In case your appetite for voice-controlled strategizing hasn't been whetted enough by the bountiful beta leaks, an Ubisoft Forum Manager has announced that you can get "access to the exclusive Stress Test" (i.e. early playtime) for Tom Clancy's End War by pre-ordering the game at participating retailers. More details are said to be forthcoming; a stress test registration page has been unearthed on the End War website that lists July 8 as the opening day.

[Via Damngamer]

Pokémaniacs will soon have the opportunity to find out who among them is best at the cultivation and production of pocket monsters for battle, and dare we say, delicious cuisine. This summer both Pokémon USA and Japan's The Pokémon Company will host the Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008, which promises to pit the regions' best poké-trainers against each other in a multi-round tournament to discover once and for all who has the best poké-chops.

On August 16, 32 Pokémon aficionados from the US will make the trek to Orlando, FL to throw down against 32 of Japan's best poké-players, using the series' latest flavors, Diamond and Pearl. The contest will be divided into two different age brackets, with those trainers born on or before 1995 making up the "senior" set. And there's more than just poké-pride at stake, as the top finisher in each group will walk away with a Nintendo Wii package and a shot at a grand prize that includes a 6-day vacation for four to either NY, Honolulu, or Tokyo. However, we should tell you that interested players must first survive a qualifier round, and that registration has already closed. Even so, organizers note that additional players may be randomly selected from those in attendance at the events, so if you fancy yourself a poké-maestro, check out the dates below before you book fare on Air Pokémon.

Hey, you got real-time strategy in our first-person shooter! That's the mantra we could be chanting this fall when SouthPeak and Evolved Games partner to release Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger, a new RTS/FPS hybrid, for the Xbox 360 and PC.

Developed by Budapest, Hungary outfit, Atomic Motion, the game will allow players to swap between both real-time strategy and first-person shooter gameplay as they take control of two mercenary squads fighting their way out of the Amazon, the first shots of which can be seen below. However, as interesting as the mash-up sounds, there is an old saying about doing one thing, and doing it well, and we can't help but feel that Raven Squad will be a jack of all trades (well, at least two), and a master of none.

Earlier this week, Blizzard released a patch for Warcraft 3, known to some of you as "the game before World of Warcraft" and the rest as "the client for playing Defense of the Ancients." Patch 1.22a provides balance changes for the units, fixes some technical issues and includes four new maps. You can update the game by either logging onto Battle.net or by downloading the patches manually (available from BigDownload).

PC (1.22a requires patch 1.21b for installation)

• 1.21b for W3
  
• 1.21b for W3: The Frozen Throne
• 1.22a for W3
• 1.22a for W3:TFT
  

Mac (1.21b not required)

• 1.22a for W3
• 1.22a for W3:TFT
  

Last month, Blizzard also patched Diablo 2. We've placed full patch notes after the break.

[Via BigDownload]

They say that birds of a feather flock together, and that's certainly the case when it comes to niche game stalwarts Atlus and NIS America. The companies, which began holding hands with 2003's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, have continued their close, dare we say intimate relationship, concerning a trio of upcoming titles, including Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PS3.

The pair jointly announced that they will work together to release Disgaea 3 in North America on August 26, followed by both Disgaea DS and PlayStation remake, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, for the Nintendo DS on September 23. In each case Atlus will act as the distributor, no doubt ensuring that the entire ten-copy run of each title makes it safely to store shelves.

Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational is now officially over! In case you missed all of the excitement this weekend (or just want a handy recap), here are the highlights:

	Diablo 3 Yes, it's really official. Here's everything there is to know about the game so far: Blizzard introduces Diablo 3 Watch Diablo 3 teaser and gameplay footage Here are the first Diablo 3 screenshots Highlights from the Diablo 3 FAQ Diablo 3 information overload Joystiq chats with Jay Wilson on Diablo 3 Poll: What classes would you like to see return in Diablo 3? WWI08: Diablo 3 design fundamentals WWI08: Lore and art in Diablo 3
	Starcraft 2 There was only one Starcraft 2 design panel, but boy was it a doozie. Part 1: Zerg Part 2: Protoss Part 3: Terran Part 4: Q&A with Rob Pardo
	World of Warcraft Let's not forget about the MMO behemoth, whose presence comprised about 80% of the WWI. Blizzard's WWI 2008 costume and dance contest All World of Warcraft classes dissected at WWI 2008 WWI08: New WoW arenas, nonlinear dungeons and goodie bags A lot more information can be found at WoW Insider

Amid all the hype for Diablo 3, you may have missed hearing about the StarCraft II developer panel helmed by Blizzard's Rob Pardo at this weekend's Worldwide Invitational in Paris. Joystiq was there to catch all the details on the latest build of the game. See what team Blizzard had to say about the newfound power of the Zerg Queen, the upgraded Protoss Mothership and the reason behind de-emphasizing heroic classes. All this after the jump.

Q&A with Rob Pardo
Q: How will the planet systems be used?
A: The star map in the story campaigns is you mission selector. You will explore the story and have a lot of different paths to follow. You can choose from 2-7 missions depending on where you are in the story. There is a starmap in all three campaigns. but different for each race. For example, in the Terran campaign you will take a lot of mercenary missions for money to pay for technology.

Q: What role will hero and multiclass players play?
A: We are de-emphasizing heroes in Starcraft2. That's what Warcraft 3 is for. There will be some missions where you play named characters like Raynor, but not much. Mostly dialogue and story characters, not much as gameplay chars.

Q: Is the Zerg building infestation ability working on Protoss?
A: Yes.

Q: Will there be an Apple and PV version release at same time?
A: Yes, all of our PC games will also be available on Macs.

Q: Is there a Terran version of Queen/Mothership
A: No. Mothership not as unique as Queen and players can build multiple Motherships.

Q: What role is the roach unit supposed to have?
A: It doesn't have much health, but it does have very high regeneration. Its good to go up against enemy units with low damage output like marines, zealots, etc.

Q: Is the black hole still planned for the Protoss?
A: It used to be on the Mothership, but was taken away when the Mothership became a defense unit in the development of the game. It may come back later in a different way in the development process but no promises.

Q: What lies ahead in the evolution of units?
A: The Terran Thor unit is hard to find a role for. Right now it is much like the sieg tank/battle cruiser. It could get more abilities to differentiate it.

Q: The Merc Haven can't train reavers, just enables you to build them. Why?
A: The Merc Haven has gone through five or six designs, but we never fell in love with one. It needs more tinkering.

Q: What kind of units will come out from Protoss infested buildings?
A: I misspoke earlier. They [the Zerg] cannot infest Protoss buildings, but we're still deciding for sure.

Q: Will the Ghost unit get telekenisis or telepathic abilties like in the books and manga?
A: There is much experimentation right now with the unit and it's centered around the lore. There is a good chance, yes.

Q: Is it possible to play the story line in co-op mode?
A: No. It's been discussed, but it's too difficult to have two players both be the main character.

That's all from Paris. We'll have some hands-on write ups with the new Zerg demo they have set up. Check back soon.

The Terrans and their BFG's
Pardo then moved on to the final Starcraft race, the Terrans. The theme here they wanted to push was guns, guns and more guns. No Queen or Mothership here, just lots of units with lots of firepower.

The first unit Pardo talked about was the Jackal. It's a fast, mobile firebat that spits out fire lots of splash damage. With its speed and mobility it has the potential to take a big chunk out of your opponent's forces.

The next unit was The Thor. It's a large ground assault unit with two abilities. In addition to its anti-air flak cannons, it can self-repair. And if it is destroyed, its wreckage stays on the battlefield and can rebuild itself.

No Hero for you!
Finally, Pardo talked about some larger issues about the game they were working with. They didn't want the game to too heavily emphasize micromanaging units. They want players to have time to deal with the macro issues of resources, expansion and strategy. So they designed most units to be simple movers and shooters, not like the more complex units of Warcraft 3.

They also de-emphasized Hero classes for the same reason. Hero characters will mostly be met in the single player story mode and even then, as characters to talk to instead of taking control of them in battles.

In terms of development, the team is focusing currently on spell casters and special abilities that come later in the game as well as upgrades for base units. The story campaign is about one-third done.

The last point Pardo wanted to make before the panel was open to questions was about the evolution of Battle.net. With the release of SC2, Battle.net will be transformed to become what they hope is the premiere gaming platform for PC online play.

The Protoss are a force to be reckoned with
Pardo moved on to talk a bit about how the Protoss are progressing in the development of the game. Their psionics are the key theme to their race and Blizzard pushed that further, but also pulled back on the emphasis on spellcasting.

First he showed an example of their new force field ability used to control the battlefield. A video showed a swarm of zerglings rushing a Protoss base, but the Protoss force threw up a series of connected force fields that formed a funnel forcing the zergs into a choke point where they were easily destroyed.

While high damage Protoss spells like Psi Storm are returning, Blizzard also wanted to introduce some early game casters. Nullifiers were mentioned. And Stalkers were given a teleport ability that had interesting strategic potential. In another video of game play, force fields were raised forcing an attacking army to go around it. The Stalkers then teleported themselves to the other side of the force fields, behind the attacking army, and took them out from behind.

The return of the Mothership
The Protoss Mothership also makes an appearance. While not as powerful as the Zerg Queen, it has been given powerful support abilities. It is now a mobile battlefield teleporter, able to zap in troops to wherever it is at. It is also heavily armored and has an emergency ability called Time Bomb which renders it immune from damage for a short period of time. Since it isn't as versatile as the Zerg Queen, Protoss players will be able to have more than one Mothership in play at once.

Piracy. It's an dark cloud that prompts many companies to employ draconian measures like DRM or electric shocks (coming soon to a game near you!). One notable exception is Michigan-headquartered Stardock, which refuses to include copy protection in its games, a policy that interestingly hasn't kept its most recent release, Sins of a Solar Empire, from putting up respectable numbers both online and at retail.

As Stardock CEO Brad Wardell explains it, piracy is an issue that "has to be kept in perspective," and in a recent Big Download interview he further played the common sense card, stating that "the people who actually buy games don't want to be inconvenienced or treated like a criminal." Wardell adds that while Sins "definitely" would have sold more had piracy not been an issue, "everyone who buys games knows they could easily have gone out and stolen it if they wanted to." It's a perspective often trumpeted by the gamer community, but it's even more refreshing to have it come from within the industry itself, and gives us one more reason to keep Sins of a Solar Empire sitting on our desktops.

Command & Conquer 3 sure has gotten around. The game's most recent expansion – Kane's Wrath – is not only EA Los Angeles's latest console strategy release following Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II and last year's Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, but it's also being released tomorrow. To celebrate, Bobblehead Kane is touring the world all this week, and we're giving away a copy of the game each day. Here's how you could win:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling us Where in the World Bobblehead Kane is (is that a moon base?)
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec ... and the moon)
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you'll be disqualified)
  
• This entry period ends at 7:00pm ET on Tuesday, June 24th. We'll randomly select a winner at that time (please check your email!)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Many froth-mouthed fans of Blizzard's intergalactic real-time strategy masterpiece Starcraft have anxiously been awaiting word on when the next installment of the series would land in their anticipatory laps. Blizz has been characteristically tight-lipped about the title's launch window, though we were recently informed that an online SKU search for Starcraft II on Best Buy, Circuit City, and Gamestop's web sites reveal the same supposed release date of December 3, 2008. With no confirmation from Blizzard, it's far from official -- though we imagine this won't stop dedicated zerglings from dropping by the office tomorrow, and requesting off the last month of the year.

[Thanks, Chad.]

Introversion devotees know exactly what Multiwinia is and why they should be excited, but many others might not remember the multiplayer update to award-winning strategy title Darwinia, due out this September. Both parties should check out Rock Paper Shotgun's extensive preview of Multiwinia, showing off just how hardcore the adorable little flat sprites can be.

Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest will feature the usual smattering of multiplayer modes, built upon the stellar gameplay and gorgeous aesthetic that made Darwinia an instant Joystiq classic. Gameplay modes will include Darwinian twists on deathmatch, king of the hill, capture the flag, territories, and a few more modes unique to the Darwinia universe. We can't wait to wage tiny, tiny war.