I don’t know about the rest of you, but the announcement that LucasArts was reviving some of their back catalog got me excited. After all, who didn’t love games like Star Wars Republic Commando and Battlefront II? In addition, there’s Tales of Monkey Island as a brand new title from Telltale Games.

If reading Eva’s impressions of Monkey Island got your interest up, I’ve got some good news for you.

FileFront now has the playable demo of Guybrush Threepwood’s triumphant return for you to download and try out. Simply click this link to head over and download the demo from FileFront’s fast, free servers.

I fully expect you all to come back here and tell us what you think of the demo. After all, that’s why we have the comments section.

Remember the good old days, when you’d sit around playing SimCity? You’d build a massive, bustling city, and then you’d unleash a massive disaster, just for the joy of watching the mayhem.

Just imagine if you could get that same thrill now, but do it online with your friends. Well, now you can. FileFront has 500 beta keys to give away for CitiesXL, a new online city-building game from Monte Cristo.

CitiesXL lets you build a city, power up its economy, trade with your friends’ cities, and connect your cities into a sprawling metropolis. Slated for release December 31, 2009, CitiesXL will take place in a persistent online world that puts players in charge of their citizens’ happiness.

If you think this might be right up your alley, you can now grab your beta key by visiting the download page on FileFront. Be sure to make note of your beta key (it’ll be displayed in red at the top of the download page) before you start your download.

There are only 500 keys available, so make sure you get yours early so you don’t miss out.

Fans of free games and real-time strategy might have extra cause to celebrate this holiday season.

Silverlode Interactive, the publisher of the online persistent MMORTS SAGA, along with Filefront are offering a limited number of fully unlocked and registered copies of the game for download starting November 21st through Christmas while supplies last.

SAGA is a fantasy based, free to play game featuring six factions vying for control of a medieval fantasy world. Players build their empires from a small village to a world spanning empire using unique strategic units and advancing them through battles for land and resources. Players purchase additional units using the game’s “booster pack” system and gain special figures through a very card or miniature-like rarity system.

The Filefront promotion includes not just a full version of the basic game but also a number of special rare units exclusively included through this promotion. The elite units consist of one army element from each of the games diverse army types for players to play and integrate into their SAGA experience.

“We’re going to try giving new players a lot more than we ever have before to start out with, a full army with some of our more powerful units.” says SAGA CEO Jason Faller. “We want players to have the best experience possible, and it doesn’t get much better than this.”

SAGA is a free to play MMO. Players do not pay a monthly fee and need never purchase any additional units to enjoy the tactical gameplay experience. New units however enhance armies and add new options to battles. The game also features a robust player-driven army exchange economy for those who decide to build their forces to better support their own game style and are not content to make do with the random packs.

Simply follow the download link below to get the client. To play you will need to activate your assigned game key (found in red at the top of the Filefront download page) at SAGA’s website and establish your account.

You can find more information about the game at www.playsaga.com and in Gaming Today’s previous coverage of the title:

Saga Undead Booster Pack Now Available for Pre-Sale

File-N-Forget Podcast Episode 23: Massive Strategy

Looking to play an innovative game that blends MMO elements with RTS gameplay? Well, Filefront’s got you covered. We’ve teamed up with the 1UP network and publisher Silverlode to bring you 50,000 copies of the critically acclaimed “MMORTS,” Saga. The game will have players amassing huge armies to fulfill their goals in a world created by the lead programmer for Starcraft: Brood War, Dallan Christensen. You’ll be able to build up an army of human, orcs, elves, dragons, giant mechs, and much more by acquiring booster packs of units. Units and resources can be bought and traded much like items in a traditional MMORPG, and the game’s persistent world will continue to evolve and expand even while you’re offline. Plus, as icing on the “awesome cake,” Saga is completely free to play.

Want your free copy of Saga? Well, then just click on the link below to download the game client. The client will come with a serial key, which you’ll need to use to create an account at the official Saga website. Be sure to check out the file’s description for instructions on creating your own account. You’ll have between now and May 11th to secure your copy of the game, unless we run out before then. We’re seriously giving away $1 million dollars worth of stuff here, people, so be sure not to miss out.

[Update: Some people seem to be having trouble locating their serial key. After following the link below and clicking "Download Now," the red text near the top of the page will change to display your own personal key so you can register your free copy. Happy gaming!]

Stephany reported yesterday Mario was going to be in New York City to promote the upcoming release of Mario Kart Wii by offering passing New Yorkers a free cab ride to anywhere in NYC. I decided to head out myself and see what all of the hubbub was about!

I arrived at the hotel 10 minutes before Mario was expected to come out. As I was standing there, I noticed there were 3 or 4 other people obviously waiting for Mario to come out as well. I can pretty much tell who’s a fellow video game journalist. It’s a 6th sense I have.

Mario_Gives_Free_Cab_Ride1.mov

At noon, Mario finally emerged with his handler and personal security.

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He posed for the cameras at first, but then it was time to get down to business.

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Here’s Mario giving away the first cab ride. I felt like I needed to comment on Mario’s excellent cab calling ability. But not every cab ride was as smooth as this one.

Mario_Gives_Free_Cab_Ride5.mov

All in all, the event was a simple one that I felt not many New Yorkers took advantage of only because I believe they live by the motto “Nothing in life is free”. There were some times during the event I saw a couple of people get in cabs on their own without even approaching Mario to get a free ride.

If you’d like to see all of the videos I took and pictures from the event, feel free to hit either of the links below.

Mario Gives Free Cab Ride 1
Mario Gives Free Cab Ride 2
Mario Gives Free Cab Ride 3
Mario Gives Free Cab Ride 4
Mario Gives Free Cab Ride 5

Pictures

Rohan:Blood Feud is a free-to-play MMORPG known to the Asian market as Rohan: Age of Unity that is now coming to the western market and is being revamped specifically for said market. This online world, set on the continent of Rohan, is full of quests to embark upon, from the simple and normal MMO fodder to the more detailed spectrum of quests. Friends and enemies will be made and lost, battles will be fought, and unique game features will help to keep players immersed within the world.

YNK Interactive has made the beta available through FileFront and to get in on it, all you have to do is click on the badge at the end of this post. You can also get more information on Rohan: Blood Feud by visiting the official site. If you decide to try out the beta, drop us a line in the comment section and let us know what you think of it so far.

Features:

• REVENGE: Players who have been slain in-game by another player will have the opportunity to record them on their “Hit List” for future reference. Once resurrected, they will be able to teleport to their killers for a chance at revenge.
• ASSASSIN CLASS: Assassin class – Dhans, one of six races in the game, are a unique and special breed. They can choose to become anonymous killers who prey on other players for experience. To others, they look just like another monster. They cannot party with others or join quests, nor can they be identified by their victims for revenge. Dhans are renegade assassins that generally operate alone, and will kill at every opportunity.
• TOWNSHIP BATTLES: In-game guilds will have the opportunity to rule each town within Rohan. Furthermore, other guilds may wage civil war with the ruling guild, with the chance to gain control of their own. In addition to treasure & riches, the right to tax all commercial exchanges within the town for one week goes to the winner.
• BUY & SELL SAFELY: There will be several ways in which players can buy, sell, and trade goods within the game, including a website specially designed for player-to-player transactions.

As gamers, our hobby can sometimes get expensive, so it’s nice when we can partake in our favorite past time for the low, low price of nothing. Right now, the open beta is up and running for Grand Chase, and Filefront has the exclusive client. The game is a free-to-play adventure title where you can battle through a medieval setting with an anime-style avatar. The character development seems a lot like a modern MMO, but the action itself is more reminiscent of an old school arcade game. If you want to check out the beta for yourself, you can download the full client by clicking the link below.

The first user-created content for Unreal Tournament 3 has been released for the PS3 and we have the file exclusively ready for you to download now! The first user-created content is a map called “DM-Shrine” created by Thomas Browett aka Setheran. This amazing creator is a 23 year old graphic designer from Nottingham, England and has been an Unreal player since the beginning.

DM-Shrine is a small map designed for close-quarters combat for 2-6 players. Most UT3 maps tend to be designed for larger player counts, so this is an exciting addition to the game. We’re loving this map at Gaming Today and assume that any UT3 player will love it as well. We look forward to more exciting user-created content in the future.

Click on the download badge above to get this new map! We’d like to thank Epic Games for sending the file our way and Thomas Browett for creating something we can all enjoy.

Here is how to install UT3 mods on your PlayStation 3.

1. Unzip the file to the root directory of any memory card that is readable by your PlayStation 3. It is already in the proper directory structure but, just in case, the path and filename need to be: ps3\savedata\blus30086-modimport\userdata.jam

2. Boot up Unreal Tournament 3 on your PS3

3. Go to the “Community” menu

4. Choose “My Content”

5. Press the [SQUARE] button to “Import Mod”

6. Follow the directions on the screen to import it from your memory card.

Once imported you’ll be able to see the map in your list of Deathmatch maps. You’ll be able to host the map and join servers that are hosting the map. All UT3 mods install this same way. If this were a mutator it would show up in the mutator list. If it were a gametype it would show up in gametype lists, etc.

The holiday season is approaching, and it’s the time of year when some people look outside, see dismal weather, and just get depressed. If that’s you, then Telltale Games has the perfect cure for you: an all episode of Sam & Max! That’s right, the dynamic duo of a dog and a rabbit are returning to lift your winter spirits high. In this trailer, which can only be seen on the 1UP Network today, you’ll get a sneak peek at the upcoming Episode 202 of the acclaimed title.

Episode 202 of Season 2 is titled Moai Better Blues ( you heard it here first!), and takes Sam & Max off to the tropics for a bit of R&R, spring break style. You’ll get to explore a tropical island, fraternize with the natives, and try to figure out why there’s a naked rabbit in so many scenes. Scheduled for a GameTap exclusive release on Jan. 10, 2008 with a worldwide release on Jan. 11, Moai Better Blues looks to be a surefire hit for fans of the Sam & Max series. Check out the trailer, and get your island clothes ready for winter vacation!

If you haven’t heard of Angels Online, it’s a brand new MMO from IGG. Players can join one of four factions as they battle monsters from small to enormous. With over 40 class skills and hundreds of spells, players can customize their character, and receive special titles depending on their character’s specializations.

FileFront has 2,000 closed beta keys to give away to folks who download the client from us. Simply download the client, and if you’re one of the first 2,000 downloaders, your key will be attached. Directions for activating your account, and a brief overview of the game’s story can be found after the break.

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