change was quite big but it has not really effected the good warriors as much as the bad ones from how thinks are looking.” -Kalimist

The difference between a good and a bad Warrior in situations Kalimist is referring to is that good ones know when to expect a disarm. It’s all about timing and coordination with your team. If the player with the disarm is CC’d, you’re free to storm. Pookz agrees:

“The Bladestorm change was a buff to rogue, Shadowpriest and even some Hunter comps.  Double Healer warrior and TSG comps are not as strong against RMP as they were.  I can’t really say if the Bladestorm change was needed or not needed but it definitely does require warrior teams to coordinate CC (on the disarmer in this case) before their burst.” 

TSG and double heal both don’t have a spammable CC, so it’s rather easy for them to disarm a Bladestorm because even if they use one of their CC’s on the disarm class, he always has the option to trinket if times get tough. SK’s Inflame didn’t sound all that concerned even though he will play with a Warrior in the future, though they of course have a spammable CC to force Trinkets before Bladestorming:

“Bladestorm change doesn’t matter. Warriors are still overpowered as f***” 

And all doubts just have been killed. Chin up Warriors, it’s not so bad after all.

What do you feel was the biggest change in 3.3.3? 

“DK buffs and passive auras”  -Twixz

Is he hinting at a come back of Flexx on the DK Class? Certainly the ability to protect their diseases was huge for Dks in some comps and especially against some teams. Dks can do pretty scary things to Priests on Live at the moment.

“There weren’t really any game breaking changes in 3.3.3” -Inflame

The bad boy of the WoW community obviously isn’t convinced that anything really changed on live servers to a degree that some comp or class suddenly got better. The changes weren’t so harsh after all.

“The biggest change for me was being able to use Frosfire Bolt instead of Fireball when Brain Freeze procs.  Having those extra Fingers of Frost procs is a good addition to my game.  The biggest changes in the game were the Subtlety changes, diseases not being dispelable, and the Bladestorm change.”  -Pookz

Pookz also mentions the DK buffs and adds some Mage centered information to it, which certainly was a buff as well. Contrary to other players, he seems to think that Bladestorm was indeed hit pretty harsh.

 
Finally I asked the players to grab their crystal balls and predict the future for me.

“What class/combo do you expect to do well on TR?” 

“Hunter, Paladin, Warlock is going to be the most popular comp this TR.” -Kalimist

“I think any type of Ele/Lock Wizard cleave, Spriest/Rogue/Sham will do good” -Inflame

“I see PHD doing quite well on tr”– Twixz

Interesting answers for sure. No one answered the same comp twice and I personally couldn’t pin a comp as well. The Meta game will once again be important. Is your comp strong against the majority of teams playing? Can I do well by just sniping the top teams with my comp? Those kinds of question should be considered when trying to aim for the top 8. When players from all around the world come from their Battlegroups to crawl onto the Tournament Realm, surprises will happen. Can Blizzard please surprise us with an announcement soon?

Accordingly to one of Blizzard’s representitives, Blizzard has banned over 320,000 users for ToS violations in Warcraft III and Diablo II. This includes anything from hacks and bots to illegal configurations. First time offenders were given a 30 day ban, while repeat offenders were permanently banned. Only their CD-key was banned, however, which means that their Battle.net accounts will be fully usable for the release of Starcraft 2. The statement from Bashiok at Blizzard can be found below:

We’ve recently banned over 320,000 Warcraft III and Diablo II accounts that were found to be violating the Battle.net Terms of Use. If this is a first offense, the CD key associated with the banned account will be suspended for 30 days, while repeat offenders will see their keys banned permanently. All account ban decisions are final.

We would like all players to remember that abuse of unintended mechanics and/or use of third party programs is a violation of the agreement made when signing on to Battle.net, and can subject your account to disciplinary action up to and including a permanent ban of its access to the service. These types of activities can severely impact the stability of our servers, and we’ll continue to aggressively monitor Battle.net in order to protect the service and its players from the harmful effects of cheating.

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips emailed to our hacks team by legitimate Battle.net users. If you come across a hack, find a site responsible for distributing hacks, or have a replay of a newly available hack, please report this to our hacks team at [email protected] or through our Hacks Report Form at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&tag=hacksform

As always, thank you for your continued support, and we’ll see you on Battle.net!

It has also been announced that all bans are final and are not open to appeal.

The World Cyber Games committee confirmed that its 2010 event will be held at the Los Angeles’ Convention Center from September 30 through October 3. The 4 day event has nine games confirmed thus far.

Later, it was announced that countries are held to just two teams in games which require teamplay. Medalists from Chengdu (AGAiN, fnatic, and mTw) earned a bye from the national preliminaries round and will move straight to the national qualifiers.

As if that wasn’t enough enough news for one day, the WCG announced the maps for this years event;

de_dust2
de_inferno
de_nuke
de_train
de_tuscan

Source: WCG

Blizzard has just recently opened registration for the 2010 arena tournament. Over $200,000 is up for grabs in prize money, this looks to be one of the most competitive arena tournaments to date. The realms do not officially go live until the 27th of April. Below is an excerpt from Blizzard’s FAQ:

What is the 2010 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament?

The 2010 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament is a competition based on the Arena System in World of Warcraft. All teams participating in the tournament will be competing on regional tournament realms — separate from the live realms — for a spot to play at the live events and win prizes. In addition, there is a registration fee to join. This specialized format provides a means for high-level players to face off in an intensely competitive environment that emphasizes strategy, skill, and execution over all other elements of play.

The tournament will consist of one regional qualifier, followed by the regional finals. Winners of the regional finals will be invited to compete in a global championship. The cash prize package for this tournament, including prizes awarded at the regional finals and world championship, amounts to more than $200,000.

What is the format for this year’s Arena Tournament?

Participating players will gain access to our dedicated tournament realms and be able to create up to three level-80 characters per registered account. This special realm will allow players to fully customize tournament characters with some of the best items available in the game. We will continue to use the 3v3 Arena format for this year’s competition. Please note that the standard 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 Arena season games will continue as normal on the live realms and will not be interrupted by this tournament.

What are some special features of this year’s Arena Tournament?

Customizable level 80 character templates with gear from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
Tournament vendors have been updated with some of the best items available in Northrend.
Players can earn the exclusive Armored Murloc pet for their live characters.
Players can earn the exclusive “Vanquisher” title for their live characters over level 71.
Cash prizes totaling over $200,000.

 

More information regarding this year’s TR can be found at WorldofWarcraft.com

Fresh off of their run to the ESEA Championship in Season 5, coL.TF2 will be looking to regain their title as they take on seven other teams. With Blight Gaming bringing on several teams to their organization, their chances of bringing home the trophy are better then ever. EG will be looking for revenge after taking home 3rd out of 4 competitors in the playoffs last season. This season of ESEA-Invite is looking to be one of the best ever and is set to begin tonight!