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.

BlizzCon is set to be one of the biggest events to hit the worlds of Warcraft and Starcraft, with 8,000 attending the last BlizzCon and tickets for this one already sold out. Held for two days on August 3 and 4 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, the event will be holding contests and tournaments, including a dance, song, and fan art contest.

 

Now if you managed to get your hands an a ticket, remember that that's gonna be a big place and you're gonna want to have time for everything there is to do out there. Here's a couple of helpful tips from Blizzard to help you on your way to getting your way:

• Get your badges early at the pick-up stations on Thursday, the day before the event, between 4pm and 11pm or on Friday starting at 7am
• Prepare a loose schedule that gives you ample time to do everything you want given the limited amount of time you got
• Live events will have buttloads of people attending them: go early or get smushed
• Bring a bag, and bring the essentials (plus they give out goodie bags when you pick up your badge so make room for that)
• Remember there are stuff you can't bring inside BlizzCon, so check with the website first
• Check the size of your bag: you can only bring one that's not bigger than 20 inches x 10 inches
• The BlizzCon store empties out rather quickly so get them while they're hot
• Lines for games will be longest in the afternoons so try to line up for them in the morning so you don't waste your time waiting
• There are special places reserved for in-game friends to see each other on the second level, rooms 202 and 203 so be sure to visit
• Remember that Anaheim Convention Center is right beside Disneyland, you might want to take a visit as well before or after the show, especially if you're from out of town

That's it everyone, have a great time at BlizzCon! Stay tuned for further updates.

Okay, pop quiz: You've just finished Oblivion, jacked up your stats to godly levels, and you've either made everybody like you to a disposition factor of 99, or killed those who dared frown upon you.

What do you do now, he who has mastered this latest installment of the Elder Scrolls? Barring the cheesy "I'm going to Disneyland!" line deserving of a smiting, we thought this'd be the next step: Get the expansion pack.

Knights of the Nine, the much awaited expansion pack to Bethesda's Oblivion game for the PC has just been released, and is now available for download. The download will sell for roughly US$ 10.00, and for those asking, this is for the PC version of the game - nothing yet on the Xbox 360 previously mentioned.

And to give you an idea of what awaits on your DL, here's a little tidbit we picked up from the site:

The Gods have forsaken Tamriel.

A fallen King has been unchained from the darkness of Oblivion to seek vengeance upon the Gods who banished him. Only a champion pure of heart can vanquish the evil that has been released upon the land. You must heed the call, reclaim the lost relics of the Divine Crusader, and return the Nine to glory. New dungeons, characters, quests, and mysteries await.

Features:

• Begin a New Faction - The Knights of the Nine have long been disbanded. Reclaim their former glory as you traverse the far reaches of Cyrodill across an epic quest line.
  
• Battle New Foes - Encounter Umaril, the ancient Ayleid Sorcerer-King, and his minions, the fearsome Aurorans.
  
• Discover Unique Items - An entirely new armor set and weapons, each with unique powers, are within your grasp…if you are worthy.

Some of the most sage bits of wisdom can be found from teachers. Sure, they may not be Power Rangers or actual wizards, but in a world where magic only happens in Disneyland, we take what we can get.

One of those bits of wisdom we've picked up over the years is the essence of growing up: chances, choices and changes. Each time a chance opens up to you, or action (or inaction) leads to a change, both in the world around you and in yourself as a person.

This is also one of the basic tenets of a good role-playing game. The best ones, even when you know you're being shepherded to particular ends, gives you that feeling of accomplishment, of changing your world as a result of your feats. This is what the latest video for Neverwinter Nights 2 wants to impress upon the reader.

While we haven't reached the end of the main campaign ourselves, we're definitely loving the time we spend walking the hallowed halls and conversing with the NWN 2 toolset users who want to make their own games. It's not the prettiest game out now, but Obsidian Entertainment and Atari certainly know how to bring alive that feeling of growing with your character. Enjoy the video.