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LUCASARTS AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATE THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF STAR WARS GALAXIESTM WITH THE STAR WARS GALAXIES TRADING CARD GAME

The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, “Champions of the Force” to be Released Summer 2008; In-Game Fifth Anniversary Events to be Held Throughout the Summer

JULY 2, SAN FRANCISCO – LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the Star Wars Galaxies™ Trading Card Game as part of the fifth anniversary celebration for the massively multiplayer game, Star Wars Galaxies. The first release for the online trading card game, Champions of the Force, is scheduled to be released late this summer, following several months filled with in-game anniversary events.

The release of Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars® trading card game offered exclusively online. Available only through a valid, active, fully-paid subscription to Star Wars Galaxies, Champions of the Force provides Star Wars Galaxies subscribers an entirely new gameplay experience by combining the challenge of a trading card game with the adventures and community of the massively multiplayer game. For the first time, players can:

• Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and build their own Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game decks to fight virtual matches for the Rebel or Imperial factions;

• Challenge their skills in story-based solo-play or against other Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game players in epic one-on-one matches, cooperative Heroic Encounters, and official tournaments;

• Find more than 20 “loot” cards in the first release, Champions of the Force that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use within the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game;

• Adventure in Star Wars Galaxies and collect desirable cards that enhance their virtual trading card game deck.

All Star Wars Galaxies subscribers with valid, active, fully-paid accounts in good standing are scheduled to receive five Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game booster packs per month, included at no additional cost, as part of their valid monthly subscription to the game, providing a simple way for players to quickly and easily build their decks. In addition, all subscribers will be able to purchase booster packs and starter decks through Sony Online Entertainment’s Station Store at www.store.station.sony.com.

More information on the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game and its first release, Champions of the Force, can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com/tradingcardgame.

In addition to the upcoming release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment are celebrating the fifth anniversary of Star Wars Galaxies with several in-game events.

Beginning this week and continuing through July 22 in Star Wars Galaxies, players can gather with others to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the game through virtual “Empire Day” festivities. Featuring notable Star Wars characters and events, players of all factions can experience festivities in the cities of Theed and Coronet that include:

• Performances by the Max Rebo Band;
• The debut of two new prominent in-game statues: the Emperor in Theed, and Yoda in Mos Eisley, both accompanied by new vendors to distribute celebratory buffs that enhance the players’ in-game characters;
• Regularly scheduled Imperial parades;
• Appearances by Princess Leia;
• In-game fireworks.

In addition, all Star Wars Galaxies players will receive several in-game items to commemorate the fifth anniversary, as part of their regular subscription to the game:

• A Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back virtual poster for decorating an in-game home or player structure;
• New, wearable goggles inscribed with a “V,” in honor of the fifth anniversary for use by an in-game character;
• Plus, during the first week of the in-game festivities, community members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Star Wars Galaxies Fifth Anniversary Fan Art Contest submissions at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com. Both the winning Rebel and Imperial fan art submissions may then be added as in-game virtual posters to Star Wars Galaxies in honor of the Fifth Anniversary.

More information about the fifth anniversary celebrations can be found at www.StarWarsGalaxies.com.

Anyone wishing to try Star Wars Galaxies can do so at no charge for up to two full weeks through the Star Wars Galaxies 14-Day Trial. This trial includes all the content of the base game, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided and its first expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed™. Beginning late this summer, the 14-Day Trial will also include access to the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game tutorial. Available by download from www.StarWarsGalaxies.com, the 14-day trial gives players a chance to meet and fight with or against their favorite Star Wars characters as they explore this massive online universe filled with other Star Wars fans.

Well, this is a bit old, but somoene sent me the “Wii Fit Girlfried” video this morning. It’s slightly PG for those who won’t let their kids see a girl in panties and a t-shirt, but nothing too exciting. I did a little googling and it turns out to have been from around the 25th of May, on YouTube (surprise!) and (surprise again!) from an advertising company.

http://www.voltagecreative.com/blog/2008/05/nintendo-wii-fit-viral-marketing-video/

I mean, great advertising, and my 7 year old REALLY wants Wii Fit now, but damn, just make it into a commercial already! If it wasn’t done by Nintendo, it’s what they should have done to get us guys into a fitness game.

Thanks R@z0Rw1R3 for sending the link, even if it was from last month!

-e

Sony has pulled back the v2.40 update for some reason. No official word from Sony has been issued. Yet.

Announcing the Mushroom Men Writing Contest on Spacesquid.com!

Space Squid, RevolutionSF, and Gamecock Media are happy to announce a free writing contest that’ll make you reconsider your humanity! Entries will consist of a 500-1500 word short story set in the world of Mushroom Men.

The grand prize winner will receive a free Wii game console, and will be published in Space Squid and Revolution SF!

Lots of other cool prizes are up for grabs, including Mushroom Men for Wii and Nintendo DS, posters, baseball caps, and Mushroom Men squishy toys.

Visit www.spacesquid.com for more details on how to enter and win!

July 2, 2008 - Atlus today released all-new screenshots of Trauma Center®: Under the Knife 2 for Nintendo DS™, commemorating the game’s availability at retailers across North America. Rejoin Dr. Stiles and Nurse Thompson as they face the devastating aftermath of GUILT. Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 for Nintendo DS™ is in stores now!

This one i’m excited about! I know the kids will love this game.

Lego Universe MMO: http://www.legouniverse.com

Before the official LEGO Universe logo was revealed on the game’s website, The LEGO Group’s design team faced several challenges in creating an emblem for the upcoming MMOG: How do you symbolize an online world so huge with one little logo and still incorporate The LEGO Group’s stunningly high quality standards?

First, the logo had to reflect the excellence of a LEGO product. Second, since the continuous creation of LEGO Universe is in the players’ hands, the design team wanted input from the game’s fans. That input came in the form of hundreds of submissions to the LEGOUniverse.com image gallery. Finally, the visionary LEGO Universe design team utilized its full arsenal of graphic expertise to symbolize the massive new virtual world. The designers overcame the challenges and created an innovative icon for the revolutionary game.

The LEGO Universe logo incorporates The LEGO Group’s longstanding company logo with the hand of a LEGO minifigure. Minifigs are the game’s central characters, and the yellow curve of their hands makes a stunning “U” for the word Universe. The designers built the logo in 3D to boast maximum potential for cinematic storytelling. Soon LEGO Universe animators will be taking the logo one step further by bringing it to life, just as the game will merge the physical LEGO bricks with a virtual play experience.

Ego Gamer.net launches to deliver the news and reviews that other sites don’t dare to touch.

MOUNT DOOM, CALIFORNIA – Stardate 62004.5 – The EGN Network launches today with its brand new flagship gaming news and reviews website, Ego Gamer (www.egogamer.net). Arch Editor Tom Jackson has put together a cracked team of experts to delve deeper and harder into the games industry than ever before.

“Ego Gamer will deliver the gaming news that other sites are too scared or conscientious to tackle, and provide reviews that will push dogmatic opinion to new levels of pretention,” says Jackson.

Ego Gamer launches with an impressive line up of news, reviews, interviews and features – first and foremost an exclusive chat with game design legend Shigeru Miyamoto on life, love and Mario. The news team uncover a disturbing link between the Xbox 360’s ‘Red Ring of Death’ and mad cow disease in an investigative feature, report on how Peter Molyneux has achieved enlightenment and cover the deepening console war crisis as Microsoft takes Sony employees hostage.

An exclusive review of Brain Trainer: Alzheimer’s Edition kicks off the games section in unforgettable style, while roving reporters attend the World Fruit Machine Championships.

Three of the Ego Gamer’s regular columnists also begin their respective sections, including gaming’s first angry man, Doug “Connect 4” Bradbury, in his Game Odium column – “Hating the industry one game at a time”; hot gaming news direct from Japan with Ego Gamer’s resident reporter, Japanoramaman – “Number one big game love!”; and un-up to date news from the New Retro News team – “Bringing you yesterday’s gaming news, today.”

“At Ego Gamer, we feel as though the fun has gone from gaming,” Arch Editor Tom Jackson explains. “Everything’s so serious now, from multi-million dollar developments to intransigent media coverage and aggressive, unforgiving player responses. We intend to poke the pointed stick of fun at the games industry until it bloody well starts enjoying itself again.”

Ego Gamer will be making weekly updates every Wednesday, or at some other point during the week. Registration is now open, and Tom Jackson invites the gaming world to come along and start building a community that cares about videogames.

“When we say we care about videogames, we mean it in the sense of caring for the aged in one of those run down nursing homes. We treat them with as much respect as the law demands, and no more. If it means we occasionally put them in wheelchairs and play ten pin bowling with them, well, that just goes to show how much we think they need a hot injection of fun.

“Games, like world politics, are important, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be fun once again. Not politics. Those are boring. I mean games.”

Visit Ego Gamer at ww.egogamer.net, and suck some news from the balls of gaming.

PARIS – July 1, 2008 – Vivendi Games Mobile, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced the launch of Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy™ on mobile phones throughout Europe. The mobile game allows players to become Jason Bourne – experiencing the action as both the hunter and hunted, playing as both trained CIA assassin and marked government agent on the run.

The mobile experience features the signature Bourne-style action taking players deeper than ever before into the world of action and espionage. With a seamless blend of hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, dramatic escapes and driving, players will experience an adventure on their mobile phones like never before.

“Fans of the movies, novels or anyone familiar with the relentless action synonymous with Jason Bourne now have the chance to become Bourne on their mobile phones,” said Paul Maglione, president of Vivendi Games Mobile. “The Bourne Conspiracy for mobile takes action-adventure mobile games to the next level as players experience a mix of exciting gameplay including driving, rappelling, parkouring and much more.”
The game features a fully interactive environment allowing players to strategically use floors, doors, walls, and other features to take cover and wreak havoc on foes. With seven unique environments including Zurich (Switzerland), Vilnius (Lithuania), Marseille and Paris (France), players will challenge enemies in an all out battle as a highly trained CIA assassin.

Players have the ability to engage in hand-to-hand combat, access a variety of different weapons, disarm enemies and pick up ordinary objects as weapons and use them defensively. Players will also help Bourne escape intense chases by driving throughout the streets of Paris.

The Bourne Conspiracy is also available for console from Sierra Entertainment.

Register by July 31 to take advantage of the Early Bird rate

Paris - France – June 30, 2008 – Connection Events, the organizer of Game Connection, is thrilled to announce the launch of Game Connection Europe 2008 and Game Connection America 2009. Registration is now live for the next Game Connections to take place on November 5-7 in Lyon, France, and on March 24-26 in San Francisco, during the Game Developers Conference. Videogame professionals who wish to attend one or both events are invited to visit the new Game Connection Website at www.game-connection.com.

Since its launch in 2001, Game Connection brings together hundreds of international business-focused videogame makers. It is a one-stop shop where professionals can meet face to face dozens of targeted potential partners involved in all stages of game making from concept to outsourcing, middleware, publishing, distribution, financing and various other services.
Today, Game Connection is recognised internationally as the most efficient event to attend to do business in the industry. With its unique speed dating concept, participants can conduct up to 50 back-to-back meetings in three days and take advantage of the many networking events to chat with the attendees in a more laid-back setting.

“Game Connection as grown steadily since its first steps in 2001. There is no other event like this in the industry and the amazing return rate we have proves that the unique concept is working for our participants. When you know that based on our last Game Connection survey, the average revenue generated is about 1 Million $ per exhibitor, you know that you are doing something right!”. says Pierre Carde, Managing Director of Game Connection.

Videogame profesionnals who wish to take advantage of the Early Bird rate have until July 31 to register online.
For additional information about Game Connection, visit www.game-connection.com.