Today in gaming: Nov 25

Here's a roundup of today's news found elsewhere on the internet:

Aion expansion teased in video? (eurogamer) - NCsoft has released a mysterious video for Aion showcasing its future plans for the MMO. The new features and graphical improvements strongly suggest plans for game updates or, more likely, the game's first expansion pack.

The only official comment on the video is an oblique message from NCsoft on the YouTube posting. "The future of Aion - revealed!" the message says. "Your dreams and your imagination becomes [sic] reality. With innovation Aion will make your imagination reality. Aion's future will be your dreams made real."

Zombies are the new Nazis, says Strain (eurogamer) - Guild Wars creator and Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain has told Eurogamer that zombies are to videogames what Nazis, communists and terrorists once were: "a guilt-free meat-puppet" to blow chunks out of with wild abandon.

"The reason zombies are so powerful and transcend fantasy is because right now they are the modern, societal guilt-free meat-puppet," said Strain in an interview.

"We've been through the Nazi phase, we've been through the communist phase, we've been through the terrorist phase. Those were all at various times in history fair game in the gaming culture. Right now zombies are fulfilling that need for us.

"That no-rules, no-guilt mentality is something that people really resonate with," he added.

World of Warcraft target of latest suit from PSN plantiff (GameSpot) -

[On Monday, we relayed the story of Erik Estavillo, a gamer who has brought (ridiculous) lawsuits against Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. You can read about it here. – GP]

With the big three platform holders accounted for, the same plaintiff is now turning his attention to largest third-party publisher. The gamer, Erik Estavillo, provided GameSpot with copies of his latest civil suit, a case against Activision Blizzard filed this morning in the Santa Clara County Superior Court of California. A court clerk confirmed for GameSpot that the suit had been filed.

The suit comprises a handful of complaints against Activision Blizzard, specifically relating to the company's successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. Specifically, the gamer accuses the publisher of maintaining a "harmful virtual environment" with "sneaky and deceitful practices."

He first takes exception to the game's $14.99 monthly subscription fee, calling it the highest of any MMORPG. He contends the fee is aggravated by the game requiring players to travel great distances at a slow walking or running pace, with fast travel options like teleportation stones and mounts only available to gamers who rise to an advanced level or purchase the game's expansion packs.

- Gameplanet.co.nz