Welcome to the first edition of News Pop! for the week. We've got some big news coming up this week, and for releases specifically. We're talking about the release of the highly anticipated expansion for World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, tonight/tomorrow and that of the newest addition to the WarioWare franchise, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, which is also releasing tomorrow. But, of course, we have much more to talk about than just that, so sit back, maybe grab a drink and join us for another week of News Pop!.

As if it wasn't obvious we were going to start with this bit of news, we are. Blizzard's expansion to its over 8 million subscriber strong, massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft, will be releasing tomorrow and, at some stores, midnight tonight. Blizzard, as well as many retailers, is expecting the demand for The Burning Crusade to be so high that some stores will be carrying numbe rs of copies in the hundreds and, for specific midnight launch stores, considerably over 1,000 copies of the game. For detailed information on the expansion, you can check out www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade .

Mobile phone owners will have a new way to experience football starting today. Gameloft announced today that it has launched Reggie Bush Pro Football 2007 in conjunction with the 2007 NFL playoffs. “The timing of the game’s release is great,” said Bush, star running back for the New Orleans’ Saints. “Now every football fan out there with a cell phone can get just as excited about the playoffs as I am.” According to Gameloft the game is expected to redefine how players experience football on their cell phones. With all new offensive moves and exclusive quarterback passing controls, players can participate in sixteen full games on a textured field with high-quality graphics. Also included are team-specific playbooks whereby gamers can call specific plays and try to out-coach their opponents. Reggie Bush Pro Football 2007 is now available throughout North America through telecom operators and directly from Gameloft at www.gameloft.com.

Aspyr Media announced that the Mac version of Prey began shipping to retailers today. The Mac version of the game, which is compatible with both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs, was developed by Aspyr's internal development team, under license from 2K Games. For those of you who aren't already familiar with the game from it's original versions, here is the synopsis. Prey is a first-person shooter that turns the genre upside-down with new gameplay features and next generation graphics. Breaking the traditional first-person shooter format, Prey introduces innovative gameplay elements including wall-walking, portals, spirit-walking and gravity flipping, which allows for insane eight player deathmatches. The game tells the story of Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic stuck on a reservation and going nowhere. His life changes when an otherworldly crisis forces him to awaken spiritual powers from his long-forgotten birthright. Abducted along with his people to a menacing mothership orbiting Earth, he sets out to save himself and his girlfriend and ultimately his planet. Prey for Mac will be available for $49.99 USD and is still rated M for Mature. For more information on Prey, you can check out the official website at www.prey.com.