I'm not going to spend a lot of time going over the history of our website and network. I'll spare you the long, drawn-out history lesson I could so easily get into. Instead, I'm just going to touch on the basics. We started as a GameCube site in 2002 called GameCube Advanced. In 2004, we switched our name over to Advanced Media Network, expanding to cover multiple platforms. Since then, we've grown in size and readership. However, there's been something that has been holding us back – something that can be likened to a painful thorn in an athlete's foot who wants nothing more but to run as fast and as hard as possible, but can't, because, well, having a thorn in your foot kind of hurts.

That thorn? Our name – or domain, to be more specific.

The name Advanced Media Network is a great one, and we will continue to use it. It will remain our parent company's name, in fact. But for a video game website, the URL "advancedmn.com" just didn't work well for us. From this day forward, we are making a huge change. We are switching to a new name and domain address for our video game section. Previously called AMN Games, our video game site will now go by the name Kombo, with the domain being Kombo.com.

The "advancedmn.com" domain has served us well. We've had it for a couple of years, but I'll be honest: it won't be missed. We're incredibly happy about re-launching with our new name and layout. In the long run, the name change will allow us to take our video game coverage to the next level – something we're doing for you guys and gals. After all, our number one priority is you, the reader.

That's why we'd love your feedback on the new name and layout. So, please be sure to leave your comment below and tell us what you think.

Starting today, there are a number of changes on our site, so I would like to take a moment of your time to walk you through what's new on Kombo.

Easier Site Navigation
Previously, navigating our site was just too complicated. We had way too many article sections, and they were spread out across five-plus channels. Now, everything has been streamlined. We've narrowed everything down to six main sections: games, news, reviews, media, previews and features. Under that last thing, "features," you'll find all editorials, features, interviews, mailbags, awards and anything that can be classified as a feature-like article. In other words, if it's not a review, preview or news, you'll find it all on that page. And, best of all, it's all entirely searchable (all the sections are).

Today on Kombo: Top Stories Face Lift
We've totally redesigned our top stories area – AKA "Today on Kombo" – which is important because it's the first thing you (and our other readers) see when you come to our site. The new space allows us to spotlight more of our content, making it easier for you to find the latest and greatest on Kombo.com.

Hot Topics
We realize that the success of Nintendo Wii means more and more non-gamers are suddenly becoming – you guessed it – gamers! We've designed our "Hot Topics" area at the top of the "Today on Kombo" space specifically for these types of readers, but it can also be useful to you. Here you'll find links that when clicked on will take you to a page with all our coverage and information regarding that item. So, if a hot topic of the week is video game sales numbers, you'll find a link titled "Video Games Sales" in the Hot Topics space that when clicked on will take you to a page with a list of all video game sales data-related information on Kombo.

Partner Network
Advanced Media Network's Partner Network has never been bigger or more useful to you than it is now. By clicking on the "Partner Network" link on the front page of Kombo, you'll find a feed of updates from our various video game site partners, including Jeux-France, QJ.net, Planet Xbox 360, PSU, Nintendo World Report and Game Party. This means you can browse their latest updates directly from Kombo. And things are only going to get better, as our Partner Network is always growing.

Kombo Community Quote of the Day
If you're like many of our readers, you're frequenting our forums community and taking part in passionate (and often heated) video game-oriented discussions. The Kombo Community Quote of the Day is a place where we can spotlight some of the smartest, funniest and just downright entertaining things our forum users are saying. Each day, you'll find a new quote, as well as a shout out to the person who said it, on our front page under this space.

Coming Soon to Kombo
Ever wonder what we're doing behind-the-scenes? The "Coming Soon to Kombo" section on the front page serves one purpose and one purpose only: to give you a sneak peak of what types of articles and features will be coming to the site in the near future. That means you'll get a heads-up on when to expect the latest reviews, previews, interviews, features and more. It's kind of like being able to see the future – kind of.

Kombo Swag Bag
Each week, we're giving away a free video game, peripheral, console or video game-related item, and all you have to do is enter to win. Keep an eye on the "Kombo Swag Bag" to see what goodies we want to give to you… for free.

The Otaku
Brought to you by TheOtaku.com, you'll find daily video game fan art here.

VGchartz.com Presents Sales Data
Brought to you by VGchartz.com, you'll find the latest up-to-the-minute sales data for software and hardware right on our front page.

Around Kombo Spotlight
At the top of all article pages, you'll notice three feature images spotlighting three different feature stories we have on the site. This way, you'll be able to see if we've updated our Today on Kombo space even when browsing the rest of the website.

Recent Features List on Article Pages
At the bottom of all feature articles, you'll find a short list of three other recent features we've done that might be of interest to you.

Latest News Feed on Article Pages
On the right side of article pages, you'll find a feed of our latest news updates. So, now you can stay up to date on the latest news even when reading non-news pages on Kombo.

Editor Blogs
Now you can see a list of our editor's latest blog updates right on the front page. This way, you can see what we're up to when we're not gaming or writing about games (then again, you can probably expect a lot of gaming-centric stuff even on our blogs – cause that's how we roll).

Weekly Poll
Back by popular demand, is our Weekly Poll feature. And this time, when we say "weekly," we mean it. But don't take our word for it; check back next week. You'll see.

Game Help – Live Chat
Ever visited a website with a question that you just can't find the answer to? That's what our new "Game Help" feature is for. Using the feature, you'll be able to chat with a live gaming expert, who will be able to assist you with all your gaming-related queries. We're particularly excited about this feature, and we hope you find it useful.

And More to Come
While we won't spoil what else we're planning for the coming weeks and months, we will say that we plan to add a "search" bar to our front page in the next week or so. Originally, this feature was planned to go live on launch day, but due to technical reasons, we had to hold off. However, do rest assured, the feature's coming soon (along with a few other "surprises").

In closing, 2007 was a great year for the industry and AMN. However, I suspect 2008 will be even greater. We know the video game industry has plenty of surprises planned (as do we), and we plan to bring you all the tasty information you just have to have. I hope you'll continue reading the site and stick with Kombo. After all, we're nothing without you.

Thanks for reading.

On behalf of Kombo and its staff,

Phillip Levin, Editor-in-Chief

P.S. Contact us with any bugs, glitches or technical issues you find on the site. We're still working out the kinks.