When was the last time you felt scared? Not just my-girl's-gonna-let-me-have-it scared, I'm talking soil-yourself-shamelessly scared. True enough, there might not be a video game out there that'll make you literally crap your pants, and it's far too impractical (and stupid) to find Leatherface to force your dinner down the backdoor. That said, let's just take a look at the things that come close.

We've had a few publishers whip their E3 lineups out this week, so we're starting to get a picture of all those publishers and developers packed inside the LA Convention Center next week - but hold up, a few won't cut it. There are over a hundred different companies flocking to show their goods at the Electronic Entertainment Expo - publishers, developers, retailers, game sites, and all sorts of businesses having to do with electronic entertainment. For this edition of our QuickPeek E3 Specials, let's put the spotlight at what some of gaming's hottest companies have in store for us at the expo.

We've got quite a batch this week, considering that this is the last week before E3. The list starts with the electrifying new PS3-exclusive, inFamous, which by the way also comes with an 80GB PS3 bundle. Also on the list are two great North American releases after making quite a stir in the East - Crimson Gem Saga and Cross Edge. The M-Rated Damnation is also shooting in this week, adding to the lineup's variety. We've got all the details and the goods, so be sure to check 'em all out.

Hey guys!  I'm Jeffrey Rosen, co-founder of Wolfire Games.  I was recently invited to blog about the development process of our upcoming video game, Overgrowth.  It's a fast paced action-adventure game for Mac, Windows, and Linux.  We're going to use this space to keep you guys updated on everything Wolfire!  Read more to learn a little bit more about our studio.

Greetings dearest readers! In our never ending quest to bring you guys the best gaming related news we can find, we're starting a new initiative at QJ called the Dev Blog. It's aimed at reaching out to smaller game developers, homebrew developers, independent publishers and XNA Game Studio Express by Microsoft">XNA creators, and putting them directly in touch with you, the fans, to let you know what awesome projects they've got cooking.

Intrigued? Read on to find out more about Dev Blog and our first partners in this venture, Wolfire Games develops innovative, independent games for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.">Wolfire Games!

We here at QJ.NET are always on the look out for good point-and-click adventure games such as LucasArts and Telltale Games' Sam & Max. We were pleasantly surprised to know that Akella Games and Litera were coming out with a new one called The Bad, the Ugly, and the Sober for the PC. Much to our pleasure, we were able to give the pre-release version of this game a run through. Want to know what we found? Head on over to the full article for the complete preview.

It's hard not to like Ironclad Games and Stardock's Sins of a Solar Empire. Considering this will be my last post for these beta diaries, I decided to talk about my personal experiences playing the game as well as what we hope to see when the full version is released.

So head on over to the full article to check out Sins of a Solar Empire Beta Diaries Eight: experiences and expectations.

QJ.NET's very own Christopher C. recently snagged an interview with the minds behind Blackened Interactive, the folks responsible for the gorgeous-looking Half Life 2 mod, Project Valkyrie. This mod's gaining all sorts of momentum in, as Christopher C. calls it, the forumsphere, so head on over to the full article to check out the interview as well as a few sneak previews of what lies in Project Valkyrie.

With the release date of Stardock and Ironclad Games Sins of a Solar Empire slowly drawing near, the developers have pretty much set everything in stone with all game's features and gameplay elements paraded during the ongoing Beta 4 test phase. However, this doesn't mean that players from making up their own little wish list of little extras they want to see included in the game before it goes live this February 4.

Read more about QJ.NET's latest Beta Diary on Sins of a Solar Empire after the jump!

I don't know about most of you but I'm tired of playing as the trade-oriented Trade Emergency Coalition (TEC). Their focus on more peaceful means of victory disturbs the inner warlord in me. Thankfully, Stardock and Ironclad Games have come out with a new faction in Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 4.

Want to find out more about the Vasari? Check out this issue of the Sins of a Solar Empire Beta Diaries.