xLAN and WCG News - xLAN

WCG 2010 New Zealand Qualifier Winners!

(Arseynimz)

With the massive gaming that went on all weekend, the WCG New Zealand Qualifiers certainly took centre stage, with some huge match ups on the qualifying events, with particular attention on the revived Starcraft players, and also that of the Guitar Hero face off between Rudeism and massi4h. The results were as follows:

Sponsored Counter-Strike 1.6 Cup
1st parallax
2nd Halcyon
3rd maelstrom

Sponsored Starcraft: Brood War Trophy
1st expe
2nd TerrorBlade
3rd Wytaliba

Sponsored Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne Trophy
1st TerrorBlade
2nd NewZealand
3rd Snoop

Sponsored Trackmania: Nations Forever Trophy
WINNER Yam

Sponsored Forza Motorsport 3 Trophy
1st Paradoxx
2nd zeusNZ
3rd Injustice

Sponsored Guitar Hero 5 Trophy
WINNER Rudeism

Sponsored Tekken 6 Cup
WINNER Belth

The winners for each of these competitions qualified for the World Cyber Games Grand FInals in Los Angeles, USA later this year. Well done to each of them on the effort they put in, and the results they achieved!

xLAN 2010 - WINNERS!

(Arseynimz)

Big congratulations to those who played in all the exhibition tournaments. There was a number of exhibition tournaments played, and these all went well:

Sponsored Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Conquest Cup
1st Team Sidewinder
2nd Team Exile5
3rd Affliction

Sponsored Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Squad Rush Trophy
1st Team Exile5
2nd Team Uprising
3rd Team Sidewinder

Sponsored Call of Duty 4 Cup
1st Archaic eSports
2nd Team Uprising
3rd LeftLean

Sponsored Counter-Strike: Source Cup
1st Watch Me Clutch
2nd Streamline
3rd parallax

Sponsored Team Fortress 2 Trophy
1st ysw
2nd On The Piss
3rd 9 inches

Sponsored Halo 3 Trophy
1st Team Sidewinder
2nd Mmmm Where's Your God Now
3rd Once Were Warriors

Sponsored Super Street Fighter 4
WINNER Kira

These teams and players took the top honours in the respective games, and showcased some awesome gaming. We look forward to seeing them all in action again very soon!

WCG 2010 Stage PC & Monitor

(Arseynimz)

With a few days to go and the WCG PC production line in full swing, we can now add to that mix the Samsung Display which is confirmed to be the P2370H. Not a bad looking couple really:

With the confirmation of the P2370H we see 1080p gaming goodness come to xLAN on a 23 inch Samsung display which has the Samsung gaming standard 2ms response time. These displays have a 45W power usage to show as well as being powerful they are green. Combine these with the WCG Stage PC's which comprise the AMD Six Core 1055T CPU, with 4GB of Ripjaw Memory from G.Skill, MSI's 890 Motherboard, and their Hawk R5770 Graphics Card, and you know you have combination of epic gaming goodness.

The best part is the fact you can take these home after xLAN!! Playtech have the PC, and the display available for purchase now, and pickup directly after xLAN or shipped to you following their safe return to Playtech's warehouse. You can find either the PC purchase or display purchase here on the Playtech site.

The displays are going at the discounted rate of $310, while the PC will be clocking in at $1,449. A further small discount will apply if you buy the two together at $1,749.

Attendee Info - 4 days to go!!!!!

(Arseynimz)

Firstly, thanks for supporting this event, without you guys, we wouldn't be able to get something like this together for New Zealand gaming and the LAN scene. We've got over $15,000 of prizes, and some very supportive sponsors who have provided xLAN & the WCG New Zealand Qualifier some huge support - so make sure you show them your support! And now...... for the main event!!!!!!!

Tournaments
All tournament teams are now locked and final. For those participating in WCG qualifying events, you will need proof of residency to be eligible for these tournaments - this is best in the form of either your passport or birth certificate.

Seating
If you have not yet picked your seat - please go ahead and do so with haste. These will be locking off Tuesday night at midnight, so you need to have a seat picked by then, else you face the wraith of the randomiser.

Where's this thing again!?
xLAN 2010 and the New Zealand World Cyber Games Qualifiers are being held at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, 770 Great South Road, Manukau, Auckland. Entry is at the South end of the building (the end furthest from the Manukau motorway off ramp).

Registration, Entry Times, ID & Consents
You can pre-register on Thursday the 8th from 2pm until 4pm. During this time, you will be given your pass, and have your ID checked. This will allow you to simply walk past the queues on Friday, and come in as you please for the weekend. Your ID needs to be photographic - Driver's Licence, Student ID, Passport, or similar. In the unlikely event you don't have photo ID, please bring something nationally recognisable (e.g. Birth Certificate) and an official letterhead from a bank, or IRD or similar addressed to yourself.

You can register on Friday the 9th from 10am. If you turn up after 4pm on Friday the 9th, it is the likely the registration desk will have moved down the venue to the helpdesk. In this instance, you will need to enter the Events Centre, and travel the right hand corridor until you hit the mass of people - the helpdesk will be marked.

If you are 16 or 17 and attending xLAN 2010, you must provide a consent form. The 2010 consent form can be found here. This is compulsory if you are aged 16 or 17.

Entry to the venue will be from 10am on Friday morning the 9th of July. You will be allowed to come and go as you please with your equipment until midnight Friday and Saturday, after which no equipment will be allowed to leave the Events Centre until 8am the next morning when the doors reopen at the main entrance.

Parking
The South carpark (entry through Gate 3 & 4) is fully paid for by xLAN Limited, and is available for use by all LAN attendees ONLY. Visitors need to park in the North carpark (entry through Gate 1 & 2), which is a pay carpark area. To gain entry to the southern carpark after Friday afternoon, you will need to have your event pass on you which you will receive after registration.

What do I bring?!
The list is endless, but the important things are:

Your PC and/or console (depending on your sign up).
A display, your peripherals (mouse, keyboard etc), and any necessary cables (monitor, power for your PC etc).
A multi socket power board - you have one plug socket available to you at the LAN.
A network cable of at least 10m.
All necessary software including those games that require verification of purchase (i.e. non digitally distributed) for tournament entry.
Any tools you may need as a 'just in case'.
Toiletries and anti-smell funny stuff.
Any bedding, blankets, sleeping bag and pillows if you are planning on sleeping at the LAN.

Playtech will be on site with network cables, and other cables, but they may not carry everything at the time, so be sure to double check your bag just in case!

Basic but Important!
Make sure your you set your PC to Automatically assign and IP address and DNS settings. This accounts for a large amount of 'OMFG, I can't do &*^% all' when people arrive at xLAN.

Stage Matches and PCs
For those who get the chance to go on stage and enjoy the atmosphere and pressure of such a match, there are a few things you will need to know. You will need to take your own peripherals on stage. You are not allowed any other equipment or items on stage, other than a small sipper bottle of liquid - this is to reduce the risk of any stage equipment being damaged by anything other than clumsiness! Yes you can bring a USB key with configs and/or drivers on stage, although these must have been allowed by the tournament admin and be loaded in quick time as all stage matches are on a limited time frame.

For those playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on stage - the game protections are such that we have installed the game as a disc only install. This means you will need to bring your DVD of the game on stage with you to play it. For those who have a Steam based install of the game, we will ensure there are some spare discs available thanks to EA, or at worst ensure there is a Steam install of the game on the machines.

Food, Alcohol, and other such riff raff
The venue cafe will be open, and will also have fried food trucks outside for you to purchase your greasy goodness from. The famous donut dude will be back also, and we have asked if he can stay for as long as possible through the night - he will do so as long as he is busy!

Just a reminder in respect to alcohol at xLAN - this is a no go. Anyone caught consuming alcohol, or found to be intoxicated will be escorted from the premises. Anyone who is clearly intoxicated and attempting to enter xLAN will be denied entry. This is a strict policy for the safety of the other attendees, the equipment at the venue, and also your own safety.

And of course, please don't be an idiot. We've gone to a lot of work to make sure this event is fun for everyone, and we sure don't want it ruined by any individuals who see it fit to try to ruin it for anyone else. Action will be taken against anyone who is not behaving appropriately.

Finally, HAVE FUN!!!!! Enjoy this event as much as we're enjoying bringing it to you. If you have any questions, or need to know anything else, then head on over to the forums.

GET SOME!!!! We will be.

Arseynimz, prolax & the xLAN Crew!

Tournament Sponsor - Corsair

(Arseynimz)

Team Fortress 2 is a huge game world wide, and is arguably one of the most highly developed games ever made - even years after release it is still being poked, prodded, fixed and fiddled. Another stalwart in the IT industry is Corsair, and mixing the two together is what we're doing for xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games National Qualifier for 2010!

The Corsair Team Fortress 2 Trophy will be all guns blazing, as 9 teams go toe to toe to take each other down in cartoon awesome style. Corsair hardware is riddled throughout xLAN's WCG Stage PC's so it is only fitting that they give the top 3 teams the chance to pick up on a taste of that great equipment, and some of the rest of their range. The Winners of the tournament will walk away with a Corsair Solid State Drive each valued at over $300 per drive, while the members in the 2nd placed team will pick up a Power Supply valued at almost $200 each, and 3rd will take away one of the awesome Corsair all in one CPU water cooling kits which are valued at $150 each.

These are some big prizes from Corsair, but they have a little something else coming too - keep an eye out for our little surprise we have that Corsair are helping us out with! In the meantime, for any and all your Corsair requirements, from Memory sticks through to a Power Supply or two, head on over to Playtech who have a variety of options for you

Tournament Sponsor - MSI

(Arseynimz)

But wait there's MOARR!!!!!!

MSI wants in on the action - as if having their motherboard and graphics cards for the WCG Stage PC's was not enough! They're stepping up and putting their name to a WCG Qualifying tournament in Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne.

Increasing their product range, and jumping back in to the PC market in recent times in a big way in New Zealand - MSI are rising from the quiet corner they were sitting in. This is just like Warcraft 3 which continues to push on, and the MSI Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne Cup will have 10 entrants battling for the title, and an MSI Hawk R5770 Graphics Card, so they can step up from the graphics of WC3, and beyond!!!

Of course, and of the MSI hardware you might have your eyes on can be purchased from Playtech, including pre-orders of the WCG Stage PC following the completion of xLAN!

GET SOME!!!! Seats that is! ;)

(Arseynimz)

We know it's late in the piece, so spread the word ASAP - the seating module is live!

So grab your seat while you can over here and get seated next to your mates...... or next to your enemies......... your call. The module has all the instructions on the page, and if you have any issues or questions, please head to this thread here.

11 days to go!!!!!! GET SOME!!!!

Tournament Sponsor - XBOX New Zealand

(Arseynimz)

With record numbers of console attendees at xLAN 2010, and the most popular game being Halo 3, it is great to see XBOX New Zealand getting in behind xLAN 2010. The leading force in party play, multiplayer, and innovation, XBOX is headed for a big year.

With the recent annoucement of the XBOX slim, and with Kinect due later in the year, Fable 3 in October, and a plethora of other titles and activities, who could forget that a little game called Halo Reach is also on the horizon! Due for release on the 14th of September, XBOX will be giving each of the podium placing Halo 3 teams a copy of Halo Reach's Limited Edition on release. The winners will find their copy inside the Legendary packaging! With an RRP of over $220 for the each of the members of the winning team, a prize pool of over ober $1,800 is on offer.

Playtech has all the upcoming XBOX titles and hardware available for pre-purchase, so make sure you head over there to get ready for the incoming swag of XBOX deliveries.

Tournament Sponsor - Creative

(Arseynimz)

With one hell of a week of sponsor announcements already, it is awesome to see that they keep on coming. Already mad keen gamign supporters in Australia, Creative has opened their coffers to New Zealand, and is pleased to be sponsoring the Call of Duty 4 Tournament at xLAN. With 11 teams in the running, including Australia's best in the form of Archaic eSports, this competition is destined to be one not to miss.

The Creative Call of Duty 4 Cup is a perfect alignment for Creative. Masters in sound for the PC, they have a long standing pedigree of excellent product which pioneered sound on the PC through the SoundBlaster label. Still going strong years later, it is not a coincidence that their X-Fi chipset can be seen in Motherboards, Sound cards, and even their competitor products. Call of Duty 4 is hugely reliant on sound in game, and so it ties together that Creative sits alongside the Call of Duty 4 tournament to indeed make the Creative Call of Duty 4 Cup. They will be bringing cash to the winners of the Cup, and prizes to the podium place getters to the value of over $2,000!!!

Creative will have toys on show at xLAN alongside the Playtech stand, and certainly this product is not to be bypassed - the latest HD sound card will blow your mind, and if you haven't tried their ever growing headset and speaker range - xLAN is your chance!

Tournament Sponsor - ASUS

(Arseynimz)

Well Arsey fell asleep at the wheel last night, so a double update for you tonight!!!

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has two huge tournaments at xLAN being one of the most popular recently released titles in the FPS genre. The Conquest tournament is followed by what some woudl call a more fun styled Squad Rush Tournament. But with 4v4 set ups, and smaller maps, and reliance on communication and accurate shooting - very quickly things will get hot and heavy, and this is even more so when you put ASUS in to the mix with over $1,000 in cash for the top 3 place getters!

The ASUS Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Squad Rush Trophy will be on the line as almost 100 players across 19 teams will look to rampage each other in what is sure to be some massive action. ASUS's Republic of Gamers line is some of the best gaming hardware you can buy, and this will be shown off with some demonstration machines, and Squad Rush Republic of Gamers stage PC's!!! Fitted with ASUS's finest gear, these will be some amazing machines to play a game of equal awesome! Of course, ASUS hardware is and will be available to purhase from Playtech both now and on the weekend of xLAN.

So if you haven't looked at Squad Rush as an option for a tournament, then you might want to consider it to pick up some cash in what will be an intense couple of days of Battlefield - and also so you get the opportunity to play on ASUS's finest hardware in one of the stage matches

Tournament Sponsor - Logitech

(Arseynimz)

With a huge variety of peripherals, and certainly some of the best on the market, we are please to announce LOGITECH as a tournament sponsor for xLAN 2010. With trusted and true products from gaming mice such as the resoundingly popular MX518, through to the mouth watering G19 gaming keyboard, and over to speakers such as the Z-2300 they have all your gaming products, but taking it step further, they've also got your lower end day to day products as well - perfect for business or your family computer, Logitech has the full range to satisfy all requirements and budgets.

Logitech will be sponsoring the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Conquest tournament - a perfect match up with the huge variety of options a game such as Bad Company 2 gives in game! They'll be putting up cash for the top 3 teams of over $2,000! The Logitech Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Conquest Cup will be the official name, and with over 100 competitors it is the second biggest competition at xLAN 2010.

If you haven't teamed up in the Logitech Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Conquest Cup, then it would pay to do so to go nuts for your chance at some $ to take home. Otherwise, support Logitech for the support they're giving gamers in 2010 by heading over to Playtech and looking at the huge range of Logitech goods they have available.

Tournament Sponsor - Razer

(Arseynimz)

With xLAN less than three weeks away, and the curiosity of the prizes on the line in your chosen tournament being shown, we are pleased to tonight announce Razer as the first of our tournament sponsors.

With a pedigree of gaming specific peripherals, and a huge following in New Zealand and the Asian region, we are hugely excited to have the Razer dudes jump on to this year's event. They'll be sponsoring the Counter-Strike 1.6 Tournament, which will now be officially known as the Razer Counter-Strike 1.6 Cup. With CS 1.6 being one of the most popular team FPS games in the world, and being the World CyberGames flagship FPS, it is only fair that a global gaming peripheral be alongside the CS 1.6 tournament for xLAN 2010.

The winners of the Razer Counter-Strike 1.6 Cup will not be disappointed - as well as earning the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles in September, they will also walk away with a full Razer suite of peripherals including a DeathAdder Mouse and Goliathus Mouse Pad to make your aim supreme, a Lycosa keyboard for precision response, and a set of Megalodon headphones for surround sound goodness. Second place will get the mouse, keyboard and headphone package, while third still walks away with a mouse for a good weekend of Counter-Strike gaming.

If you're not playing in the Razer Counter-Strike 1.6 Cup, you and your team mates have a week to get organised before tournaments are locked up. Else you can skip the whole tournament thing and head straight to Playtech.co.nz where they have a huge range of the Razer peripherals in stock for you to buy in advance of xLAN and the WCG NZ Qualifier for 2010.

Prizes and Partners and Toys, OH MY!

(Arseynimz)

Holy smokes! xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2010 is only 3 weeks away, and you only have 3 more days to get signed up and paid up to join the 570+ current attendees, competitors and crew. If you haven't signed up or paid up yet, then move you cheeks and get it done!!!! The payments close off this Sunday the 20th of June - there will be absolutely no more extensions to this date, so you need to sign up now! Remember too you can pay online using your credit card over here on the Playtech website.

News time! A busy few days we have and continue to have..........

OMG Prizes!!!!!!!
Well, everyone wants to play for something, and whilst we are still in discussions with sponsors, we are pleased to announce over $15,000 in both product prizes and CASH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, you can take home cash from xLAN 2010! We'll post up on the xLAN.co.nz site what the prize line up is looking like once we've confirmed them all, and you can get yourself ready for some mega action to take those prizes home!

Playtech have put up the biggest prize to the Counter-Strike: Source tournament, which as an xLAN first will also have a plate play off! Top 8 go through to a single elim to try to grab their share of over $2,500, while the rest fight for some spoils in a plate play off battle to ensure the Counter-Strike community gets a full weekend of play!

Boot Camp - get in fast if you want to!
There are still some seats available at the Playtech LAN Arena for those who want to get together with their teams and get prepared for xLAN. Red Bull drinks, TelstraClear VDSL connection, and Playtech downstairs - sounds like the perfect combination for any gamer..... because it is!!!!!!!! Email Arseynimz to book this space for you and your team mates for FREE. Arsey just needs to know who your team is, and how many you'll have attending.

Hardware - before, during and after!
Typically xLAN brings along hardware specials for anything from cases, to displays, CPU's and of course the many gaming peripherals. This year is no exception, and in fact is elevated with the inclusion of a mini expo of the latest, greatest and all time favourites in gaming, PC or electronics hardware. We'll have a myriad of toys on show thanks to our sponsors and related exhibitors, and you'll be able to purchase most of them from Playtech or directly from the vendor. This said, Playtech will have a number of specials available before xLAN, and are offering free shipping for all orders over $70.

Keep an eye on the xLAN.co.nz website next week as the special codes come alive! You'll be able to order on the Playtech website, input your discount code at the checkout, and have your gear sent to you so you can have it installed, ready, and organised for xLAN!

Partner Announcements
Well not too many surprises on this one, but given the PC's we announced last, we are pleased to announce AMD & ATi as partners to xLAN 2010. Along with them is Western Digital who are providing some of their Black Hard Drives to assist with the event PC's overall awesome performance!

Add to the AMD & ATi and Western Digital mix the existing partners in GameConsole, Gamestah and we know we're starting to shape a WCG partnered event that will bring you everything you expect from a competitive gaming perspective, and making an overall excellent LAN experience.

TelstraClear is a major sponsor of this year's event, and the major sponsor of ON3 Network. They provide us with a number of internet services, and also assist with the costs of making the event happen. All services provided by the ON3 Network are unmetered for those who, like ON3 Network, are powered by TelstraClear. So if you're looking for a new ISP, or want to take advantage of unmetered gaming here in New Zealand, don't go any further than www.telstraclear.co.nz because they are a true supporter of gaming in New Zealand, and we're damned proud to have them working with us.
Too awesome for words this issue - just GET SOME!
Powering your thirst, and relaxation, whilst also getting you the wiiings you need to get in the game!

The final word is to make sure you all get signed and paid up so you too are at this year's National LAN event! To all those who have paid, thank you again for supporting this monster event as we draw closer and closer to the fun of xLAN 2010 & the WCG National Finals!

If you have any questions, or need to know anything further about the event, then head on over to the forums on the xLAN site, or feel free to send us an email.

Arseynimz, prolax & the xLAN Crew!

Tournaments Dropped

(Arseynimz)

We have today removed a few of the less popular tournaments from xLAN 2010. For those 4 or 5 fully paid attendees who were signed up to one of these tournaments, feel free to look at an alternative option in respect to tournaments before all tournaments are locked later next week.

As a note here, there are still a number of tournaments with high registrations, but players not having fully paid as yet. So - jump to action and get your friends and foes signed up so your tournament doesn't get dropped from this year's schedule!!!

For the curious, we said good bye to:

Dawn of War 2 (PC)
DotA (PC)
FIFA 2010 (PC)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (XBOX360)
Modern Warfare 2 (XBOX360)

Guess the case competition now open

(craigorsarus)

Guess the Case!You can now enter the competition by going to Events > Case Competition in the menu, or clicking here(you need to be logged in to enter)
We've purposefully left off the case part of the specs on the Playtech xLAN 2010 PC.
We want you to guess what this brand new to New Zealand case is.
Each correct entry will go in to the draw for a 320GB Portable Hard Drive which will be drawn at xLAN.

xLAN 2010 - Update - Extended everything!

(Arseynimz)

Well there was one week to go for sign ups to xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2010, but we've pushed it out another week to get more of you along to what is shaping in to a very good looking event. If you haven't signed up or paid up yet, then it's time to jump over to the xLAN website and get it done!!!! You have another 8 days to go with payments now closing off next Sunday the 20th of June - there will be absolutely no more extensions to this date, so don't miss out!

Playtech have also come to the party and loaned us the use of their credit card portal for those who are caught mid pay cycle or waiting on cash in general! You can jump across to the Playtech website and search for xLAN (or just click this) to add a ticket (and a tournament or two) to the shopping cart, and follow through with payment. Make sure you put your reference in the shopping cart comments before you push the payment through!!!!

So what has the week brought us.......... Oh, well a whole host of news in fact!

xLAN 2010 Stage & Rental PC
As we mentioned in the last update, Playtech are putting together the rental PC's for the event for those who require them, but the most important part about these machines is that they are the stage PC's as well! So with the questions flying on the forums and Arsey's MSN as to what they'll contain...... wihtout further ado, we present you the Playtech xLAN 2010 Special:
On an MSI 880GMA-E45 Motherboard you'll find an AMD 1055T six core CPU, with some chilling thanks to an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro heatsink. Helping those along is G.Skill's finest Ripjaw 4GB DDR3-1333 CL8 Memory. Complimenting that salivating foundation will be an MSI R5770 Hawk ATI Radeon HD 1GB DDR5 DX11 Graphics card - pwning at xLAN will never have looked so pretty! Add to that your Corsair HX 650W Power supply to make it all work; chuck in an optical drive and you only need two more things - Microsoft's Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, and something to wrap it all up in............ Oh yes, a case to make it all complete!

If you want to rent one of these exquisite machines, then the rental package options are all available on Playtech's website right here. Of course, if you want to take one home after the event you'll be able to do so at one hell of a price for what you will see is one heck of a machine!

Guess the Case!
We've purposefully left off the case part of the specs on the Playtech xLAN 2010 PC. We'll post up a picture of the case on the xLAN website, and we want you to guess what this brand new to New Zealand case is. We'll have a page set up for you to put in your entry, and each correct entry will go in to the draw for a 320GB Portable Hard Drive which will be drawn at xLAN (so if you're attending you'll be able to pick it up then!). So keep your eyes peeled on the xLAN website. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek:
A cheeky bit of leg for you!

Hardware - before, during and after!
Typically xLAN brings along hardware specials for anything from cases, to displays, CPU's and of course the many gaming peripherals. This year is no exception, and in fact is elevated with the inclusion of a mini expo of the latest, greatest and all time favourites in gaming, PC or electronics hardware. We'll have a myriad of toys on show thanks to our sponsors and related exhibitors, and you'll be able to purchase most of them from Playtech or directly from the vendor. This said, Playtech will have a number of specials available before xLAN, and are offering free shipping for all orders over $70 - so you can upgrade that Hard Drive, get that RAM, install Microsoft's Windows 7, or even get that pair of Astros!

Boot Camp - get in fast if you want to!
We have already had requests for 40 seats at the Playtech LAN Arena, leaving another 40 seats left. Red Bull have been their truly awesome selves and are dropping off some drinks early, so those at LAN will be wiiing'd up! The Playtech LAN Arena is also getting the tweak treatment from TelstraClear as well - their VDSL connection resides at the Arena full time, and is prepared for the onslaught of console and PC Gamers alike. So organise your team, and get booked in - the space is available for any time from the start of July to any team who wants to utilise, and of course it is being made available for free!

Remember, please email Arseynimz to book space for you and your team mates. Arsey just needs to know who your team is, and how many you'll have attending.

Sponsor Announcements
Stand by all, as this week coming we will reveal to you the businesses, suppliers, and brands that will be making xLAN 2010 possible, and a successful event.

First on the list to add to the stable of well recognised and respected sponsors and partners is the team from GameConsole magazine.
Having just renewed their vigour, brand, and look, GameConsole is a media reflection of ON3 Network, and just like us they're excited to be not only attending, reporting, reviewing, and covering the many facets of xLAN and the WCG National Finals for 2010, but they'll be giving away their latest edition hot off the press. The format is awesome, and it includes community contributions to truly make it a New Zealand Gaming magazine - just on this fact alone they deserve our support, so head out and grab one off the shelf to support them and read up on all the latest gaming news! GameConsole are the official media partner for ON3 Network and xLAN 2010 & the WCG National Qualifiers.

TelstraClear is a major sponsor of this year's event, and the major sponsor of ON3 Network. They provide us with a number of internet services, and also assist with the costs of making the event happen. All services provided by the ON3 Network are unmetered for those who, like ON3 Network, are powered by TelstraClear. So if you're looking for a new ISP, or want to take advantage of unmetered gaming here in New Zealand, don't go any further than www.telstraclear.co.nz because they are a true supporter of gaming in New Zealand, and we're damned proud to have them working with us.

Need we say more about the awesome of Playtech this issue? I think not, so just remember if you're looking for a crowd that knows, then make your first stop Playtech for your next PC or console related purchase.

A LAN weekend just isn't without an energy drink or...... 7!!!! Red Bull is providing us with their wicked product, and an area to kick back in, and entertainment across the weekend all the while making sure we get wiiings! The Hummer will be in to party across all three nights(!!!!!!) and we'll have the wiiings girls in the Red Bull Lounge - so when you're ready for a break from the gaming, you know you've got somewhere to relax!

The final word is to make sure you all get signed and paid up so you too are at this year's National LAN event! To all those who have paid, thank you for supporting this monster event as we draw closer and closer to the fun of xLAN 2010 & the WCG National Finals!

If you have any questions, or need to know anything further about the event, then head on over to the forums on the xLAN site, or feel free to send us an email.

Arseynimz, prolax & the xLAN Crew!

Payments - Got credit!?

(Arseynimz)

With the last minute rush of payments coming through, and a number of calls for a few days reprieve to get payments in - we've got GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!

Firstly, we're going to extend payments out to Sunday the 20th of June, and any payments received over the weekend will still be allowed. This will be the absolute final day for payment, as we will be squeezing our printers and other suppliers to push that date any further! So get yourself paid up with the extra few days grace we have for you!!!!!

Speaking of paying, Playtech has made available their credit card portal for us! This means you can pay via credit card if you would like this as an option. You just need to go to www.playtech.co.nz and search for xLAN, or go directly to this here link. They have made this available for those who are keen to come, but are waiting for funds to come in to their account - so grab your Mum's, sister's, brother's or your flatmate's credit card, and get signed here on the site, and then run over to Playtech and get paid up if you want to use credit card!

Last thing is the PC's available for hire and being used on stage - the specifications are slowly getting finalised, and these are better than we anticipated! We'll have a picture of these very soon, and you can go in the draw to win a 320GB portable Hard Drive if you guess the case name and manufacturer!!!!!

Keep an eye on your email in box tonight also for a big update of what we've been doing all week!

xLAN 2010 - Update time!

(Arseynimz)

 xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2010 creeps closer and closer, and we are now just two weeks out from closing off payments for this year's  event.  If you haven't signed up or paid up yet, then hop to it over on  the xLAN  website. With 20 tournaments on offer,  and the chance to play in more than just the one this year, xLAN is set  and ready to go for another year!

So what's been happening? Well last update we promised you more news of prizes, sponsors, and a few general bits and pieces - so here they come!

General Items

Paintball - with the cost being a little over the top from the suppliers we looked at, this has been scrapped for this event, but we'll keep an eye out for future events.

The seat selection system implementation will be delayed until closer to the event to allow for final sign up numbers so we can adjust the seating plan accordingly and also ensure that we have the layout at optimum!

We're working on some new innovations for the xLAN weekend, including better network response for the weekend. Better pings on LAN? Is that even possible? Yep, that's what we're going for, and better performance as well for your chosen game(s) - some smart tricks by the network dudes, and they're looking forward to rolling it out.

PC and/or Display Rental

Playtech are stepping up again, and will be making available both PC's and Displays to be rented the weekend for you out of towners or just generally for those who don't want to bring their own! These machines are still under construction in respect to final specs, but rest assured they'll be able to handle any measure of game sent their way, as they'll be the same as stage PC's. We'll be looking to announce the PC's specifications in our next mail out - so stand by!

The cost of rental for these PC's will the same as last year at $60 for the PC, or $60 for the Monitor, or obviously $120 - all for the duration of the event. The rental package options will be available on Playtech's site to purchase, and the overall packages will include a bond as part of the purchase. Payment options are via credit card from their site, or direct credit to the Playtech account. Playtech have informed these will be on their site from Tuesday the 8th of June - so head over to www.playtech.co.nz to get your order in then.

Boot Camp!!

Playtech have an already set up LAN area above their shop in Mairangi Bay, Auckland. In the lead up to xLAN, any teams are welcome to book in to use the Playtech Arena as a chance to boot camp before the main event, and get in some time together as a team. With high speed internet at the Playtech Arena provided by TelstraClear and with power and gigabit network to your desk, this is the perfect free warm up venue for xLAN teams who are looking to go the distance!

If you're wanting to book in space at the Playtech Arena, please email Arseynimz.

Sponsor Announcements

TelstraClear is a major sponsor of this year's event, and the major sponsor of ON3 Network. They provide us with a number of internet services, and also assist with the costs of making the event happen. All services provided by the ON3 Network are unmetered for those who, like ON3 Network, are powered by TelstraClear. So if you're looking for a new ISP, or want to take advantage of unmetered gaming here in New Zealand, don't go any further than www.telstraclear.co.nz.

Powering the main stage, secondary stage, and making sure you have the latest and greatest toys to play with across the weekend - Playtech is one major sponsor we could not work without. These guys have gaming PC's on lockdown, and if you're looking for a crowd that knows, then make your first stop Playtech for your next PC or console related purchase. Whether it's a laptop, a hard drive, or just a USB stick, the guys and girls at Playtech will make sure you get all the advice you need, and at the right price. With specials throughout the weekend on hardware, and being the main provider of anything technical for the xLAN event, they make a huge contribution to ON3 Network.

A LAN weekend just isn't without an energy drink or...... 7!!!! Red Bull is providing us with their product, an area to kick back in, and some entertainment across the weekend all the while making sure we get wiiings! The Hummer will be in to party on Saturday night, and we'll have the wiiings girls in the Red Bull Lounge - so when you're ready for a break from the gaming, you know you've got somewhere to relax!

We have a few more sponsors at final stages, so be prepared to show your support for those supporting us and you at this national event! We'll have announcements very soon.

Reminder!!!!

Payments close on the 15th of June - so you must be fully paid and have your tournament payments in to ensure we don't miss you off the list! So get signed and paid up ASAP, as we're starting to see a steady influx of payments as we get closer and closer to close off!

If you have any questions, or need to know anything further about the event, then head on over to the forums on the xLAN site, or feel free to send us an email.

Arseynimz, prolax & the xLAN Crew!

xLAN 2010 - on target! Are you ready?

(Arseynimz)

It's coming up to xLAN time, and if it's crept up on you, don't panic you've got a little under 30 days till payments and tournament signups close. So make sure you've signed up and paid up for this year's xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2010. If you're paid up - then make sure you've signed up for your tournaments, and organised your team mates and friends to get paid up too!

As new management, we've been hard at work to make sure this year's event is as good as last years and has a few extras to make sure the incremental improvements keep coming. So be assured that this already successful event will be even more enjoyable and exciting for all who attend.

We've brought back the expo, so you'll be able to look over the latest toys and technology from all the major brands when you get a break. Along with this, we've allowed you to play in multiple tournaments and with this we have over 20 options available to all attendees - more than ever before seen!

What have we got to come over the next few weeks?

Paintball anyone? Check the forums to see details of this.
Announcement of cash prizes!!??!
The seat selection system to let all the paid attendees select their exact seat.

Of course, a lot of what we do isn't possible without the generous support of our sponsors - we'll have an announcement or two of additional sponsors coming up, so make sure you stay locked on to the website to catch the big names we have coming along. But in the meantime if you're in the market for a phone line, mobile or internet connection then head over and visit TelstraClear - as a major sponsor of both ON3 Network and xLAN this year, they are the ISP of choice for gaming in New Zealand! And if you're looking for any PC or Apple hardware, components or peripherals, Playtech is the place to go as our other major sponsor and the hardware provider for this year's event.

If you have any questions, suggestions or requests, do not hesitate to contact us or post in the xLAN forums, otherwise wrangle up your mates, and get ready for New Zealand's biggest LAN event - the one you don't want to miss!

Arseynimz, prolax & the xLAN Crew!

Last days for Earlybird!

(arseynimz)

You read it right! Only a few days to go, so make sure you get in and get paid for the earlybird. Remember we have 3 Ticketek vouchers to give to anyone who pays for their ticket within the earlybird window!!!!!

Want more incentive to sign up? Well how about a cash prize!!!!!!! If your chosen game gets more than 20 teams then bang, get ready for some cash. At least $2,000 will be given to any tournament that has over 20 teams in it, and at the rate the Couter-Strike: Source sign ups are going, they'll be first to benefit, with 75% going to the first place getter, and the rest going to second while 3rd will still take away some sweet sweet sponsor's product.

So don't stop, get signed up, and get ready for xLAN & the NZ WCG Qualifiers for 2010 - they're only a couple of months away!

xLAN 2010 - Registrations are GO!!!!!!!

(arseynimz)

You read it right. Sign ups for xLAN 2010 are now go for launch. But before you get all excited and click the button above, or this link to sign up, please make sure you read this article!!!!!!!!!!!

ON3 Network has of course picked up the baton of xLAN, and there are some minor gaming changes outside of the obvious change in popular titles and games that are currently being played by all. These changes include:

Multiple Tournament Entry - for a small premium on top of your PC or Console ticket price you can enter up to 2 PC tournaments, or up to 3 XBOX tournaments.
Increased Team Sizes - to allow for multiple tournament entry, we have allowed subs on your team. For games that have 2-5 players in game, you can have up to 2 subs, and for games with 6 or more players in game, you can have up to 3 subs. This is to assist with making sure any team clashes are manageable, as although we will do our utmost to ensure your schedule across the weekend does not clash - in the event it does, we don't want your team to be disadvantaged, although this may be a reality for some teams.
More Tournaments - yep, with multiple tournament entry, we have already increased the number of tournaments available to take part in, and we're still not done. WCG is expected to make another announcement regarding titles that will be played at the finals in Los Angeles, USA, so we will obviously look to add these if they are games of interest in this region. In addition, we're open to community suggestions for any titles or popular formats, and we welcome anyone who wants a community tournament of some description to let us know also.

There are more things we'll look to introduce in due course, but spread the word, and get yourself and your team registered. Payments can be made straight away, and of course you will get the discounted price if you register before the timer in the top left counts down to zero - that's the 30th of April if you're not so good with the calendar! When you do make payment, please be sure to read the email that gets delivered to your registered email address (so double check your profile to make sure it is the right one, and of course, always check your spam or junk mail folders in case your mail client or ISP gets a little over zealous). If you are entering multiple tournaments, then make sure you include payment for these, and also be doubly sure you only sign up for the number of tournaments you pay for, else you will be randomly removed from one of your tournaments if you oversubscribe.

Finally, and the best news of all!!!! Thanks to the our sponsors Playtech, we have 3 Ticketek vouchers with a value of $100 to give away to all you early birds! So make sure you give yourself a chance to win one of these by pre-registering and getting fully paid up before the end of the Early Bird period. By getting yourself registered and fully paid you will automatically go in the draw to win one of these vouchers!!!!

If you have any questions, please get on the forums, and ask away. Otherwise, we look forward to one hell of an event come July, and are certainly looking forward to the announcements we have for you as we lead up to that date.

ON3 Network presents xLAN 2010 - Book it in!!!!

(arseynimz)

As we formally bid farewell and hurl a mass of praise to both Deezilla and tmdude for the massive event they have created, and the massive boots they have left for us to fill, we still look to the 2010 xLAN event, and 2010 National WCG Qualifier. The show must go on, and indeed it shall, as the ON3 Network sets itself up to bring you this year's xLAN and what is sure to be a big WCG event.

The ON3 Network was set up as a venture to push forward gaming in New Zealand, and we intend to do that even more so than before with the continued hosting of GamerHub, xLAN, and more events both online and offline.

You might notice some new branding, and maybe a few new features around the place over the coming months. But you can rest, post, and play assured that this playground is here to stay. We're here for the long haul!

So you probably want to know who is behind ON3. I'm Arseynimz, and for those who don't know me, I've been involved with competitive gaming for over 3 years now, and prior to that, much like many of you, gaming in general since I was allowed to touch the family computer (Apple IIe playing Eagles and Wizadry I - lol). I'm now a clan captain for =[GD]=, Online Manager for Gamestah (eSports commentary and shoutcasting organisation), and used to own and run GameVault.

I founded ON3 with prolax, who has been gaming since he left the crib, and competitively so for the last 3 years also. He is currently a member of Team Sidewinder, but has run his own clans, as well as being involved in GameVault and CyberGamer on administrative levels also.

We will be making sure this place continues to grow, and make sure the events you have come to know improve on the already solid foundation and performance that tmdude and Deezilla have set. We are in the process of concluding arrangements with supporting parties, and the benefits of that support will of course come through to xLAN and WCG for 2010!

So without further ado..... The date has been set!!!!! Mark it off in your calendars boys and girls - Friday the 9th of July will be when it all happens again, and Sunday the 11th of July when it all finishes. A big year is planned, and already we are starting to see the makings of what will be yet another event to remember.

We welcome your feedback in the lead up to xLAN, and will have more updates very soon for all the important details, some lead up competitions, and of course where it will be held, the tournaments proposed, and the other important details!

Goodbye from tmdude and Dee

(Dee-Zilla)

Wow another year has passed and we wish you all a Happy New Year.

Last year was another successful year with a great xLAN and World Cyber Games Qualifier, eblacks getting results beyond expectations with a Gold Medal at the Asian championship and CounterStrike and TrackMania both progressing out of pool play at the World Cyber Games Grand final and the saving of ICONZArena(now Gamerhub).

This year plans is bigger than ever with two events the primary event in July and a second event held at Armageddon Auckland in October. Signups and further details for the July event will be available very soon.

Personally we have had some excitement, we are going to be having our first child mid this year. This has made us rethink our commitment to e-sports/gaming and with allot of sadness have decided to retire and no longer be an active part of the community to allow us to focus on our family. We of course do not want our legacy to be lost so have negotiated for another group to purchase xLAN and Gamerhub and they will continue to deliver events, game servers and World Cyber Game Qualifiers to the level that you have grown to expect.

The highlights of the years are many but I would like to remind you all of some of the greatest to us; Getting New Zealand official recognised as a separate region for the World Cyber Games, eBlacks winning the Asian Championship, five years continuous years of sell out events and running the biggest and most professional gaming event in Australasia.

We would like to thank the staff of our events without their support over the six years the events would not have been a reality. Additionally thanks to the select group of people who attended all our events coupled with the gratitude’s from many of attendees, this gave a purpose to what we did.

This is an extremely sad day for myself and Susan as it is an end of an era and can only hope what we have started will grow beyond our expectations.

It has been a great journey.

Tmdude & Dee-Zilla

xLAN 2009 Video Footage

(Dee-Zilla)

We have just received the footage from the 2009 event and we have uploaded some to our xlanvideos youtube channel.

We have a few more videos uploading so be sure to rate comment and subscribe.

Eblacks Blog moved

(Dee-Zilla)

Show your support for the 7 eblacks competing in Chengdu, China at the World Cyber Games Grand Final 2009.

We will be updating the eblacks blog which is now on http://forums.gamerhub.co.nz/ with updates, photos and videos.

2009 eblacks team competing at the WCG Grand Final

• Byron “simcore” McLean  CounterStrike 1.6 (PC)
• Nicholas ”nick” Shaw  CounterStrike 1.6 (PC)
• Bruce "infidel" Lodge  CounterStrike 1.6 (PC)
• Feroz "evolution" Brouwer CounterStrike 1.6 (PC)
• Nathan “rapture” Holden  CounterStrike 1.6 (PC)
• Jacques “skunk” de Vries TrackMania Nations Forever (PC)
• Shane “AskewDread” Langley Carom3D (PC)

Post your support here

WCG 2010 Grand Final in LA!

(Dee-Zilla)

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, The World's Premiere Global e-Sports Tournament And Festival Comes Stateside For The Third Time

World Cyber Games (WCG), the organizer of the premier international video game competition and festival, today announced Los Angeles, CA as the WCG 2010 Grand Final host city. As the official host city for the WCG 2010 Grand Final, elite gamers from around the world will flock to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year to compete for the title of world's best gamer.

In bringing the Grand Final to the United States for the third time, the WCG will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in the world's largest video game market. L.A. is one of the major hubs for the video game industry as it is home to some of the largest developers and studios in the world and the home to some of the most influential gaming media. A hit WCG Ultimate Gamer, a reality TV program (NBCU Network) was also shot on location in Los Angeles. This show takes a dozen top-notch video game players, drops them into an L.A. loft where they live together and compete for the title of ''Best All-Around Gamer,'' along with other prizes like $100,000 cash, and the ''Ultimate Samsung Electronics package.''

''This event will bring an economic impact of millions of dollars to the city of Los Angeles,'' said Michael Krouse, senior vice president of sales and client services for LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. ''L.A. is the perfect destination for this event and we look forward to welcoming the international delegates.''

''After taking into careful consideration the many factors involved with selecting the host city, the World Cyber Games Committee came to a clear decision with Los Angeles,'' said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of World Cyber Games, Inc., organizer of the World Cyber Games. ''San Francisco and Seattle were extremely successful events and we look forward to returning to the United States for our 10-year anniversary.''

''Samsung Electronics has been the World Wide partner of World Cyber Games since its inception 10 years ago and we are thrilled to continue playing an integral role in supporting its growth and popularity,'' said David Steel, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Samsung Electronics America Inc. ''Hosting the games in Los Angeles should be an exciting opportunity for the gaming community and our North American team as we continue to provide the latest technology for the competitions.''

After the Event

(tmdude)

Another year finished and another successful event, we achieved most of our goals even with the struggles faced with the economic downturn.

Our goal of focusing on the larger tournaments and trying to give as many attendees as possible stage matches was achieved. The schedule was a little optimistic with a couple of stage matches being moved back to the BYOC but overall a large number of very successful stage matches. Generally tournaments were exciting this year with some major upsets creating some great matches.

We also provided more information and visibility for people who could not attend the event with fantastic live video streams from the Gamestah team and the live draws/results available on xLAN site. This meant no one missed the action with good feedback received from all over the world.

Some of the new inclusions for this year’s event were extremely successful with the first female only tournament and the comedy event getting good feedback and would surely make a return in any future events.

We have started to upload the photo’s and game demos be sure to keep checking out over the next few days while we complete them. While you’re waiting the tournament results are available at www.xlan.co.nz/results and some basic statistics for the counter strike tournaments are available at www.xlan.co.nz/cssstats and www.xlan.co.nz/16stats .

The hard work does not stop, we are working on the funding for the eblacks team to the grand final in Chengdu, China and hope to have announcement of what attendees from this year’s event will be attending very soon.

Lastly we would like to thank our sponsors who make this event happen, without the support we could not achieve such a event and this extendeds to our fantastic event crew who put many hours of effort to help deliver Australasia’s best gaming event.

Thanks,

Tmdude & Dee-Zilla.

xLAN Live Feed from Gamestah

(MordenNZ)

Good afternoon from xLAN, the event in full swing with the best gaming action in New Zealand, Gamestah is covering the whole event with live feeds all weekend so check it out at this link below.

Link to Gamestah

xLAN is upon us

(dee-zilla)

Over the past few days the xLAN crew have been hard at work setting up for the big day, laying 16.8km of cable and setting up a power network able to power a small suberb. This all in preperation for tomorrow where 800 gamers are showing for the big event. Today we had over 200 preregistrations in preperation for tomorrow. Doors open at 10am tomorrow allowing the flood of PC's to begin so ready your rigs and prepare for a weekend to remember.

The venue ready to go

The road ahead

(MordenNZ)

The 2009 WCG Asian Championship is at an end for the eblacks as they prepare to return to New Zealand. They return with their heads held high with one Gold medal and a silver placing for New Zealand retaining a position in the ranks of esports greatest nations. The eblacks all thank you for your support over the past few days. This isn't the end however, xLAN begins next weekend for a full weekend long esports experiance right in New Zealand where the next eblacks squad will be chosen and possibly compete at the WCG Grand Final in Chengdu, China. Our coverage of this event isn't quite over either check out the photo gallery as more photos have been uploaded and Mason's matches will be uploaded over the next couple of days. Thank you again for all your support, we at xLAN all look forward to seeing you at the national finals next weekend.

The eblacks

Closing Ceremony

(MordenNZ)

The closing ceremony of the WCG Asian Championship is done closing with it the last day of competition here in Singapore. Mason "Massi4h" Maddox received his Gold medal for Guitar Hero and with it a placing for New Zealand in the second position in the medal tally just behind Vietnam. An awesome result for New Zealand. Mason has defended his title of Asian Guitar Hero champion and the eblacks have maintained a position for New Zealand along side the greatest Asian nations in esports, a proud achievement. Following the prizes a few speeches gave us a sneak peek at the WCG Grand Final that will be held later this year in Chengdu, China. Check out some pictures of the Closing Ceremony below.

One of the closing ceremony speeches

Mason receives his medal

Mason celebrates victory

Mason wins Gold!

(MordenNZ)

Mason has once again done it and Come out on top, winning Gold for his nation for the second year in a row, a first for New Zealand and a feat that we are all proud of him for. Masons last match up was intense, Singapore picked "Hot for teacher" as his choice of song and at the last moment pulled out the win for that first song. Mason then came back at him with "Scream, Aim, Fire", Mason's favourite song scoring a win on the second song. So it came down to the tie breaker song, "". The last song was so intense, the whole crowd was holding their breath with mason pulling out a better strategic Star Power placement than his rival, securing Gold in The Asian Championship.

Mason competes while the crowd gathers

Mason takes a few questions after his win

Mason Makes it to the finals

(MordenNZ)

The match against Korea proved to be one of Masons toughest Matches with the two songs played being far closer than any previously. Video to follow. This victory however puts Mason one step closer to a Gold medal here at the WCG Asian Championship. Masons final challenger will be Singapore whom Mason has already faced but comes at him with renewed vigor, hoping to claim the title.

The Korean fails to knock mason out

Mason's fellow eblacks show him support

Masons first ladder match

(MordenNZ)

After a long delay Mason has faced his first opponant of the day, the representative from Malaysia and has come out on top making his way through the first stage of the single elimination with only two matchs between him and a Gold medal for his nation. His next match will be between Korea a nation who Mason has faced in the past and looks forward to besting this time round. Wish him luck.

Mason take on Malaysia

The Final Day

(MordenNZ)

It is the morning of Day three here in Singapore, the final day with one goal in mind, Gold. Mason is still in the running for a gold medal at this years WCG Asian Championship. his first match is against Malaysia at 1:15pm local time, 5:15pm for the folks back home, we will keep you updated on his progress through the tournament ladder as the day goes on. Meanwhile this morning Mason took a short break from his practice to calm his nerves by competing in a Virtua Fighter mini-comp, Taking all-comers and winning a free Samsung T-shirt.

Mason and his Samsung T-shirt

The state of play for the eblacks

(MordenNZ)

The end of day two is here and two of our three tournament teams have been knocked out. Fobski our FIFA player is now out of the tournament as are our DOTA team with Mason 'Massi4h' Maddox left standing. So give him all your best wishes and keep tuned as he enters the final rounds of guitar hero tomorrow. Meanwhile i have uploaded more photos from today's activities to the gallery so be sure to take a look.

Mario does raise a few questions

FIFA wraps up

(MordenNZ)

At the end of the night FIFA has wrapped up with Fobski being knocked out of the tournament in favor of the Indian and Malaysian players who will go on to play in the single elimination tomorrow. Fobski however is very positive vowing to practice now that he has some contacts and friends overseas who are also FIFA players and come back next year and wipe the field clean.

FIFA Wrap-up

New Zealand vs. Chinese Taipei - WIN

New Zealand vs. India - LOSS

New Zealand vs. Malaysia - LOSS

FIFA winds up for the day

The Final Goal

(MordenNZ)

Fobski has fought a good fight here tonight in Singapore but alas its all over with a loss to Malaysia in a match that was plagued by bad luck for the New Zealand player. 1-0 at half time with fobski about to score the equalizing goal when half time clicked over much to the teams horror. The deal was finally sealed with a rare and unlucky penalty shootout that sealed Fobski's fight.

New Zealand vs. Malaysia - LOSS

The Malaysian FIFA champion

Fobski scores one against India

(MordenNZ)

Fobski has scored a goal against the toughest competition in FIFA here in Singapore but sadly let four goals through, but not without a fight making sure India payed for each of the goals in full. With one game left against Malaysia its going to be a nailbiter.

New Zealand vs. India - LOSS

Fobski beats back India

Cosplay Contest

(MordenNZ)

To kick off the nights entertainment we were treated to the visual fiesta that was the judging of the Singapore national Cosplay competition finals which was an incredible show with people showing up in a variety of costumes from anime, comic and game fame. the winner was eventually crowned however all of the characters were superb and added a little something different to this years WCG Asian Championship.

Some of the fantastic looking Cosplayers

The Cosplay Champion of Singapore striking a pose

Enter Fobski

(MordenNZ)

Fobski after a long wait has finally started his matches for the evening. first up was Chinese Taipei which Fobski has now beaten giving him a great start to the FIFA tournament here in Singapore.

New Zealand vs. Chinese Taipei - WIN

Fobski with support crew

The Fastest Geek

(MordenNZ)

Another one of the very popular and long standing competitions here at the WCG Asian Championship has been "The fastest Geek". The competition seeks to find the individual who can assemble a full working PC in the shortest amount of time. There was some heavy competition with the winner scrapping through just milliseconds ahead of his closest opponant with a time of 2:41 which is quite frankly incredible.

Who will be the fastest Geek

One of the winners and a mountain of prizes

Arcade challenge finals

(MordenNZ)

While the WCG proper has been raging on over the last few hours attention has shifted to some of the heavily contested arcade tournaments going on at the Arcade Challenge, a tournament that has brought together some of the biggest names in The fighting scene. The final of Street Fighter IV just finished placing Itizan from Japan at the top, feared and respected by many as one of the true arcade masters.

The Street Fighter IV final match gets under way

Cosplay Orchestra

(MordenNZ)

While theres a lull in the action as the eblacks wait for their final member to start his first match the team decided to check out some of what is happening around the venue. At the moment we have a fantastic Cosplay Orchestra performing on the main stage. very different from anything ive seen before but alot of fun to watch as scenes are acted out on stage to a full piece orchestra at the foot of the stairs. Here are some pictures although they don't really do the event justice.

One of the orchestra Cosplayers

Part of the Orchestra

DOTA Team Farewell

(MordenNZ)

The end is nigh for the DOTA team sadly with two losses and a win bumping them out of the competition here at the WCG Asian Championship. The team has done remarkably well in a very tough pool, with all of their opponants comprised of great players stitched together with some great teamwork. we at xLAN are all very proud of their progress this year in Singapore.

New Zealand vs. Korea - LOSS

New Zealand vs. India - WIN

New Zealand vs. Singapore - LOSS

KNOCKED OUT

Minhae moving furiously to defend

DOTA struggle ends

(MordenNZ)

Our DOTA team has just finished up their last game against Singapore, A very hard fought battle lasting over an hour. The team fought very well but in the end lost to the Singaporean's teamwork and excellent micro abilities. The team has done remarkably well against some very impressive competition.

New Zealand vs. Singapore - LOSS

A strong effort from Simon and Sharon in the last match

DOTA Scrubs up India

(MordenNZ)

I'm pleased to announce that our DOTA squad has pulled back and won against India in a well fought match with a superb draft by the New Zealand team and some great micro in game. Simon and Minhae certainly led the team through the match with some spot on calls.

New Zealand vs. India - WIN

A solid performance from the team

Gallery Update

(MordenNZ)

The Gallery has just been updated with 50 new photos from this morning's action, be show to check them out.

one of the referees lay down the law

Mason through pool play

(MordenNZ)

With mason winning all threee of his pool play matches it means that he makes it through at the top of his pool and faces another few opponants tomorrow on his climb to the top of the single elimination ladder which begins tomorrow morning here in Singapore. Just to recap today's results.

New Zealand vs. Philippines - WIN

New Zealand vs. Australia - WIN

New Zealand vs. Singapore - WIN

This is an amazing result once again from Mason, so keep tuned and show your support for him tomorrow as he fights his way to gold for New Zealand. In the meantime keep tuned for more results from the DOTA team and Fobski in the FIFA tournament later tonight.

One of Mason's impressive scores (left)

Mason levels Singapore

(MordenNZ)

For the final time in the round robin pool play Mason has pulled out a win against Singapore, one of the tougher representatives in the competition. Mason however showed him the New Zealand way and pulled out all the stops to take a commanding lead out of pool.

New Zealand vs. Singapore - WIN

Mason Confidently reflects on his victory

Mason continues his streak

(MordenNZ)

Mason has once again grasped victory in another resounding win against Australia, once again proving who are the true Guitar Hero masters in the pacific. Both songs went to mason with commanding leads in both, knocking the Australian player out of the competition.

New Zealand vs. Australia - WIN

Mason vs. Australia

DOTA suffers a loss

(MordenNZ)

The results of the first DOTA match are in and New Zealand has suffered its first loss of the morning against Korea but gave a strong fight against a very experianced Korean team and made them pay for every inch of ground. wish them luck as they go into their second match against India.

New Zealand vs. Korea - LOSS

The DOTA team put up a strong effort against Korea

Mason wins against Philippines

(MordenNZ)

Mason has just beaten the Philippines in a solid show of skill, beating the Philippines representative on the first song by 150,000 points and gaining such a lead in the second song in the best of three series that he resigned from the match. A solid win Mason show your support for him as he continues his matches.

New Zealand vs. Philippines - WIN

Mason plays the Philippines

FIFA Matches

(MordenNZ)

Fobski is spending the morning cheering on his team mates while he waits for his matches later in the day at 1800 local time giving him plenty of tiem to scope out his competition. His lineup is as follows.

FIFA Matches

6:00pm New Zealand vs. Chinese Taipei

6:30pm New Zealand vs. India

7:00pm New Zealand vs. Malaysia

Fobski supports his comrades with the flag in back

Guitar Hero Matches

(MordenNZ)

Mason is a picture of cool at the moment as he helps the referees to set up the new LED TV's which have been having some significant delay issues, possibly game breaking ones. He is due to start a little bit later today with his first match at 1130 local time.

Guitar Hero Matches

11:30am New Zealand vs. Philippines

12:00pm New Zealand vs. Australia

12:30 New Zealand vs. Singapore

Mason chills before his first match

DOTA Matches

(MordenNZ)

The DOTA squad have a tough day ahead with their pool containing some of Asia's finest teams. Listed below is the matchups and times for the DOTA pool play today.

DOTA Pool Play

10:00am New Zealand vs. Korea

12:00pm New Zealand vs. india

2:00pm New Zealand vs. Singapore

As you can see the competition is fierce so wish them luck.

Sharon prepares for the upcoming match

Dawn of Day 2

(MordenNZ)

As day two of the competition dawns, the first trials of the eblacks begin. after hastily waking to catch the buses to suntec the eblacks took tiem to get their game faces on and prepare for their first match ups of the day. With some tough competition looming, the eblacks have a long day ahead so keep checking back for updates throughout the day.

Samla gets ready for the day ahead

End of Day One

(MordenNZ)

The end of day one is upon us now, the eblacks have wrapped up their practice for the night and are hitting the hay for some much needed rest for tomorrows competition which begins early morning with the first DOTA match begining 10am local time or 2pm NZ time followed by Guitar hero begining at 1pm or 5pm NZ time and FIFA starting off later in the day at 4pm or 8 at night back in New Zealand. So tomorrow show your support for the eblacks as they go into pool play. I will be updating you tomorrow all day long and am hoping to live blog some of the DOTA matches for all the fans back home. Meanwhile catch Masons matches as they are uploaded to Youtube throughout the day. While your waiting however check out the photos uploaded into the new WCG Asian Championship gallery to see some of what we are seeing over here in Singapore.

massi4h and fobski prepare to head back to base

The Nights Activities

(MordenNZ)

With the evening winding down after the Opening ceremony the eblacks have split up for the night to prepare for the coming day. The DOTA squad have headed off for some practice matches in the WCG Gaming arena against Bangladesh. Massi4h is checking out the finals of the Singaporean guitar hero national finals to see who he is up against meanwhile Fobski is sitting down to a few practice matches against India back at the hotel, its looks to be a long night ahead.

The DOTA squad get their practice on

Some serious competition brewing

The Singaporean Guitar Hero Final wraps up

Bearing the Flag

(MordenNZ)

No opening ceremony at the WCG would be complete however without the Flag procession, Each country takes its turn to let a representative carry their nations flag on stage and recite the WCG oath of fairplay stating that their teams and nations will obey the rules of the WCG and help provide a fun and competitive atmosphere for all nations. Our flag bearer this year was a no brainer with Mason taking the stage proudly with the New Zealand flag.

VIP's and Guests with the flag lineup

Mason proudly bears the NZ Flag

The New Zealand flag

The Opening Ceremony

(MordenNZ)

The opening Ceremony has just come to a close after some welcome messages from some of esports most influential people in the Asia region. The directors of the various sponsers also gave messages highlighting the spirit of competition that is behind every WCG event, and the desire to bring honour and glory to both individuals and nations over the coming days. we were also treated to a few videos of the upcoming torch relay as it journeys from Germany, the site of the previous WCG Grand final through various nations including New Zealand and finally making its way to China for the 2009 WCG Grand Final. Rounding off the night were the messages of fair play from the head referee here in Singapore.

Our first speaker and honorable guest

Mr Kim takes the stage

The WCG Expo

(MordenNZ)

While the competition on stage is certainly the main focus at this years event, there are numerous other booths and stands to be checked out including a massive Samsung booth with some of the latest Samsung technologies, one of which being the new generation LED TV's which the guitar hero players will be using tomorrow once the competition begins. Retailers and other companies have set up booths and areas to test out their wares, check out the photos in the gallery later on today to see some of the best. One of the highlights though is the massive arcade area set up for the fighting comp's which have been spectacular to watch.

One of the arcade setups at the event

Some of the latest motion capture technology at work

Registration

(MordenNZ)

The eblacks have finally traveled into Suntec city, home of this years WCG Asian Championship and have just undergone the registration process which this year was fairly painless, every member of the team receiving a tag to identify them as part of the New Zealand team and one of the official Asian Champs T-shirts which must be worn at all times while competing in the gaming arena or in any stage matches, now the waiting game begins until the start of the competition tonight.

This years entry tag to the WCG Asian Championship

Day One Dawns

(MordenNZ)

Day One of the Asian Championship dawns over here in Singapore, With the eblacks rising early for some practice and what has become the breakfast of champions for successive years of eblack Squads in Singapore, the Iced Milo from McDonalds. Perhaps the best drink ever made, it serves to invigorate the eblacks for the day ahead. Following breakfast the team broke up with the DOTA players checking out the competition and Massi4h and Fobski checking out the area surrounding the Hotel. This afternoon the team will be heading into Suntec city, this years venue for the Asian Championship for registration followed by the opening ceremony at 9pm New Zealand time which is looking to be quite an event with Massi4h serving as our flag bearer. Keep tuned for updates later in the day as well as some photo uploads later tonight.

eblacks set out for Breakfast

The Iced Milo, the stuff of legends

The eblacks Headquarters

(MordenNZ)

The New Zealand eblacks have settled into their new headquarters, and getting some practice and rest in for the coming day of tournament play. Our luxurious accomodation happens to be Hotel 81 in Dickson st in the heart of Singapore. Close to the venue and with some great internet for some good practice matches. Close by are the Sri Lankan and Indian Teams. the day is set to be fantastic with the opening ceremony tonight. Stay tuned.

Hotel 81 on a steamy morning

eblacks arrive in Singapore

(MordenNZ)

Early this morning the eblack squad for 2009 arrived in Singapore for this years Asian Championship. The team comprising of 7 members this year with players competing in one of three esports diciplines; DOTA, FIFA and Guitar Hero World Tour. Returning champion Mason "Massi4h" Maddox is returning this year to defend his gold medal and again take out this years competition. Another addition is that of our first female eblack, Sharon who competes on the DOTA squad. we will be posting up some interviews with each of the eblacks soon.

In the meantime ill leave you with this photo of this years eblacks squad.

This years eblack squad

Check out the eblacks blog for updates

Windows 7 Sponsorship

(Dee-Zilla)

We are pleased to announced that we have secured sponsorship with Microsoft and will be utilising the latest operating system Windows 7 on selected stage matches.

This will be a chance for you to have hands on experience with this fantastic new operating system.

WCG Torch Relay 2009

(Dee-Zilla)

We are pleased to announce New Zealand has been selected as one of the stops for the WCG torch relay 2009.

This year's torch relay begins in Singapore, where the WCG 2009 Asian Championship is held, and travels around 11 countries in 80 days to finally end up in Chengdu, China, the host city of WCG 2009 Grand Final.

Torch Relay Schedule

Jun 26 ~ Jul 5 - Singapore

Jul 6 ~ Jul 12 - New Zealand

Jul 13 ~ Jul 19 - South Korea

Jul 20 ~ Jul 26 - Italy

Jul 27 ~ Aug 2 - Germany

Aug 3 ~ Aug 9 - France

Aug 10 ~ Aug 16 - Colombia

Aug 17 ~ Aug 23 - Mexico

Aug 24 ~ Aug 30 - USA

Aug 31 ~ Sep 6 - Canada

Sep 7 ~ Sep 13 - China

Mason "Massi4h" Maddox was selected as our representative for the torch relay, this was not a hard choice for us, as he is the first gamer in New Zealand to receive a gold medal on the WCG world stage.

Samsung T220 Offical Monitor

(Dee-Zilla)

Samsung's T220 PC monitor will be featured at New Zealand’s most prestigious gaming event, in two weeks time in Auckland.

The T220 adds one-of-a-kind style to your gaming room. SAMSUNG has created a design unlike anything you’ve ever seen called Touch of Color. The T220 not only has beauty, it also has brains. An amazing 20,000:1 contrast ratio and 2ms response rate deliver sharp contrast and virtually no blurring when watching movies or playing video games. You’ll be inspired to create your best work with the SAMSUNG T220. It looks more like a beautiful piece of art than a monitor.

Draft Tournament Draws Live

(Dee-Zilla)

We are pleased to announced all seedings and teams have been entered in to our tournament system and have made these live for you to see.

Click here to view the draws

All of the draws provided on this site are draft and subject to change.

Final Draws will include match times and further detail such as maps for some tournaments.

Please post any questions in the correct tournament forum.

WCG AC Groups Announced

(Dee-Zilla)

With the WCG Asian Championships only two weeks away, WCG has announced the groups each country's participant will compete in. The groups are as follows:

DOTA Allstars Group Drawing Results

FIFA 09 Group Drawing Results

Guitar Hero Group Drawing Result

http://asian.wcg.com/files/AC09_schedule.htm

After the Group Stage is finished, the top two teams from EACH group will move onto the Single Elimination Tournament.

Official Gaming Computers

(Dee-Zilla)

PB Technologies have provided the details of the 30 official gaming computers for the New Zealand World Cyber Games. These are some of the best computers we have had for our stage machines and can’t wait to see the intense gaming action on them.

These computers are available for purchase after the event at some absolutely awesome pricing if you pre-order, If you are considering buying a new computer don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity!

System Specifications:

Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz 8M
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R X58 MBD
G.Skill 6GB DDR3-1600 Tri-channel Kit (2GB x3)
Cooler Master Silent Pro 500W Modular PSU
Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler
LG Dvd Writer 22x Sata Internal
Samsung 1TB Hard Drive 7200RPM Sata II

Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4890 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E
Cooler Master Storm Scout Mid Tower Chassis

Pre-order Pricing:

Normal retail price on these would be $2299+GST but they have the following pre-order pricing:

First 10 units pre-ordered: $1650+gst SAVE $649

Second 10 units pre-ordered: $1750+gst SAVE $549

Third 10 units pre-ordered: $1850+gst SAVE $449

Pre-order Conditions:

1 PC per person.

Not available to resellers.

Anyone can pre-order but priority given to xLAN/WCG attendees. (Please include your username if you are attending xLAN/WCG 2009 to get priority)

Payment in Cash/Eftpos/Bank Transfer ONLY.

5 days to make deposit from placing pre-order to receive discount rate.

How To Preorder:

Email or Telephone Eric @ PB Technologies

Email: eric@pbtech.co.nz

Phone: 09 571 8283

Tournament Updates

(dee-zilla)

We have now removed all non paid players and incomplete teams from all the tournaments. With our largest lineup of tournaments most exceeded our expectations.

With confirmed numbers we have adjusted the tournament format and are changing four of the tournaments to Round Robin(Pool Play) progressing to single elimination finals.

Details of the tournaments and format:

TF2 - Round Robin with two pools, top two from each pool progressing to semi finals then final. (Best of 3 maps for semi finals and final)

L4D - Round Robin with two pools, top two from each pool progressing to semi finals then final.

COD4 - Round Robin with four pools, top two from each pool progressing to qtr finals, semi finals then final (Best of 3 maps for qtr finals, semi finals and final)

CS1.6 - Round Robin with two pools, top two from each pool progressing to semi finals then final (Best of 3 maps for semi finals and final)

The results are in!

(dee-zilla)

The New Zealand Online Asian Championship Qualifier is over and here are the results.

The eblacks will be competing in Singapore from 3rd - 5th July.

Guitar Hero World Tour winner is massi4h aka Mason Maddox......can New Zealands golden boy bring home the gold again..

FIFA 09 winner is Fobski aka Shahn Harris after competing in this tournament at the New Zealand World Cyber Games Qualifier in 2008 Fobski finally managed to take first place and earn a place on the eblacks team.

DOTA All Stars winners are Tickle Me Elmo aka escobar, sam.la, shazZ, minhae, ShymoN who steam rolled the competition. We are excited to have the first female to be an eblack and to be competing at the World Cyber Games Asian Championship for New Zealand.

Remember to look at the eblacks blog for updates for the eblacks when they are in Singapore.

Sponsorship News

(dee-zilla)

xLAN is pleased to announce that PB Technologies is the official PC Supplier for xLAN 2009. PB Technologies will have a massive store at this year’s event where you can purchase PC components and gaming peripherals.

They have 4 stores nationwide and they are the largest computer store in New Zealand. They have dedicated themselves to providing 'one-stop computer solutions' to a wide range of customers - from private and home users, small businesses, educations sectors, right up to high-end corporate clienteles. They have over 10 years operation in New Zealand's highly competitive and extremely demanding IT industry.

Be sure to check out their website www.pbtech.co.nz

With signing on PB Technologies this has opened up sponsorship opportunities with CoolerMaser, SteelSeries, Logitech and Sennheiser, products from these companies and others will be available for purchase with some awesome specials for xLAN attendees over the weekend. These companies are also supplying the prizes for most of our tournaments.

xLAN has sold out for the 5th Year

(dee-zilla)

Looking at the payments currently processing in to our bank account I can see that xLAN 2009 and the New Zealand World Cyber Games has sold out for the 5^th year in a row, demand for tickets was high this year with many people missing out who left purchasing a ticket till the last moment.

Preparations for the event are continuing and we will be leaking information to everyone over the coming weeks.

We hope to announce what tournaments will be World Cyber Games Qualifiers and also more sponsors, including our new PC Retailer.

Please remember to keep checking our main page and forums leading up to the event as we will be posting important information for all attendees.

(I will be processing the payments in the morning)

Payment Processing

(dee-zilla)

Payments made from 10pm Friday through to Monday 8pm will not show in the account till Tuesday Morning . So please take this in to consideration when emailing, posting, private messaging or messaging on MSN the event organisers.

If you are not marked as paid and you paid before Friday please look in the administration forum for payments that have been made with no references or read this FAQ.

AC Online Qualifiers 2009

(dee-zilla)

We will be holding online qualifiers for this year’s Asian Championship Qualifiers on the 13th and 14th June.

All attendees/teams that are paid and signed up for the DOTA All Stars, FIFA 09 and Guitar Hero World Tour xLAN 2009 tournaments and meet citizenship requirements will be automatically entered into the online qualifier.

This also means non New Zealand citizens can now compete in the DOTA All Stars, FIFA 09 and Guitar Hero World Tour xLAN 2009 tournaments.

The online qualifier is no additional cost so we will not be providing prizes other than the winners inclusion to be part of this year’s eblacks team that will represent New Zealand in Singapore.

The draw and rules can be found here (the draw will not be finalised till 11th June).

Terms and Conditions

You must be able to travel out of New Zealand the first week of July.
Return flights from Auckland, Accommodation and transportation to venue are included and all other costs are your responsibly.
You must be a New Zealand Citizen with a valid New Zealand Passport or be able to obtain a valid passport at the completion of the tournament.
You must be at least 16 years old.
You will be part of the eblacks with your photo/bio published on the eblacks website and be available for marketing opportunities as defined in eblacks contract.
An individual contract with the winning player must be signed to be able to travel with the eblacks team.

If you have any questions please post in the Asian Championship Qualifiers forum

There is no minimum number for the online tournaments to go ahead.

6 days till payments close

(dee-zilla)

We are 6 days till payments for xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2009 close; we have alot less seats available than the equivalent time last year and based on tournament signups many people will miss out due to not enough seats available. If we do oversell we are not planning to expand the capacity. If this occurs we will refund any of these payments as per previous years.

Please remember we will lock signups for the event and tournaments and remove all unpaid registrations on the morning of the 12th June. We will then remove incomplete teams and will address any tournaments that have not met the minimum numbers.

If tournaments or teams are changed/removed we will provide affected attendees additional time to move to other tournaments or possible alternative options.

If you have any questions please post in our forums and we will be happy to answer anything you have for us.

Kind regards

Tmdude & Dee|Zilla

Chat with the Organisers tonight

(dee-zilla)

Its Wednesday once again and if you have any questions regarding xLAN 2009, you can come in to the xLAN Steam Chat Room between 8:30pm - 9:30pm and ask Dee-Zilla and tmdude anything to do with the event and your questions will be answered.

Click this link to go to our steam group and join the chat at 8:30pm

Seating for Clans

(dee-zilla)

We have had a few queries in regards to the seating for clans for people who are not paid or clans who are waiting on people to pay, and we would like to let you know we will move people around so you can sit together, but you have no choice in where you are going to be seated as we will place you where we can. Please note requests of sitting next to other clans will not be taken in to consideration.

Please post in this thread to request that you would like seating for your clan when you are all paid.

CSS 1 vs 1 Female Tournament

(dee-zilla)

I am pleased to announce the first female only tournament at xLAN a CounterStrike Source 1 vs 1. It already looks like we will get a good turnout, so everyone please support the ladies as they will be competing on the main and secondary stages throughout the weekend.

Also guys if you have friends, partners, girlfiriends or wifes who play CounterStrike Source or any FPS and you think they might be interested get them to contact me .

Tournament details are here and ask any questions here

Cheers Dee-Zilla

Friday Night Comedy Show

(dee-zilla)

The Friday Night Comedy Show will feature the following comedians all of which have been in the New Zealand Comedy Festival this year

Reuben Lee, Danny McChrystal, Stella Graham, Diane Spencer,Justin Sane and Urzila Carlson.

There is no charge for xLAN attendees to go to this and there will be a bar run by the venue caterers that will be able to serve you alcohol (R18), softdrinks and snacks at your own cost.

It is going to be a great night and this is one of the many extra things we have planned for xLAN 2009.

Seat Selection NOW LIVE

(dee-zilla)

The seating system is NOW LIVE for PAID attendees.

CLICK HERE TO SELECT YOUR SEAT NOW!

The only restrictions are PC Attendees can only select seats in the "Main Arena" and Console Attendees can only select seats in the "Console Seating". We do however reserve the right to relocate seating requests to resolve any seating issues.

You can change your seat as many times as you require until the 20th June, after this date the selections will be locked and any attendees who have not selected seats will be assigned to the available seats.

If you have problems please check this thread. To request bulk seating for large clans post in this thread.

EA is secured as Sponsor

(dee-zilla)

We are pleased to announce we have secured sponsorship from EA New Zealand for the FIFA 2009 physical xLAN tournament.

As part of the sponsorship for everyone who competes in the tournament they will receive a 10% discount on any game from the EA Online Store, after xLAN 2009.

To sign up to this tournament click here

Be sure to check out the EA website and see all the upcoming games and be on the lookout for our reviews.

Update Email

(dee-zilla)

The event is getting closer and it is just over 30 days till payments and tournament signups close for xLAN and the New Zealand World Cyber Games 2009, make sure to remind your fellow community members to signup and pay as we don’t want any of our tournaments to be dropped due to poor registrations.

We have been extremely busy working on this year’s event and its going to be another improvement from last year’s resounding success and below is a quick overview of what has been happening.

What’s happened over the last month:
• We announced changes for console attendees to improve their event experience. This includes a new dedicated area that has more space for each attendee to allow for larger screens and multi console setups and since it’s not located in the main arena you can use sound without headphones.
• WCG officially announced additional qualifying titles these include FIFA 09, TrackMania, Carom3D, Red Stone, Wise Star 2 and Asphalt 4.
• WCG Announced this year’s Asian Championship will be held from the 3rd – 5th July in Singapore and the titles are DOTA All Stars, FIFA09 and Guitar Hero World Tour.
• Due to the Asian Championship dates we announced online qualifiers for this year’s Asian Championship Qualifiers on the 30th and 31st of May. All attendees/teams that are paid and signed up for the DOTA All Stars, FIFA 09 and Guitar Hero World Tour xLAN 2009 tournaments by the 24th May and meet citizenship requirements will be automatically entered into the online qualifier.
• Additional tournaments added to xLAN official line-up these include FIFA 09, Street fighter 4, Halo 3, Gears of War 2 and Forza 2.
• Weekly chat with the organisers on steam, every Wednesday night @ 8:30pm.

What’s happening over the next month:
• More details of the comedy event.
• Announcement of additional sponsors.
• Announcement of what titles will be New Zealand World Cyber Games qualifiers.
• Online qualifiers for Asian Championship on the 30th and 31st of May.
• A new seat selection system that will allowed all paid attendees to select their exact seat.
• Weekly chat with the organisers on steam, every Wednesday night @ 8:30pm.

If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact us or post in our forums.

Console Update

(dee-zilla)

We have finalised our console plans for this year’s event and have made some major changes to improve the experience for console attendees. Firstly a new dedicated area that has more space for each attendee to allow for larger screens and multi console setups and since it’s not in the main arena you can use sound without headphones.

We also have expanded the tournament lineup adding Halo 3, Gears of War 2 and Forza 2. Like last year console attendees can enter multiple console tournaments so with the expanded lineup there will be plenty of gaming action!

The new console tournament lineup is as follows:

Guitar Hero: World Tour
Guitar Hero: World Tour (Online Qualifier for Asian Championship)
Virtua Fighter 5
Street Fighter IV
Halo 3 2v2
GOW 2 2v2
Forza 2

To ask any questions please post in the forum

Asian Championship 2009

(dee-zilla)

Many of you have been waiting and asking about this year’s Asian Championship 2009! Hot off the email is the official confirmation from the World Cyber Games.

It will be held from the 3rd – 5th July in Singapore and the titles are DOTA All Stars, FIFA09 and Guitar Hero World Tour. This year will see 14 countries compete for the Asian Championship with the prize money to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Since this is before our event we will be running an Asian Championship qualifier(s) to select the eblacks for this event, we will announce more details about the qualifier(s) as soon as we have confirmed the details.

Tournament Announcement

(dee-zilla)

We are pleased to announce that Street Fighter 4 will be an official tournament at xLAN 2009.

With the amount of interest this tournament has shown over the past few months so we do not doubt there won’t be a big turnout for this tournament.

This tournament is only for console attendees.

To sign up for this tournament please click here - To discuss this tournament on our forums please click here

5 Years, 5 Events, 30 People

(dee-zilla)

Looking through the archives we thought it would be interesting to see who has been supporting us from the get go, the following 30 people have attended 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Thank you to you all!

Sle@per, Madhatter, Viper, Virus, Kovac, Darthpyro, Dingardo, Sozzild, Kryptik, DragonK, Dog--, Squid, Espio, TerrorBlade, v8351, MythaN, Hydraulix, M4D, Mops, xruptince, Blind-Reaper, Skanks, SiN, satin, scouter, Dunk, vinwaa, BoBin, peski, Phant

A special thank you to Madhatter, Viper, Virus, Kovac, Darthpyro and Mops who all were volunteers at all these events.

We hope to see you all at xLAN 2009 to carry on this flawless streak of attending our xLAN events.

Don’t be shy come say hello at xLAN 2009.

Discuss here

2008 Event Video

(dee-zilla)

Be sure to subscribe to our youtube video channel to get notified when we upload more videos.

Please post comments here

Sci Fi Channel - WCG Gamequest

(dee-zilla)

The series features top game titles from various studios and includes physical challenges that bring video games to life, as well as elimination challenges in an arena before hundreds of spectators. This exciting new format features a diverse group of contestants who embark on an intense and emotional journey, all hoping to win a prize package that includes $100,000 and trips to future World Cyber Games (WCG) events across the globe.

''With two out of every three American households playing videogames, it's clear that this mainstream phenomenon is a perfect arena for the Channel's agenda of broadening the brand while celebrating imagination,'' said Dave Howe, SCI FI Channel President. ''The colorful and eclectic group of men and women competitors will simultaneously fit and completely shake up the ultimate gamer stereotype. We are thrilled to be partnering with WCG and Samsung for this fun and engaging show.''

''Since 2000, the WCG has been at the forefront of e-sports and as we've grown to 78 countries represented and 1.5 million participants, we've seen that passion for gaming knows no geographic or demographic boundaries,'' said H.S. Kim, WCG President. ''Go to any WCG event or one of the many millions of gaming households across the globe and you'll see the love and excitement that people share with their favorite titles. As gaming continues to be the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry, we are delighted that we can continue to lead this revolution and with SCI FI, Granada and Samsung as partners, bring this show to viewers. The world has never seen a gaming-related TV series like GameQuest and we are confident that it will appeal to all levels of gamers and even non-gamers.''

In WCG GameQuest, contestants will be first tested in real life challenges based on a variety of games and then must master the actual video games themselves. Ultimately, contestants will be forced to rely on real world and virtual world skills like attentiveness, coordination, and endurance in order to avoid elimination. But similar to video gaming where the person with the most skills doesn't always come out on top – for the winner of GameQuest, it may all come down to pure strategy and knowledge of other opponents' weaknesses in order to outlast the competition.

Samsung Electronics, the official worldwide partner for the World Cyber Games, is also the official series production partner.

''As a company that believes in the power of passion and imagination, we know that there is no place where this is more evident than in the WCG,'' said Gregory Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics. ''Samsung televisions, monitors, mobile devices and notebooks are fantastic platforms for video games and we're pleased to extend our commitment to the WCG and partner with SCI FI and Granada to make this one-of-a-kind show a reality.''

''GameQuest will showcase the latest in consumer electronics and video games. Being a part of this ground-breaking series proves Samsung's commitment to creating products this technology-savvy gamer audience craves. Samsung is focused on understanding what our consumers want, and then delivering it to them with leading technology and design to enhance their digital experience,'' said Steven Cook, SVP and Chief Strategic Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics America. ''We are confident that GameQuest will set an industry precedent for gaming reality competition and we look forward to seeing what the season has in store.''

WCG GameQuest is a format created by Michael Agbabian and Dwight D. Smith (''Phenomenon'', ''Gameshow Marathon'' and ''Last Comic Standing'') who will executive produce.

''This deal is very exciting on several levels,'' said Paul Buccieri, President and CEO, Granada America. ''We are delighted to partner with not only one but two top brands in the WCG and Samsung. When the WCG and Samsung approached us with the opportunity, we were definitely up for the challenge. Michael and Dwight crafted an imaginative and compelling format that combines the enormous popularity of video gaming with the real drama of competition. Producing this as our first project for SCI FI is especially gratifying.''

''We are thrilled to be the broadcast partner for such a unique and innovative programming deal which extends our commitment to reality programming,'' said Chris Czarkowski, SCI FI's VP, Sales. ''Electronics and gaming are both categories that have mass appeal for our core SCI FI consumer, making the WCG and Samsung the perfect brands to produce this kind of cutting edge gaming show.''

Ivan Garel-Jones, Senior Vice President, Business Affairs, Granada America, brokered the deal with the WCG and Samsung Electronics. The WCG and Samsung brokered the deal with SCI FI.

SCI FI Channel has greenlit to production WCG GameQuest (working title), an 8-episode elimination-style reality competition, pitting 12 contestants against each other in a series of video game challenges in order to find the ''Best All-Around Gamer'' in the United States. Shot on location in Los Angeles, GameQuest is slated to premiere on SCI FI in the first quarter of 2009.

Support the eblacks

(dee-zilla)

Show your support for the 12 eblacks competing in Cologne, Germany at the World Cyber Games Grand Final 2008.

We have a dedicated photographer and videographer travelling with us so he will be uploading photos, videos and posting in to the eblacks blog

If anyone wants to come to the airport to see them off they will be at the international departure hall from 3:30pm - 4:30pm on Sunday the 2nd November.

2008 eblacks team competing at the WCG Grand Final

Feroz ‘evolution’ Brouwer Counter Strike 1.6 (PC)
Bruce ‘infidel’ Lodge Counter Strike 1.6 (PC)
Khaled 'hellscraper' Salem Counter Strike 1.6 (PC)
Byron ‘simcore’ McLean Counter Strike 1.6 (PC)
Ryan ‘toonz’ Campion Counter Strike 1.6 (PC)
Hamish ‘kowi’ Parker Warcraft 3 – The Frozen Throne (PC)
Connagh ‘IZeRo” Heath Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
Kurtis ‘KurtiZ’ Papple Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
David 'Bob69er' Beaton Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
Ben ‘Zeth’ Price Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
Mason "massi4h" Maddox Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360)
Austin "wugga" Sedgwick Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360)

We be great to see some support at the airport to see them all off.

Post your support in this thread.

If you require any further information on the eblacks please contact us

Match Timetable

(dee-zilla)

The timetable for the eblacks for the Grand Final has been announced and is as follows in New Zealand time and dates

Date	Game	vs	NZ Time	Map
06 Nov	CS	Korea	12:00am	De_Nuke
	CS	Slovakia	1:00am	De_Tuscan
	CS	Estonia	2:00am	De_Train
	CS	Brazil	3:00am	De_Dust2
	CS	Hong Kong	4:00am	De_Tuscan
	CS	Poland	5:00am	De_Inferno

Date	Game	vs	NZ Time	Songs
06 Nov	GH3	USA	12:00am	Weezer - 'My Name is Jonas'
	GH3	Philippines	1:00am	Guns 'n' Roses - 'Welcome to the Jungle'
	GH3	Switzerland	1:30am	Metallica - 'One'
	GH3	Austria	2:00am	Disturbed - Stricken'
	GH3	Portugal	2:30am	Slipknot - 'Before I forget'
Main Stage	GH3	Germany	3:00am	Heart - 'Barracuda'

Date	Game	vs	NZ Time	Map
07 Nov	VF5	USA	12:00am
	VF5	Korea	1:00am
	VF5	Canada	2:30am
	VF5	Netherlands	3:30am
	VF5	Mexico	4:30am

Date	Game	vs	NZ Time	Map
07 Nov	WC3	Switzerland	12:00am	Secret Valley
	WC3	Russia	1:00am	Turtle Rock
	WC3	Bulgaria	2:00am	Twisted Meadows
	WC3	Belarus	3:00am	Terenas Stand
	WC3	Slovenia	4:30am	Gnoll Wood

Date	Game	vs	NZ Time	Map
07 Nov	Halo 3	Canada	2:30am	Narrows
	Halo 3	UK	3:00am	Onslaught
	Halo 3	Netherlands	3:30am	Guardian
	Halo 3	Mexico	4:00am	Construct

For the full listings of the timetable in German Date/Time please click here and to see the broadcast schedule please click here

To discuss this pleased click here

Group Draws

(dee-zilla)

The group draws for the Grand Final took place today and below are the groups the New Zealand eblacks are placed in.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock	Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

Counter Strike	Virtua Fighter 5

Halo 3

Prize Money

(dee-zilla)

The World Cyber Games committee has announced the prize money for the Grand Final.

The eblacks will be battling it out for the chance to win big in their game come November.

Tournament Name	1st Cash	2nd Cash	3rd Cash
CounterStrike: 1.6 (PC) (WCG) (5v5)	US$50,000	US$25,000	US$12,500
WarCraft III Frozen Throne (PC) (WCG) (1v1)	US$19,000	US$7,000	US$3,500
Halo 3 (XBOX360) (WCG) (4v4)	US$40,000	US$20,000	US$10,000
Guitar Hero III (XBOX360) (WCG & AC) (1v1)	US$10,000	US$5,000	US$2500
Virtua Fighter 5 (XBOX360) (WCG & AC) (1v1)	US$10,000	US$5,000	US$2,500

1st place winners in each official game will receive Samsung Notebook PC (Samsung R710-Aura P8600 Deslin) in addition to cash prize

4th - 8 place will receive product estimated value of US$400

Grand Final Group Drawing

(dee-zilla)

WCG 2008 Grand Final group drawing will be held as follows. We invite all country representatives and WCG friends to take part in this event through the WCG website.

Date: 2^nd Oct. 2008 11:00 AM (GMT + 9:00)

Events:

Official Game Events: Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties / Asphalt 4: Elite Racing / Carom3D / Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath / Counter-Strike 1.6 / FIFA 08 / Need For Speed: ProStreet / StarCraft: Brood War / WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne / Project Gotham Racing 4 / Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock / Virtua Fighter 5 (Red Stone will not be drawn)

Management: WCG Committee

Everyone can watch the results and VOD of the group drawing in real-time at the WCG official website. (www.wcg.com)

General Regulation

• The rankings of players within each country are reflected as much as possible to avoid two players from the same country are not in the same group. (Except in unavoidable circumstances)

• Group drawing order (events):- AS4 -> C3D -> GH3 -> AOE -> VF5 -> C&C -> HALO -> PGR -> NFS -> FIFA -> SC -> W3 -> CS

• The group drawing will start from the first place country from last year for each title:Ex) France for CS

• In case of new titles not represented last year, the group drawing will start from the first country in alphabetical order.

• If there are multiple players from a single country, the order will be 3^rd place, 2^nd place, then 1^st place.

• If two players from the same country are drawn into the same group, the drawing will be re-done. (Except when re-drawing is not possible, such as the last country/player to be drawn.)

• No person or organization may raise an objection regarding the results of the group drawing.

Regulation in case of absent players

• The absentee will be recorded as forfeiting every match of the tournament

• Group full league will continue without changing groups or re-drawing

• If all players in a group qualify due to absentees, only the seeding match will be held

• For events where points or records are important, any match with the absentee will be recorded as a win, but the point or record will be 0 for that match.

For more information please visit wcg.com

Prize Money

(dee-zilla)

The World Cyber Games committee has announced today the prize money for the Grand Final.

The eblacks will be battling it out for the chance to win big in their game come November.

Tournament Name	1st Cash	VIK	2nd Cash	3rd Cash
CounterStrike: 1.6 (PC) (WCG) (5v5)	US$50,000	US$5,000	US$25,000	US$12,500
WarCraft III Frozen Throne (PC) (WCG) (1v1)	US$19,000	US$1,000	US$7,000	US$2,000
Halo 3 (XBOX360) (WCG) (4v4)	US$40,000	US$4,000	US$20,000	US$10,000
Guitar Hero III (XBOX360) (WCG & AC) (1v1)	US$10,000	US$1,000	US$5,000	US$2500
Virtua Fighter 5 (XBOX360) (WCG & AC) (1v1)	US$10,000	US$1,000	US$5,000	US$2,500

Cheer on the eblacks! and win!

(dee-zilla)

Cheer on the eblacks and be in to win prizes!!

Its simple log on to the World Cyber Games and post your message, the country with the highest percentage will win prizes..

Get behind New Zealand eSports and support the eblacks!

There is no limit to the amount of cheers that you can write. However, only 1 cheer per day per person will be counted for the event.
More cheers increase the odds of winning.
Cheers that are insulting or otherwise inappropriate may be removed without prior notice at the webmaster's discretion.
Multiple cheers written to abuse the system may be removed without prior notice at the webmaster's discretion.
Please check your address information for prize shipments.

New wcg.com

(dee-zilla)

Log-on Throughout The Month of September For the Chance To Win Prizes

The World Cyber Games (WCG), the recognized blue chip leader for international video game competitions, Earlier this week announced that the website has re-launched with the shortened domain name WCG.com. WCG.com will include new features such as the ability to share WCG news on personal blogs, a RSS News Feed that provides updates on the latest WCG news.

Additionally, all throughout the month of September fans worldwide that logon to WCG.com will have the chance to win prizes by exploring the re-launched site. Each new discovery becomes a ‘mission' that, once completed, enters visitors for a chance to win. Each ‘mission' completed increases the odds of winning great prizes.

''World Cyber Games strives to bring the latest news and information to fans and gamers in the most convenient manner,'' said Hyoung-Seok Kim, CEO of International Cyber Marketing, organizer of the WCG. ''We are pleased to announce these new features and easily accessed domain name which allows visitors to enhance their WCG.com experience.

''With well over one million players from more than 70 countries, the World Cyber Games is widely regarded as video gaming's premier tournament. Featuring online and offline events held throughout the world, the year-long WCG series attracted more than 1.5 million competitors worldwide in 2007.

The 2007 WCG Grand Final in Seattle, Washington broke new ground as more than 29 million people tuned in to watch the competition unfold in real-time, marking the largest global, live satellite broadcast for an e-Sports event. Additionally, the World Cyber Games was recently recognized by Guinness World Records for the World's Largest Video Game Competition with over 1.5 million competitors worldwide.

For more information on World Cyber Games visit www.WCG.com