Some new screenshots from Conflict: Denied Ops, an upcoming paramilitary-themed co-op FPS from Pivotal Games.

This handy list on the Steam forums features colleges and universities whose networks allow/disallow the broadband delivery service from Valve. It also lists further details, such as where it works or not.

Some details on the Collector’s Edition of Assassin’s Creed has risen. It will feature a Penny Arcade comic based on the game, a mini-strategy guide, a bonus disc and a 12 inch figure of Altair, the game’s main character. The figure and the box has been pictured to the right.

As expected, the bonus disc will feature behind-the-scenes videos, among other things. The limite edition will retail for $10 more than the standard edition.

Some new screenshots from Escape from Paradise City.

Hoping to redeem itself for doing so much evil to the gaming masses, EA has collaborated with BP to include climate change education within SimCity Societies, the upcoming entry in the city-building franchise. The collaboration attempts highlight the impact of electricity generation on the emissions of carbon dioxide that are linked to climate change within the game. Here’s the deal:

The game does not force players to power their cities any specific way, but allows them to make choices, each of which come with advantages and disadvantages. Similar to real-life, the least expensive and most readily-available buildings in SimCity Societies are also the biggest producers of carbon dioxide, an invisible gas that contributes to global warming. Should players choose to build cities dependent on these types of sources for power to conserve their in-game money, their carbon ratings will rise and, at reaching critical levels, the game will issue alerts about the threat of the various natural disasters like droughts, heat waves and others that may strike their cities.

Alternatively, players can strive to create a greener environment and avoid hazards caused by excessive carbon emissions by choosing from a variety of BP Alternative Energy low-carbon power options. Using hydrogen and natural gas plants to wind farms and solar power, SimCity Societies encourages people to learn about some of the causes and consequences of global warming in an engaging, educational and meaningful way. While these power sources maintain nearby property values and keep the cities’ citizens safer from disaster, they also mimic real-life in that they cost players more of their funds, and do not produce as much power as less green options that take up similar space. Informative real-world snippets about power production and conservation will also be available in-game, informing players of global warming issues both virtually and in reality.

The game will be out on November 15. To demonstrate the importance of the collaboration, some screenshots were released to show off the gas emission.

Bethesda announced that the final piece of downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will be released today, and will be free to download for all players for one week. Dubbed Fighter’s Guild, the DLC will let players own the Battlehorn Castle (pictured), replete with dining hall, training room and a private shrine.

The company also mentioned that while the PS3 won’t receive this piece of downloadable content, it did note that some content is coming to the console, though the medium was not defined. More news is expected soon.

Reuters reports from Japan that Nintendo will release Wii Fit in the region this December. The board that comes with the game can be used for exercising, sports and games including virtual snowboarding, ski-jumping and aerobics. It will retail for 8800 yen (approximately $75 US) in the country when it launches on December 1.

Nintendo would not provide a release date for other countries.

On the official Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising website is word that the MMORPG set in the Roman Empire is on “indefinite hold” and that the development team is moving on to work on Star Trek Online. Scoop:

Loyal and faithful community members and Beta testers, thank you for your support, help, and understanding during the Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising development process.

The development team established some very lofty and ambitious goals when the initial work was started on Gods & Heroes. Recently, we took a step back to evaluate the competitive landscape, the game’s current state, and the overall goals for our organization. And while we are truly proud of and pleased with what we have created in Gods & Heroes, we also realize that achieving the level of quality and polish that we are committed to will take a significant investment.

The Perpetual team is faced with a unique challenge of simultaneously developing both Gods & Heroes and Star Trek Online in addition to growing our Online Game Platform business. After assessing all of Perpetual’s opportunities, we have made the decision to put the development of Gods & Heroes on indefinite hold.

I want to express my overwhelming gratitude to the community, engineers, designers, artists, animators, and the game services team for the support and effort that has gone into Gods & Heroes.

Moving forward, we’re shifting our collective focus, resources and development efforts to Perpetual’s Platform Services division and Star Trek Online, thereby ensuring that the game lives up to the high level of expectation set by the dedicated Star Trek fan base.

Again, I would personally like to thank all of the Gods & Heroes supporters who have been with us from the beginning. Hopefully, your continued support will be as valuable to our future endeavors as it was with Gods & Heroes..

The official Space Siege website is now online, offering the usual assortment of info, screenshots, video, forums and more from the upcoming RTS project from Gas Powered Games.

For those of you who like to browse the Internet on your Wii, an update to the Internet Channel has been rolled out, adding support for USB keyboards as well as a send-to-friend feature. The new version can be downloaded for 500 Wii points.

Atari has entered an agreement with Gamecock to co-publish Legendary: The Box, an upcoming first-person shooter, in PAL territories. The game is in development for release during Summer 2008 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

In development at Spark Unlimited, the game tells the story of a thief who is duped into stealing the mythical Pandora’s Box. Upon opening it, hordes of creatures storm the real world and it is up to the player to send them back to where they came from.

Some new screenshots were released to celebrate the announcement.

Wideload Shorts sends word that it will release Cyclomite, an online browser-based game to support its launch of InstantAction, an online gaming site. To be released early next year, the game will have players pilot the titular vehicle through relentless meteor storms. There will be two multiplayer modes, hundreds of co-operative multiplayer levels, and a competitive versus multiplayer mode.

“For InstantAction to succeed, we need to have the top Indie developers participating. So we are stoked to have Wideload bring us an original title,” said Josh Williams, CEO of Garagegames.com. “We haven’t stopped there. We expect other top developers to announce their support Instant Action in the coming months.”

InstantAction.com is the first web-based game network that will provide original action games through standard web browsers. The site will go live during January 2008.

To bring out more ambidextrous gamers, Majesco has announced Left Brain Right Brain for the DS. This game features puzzles and mini-games that will have players honing their mental skills while improving the dexterity of both hands. It will feature multiplayer support, four single-player modes, 15 different mini-games and more. Look forward to it this Holiday season.

Fans of the Sega mascot rejoice - Sonic will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl! It was confirmed by both Nintendo and Sega that the blue hedgehog will be duking it out with other iconic Nintendo characters.

“It’s amazing that after all these years we get to see these two much loved characters compete against each other in another fantastic title,” said Mike Hayes, President and COO of Sega Europe. “Bringing Mario and Sonic together again underlines the continuing partnerships between Nintendo and SEGA, and produces another industry first for our two companies.”

The game is out early next year on Wii.

Sega announced that a unique series of “Dream Events” will be available in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which will be both single and multiplayer-based. The Dream Events are colorful game-like universes that include objects and power-ups that can empower the player, or bring the opponent down. There will be four of them:

• Dream Race (Sandhill Race Course) - Get on your marks for this intense power-up filled race course, made for either one player, or as many as four.

• Dream Platform (Tropical Reef Diving Area - 10,000M Diving) - More like skydiving, soar through hoops and perform aerial tricks while avoiding obstacles and opponents to reach the finish line first.

• Dream Fencing (Duel Wharf Fencing Beach) - With unique special attacks for each character, this jungle-inspired world offers the ultimate duel.

• Dream Table Tennis (Speed Rally Table Tennis Stadium) - A sci-fi wonderland, this magical table tennis extravaganza offers a special ability for each character - so move fast!