Funcom today revealed new details on its upcoming modern-day, real world massively multiplayer online game The Secret World. As a teaser for more reveals to come out of the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle this week, Funcom unveiled three secret societies – the Illuminati, the Dragon and the Templars – all of which will be central to gameplay and the storyline in The Secret World.

Gamers everywhere can also visit the official website at www.darkdaysarecoming.com and complete a unique personality test that will reveal to them what secret society they are most suited to join. Completion of the test will not only allow them to become an initiate of that secret society and thus an important member of the official The Secret World community, it also gives them the chance to win exclusive future beta access to the game. Initiates will also be kept up-to-date on the development of The Secret World.

“The secret societies are integral to The Secret World,” says Producer and Director Ragnar Tørnquist. “Players must eventually pick a side in the conflict. By revealing the three societies – and at the same time keeping some exciting new features under wraps – we provide players with the opportunity to dig deeper into the conspiracies and urban legends, and to learn more about these famous secret societies, before making their final decision when the game launches.”

Today, BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, announced the mystical City of Haven, which will be featured in their upcoming title Dragon Age: Origins.

Information about the city: Some years ago, a lone traveler paid a visit to a tavern in Denerim, and after imbibing a great quantity of ale related a tale of his travels to the tavern-keeper. The traveler claimed to have stumbled upon a strange village high in the Frostback Mountains. The village was peaceful, he said, and the villagers polite, if a little aloof.

They fed him and watered his horse, and then urged him to be on his way. When he lingered too long, suddenly their mood changed. Their faces grew cold and knives appeared, and the traveler was told that what was to happen next “was done in Andraste’s name and for the good of all.” He fled in a panic and could not afterwards retrace his path. The traveler took a room at the tavern and yet never slept there. He disappeared that night and was not heard from again.

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Codemasters today announced that Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, the tactical shooter that’s set to take players as close to war as they’ll ever want to get, will be shipping on October 6th in North America and releasing on October 8th through EPAC territories with a October 9th street date in the UK.

“Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising will take players closer to war then they’ve ever come before,” said Brant Nicholas, Senior Producer, Codemasters Studios. “To achieve that end, we turned to Image Metrics’ facial animation solutions because of their unique ability to perfectly capture the range of emotions that soldiers experience in combat.”

Dragon Rising will set the new standard for sandbox shooters when it arrives in October everywhere for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.