Fan Faire 2009 is just around the corner, and members of the ZAM team are preparing to head to Las Vegas from June 25-28 to cover the event. All of your favorite Sony Online Entertainment games will be featured at the convention, and our group plans to fill the ZAM.com home page with as much news as possible. This year, we'd like you to be a part of our reporting team by submitting your questions on three SOE games!

DC Universe Online and The Agency are two upcoming MMOs that are as different as night and day. One is full of superheroes, while the other focuses on espionage. And then there's EverQuest, the granddaddy of the genre that has been going strong for 10 years. We know members of the ZAM community must have questions on any or all of these games, and we'd love to hear them so we can do our best to get them answered at Fan Faire! Submit your questions by clicking on the name of the MMO above and posting them in the forum thread.

Also, if you're going to be at Fan Faire, there's going to be a ZAM panel held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 27. Stop by to listen to our team, including Jeffrey "Allakhazam" Moyer, discuss 10 years of Allakhazam. You can check out the full Fan Faire schedule here.

If you can't make it to Fan Faire, be sure to tune in for the live webcast of the 3rd Annual Community Address to see what’s new at SOE! They will be broadcasting live from Fan Faire this Friday night, June 26th, at 7:00pm PDT.

John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, is set to kick off SOE Fan Faire 2009 with a community address to more than 1,500 video game fans at Bally’s in Las Vegas. The live event, scheduled for Friday, June 26th at 7 p.m. PDT, will be streamed online allowing both Fan Faire attendees and gamers worldwide to get the very latest updates from SOE. Last year's address was simucast live in SOE games enabled for Vivox voice chat.

This year’s massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming lineup features the hit titles EverQuest®, EverQuest®II, EverQuest® Online Adventures, Free Realms™, PlanetSide®, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes®. This year's Fan Faire will also feature the upcoming titles, DC Universe Online™, The Agency™ and more.

If you want to pre-register for Fan Faire, you're running out of time!  Pre-registration will be closing TOMORROW (Tuesday, June 16th) at 11:59 PM PDT. Register online at the official Fan Faire website.

The full schedule went up today, so take a look at all the SOE goodness happening.  They can really pack a weekend!  What's this I spy?  A ZAM panel on Saturday?

Hope to see you there!

If you're a gamer, chances are you've seen The Jace Hall Show. The video game producer and president of HD Films talks about all sorts of games in his Web series, including MMOs. Now he's focusing on the granddaddy of the genre: EverQuest.

Sony Online Entertainment and The Jace Hall Show announced today they teamed up to make a documentary based on EQ titled "EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest." According to a press release, the film "chronicles the trials and tribulations leading to the development, launch and success of the hit massively multiplayer online game" and will debut at Fan Faire in Las Vegas on June 26.

Check out the trailer for "EverCracked!" after the jump and let us know what you think!

Have you pre-registered for Fan Faire yet?  Don't miss out! Online registration closes at 11:59 P.D.T. on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.  You can do walk-in registration beginning Thursday, June 25, but space is limited and with 1200+ people already registered they're expecting a large turn-out. Secure your spot and register online today!

Sony Online Entertainment has selected its Players of the Year, who will get to attend Fan Faire in Las Vegas from June 25-28. One EverQuest player and one EverQuest II player were chosen for their dedication to their games.

In EverQuest, Palarran from The Tribunal server earned the Player of the Year honor. You can read the poem that was entered for Palarran after the jump.

In EverQuest II, Bownzer from the Crushbone server was selected thanks to the comic strip that was created in his honor, as well as a lengthy commentary. You can read the first comic here, as well as the follow-up comic that acknowledges Bownzer's Player of the Year status. He's a raid leader that will go the extra mile to log in, even when his wireless isn't working.

The in-game items for Fan Faire have been announced!  We are pleased to report that this year all registrants will receive the items, whether you pre-register or do walk-in.  You don't even have to attend, just register!

Even better, registrants no longer have to choose one game for their goodie.  Registrants will receive the in-game items in all participating games for which they have an account at the time of registration.

Games with in-game Fan Faire items include EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, The Matrix Online, Vanguard, Legends of Norrath, PoxNora, and the SWG and Free Realms TCG's.

For details, read more at EQII Players!

Do you know someone who you think deserves to be called the SOE Player of the Year? Do you think you fit that title? If so, you can nominate another player or yourself in the Player of the Year 2009 Contest for the chance to win a trip to Fan Faire 2009, which is being held at Bally's Las Vegas from June 25-28.

To enter, all you need to do is submit a letter or role-playing story up to 300 words explaining why you or another player should be considered for the honor. If you'd like, you can even send a screenshot or video to accompany the submission. You have until May 10 to complete your entry and send it in.

Up to two grand prize winners will get a round-trip plane ticket to Las Vegas, standard hotel room accomodations, transport to and from the airport and an All-Access pass to Fan Faire. The approximate retail value is $690. The nominee must be at least 21 years old and a U.S. resident. The official rules can be found here. More information can be found after the jump.

Registration is now open for SOE Fan Faire 2009, which will be held at Bally's Las Vegas from June 25-28. An All-Access pass for the entire weekend costs $89, or day passes are available for $39 each. There will be all sorts of events taking place, including tournaments, demos, parties, panels and an address by SOE President John Smedley. You can even buy a copy of "EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition" and have it signed by artist Donato Giancola.

Those who pre-register 10 or more guild mates online will receive 50% off an All-Access pass, so talk to your friends ahead of time and plan accordingly. To register, visit the official Fan Faire Web site. For more information, you can always check our very own Fan Faire wiki page. The full announcement can be found after the jump.

As we previously reported, the SOE Fan Faire will return to Las Vegas from June 25-28. The event will include sneak peaks of upcoming titles, an EQ birthday bash, a costume contest, a grand banquet, demos of SOE games, in-game tournaments, developer forums and panels. And it turns out that you may have some say in which panels you'll see that weekend.

SOE is currently organizing the panels that will be held at the Fan Faire in a little more than two months. The team has supplied a list of panels from the 2008 event and is asking players the following questions: "Which ones were your favorites? Do you have ideas for new panels you'd like to see? Or do you remember panels from prior years that were really fun or informative?"

If you need to refresh your Fan Faire memory, check out our wiki page for the event. You can find links to Calthine's blogs entries for the 2008 festivities. So what panels would you like to see this year?