Codemasters Online and NetDevil have released a new series of Jumpgate Evolution screenshots and concept art at the Penny Arcade Expo, and we've added them all to our gallery. From Octavian gunboats engaging Solrain targets to cargo freighters entering Aurora Nexus, the screenshots give you a glimpse into the battles you'll encounter in this sci-fi MMO. There's even a copy of the box art in the mix.

Once you're done checking out the Jumpgate Evolution gallery, feel free to head over to our PAX page for more news straight from our team in Seattle.

It was announced today that the Penny Arcade Expo has completely sold out, but gamers who were lucky enough to already get their badges have a ton of MMO excitement waiting for them in Seattle from Sept. 4-6, or you can keep an eye on ZAM.com for all our PAX news.

We've already reported there will be a playable Star Trek Online demo on the floor and CCP will showcase EVE Online at the convention, but that's only a taste of what's in store at this year's expo. Keep reading after the jump for just some of the other games you can expect to see on the floor at PAX 2009.

It seems as though everyone's getting really excited about Codemasters Online & NetDevil's newest sci-fi MMO, Jumpgate Evolution! Apparently the game has managed to reach a landmark 250,000 beta sign ups in North American and Europe, thereby pushing it to become Codemasters Online's biggest ever beta campaign. Currently, the game is in its Friends & Family test. Scott Brown, President of NetDevil thanks his current and future testers when he says "Our players' enthusiasm continues to exceed our expectations at every milestone and we are extremely excited to achieve such fantastic support. We have thoroughly enjoyed obtaining some valuable feedback from the people in our Friends & Family test, helping us to take the next major step towards launch." David Solari, Vice President of Codemasters Online, also boldly states that "We expect our fans to agree that it was worth the wait." We certainly hope so!

The "Galactic Database" over at Jumpgate Evolution's official website has just been updated today, showcasing the newest playable nation to join the game. Called the Quantar, it's a spiritual yet militant nation, described in detail in its section of the database.

"In the wake of the Shift and corruption in the world gone before, the Quantar have splintered; there are over a dozen Quantar paths, each with a different view of the universal truth," the new database section reads. "They are united by the fundamental belief that human destiny lies among the stars, and that the Skein itself will guide the thoughts of any pilot who learns to listen."

Jumpgate Evolution is the upcoming sci-fi MMO based on the classic Jumpgate, both developed by NetDevil. Check out the official FAQ and Features page for more info.

For those of us who still love our offline games, it's interesting to see the differences in production that surround our 'regular video games' and our MMORPGs. With the console industry, blockbuster releases need to compete only with other games coming out at the same time - Street Fighter 4 doesn't need to worry too much about pre-existing fighting titles because gamers will happily make the purchase, even if they already have Soul Calibur 5, Tekken 5, Guilty Gear XX2 and Street Fighter 3 (guilty!). Perhaps the biggest burden that is placed upon offline games is their aim for key release dates that coincide with consumer purchases. Release for Christmas, or just before the back to school rush when everyone is spending money!

Recent MMORPGs, on the other hand, have been released not in conjunction with hedonistic holidays - instead, the entire development cycle of most MMORPGs seems to be centered on a different world… of Warcraft.

Members of the ZAM team were on the floor of the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center last week to bring you all sorts of information on your favorite MMOs. You can check out all of our coverage on our E3 news feed, but we've compiled all of our noteworthy features and news posts in this post for easy access. So keep reading below and after the jump for our in-depth E3 coverage, from the unveiling of Final Fantasy XIV Online to our impressions on Star Wars: The Old Republic!

ZAM E3 Features

All Points Bulletin E3 Impressions: Andrew "Tamat" Beegle gives us a first look at All Points Bulletin, Realtime Worlds' upcoming fast-paced third-person action MMOG. While he didn't see any live gameplay, he was highly impressed with the level of depth available in character creation, as well the number of car models and in-game MP3 player.

Star Wars: The Old Republic at E3: The ZAM team had the opportunity to enjoy a private gameplay demonstration of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and everyone was amazed by what they saw. Of course, the team wasn't allowed to record footage of any of the gameplay, but Tamat did get an exclusive interview with SW:TOR Lead Writer Daniel Erickson and Lead Designer James Olhen. Check out the video!

The Potential in Heroes of Telara: Trion World Networks unveiled its new fantasy MMO at E3, and Tamat gives us his first impressions on the game. While he says it's too early to tell if Heroes of Telara will deliver on its promises, he does emphasize it's a beautiful game with some new ideas and improvements to ideas that have potential.

E3 Interview with Jens Andersen: Once you've watched the PS3 gameplay demo for DC Universe Online, check out our interview with Jens Andersen, the game's creative director.

E3 Gameplay Footage of The Agency: The ZAM team was able to get some video of a mission being played out in The Agency. Take a closer look at this espionage action game from Sony Online Entertainment.

We've been excited to see a live PvP demonstration of Jumpgate Evolution for some time now. This is mostly due to the fact that the game will support "epic large-scale" PvP battles against thousands of players in real time. When we met with the President of NetDevil Scott Brown at E3 earlier this week -- he gave us an exclusive taste of the PvP pie by allowing us a look at some of the action going on in the Jumpgate Evolution "friends and family" beta.

Don't worry! We didn't forget about you. We've filmed the entire demonstration and it can be viewed after the jump.

Even though NetDevil President Scott Brown recently let fans know that the release of Jumpgate Evolution has been delayed, that doesn't mean announcements regearding the game have stopped. In fact, members of the MMO's team are present at this week's E3 conference, and G4 has an exclusive first look at the trailer being shown by Codesmasters and NetDevil at the convention.

"The nations of humanity stand on the brink of war," the narrator tells us as small ships participate in dogfights in space. "This is a time for heroes, for champions, willing to explore the dark corners and face the dangers of this age. Our ancestors were not born beneath the stars, but our children will be. Go forth, pilots. Your destiny awaits."

What do you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments section below.

There have been rumors that NetDevil was going to miss the release target of June that had hinted at in a promotional trailer released in February at Gamers Day in San Francisco. Last week at LOGIN when I asked Scott Brown about their plans to release the game and when they were going to do so he replied, "When it's ready is the real answer, and it's not ready." Today in a newsletter written for the Jumpgate Evolution community over at the official forums, Scott Brown made it clear that his promise to "not release an unfinished product" or "subject players to a sub-par experience" was being reinforced with the decision to push back the games release, largely due to feedback that they've received in the Friends and Family beta phase.

We understand news of this delay is disappointing. The good news is that our immediate goal is to get the game ready for larger groups of people as we get into wider testing. This means that more people will have more time to give us the vital feedback we will need to improve the game. Once we've established our road map for the next few months we'll share with you when the revised release date is.

Continue reading after the jump for Scott Brown's address to the Jumpgate Evolution community.

Every time we see Jumpgate Evolution, we walk away impressed and more eager than we were before to get our hands on the game. Walking away from our demonstration at the LOGIN Conference in Seattle last week, those sentiments remained unchanged.

Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you! In addition to our exclusive screenshots that we brought you yesterday, we have an interview with NetDevil President, Scott Brown. Enjoy!

ZAM: Hi Scott, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us.

Scott "Scorch" Brown: No problem!

ZAM: Looking back over the games NetDevil has produced so far, we can see they're not what we'd class as "typical" MMOs. Is this something that was planned from the start, or is there another reason behind it?