A release date for Blizzard's StarCraft 2 has been revealed! Well, not exactly. It seems that some big name retailers including Best Buy, GameStop, and Circuit City have posted a launch date for the game. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

Looking for some videogame action, but want to save a buck or two on the side? Then you'd better head on over to your local Target or Circuit City this week, as they've got quite the deals lined up for the budget-conscious gamer. From today's latest releases to the classics of your childhood, look no further than this article to get the full info on what you can buy with the money in your wallet. Click on the read more button for more info.

 

For those who are planning to pick up both Halo 2 and Shadowrun, or even just Halo 2 for Vista. Circuit City is running a sweet deal where you can get Shadowrun for free if you buy a copy of Halo 2 for Vista. Yup, you're getting two games for the price of one. Halo 2 for Vista is going for US$ 39.99 which is pretty good if you don't have a copy of it already for your Xbox or just want to play it on your PC (Keyboard + Mouse = pwnage).

Both games are playable over Microsoft's Games for Windows Live service where you can play against players on the Xbox 360. Halo 2 is about Master Chief fighting against ... why bother, you probably know this by now. Shadowrun however, is an online based game where you go head-to-head against other players using magic and some heavy ordinance to take out your opposition. Counter-Strike fans might want to check this out since both games have similar gameplay.

That said, click on our read link to head straight to Best Buy to view their promo. Be sure to keep checking back here for the latest deals and bargains for your PC.

 

Following a former report by Spong that Microsoft pushed back the release date of Bungie's Halo 2 for Windows Vista, it appears that the game won't be coming at May 25, 2007 for the UK after all. In fact, according to the official announcement by Microsoft, Halo 2 for Windows Vista will be available in the region by June 8, 2007. The previous report by Spong was confirmed by local retail chains GAME and Virgin.

Seeing as the U.S. version is also taking a beat back by Microsoft following another announcement that the game would be available by May 31 instead of May 22 (and May 8 prior to the first delay), the addressing of "other technical issues" and "improvements to the install experience" seems to be a bit more serious than we probably took at face value.

But wait, there's a Catch 22. According to GameSpot, it appears that some retail chains jumped the gun and shelved the three-year delayed game for the PC. Circuit City was reported to have sold the game to a GameSpot reporter. The copy even checks out as "shipping" and "available" at the chain's official website, reports GameSpot's Brendan Sinclair.

Now we can all point fingers and say that the retail's management probably didn't hear the official announcement by Microsoft, but let's take this into perspective: how come the game is already shipped if there are "supposedly" technical issues with the game?

Still, it looks like FASA Studios' Shadowrun will beat Hired Gun to the punch and become the first title ever available for Live for Windows Vista, following the title's two-day lead in shipping on May 29.

The online retail store Circuit City is on a generosity streak for the moment, as we pick up word on their current video game bargains for titles you guys may take a fancy to. First up is EA Game's Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars for the PC, which will be selling for US$ 39.99 come its release this March 27 (as listed on the site).

Also up for grabs is a copy of THQ's S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl for the PC, which sells for just US$ 29.99. S.T.AL.K.E.R. was released earlier this March 20.

That's just the cherry topping for the rest of their sweet deals,as we report three other games being sold for just US$ 19.99:

• Meteos: Disney Magic (DS)
• Diddy Kong Racing (DS)
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360)

In line with these prospective bargains, make sure to keep an eye out for C&C 3's Xbox 360 release in May, in case Circuit City decides to give this port a discount as well.

Aspiring pro gamers have another reason to be happy - electronics retail giant Circuit City has announced that it has forged a partnership with the World Cyber Games USA.

The deal involves sponsorship from Circuit City and advertising opportunities from the WCG organization. The cooperation hopes to establish e-sports as a major entertainment platform in the US, similar to what is currently happening in South Korea and Japan.

WCG general manager Michael Arzt has expressed happiness in the development and said that as e-sports begin to burst in the scene, companies like Circuit City are recognizing that there's no better way to reach out to the tech-savvy male crowd. He said that the WCG hopes that the alliance with a top notch partner like this one will bear good results in the years to come.

Local game play-offs are in the works to discover top gaming talents who will qualify for the WCG USA Championships. Circuit City will be the event's official retailer as well.

While legislation to incur stricter penalties for mature games isn't exactly taking off, it looks like the retailers aren't going to be taking any chances. According to insider info taken from the GameStop retail chain, any employee caught selling M-rated (that's 17+) games to minors will be fired.

This info comes in light of GameStop's conference call last week, wherein managers were informed of the stricter policy. The new rule further details that not only will the offending employee get the boot, but his direct superiors (the managers) will suffer a similar penalty - probably in an attempt to reinforce command responsibility. It will be remembered that GameStop is a member of the ESRB Retail Council, alongside Circuit City, Best Buy, and Blockbuster Video.

Given the sort of flak we've been hearing on gaming (not just here, mind you), we'll consider this as a form of good news from the retailer's side - glad to know they're doing what they can to ease the flames. Unfortunately, we do see one loophole to this rule - what about the parents buying these games for their minors? Then again, that's just us. What's your say on this, guys?

By the eve of January 29, 2007, Microsoft, along with retail partners and FOXSports.com, will host red-carpet events for sports fans and excited customers. The events will feature DJs and pro football appearances. The program will also include a whole day affair the next day, January 30, to commemorate the release of the consumer editions of the Vista platform and Office 2007.

The line up includes hourly hardware and software giveaways including XBox 360 giveaways from 4 to 7 p.m. local time. And guess what? Participants need not be present to win. There will be Microsoft experts in the stores to provide a hands-on demonstration of the products being released, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also, customers can sign up their local K-12 schools for a computer lab makeover worth 25,000 big ones... err, US$ 25,000.

The events will be held in 30 locations across the U.S. Some of the locations will feature a spokesperson from Microsoft who will be available for interview.

We'll keep you posted as new developments come up. You can view the complete list of locations by clicking on the Full Article link below.