Alara was whole once. But that was millennia ago. Where once there was a plane, now there are five: the Shards. The plane of Alara was a world rich with mana, a world in balance… until the Sundering. In a cataclysm of unimaginable proportions, Alara was rent asunder into five separate worlds, each a refraction of the others.

We can’t tell you everything about the Shards of Alara set yet, but keep watching magicthegathering.com for more information as we release it, including three weeks of official card previews beginning Monday, September 8. In the meantime, keep checking the Visual Spoiler to see all of the Shards of Alara cards officially previewed anywhere.

Wizards of the Coast, Inc. a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. and a leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer today announced the unveiling of Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, a video game extension of the successful Magic: The Gathering franchise for Xbox LIVE(r) Arcade. Scheduled for official release in Spring 2009, this year’s Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) attendees can demo the game at Wizards of the Coast’s booth (No. 1123) during the show taking place at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle August 29-31.

“We’re excited to bring the Magic brand to new platforms and give gamers new ways to experience this great property,” said Jared Gustafson, Brand Director for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast. “The game successfully brings Magic’s inherent strategic game play to the Xbox LIVE community.

The dead are walking and hungry for brains. Shutter the windows, barricade the door and load your shotgun.

Oh, and this round draw three and play two.

“Zombie Fluxx,” a card game from the appropriately-named Looney Labs, is based off the popular and zany “Fluxx,” an ever changing card game that begins simple and ends up insane.

“Zombie Fluxx” takes the base game one shuffling step forward, adding in iconic images from zombie and horror movies and a new kind of card to liven (pardon the pun) up the mix.

Shadowmoor is the first set in a new block, a 301-card expansion with randomly inserted premium cards. It will be available in booster packs, tournament packs, theme decks and fat packs.

The Aurora has plunged Lorwyn into eternal night, transforming the once-idyllic plane into the eerie world of Shadowmoor. The gloom has transformed its denizens, too — creatures of fable have become monsters from dark fairytales. Races and characters introduced in Lorwyn are back, but with twisted allegiances and new powers.

Flames Rising is pleased to present two new Shadowmoor cards for Magic: the Gathering fans to preview!

The dead are rising from their graves, so what can you do? Maybe grab a baseball bat and play some Zombie Baseball! Or grab that shotgun and sacrifice yourself for the good of the others. Of course, you can always get in your car and leave your friends in the dust.

Zombie Fluxx is an expanded version of Fluxx, a card game about change. The game changes as you play it, starting with the basic rule of draw one card and play one card. This will,of course, change when new rules are played.

Review by Graveyard Greg

Vampire: Dark Influences is a stand-alone card game set in the world of Vampire: the Requiem, designed by Michael Miller and David Raabe and developed by Ken Cliffe and Steve Wieck. First and foremost, this is a strategy game that includes several thematic elements from the RPG. You’ll notice that the artwork is consistent with the corebook; many of the same signature characters are used for gameplay.

Swords & Dragons is a “unique fantasy card deck and roleplaying accessory” published by Emperor’s Choice Games. Lifted straight from Dave Hargrave’s legendary campaign setting, Swords & Dragons is a little piece of Arduin brought to life in our world.

[Note: Now, before I go any further, I know what you’re thinking – Three Dragon Ante did it first, right? Well, Three Dragon Ante did it first for Dungeons & Dragons, but Swords & Dragons was originally published back in the Fall of 2000.]

Let me introduce you to Angel, the Starry-eyed Serial Killer. She was cursed by the queen, and grew old without grace. In her old age, she was pushed down the stairs. May our dearly departed Angel rest in peace. I was immediately drawn to Gloom for two reasons. The first is artwork, produced in the etching style of Edward Gorey by Scott Reeves, that sets the mood of the game. The second, is the unique game design concept created by Keith Baker. The result? One of the best card games I’ve ever played.

Give me the brain, my pants are on fire! Your pants burning up is just one of the many reasons why you, a fast-food zombie worker, need a brain. Sadly enough, there is only one brain for you and your three to eight friends to share. The “brain”, represented by a six-sided die, can get tossed around faster than yesterday’s side salad.

In this latest edition of “Kill the Monsters, Steal the Treasure, Bite your Buddy” Steve Jackson paints a comedic look of horror gaming, LARP, cinema, and more!

The rules are similar to other games in the Munchkin line, but with a few notable differences. Players have races and powers instead of races and classes. The race cards are vampire, werewolf and changeling. All have special abilities and all are appropriate. Vampires suck levels off of other players, werewolves have an added +4 bonus against Demons and the Undead, and Changelings can choose what deck to choose from after combat.