Yes folks, the QJ Giveaway spree is well underway! SOE gave us a ton of beta keys so that people can try out their upcoming Free Realms MMORPG, and already, we've been able to roll out the first batch of keys to our lucky QJ.NET readers - congrats guys, you know who you are! More beta keys strung up on our belts and chains, meaning everyone's still more than welcome to join in on the fun! We've even included a full 10-minute dev walkthrough of the game in the full article, just to get you guys started. Have fun!

Everybody loves getting in on a game early, and what better way to do that than with beta keys? Since we love you guys so much, we're giving away the Free Realms  PC beta keys we have in our possession so that you can go and explore the game's extremely open world before anyone else.

You don't get this kind of offer everyday. Here at QJ.net, we're all business in making sure you guys have fun. And what better way to spread the love to gamer fans than by hosting a games contest? Yep, you read that title right. We are hosting a Frag'em Up contest. And it ain't too shabby, too, no sir. Up for grabs: a whopping US$ 15, 000 dream gaming PC set up from Hardcorecomputer! I told you you won't get this offer everyday. Now that got your attention, didn't it?


Visit: QJ.Net's Frag'em Up Contest Announcement
Visit: QJ.Net's Frag'em Up Contest Prize list

Did you know that technical difficulties really do happen, especially with online gaming contests? Yes, they do! And we had to find that out the hard way as we experience technical difficulties for our  Frag'em Up contest. Not to worry, though. Everything's a-okay. Just that we're pushing back the dates for a few.

At QJ we're always trying to provide you guys with the best gaming and tech news from across the web in one easy to access place (with a touch of the ol' QJ wit of course). We're a community here at QJ and respect you folks far too much to half ass it or give anything less than 100%. It's because of this we've decided focus our coverage in a number of core areas and postpone our coverage in certain areas for the foreseeable future. What's on hold, what continues? Click on to find out.

QuickJump QuickPeek finally gets a make-over! After a full year of weekly updates, we're now turning over a new leaf and allowing this QJ.NET mainstay to branch out by introducing the Weekend Warriors. Sorry, the Weekend Whattssitts? Hmm, just think of it as the Planeteers summoning Captain Planet. ...Or something - some other equally bad analogy like that at least. Ha! Nonetheless, it's going to be quite interesting from here on out. Here's to yet another year of some crazy weekly updates! And with that, we open the floor for the Weekend Warriors!

Numerical scores are like so last decade ago. So, breaking free from the supposed "one-size-fits-all" checklists of items to add up to a game's "score", we're going to be implementing a new five-star review system. See, we're trying to avoid having to quantify video games into arbitrary numbers. After all, many of us feel that a game isn't just the sum of all its parts (as in a checklist), but rather, the totality of the gaming experience itself! In the full article, we've come up with a handy FAQ to introduce this brand spanking new system to all of you QJ.NET readers. And yes, there're no half-stars about it! Rawr!

Today is October 5. That means that November 5, Guy Fawkes Night, is one month away.

While we don't celebrate this day in the US (it's not even a public holiday in the United Kingdom - it's only a yearly celebration), many of us know of this day thanks to the DC Comics / Vertigo graphic novel (comic book) series V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd and its movie adaptation (with inimitable performances by Natalie Portman as Evey and Hugo Weaving as V).

Still, any "holiday" that gives people an excuse to light fireworks and go door-to-door begging for spare change sounds like something worth celebrating. So we at QJ.NET invite you to get into the spirit of things to remember, remember the 5th of November.

On the 5th of November we're going to post an article or two about video games, gadgets, technology, and general geekness - what moves us and affects us and touches us, and all the things about video gaming and technology that ought not be forgotten. Pretty much like the QuickJump QuickList articles in our Opinions & Analysis section at the front page and the other articles in the Opinions & Analysis sections of our many video game, science, and gadget blogs.

We invite you to plan ahead and consider what you want to remember on that day - because our articles obviously can't be the final word - that's what comments and the QJ.NET Forums are for. (Besides, now that we've turned off anonymous comments - and now that comments are smarter, funnier, and more meaningful - you have a good venue to share your reactions.)

We look forward to your thoughts. See you on the 5th of November.

Happy Tuesday, true believers! Some of you may have noticed a slight change here at QJ.NET today. While this will be welcome (and long overdue) news to some, there's a strong chance that a lot of you hate our guts more than usual. Yes, we've finally disbanded the use of Anonymous Commenting, at least for the time being.

I hear the deafening cry of "Oh noes!" but this should be looked on as a positive step for the 'ol Q 'n J. For quite a while now, the comment section of this site has spiraled downward into chaos, filled with vulgarity, racist remarks, spam, and general knuckleheadedness that was impossible to moderate properly. The worthwhile and valid gaming discussions just got lost in the mess.

It's our goal to provide not only a source of 24/7 gaming news, but be a source of intelligent conversation as well. You all can be a smart and opinionated bunch and we want to encourage that sort of  behavior, not stifle it. 

So what do you have to do to comment? Just sign up and register. Its free, it only takes a couple of seconds, and there's a few added features that come along with being registered as well. You can select what kind of news to display on our "Blog of Blogs" page, you can choose to get daily email newsletters from your favorite section, and you can review your history of comments that you've made.

But since registration is a bit more mandatory, we would love to hear your input on what other kinds of features and abilities you'd like to have for your QJ profile, just leave a comment below or send us an email using the Contact Us form. Or you can just tell us how we've ruined your life by taking away the anonymous comments, it's up to you.

Now put down the chainsaw and go register. Just remember to set your email client (especially Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, etc.) to allow messages from "qj.net" otherwise you may not get the registration confirmation email!

*Article originally posted Sep 11, 2007 at 01:42PM

Ah, lists.... Just about every site which caters to a niche has it. That's doubly true for sites that deal with games. Love them or hate 'em, we all read lists, so we decided to have a regular one of our own.

Ours will be called the QuickJump QuickList and it'll appear in the Opinions and Analysis section of our blog every week starting tomorrow. It would cover anything and everything under the gaming sun ranging from light laundry lists to downright serious rankings.

More than a list that we thought up, we want as much reader participation as possible. Therefore, comments will be taken special note of. We want your input on the items on the lists that we put out and you guys can even suggest future topics for this section. If we gather enough substance on a suggested topic from you, our dear readers, it's likely that your ideas will appear on the list with due credit to you.

Towards the end of each edition of the column, we'll let you in on the topic of the next QuickList. That way, we can factor in your ideas for the next appearance. I'll join the comment discussion so we can talk about stuff you want to see.

Tomorrow's QuickList will give you the "Seven MGS4 Plot Twists We See Coming," but if you have any shots to fire now, we just might see eight, nine, maybe ten. See you all there!