Rodder and I will be retiring from Squad XP and along with us so will the brand that Squad XP has built over the past 5 years. It was fun to do the show and even up to today I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. But I feel, just like any good series on TV or radio sometimes it just has to move along. I don’t know what I’ll be doing next. Maybe something with video or I’ll just start other projects in my personal life.

If you would like to follow our future projects as well as our day to day lives, our twitter account are available below.

Twitter.com/krockxp
Twitter.com/rodderxp

The site will no longer be updated and our forums will be removed from the Platform Nation list. You can still expect to find Rodder and myself around Platform Nation from time to time.

I want to thank each of you that aided me in my success and I will be forever grateful that you gave us the chance to entertain you each week for the past 5 years.

If you would like to mail your thoughts/reflections or any physical materials, the information for that is as follows.

Mailing Info:

Squad XP LLC
16154 sw 44th LN
Miami, FL 33185

or Via Email ==> krockxp@squadxp.com & rodderxp@squadxp.com

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Our last community event will be the “ Xbox Live Squad XP: Community Playdate”

Info can be obtained here or below.
Squad XP will be online Sunday, June 28 from 8:00 – 11:00 P.M. ET (5:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. PT) playing Left 4 Dead. If you’re a Gold Member (if not, upgrade now!), look out for these Gamertags:

• K Rock XP
• RODDER XP
• method in chaos
• DirtyStreetz XP
• jj75 XP

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Best Wishes,

Kelly Rock Gomes // Editor in Chief // GT: K Rock XP // SquadXP.com

November 25, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced plans to make both its editor and downloadable content available for its award-winning game, Fallout® 3 in the coming weeks. The official editor for Fallout 3, called the G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit), will be available for free download in December and will allow Games for Windows® users to create and add their own content to the game. In addition, the first official downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, will be available exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in January, and more downloadable content coming in February and March.

“We’ve always seen the original world of Fallout 3 as a foundation for even more content. Some created by us, and a lot more created by users,” said Todd Howard, game director for Fallout 3. “It’s fun to create your own character, but it can be equally fun to create your own adventures. We can’t wait to see what the community does with the G.E.C.K.”

The release of the G.E.C.K. provides the community with tools that will allow players to expand the game any way they wish. Users can create, modify, and edit any data for use with Fallout 3, from building landscapes, towns, and locations to writing dialogue, creating characters, weapons, creatures, and more.

Three downloadable content packs will be coming to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live starting in January that will add new quests, items, and content to Fallout 3.

* Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.
* The Pitt. Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.
* Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Released on October 28 in North America and in Europe October 30, Fallout 3 has been hailed as one of the most anticipated games of 2008, and received a 10 out of 10 review score from Official Xbox Magazine, a result then repeated around the world with perfect scores by some of the industry’s most influential and respected critics including: Gamespy, GamePro, UGO, the Associated Press, MSN, The Washington Post, Guardian, FHM, G4-TV, The Toronto Star, and Eurogamer. MSNBC’s review offered the observation that it viewed “Fallout as a no-brainer for game of the year.” The Daily Star in the UK echoed that conclusion, saying “You can hold all bets on game of the year – I think we have a winner.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Fallout® 3 has been rated Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com and www.prepareforthefuture.com.

Videogame fans can compete in the “Gears of War 2” Wingman Challenge, sponsored by Xbox 360 and GamePro Magazine. Wingman is one of the many multiplayer modes new to “Gears of War 2,” and involves up to five two-player teams competing in point-based battles. The top players from each college will later compete online for the grand prize: a trip to Epic Games to meet the creators of the “Gears of War” franchise and a Best Buy prize package.

Attendees can also play the latest blockbuster titles on Xbox 360, including “Madden NFL 09™,” “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09,” “NHL 09,” “NCAA Football 09,” “Far Cry 2,” “Saints Row 2,” “Facebreakers,” “Rock Band 2,” and last year’s #1 selling game, “Halo 3.”

The BEST BUY G3 Tour launches on Monday, September 29 and will visit campuses nationwide such as the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Oklahoma State University, Arizona State, UC Berkeley and more. The event is FREE to the public and the full tour schedule is listed at www.gameulive.com.

For the latest on “Gears of War 2” on the road to its worldwide launch on November 7th, visit www.gearsofwar.com.

Today KOEI announced that the company is preparing a patch for Warriors Orochi™2 for Xbox 360®.

KOEI’s top priority is to always deliver outstanding products with the highest levels of quality. However we have determined that under certain conditions unusual slow-down may occur during battle scenes in Warriors Orochi 2 for Xbox 360. If you have purchased this game, you will be able to download a patch through Xbox LIVE.

The release date of the patch will be announced soon. For the latest information, please visit KOEI.com or the official Warriors Orochi 2 minisite at www.koei.com/wo2.

This problem only affects the version for Xbox 360 and does not affect the version for PlayStation®2.

We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter, and regret any inconvenience that this may have caused. Thank you for purchasing KOEI products.

KOEI’s highly-anticipated sequel to its DYNASTY WARRIORS® and SAMURAI WARRIORS® crossover hits video game store shelves this week

KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, announced today that WARRIORS OROCHI™2 is available now for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.

About WARRIORS OROCHI 2
Shattering time and space, the venomous Serpent King Orochi kidnapped the DYNASTY WARRIORS® and SAMURAI WARRIORS® in scheme to test his might. The heroes eventually defeated Orochi, but a mysterious alliance is hatching an otherworldly plan so that the Serpent King may rise again. Now a new group of warriors must join forces with history’s finest in battle to stop this evil resurrection.

WARRIORS OROCHI 2 takes place after the events of the original game. The game’s main “Story” mode features storylines for the kingdoms of Wu, Wei, and Shu, and the SAMURAI WARRIORS, while a new Orochi storyline looks back to the first series of wars to expose some of the Serpent King’s secrets. The game’s newly added “Dream” mode features an original storyline different from that of Story Mode.

A new two-player “Versus” mode comes action-packed with four different games including “Tag Team” matches that pit individual fighters in lethal head-to-head combat.

The popular “Team Battle System” which lets players create their own three-person fighting unit returns for this sequel. At any given time, one warrior will be engaged in battle, while the other two are recuperating; restoring their Life and Musou Gauges.

WARRIORS OROCHI 2 features an overwhelming lineup of over 90 playable characters from both franchises including SAMURAI WARRIORS®2 XTREME LEGENDS®, plus new characters from Chinese and Japanese history.

Developed by Omega Force, WARRIORS OROCHI 2 is for 1-2 players (Versus play).This game is rated “T” (Teen – Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence) by the ESRB. Press can find assets at gamespress.com.

PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, today announced that its PopCap® Chicago Studio has launched Wizard’s Pen™, an all-new “hidden object/puzzle” game for the PC. Wizard’s Pen is a unique departure from traditional hidden object (aka “seek and solve” or “seek and find”) games, challenging players to identify an object through fragments or “layers” of a picture that are revealed in various ways using a magic pen – in effect, unveiling hidden items rather than spotting them in existing scenes. Wizard’s Pen carries a retail price of US$19.99, and a free trial of the PC game is available now for download at www.spintop-games.com. The game will also be available on other leading game portals, including PopCap.com, RealArcade.com, MSN Games and Yahoo! Games, and will be available worldwide in eight languages, later this month.

“We’re big fans of the hidden object category of casual games, and wanted to see if we could innovate on the traditional mechanic by giving the player total control over the ‘reveal’ of each object,” explained Mike Boeh, lead designer of Wizard’s Pen and general manager of the PopCap Chicago Studio. “So Wizard’s Pen features classic hidden object scenes along with hundreds of individual objects that must be identified while slowly being exposed click-by-click. ‘Seeing the invisible’ is the ultimate goal.”

In Wizard’s Pen, you play the apprentice to a crafty conjurer who has mysteriously vanished and your only hope for finding him is through his trusty workbook. But all the pages are blank, and you must use the wizard’s magical pen to uncover their hidden images piece by piece as you try to guess what’s in each picture. There are over 400 pages of secret items to discover, along with 16 missing object mini-challenges, seven unlockable mini-games, magic potions to augment your powers of perception, and the wizard’s secret sketchbooks to unlock!

Key features of Wizard’s Pen include:
· Over 400 items to reveal and guess
· “Missing Object” pen-powered puzzles in 16 mini challenges
· 7 Unlockable mini-games like “Mosaic” to test your skills
· 10 Magic Potions with various perception-pumping powers
· Unlockable Secret Sketchbooks for even more wizardly fun
· Lushly rendered scenes of strategic sorcery-solving throughout
· Mystical music and auguring audio effects

Dark Horizon calls upon heroes from every corner of the universe to determine the fate of a galaxy plagued by the all-consuming, dark force called the Mirk. By assuming the role of a valiant warrior of the Guardian race and defending the Vatar’Amdan orbital fortress against the Mirk’s great De’Khete invaders, players can save billions of lives and take part in an epic fight for survival.

Dark Horizon is available for purchase in stores and for digital download at GamersGate, the leading digital distribution platform creating easily accessible gaming experiences for gamers worldwide. For more information, visit www.paradoxplaza.com/DarkHorizon.

The votes are in! The organizers of The PAX 10 today announced Twisted Pixel’s The Maw as winner of the 2008 Audience Choice award. The PAX 10, a showcase of ten independently developed games, were selected by a panel of 50 industry experts out of over 80 submissions as the best in terms of gameplay and “fun factor.” The PAX 10 winners displayed their games at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), allowing attendees the opportunity to view each of the titles and cast their secret ballots, earning The Maw top honors for the inaugural year of the showcase event.

“The PAX 10 winners were great to work with and were as busy as any other booth on the Expo Hall floor,” said Penny Arcade’s Robert Khoo. “We’re happy that we could support these amazingly talented developers and want to thank everyone who voted for their participation.”

“The intense sense of purpose and camaraderie amongst The PAX 10 was astonishing,” commented Michael Wilford of Twisted Pixel. “We feel extremely lucky to have been chosen from such an august group and grateful to have been a part of the PAX experience.”

The Maw is a 3D action-adventure game in which players take control of Frank, a simple alien that must partner up with The Maw, a cute little blob with an insatiable hunger. Players will need to harness The Maw’s unstoppable growth and incredible powers in order to help Frank find his way home. The game is expected to debut on Xbox LIVE® Arcade in early Q1 2009 and has been rated “E10+” for Everyone 10 and older by the Entertainment Software Rating Board for this platform.

The complete list of 2008′s The PAX 10 (in alphabetical order):

- The Amazing Brain Train by Grubby Games (puzzle/strategy)

- Audio Surf by Dylan Fitterer (rhythm/action)

- Chronotron by Scarybug Games (puzzle/platformer)

- Impulse by a team of Rochester Institute of Technology students (puzzle)

- The Maw by Twisted Pixel Games (action/adventure)

- Polarity by a team of Carnegie Mellon University students (platformer/puzzle)

- Project Aftermath by Games Faction (tactical/action)

- Schizoid by Torpex Games (action/strategy)

- Strange Attractors 2 by Ominous Development (puzzle/strategy)

- Sushi Bar Samurai by Molly Rocket (exploratory puzzle)

Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and Microsoft proudly present the Grand Theft Auto IV LIVE Weekend exclusively on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network beginning Friday, September 26 through Sunday, September 28 in the United States and Canada. This special weekend will be open to Xbox LIVE Gold members of the Xbox LIVE community.

Gamers who register for Play & Win will automatically be entered into a drawing to win exclusive prize packages just for playing with friends on Xbox LIVE. Prize packages for Play & Win include select Rockstar gear and an entry into the Grand Prize Package drawing. The Grand Prize Package includes, but is not limited to, an Xbox 360® Elite console, a 12-month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription card, as well as 4,000 Microsoft Points!

Register for the sweepstakes online at www.xbox.com/CauseChaos before the close of the entry period on September 28, 2008, at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT or register via Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 by downloading the free Grand Theft Auto IV LIVE Weekend Gamer Picture before the close of the entry period.

Players can test their skills by jumping into multiplayer matchmaking to go toe-to-toe with the actual Grand Theft Auto IV development team. Members of the team will be online between 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 26 to play with fans.

In addition to the Microsoft contest, during this special event gamers can win exclusive prizes in Rockstar Games’ Social Club contest.

Rockstar Games’ Social Club online portal allows you to track your progress in Grand Theft Auto IV and see how you’re doing compared to your friends. New and current members in the United States and Canada who log into their Social Club accounts between Friday September 19 and September 28 may be eligible to win a grand prize package of a home entertainment system worth over $6,000 or a runner up prize package of an exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV branded Xbox 360 and a host of Grand Theft Auto IV merchandise. For full details, eligibility, and official rules visit www.rockstargames.com/socialclub/events.

More details on the Grand Theft Auto IV LIVE Weekend and information regarding terms, conditions, and official rules are available at www.xbox.com.

In anticipation of the upcoming Nintendo DS™ game Ninjatown, SouthPeak Games announced today that the “Wee Ninjatron” online avatar creator has gone live! The Wee Ninjatron will allow users to make their own customized ninja from the world of Ninjatown, complete with individual backstory. These one-of-a-kind, adorable stealth masters can be placed with ease on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo, as well as personal websites and blogs.

It’s simple – take the classic black Wee Ninja from Ninjatown, choose from different body styles, colors, moods, facial hair, clothing, accessories, and background, then enter various bits of info to create a “legend”. In less time than it takes to bake a batch of Ninja Star cookies, you now have an adorable yet badass ninja to share.

Go to http://create.ninjatown.com now to get busy with the Wee Ninjatron!

Ninjatown the game, fresh from winning various awards at E3, hits shelves on October 28. Preorders are now available at Gamestop.com as well as a sweepstakes to win a one-of-a-kind hand-painted Nintendo DS™ from Ninjatown creator Shawn Smith.

For more information on Ninjatown visit www.ninjatown.com or www.southpeakgames.com.