World Cyber Games Selects 2006 Competition Titles

The World Cyber Games, an organization of professional video game competition, has announced the eight titles that will serve as the basis for its 2006 tournaments and events, including the 2006 Grand Final in Monza, Italy in October. The WCG Committee selected StarCraft: Brood War, WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne, Half-Life: Counter-Strike 1.6, Warhammer 40,000: Winter Assault, FIFA Soccer 06, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted, all on PC, as well as Dead or Alive 4 and Project Gotham Racing 3 for Xbox 360. The inclusion of the 360 games is interesting given the scarcity of the systems for players to practice on, and the fact that the WCG downgraded its official version of Counter-Strike from Source to 1.6 seemingly to give more players a chance to play. The 2005 WCG recently ended in Singapore last November, with Team USA as the overall victors, winning two gold models and a silver medal during the five-day tournament event. The two USA gold medals were in the Counter-Strike and Halo 2 events, with a silver in WarCraft III. Second place was Korea, who also earned two gold medals for StarCraft and Warhammer, as well as a bronze in Dead or Alive Ultimate, while third place went to Brazil, whose team took both gold and silver medals in Need for Speed. More events for the 2006 season were also announced, including Pan-regional Championships in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, in the lead-up to the Grand Final. The WCG will announce the official rules and maps for each game in the preliminary qualifying rounds for each country's national championship.