Call of Duty XP World of Warcraft fans have an annual get-together. So do EverQuest players, and Quake aficionados.

Now the biggest game in the industry is launching its own shindig -- and you're invited.

Call of Duty XP, a convention for fans of the wildly popular shooter series, will have its inaugural gathering this September 2 and 3 in Los Angeles. Roughly 6,000 fans are expected to pay $150 per ticket to attend the event. Tickets go on sale July 19.

And, in a nice surprise, all of the money raised in ticket sales will be donated to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit charitable program run by Activision that helps veterans land jobs after returning from overseas missions.

"I've been here for

Lv 20 Paladin If we've learned anything about addiction, it's that the easiest way to get someone hooked on something is to offer it for free for a while. Once they can't live without it - bam! Charge 'em.

Given how many people need their daily fix of World of Warcraft, we have to wonder why it took Blizzard so long to figure this out.

The world's biggest MMO has shifted business models, ditching the previous 14-day free trial in favor of a new system that lets players play for free until their character reaches level 20.

Available through Blizzard's site, the so-called "Starter edition" gets people well on their way into the game (which currently has a level cap of 85). No credit card -- or other

BIOSHOCK: INFINITE - "Factions At War"

It's a whole new world and a whole new Bioshock, packing in the action and thrills in place of scares and chills.  Check out the video to this fresh, new and exciting look of 2007's instant classic.

BASTION - "E3 Trailer"

Deep story is what this game is all about.   An innovative reactive narration system that responds to the player's actions in real time all throughout the adventure places this game right smack into the "Epic" category.

JOURNEY - "E3 Trailer"

Awakening in an unknown world, the player walks, glides, and flies
through a vast and awe-inspiring landscape, while discovering the
history of an ancient, mysterious civilization along the

The Future of Fitness

Still using Wii Fit to stay in shape? That's all well and good, but the future of video game fitness is leaps and bounds beyond Nintendo's breakthrough exergame. Led by this week's release of UFC Personal Trainer, a new batch of motion-sensing muscleheads is headed your way. Start stretching.

The kids are out of school. Gas prices are dropping. The sun is shining (perhaps). In short, it's summer. And where there's summer, there's travel -- and where there's travel, there's cars and planes full of bored people wondering if they're there yet, and nobody wants that. Turn your journey from chore to cheer with a selection of travel-friendly board game classics.

Settlers of CatanSettlers of Catan: Travel Edition
Breakout smash Settlers of Catan has introduced millions to the so-called "German-style" board game: simple rules, short play sessions, and a pronounced emphasis on strategy rather than luck. This travel edition streamlines Catan's rules still further, and transforms the board from an

The Legend of Zelda:
Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo 3DS)

Link, play me a tune. Ask ten gamers what the best video game ever made is, and you'll probably get at least twelve answers. And more than a few arguments, and
perhaps a fistfight or two.

Ask a group of critics, though -- a task made much easier by sites like Metacritic.com -- and you'll get a much clearer answer: it's The
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which, with a critical aggregate score of an incredible 99%, is the top-rated game of all time.

And this week, it's being re-released on Nintendo's 3DS with a graphical update that does much to hide the wrinkles of its fourteen-year
vintage. Can Ocarina of Time 3DS recapture the magic of the original?

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D - Capcom Like to try before you buy? Hope to save a few bucks by purchasing your games used? Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D may not be the game for you.

Saved games in the Nintendo 3DS title, which hits shelves Tuesday, can't be erased. In other words, when your progress is saved, it's there forever -- even if you loan it to a friend or sell it to someone else. If you manage to beat the game, there is no way to get rid of your save file and play it again from scratch.

And that's prompting game rental giant GameFly to remove it from its inventory -- and has GameStop, the leader in used game sales, doing some serious soul searching.

Since the game is so new, there are mixed reports about whether

BioShock Infinite - 2K Games You've seen which games wowed us at the recent E3 expo, but the big show isn't technically over until the Game Critics have announced their picks. Representing over 40 publications (including Yahoo! Games), the video game journalist illuminati have officially chosen their fave: it's BioShock: Infinite. The first-person game swept all four categories in which it was nominated, taking home wins as Best PC Game, Best Action/Adventure, Best Original and the coveted Best Overall spot.

Other multiple winners include Battlefield 3 (Best Action, Best Online Multiplayer), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Best RPG, Best Console Game), and Sound Shapes (Best Social/Casual, Best Handheld Game.) Full list