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If you're one of the virtual boatload of PC or Xbox 360 gamers currently, or soon to be, engulfed by the world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion then you've probably already heard of the various downloads being offered by Bethesda Softworks to enhance your experience, such as the controversially priced horse armor and a selection of themes. But wait! As recently stated by a Bethesda representative, and relayed to GameSpot News, that's far from all the developers have in store for fans. Some brand new features, including additional locations and powers, should be available to the public (that's you) within the following weeks.

The first of which will be a venue intended for players to treat as their own turf: The Wizard's Tower. Here you'll be given a choice of many useful tasks to perform, among which are growing herbs, summoning atronachs, and conjuring spells; all your pad will likely be missing is your own pet wizard. It's unknown at the time whether or not the Wizard's Tower will be accessible as a questing reward or simply obtained as new property.

Another inclusion will be a quest involving a Dwarven Orrery in much need of repair. Since the Orrery is capable of revealing the movements of the moon and other celestial bodies, special powers related to the lunar cycles will be granted to you upon completion of the quest. Lycanthropy, a power hinted at by both the lunar aspect of the quest as well as the werewolves present in The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon expansion, is a result possibility.

Both forms of new content will materialize as parts of the ordinary map - rather than as expansions - by residing in the existing sections of the world once added.

According to Bethesda, the company plans to monitor what types of content fans prefer the most in order to determine the nature of future downloadable extras. "It certainly may be the case that some plug-ins will appeal to some folks and not others, but we hope we'll be able to provide a good variety so that there's something for everyone... and hopefully more than one something for everyone."

The price of the upcoming downloads is set at $1.99 (US) for the PC versions; the Xbox 360 variants' price has yet to be confirmed.

Source: GameSpot

Announced at a Tokyo press conference Wednesday, Square-Enix and Gakushuukenkyuusha (aka Gakken) have teamed up to establish a new company, named SG Lab, designed to develop and publish "serious" game titles - that is, video games with teaching purposes such as educational research, government, medicine, and more.

As unappealing a move as this endeavor may sound, some of these so-called serious games will be unintended for regular gamers. According to the presidents of both companies, SG Lab will develop the educational software after receiving and accepting orders from various clients, a task they've only recently begun. Currently there's no telling just what sort of game themes SG Lab is likely to expect in the future, but they're already working on expanding their market to include topics ranging from health care to public relations dealt within private enterprises.

Due to the amount of expert knowledge required to tackle such a business, this is one field Square-Enix would not be able to handle alone being strictly an entertainment developer; therefore entailed the decision to partner-up. As Youichi Wada, president of Square-Enix explained, video games aimed at entertaining players and serious games are of two very different leagues. Gakken, in search of a skillful and influential company within the gaming industry, found the idea of an education-based joint effort by the two rather intriguing.

With an overall lack of competition in the genre as of now, it's extremely likely SG Lab's desire to be the global market leader will be well within reach.

Source: RPGFan

Koei president Kiyoshi Komatsu, who recently spoke to the Tokyo press of an unrelated issue, noted at the time that a Sony Computer Entertainment press conference is scheduled for the 15th of this month, suggesting that "some details about the PS3 might be announced there." Sony Europe, while not implying whether or not Komatsu's prediction was true, later confirmed that a largely important announcement will indeed be made at the conference next week.

With the company's fiscal year soon coming to a close, and the San Jose Game Developer Conference only a scant week away, a major announcement made by Sony on Wednesday - perhaps even regarding a definite target date for the PlayStation 3 release - would occur at the perfect time. By revealing the revised info as public knowledge, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment's worldwide studio, Phil Harrison, would greatly benefit by being provided with several topics to divulge during his essential GDC speech; the local press and businesses in Tokyo would also receive a head start on any related news prior to the San Jose conference.

On the other hand, although Sony's recurring stance is that their spring launch schedule will continue on despite difficulties with production, a more realistic viewpoint would be that these problems can indefinitely hold back the console's release from their projected time frame, thus resulting in a possible lack of any new information of the sort in the near future. Probably even less assuring is the latest word concerning COMPEQ, the manufacturer of the circuit boards for the PlayStation 3: As of now, the system allegedly will not be ready for launch until this fall at the earliest, seeing as COMPEQ reportedly plans to do their crucial part in either June or July.

Source: EuroGamer

PSPWorld, crediting a so-called "anonymous source", has reported that an upgraded type of PlayStation Portable might currently be in the works, likely as a means to better rival the dominating Nintendo DS and its approaching little sibling, the DS Lite, in the handheld market.

According to the article, the "PSP 2" (an unofficial title) should mitigate previous storage frustrations by including 4GB of standard space and, like the DS Lite, will be designed as a leaner system with black, white and silver models available. The rumored EyeToy may allegedly be another addition; besides granting "PSP 2" owners the use of a digital camera, the device is said to be key in potentially streaming video from the handheld directly to the PlayStation 3 with help from the contemplated "HUB" service.

While skepticism may run amok, Sony does have a reputation for modifying its current consoles, such as it did with both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Although limited as the info is, it's perhaps probable, if not ordained, that the company would strive to make improvements on its handheld. However, Sony's recent problems associated with the PlayStation 3 - not to mention the unwritten rule of caution dealing with anonymous sources - almost makes the possibility of a souped-up PSP launch nary a step above speculation.

Source: Total Video Games

Head of the Mother series of quirky RPGs, Shigesato Itoi, has updated his Mother 3 website with a handful of new features, including screenshots of various scenes throughout the anticipated GBA game.

Judging from the screens, it appears as though the isometric view present in Mother 2 (EarthBound) has been replaced with the more standard overhead, fixed perspective used within most 2D role-playing video games. The three scenes also point out a small but satisfying amount of characters and locales, such as a blond-haired boy and his dog at a town park and museum, and a cowboy standing near a forest in the rain. At the moment it could be speculated that the game may contain some sort of day/night cycle and possibly changes in weather.

As for the additional updates to the site, there are a total of sixteen "gifts" displayed on the main page - each leading to new media. A different box opens on a particular day - about every week or so - up until the Japanese release of Mother 3, in a way similar to an Advent calendar.

There's still been no official talk of a North American or European release.

Screenshots

Just yesterday Square-Enix unleashed their new Promotion Video Podcast website. The purpose of the site is to provide promotional trailers of the developer's many upcoming games for download and viewing on iPods or similar devices free of charge. At the moment the only available trailer is that of Front Mission 5: Scars of War, a title currently unreleased in North America, but the plan is to update the site on a regular basis, adding more and more trailers throughout each month.

The fact that the website is mostly in Japanese should prove not to be an impediment, but it is unknown at this time if an English version or a multiple language option will eventually be introduced.

Source: GameSpot