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Space Squid and Gamecock Announce Mushroom Men Fan Fiction Contest Champions

Cockpit, Austin, TX – August 20, 2008 - A long time ago, in a room far, far away Gamecock Media and Space Squid, a fine purveyor of hand-scrubbed sci-fi and hijinx, had a private meeting to discuss the fate of the Mushroom world. The plan they hatched was so outrageous, that only the greatest minds in the fan fiction world could ever hope to win the grand prize. Hundreds wrote in, but only one would come out as top ‘shroom.

Space Squid asked their readers and contributors to craft outlandish tales from the three inch perspective of Mushroom Men! When the writing had ceased and the dust settled; they collected, read and evaluated these tall tales of mushroom mischief. They spent hours whittling down the list until six contenders were left afloat on a sea of hopes and dreams. With a renewed sense of vigor, the Space Squid team took to picking the grand prize winner and the 5 runner-ups. Now without further ado, we present winning titles in order:

Grand Prize

“The Legend of Shiitake” by Christopher J. Oatis

Runner-Ups

“The Reply of Margarita Amanita” by Aaron DaMommio
“Roger Works, Man” by Andrew Godsey
“The Fleet Bolete” by F.W. Choi
“Tales From the Suburbs” by Justin Gordon

“Fun Guy” by Derek J. Goodman

Check out the full stories here: http://www.spacesquid.com/contest/

With his vivid and insane imagination, Christopher J. Oatis from Roosevelt, NJ has taken the top prize with his story “The Legend of Shiitake.” By completely delving into the world of Mushroom Men, Christopher crafted a tale of danger (tobacco), intrigue (Compost Heap Canyon) and action (Amanitas riders on spiders) all the while conveying an important message of responsibility and honor (lone wolf mushroom kicks ass). As the Grand Prize winner, Christopher receives a brand spankin’ new Wii, a copy of Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars and a guest post on Destructoid.com; his reaction, “I’m the Mushroom Man now, dawg!”

Runners up Aaron DaMommio, Andrew Godsey, F.W. Choi, Justin Gordon, and Derek J. Goodman receive a bag of swag that includes clothing, games and limited edition Mushroom Men autographed posters. These works of art are signed by none other than Les Claypool (of Primus fame); the musical mastermind behind Mushroom Men’s out of this world soundtrack.

PAX attendees will be able to pick up an exclusive limited-edition Mushroom Men book with art and these stories at the Gamecock booth.

About Mushroom Men

Mushroom Men gives players the opportunity to jump into the fantastic microcosm that is the backyard battlefield. Take control of the crusade, creating devastating weapons from everyday items and teaming up with other sentient plant forms that’ll leave the enemy sliced and diced. Let the stylus be your rapier and the Wii Remote your bazooka as you cut down the multitude of household pests that threaten our very existence!

Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi for Nintendo DS is shipping October 14, Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars for Wii is shipping November 14.

Learn more about Mushroom Men here: http://www.mushroommen.com

About Space Squid

Space Squid is a hybrid publication of speculative fiction and humor. Surely you’ve seen the ‘zine at your local ‘zine superstore? Of course you were amazed at our snarky, outrageous stories, comix, and art. We’ve published work from Bruce Sterling (father of cyberpunk), Chris Roberson (Clockwork Storybook), Jay Lake (Campbell Award winner), Jennifer Pelland (Nebula nominee), and a lot of other cool people. Now visit www.spacesquid.com

Major Launch Planned for the Winner of E3 2008’s “Best of Show”

August 20, 2008 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company,  announced today that its highly anticipated title, Fallout® 3, will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, 2008 and in Europe on October 31, 2008. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year,  The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360^®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

“We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008, a selection voted on by an independent group of journalists from 36 leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry.

Fallout® 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB.  For more information on Fallout 3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.

AUSTIN, Texas – August 19, 2008
Bigfoot Networks, the networking technology company behind the Killer family of gaming network cards, today announced that it has dropped the price for its Killer NIC K1™. The K1, which lowers lag and increases frame rates in all online PC games, is now available for $149 at major online and retail electronics stores.

The Killer NIC K1 is a high-performance network card built from the ground up to improve online gaming performance. By bypassing Windows® networking and offloading network traffic from the CPU, the K1 offers smoother, more responsive gameplay during intense action.

“Lag, chugging frame rates and poor system performance in general are nuisances every online PC gamer has to deal with,” said Michael Cubbage, co-founder and GM of Consumer Products of Bigfoot Networks. “By lowering the price of the K1, Bigfoot has put relief from client-side lag within reach of more gamers than ever before.”

The Killer K1 is available in Alienware, iBuyPower and CyberPower systems, and from online electronics stores including Newegg and Fry’s.

For more information about Bigfoot Networks and the Killer K1, visit http://www.killernic.com/.

Xbox 360 is the perfect choice for everyone this Christmas with Lips, Fable II or Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise

LEIPZIG, Germany 20th August 2008 – During this year’s Games Convention at Leipzig, Germany, Xbox 360™ presented its forthcoming range of entertainment offerings. The visitors of Europe’s biggest fair for PC- and video games were shown a unique range of titles, and Xbox 360 was once again able to underscore its leadership role in the field of digital entertainment.

Blockbusters for both the whole family and committed gamers – the 2008 lineup

Xbox 360 offers a broad range of entertainment. From now through to Christmas and beyond you can expect a top-class line-up of titles that offer the perfect games for everyone’s taste and interests. The highlights are:

Lips (iNis / Microsoft Game Studios): Exclusively on Xbox 360, Lips will be released in November and is the gotta-have singing party game. Players become stars with the help of the motion sensitive microphones that light up and pulsate light to the beat of the music and reward high-impact performances. Lips will come with numerous localized tracks, and loads of additional songs can be downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, with new songs by national and international artists being added on a regular basis. Lips also allows players to sing to their own music collection. Developed by Keiichi Yano of Gitaroo Man fame, Lips takes a totally new approach when developing this music game. Available for Christmas 2008
Fable II (Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Game Studios)
Peter Molyneux’ most recent opus is one of the most anticipated games of the year 2008. It will offer an unequalled level of freedom of choice and create a new gaming experience. Every decision has an immediate impact on the fate of the hero and his surrounding world. The game will be available in Europe from the 24th October.

Too Human (Silicon Knights/ Microsoft Game Studios)
“Too Human” is an epic action game with integrated role-playing game elements, and will be available in Europe on Aug. 29 – exclusively for Xbox 360.  The game features a rich storyline with deep character development, both hallmarks of Silicon Knights’ legendary tradition of video game development.

You’re in the Movies (Codemasters/ Microsoft): Become a movie star with You’re in the Movies: players are filmed acting out film roles, from a kung-fu fighter to a zombie using the Xbox LIVE Vision camera.  You’re In The Movies is the first game that allows you to become part of a movie with a different result every time. Available from November 2008.
Scene It? Box Office Smash (Krome Studios and Screenlife/ Microsoft Games Studios):  Scene It? Box Office Smash is the second Xbox 360 instalment of the popular movie quiz.  Totally new questions, puzzles and many movie clips in HD quality ensure a party atmosphere. Players can compete against each other on Xbox LIVE as well, with additional quiz packages available to download. Available from November 2008.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts (Rare Ltd./ Microsoft Game Studios):  Two of the most popular video games  ever are back – exclusively on Xbox 360. From the developers at Rare comes Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, an innovative action adventure. Players are given plenty of material to design their own vehicles, and also get to choose how Banjo and his friend Kazooie overcome obstacles which come their way. Through Xbox LIVE players can compete with their vehicles and share their inventive talent.
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (Rare Ltd./ Microsoft Game Studios)
From early September, players can leave the boundaries of their gardens and discover the whole new world of the Piñatas. In two new regions, the arctic and the desert, new and unknown animals are hiding.  Designed by Rare, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise is a colourful entertainment experience for the whole family. Up to four players can create their gardens simultaneously or compete in the talent show P-Factor. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise will be released on the 5th September.

Halo Wars (Ensemble Studios/ Microsoft Game Studio)
The Halo universe is growing. “Halo Wars,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360, is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that lets players experience mankind’s first encounters with the Covenant in the beginnings of the “Halo” storyline. “Halo Wars” gives players complete control of the battlefield, playing either as the UNSC or the Covenant. With the Xbox LIVE, you can see who the superior commander is through multiplayer online skirmishes supporting up to six players. 
Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar North/ Rockstar Games): In autumn there will be news from Liberty City; the first episodes of GTA IV will be available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE, underlining Xbox 360’s leadership role in the field of digital entertainment.

Digital Entertainment For Your Home

In addition to the best games of the season, Xbox 360 offers digital entertainment for everyone. The Xbox LIVE Video Store is expanding. At E3 in Los Angeles it was announced that Constantin Films is now an official partner of the Xbox LIVE Video Store in Germany. For German fans this means that besides international blockbusters, German productions in HD quality are available for the whole family. With a library full of films from the world’s biggest Hollywood studios ready to download, Xbox 360 is the centre of digital entertainment in the home.
*Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for online play.

Natsume’s Upcoming New IP Releases Everyone’s Inner Princess!

August 20, 2008 – Natsume today released a new trailer for Princess
Debut on the Nintendo DS. Princess Debut, coming this fall, is the
perfect video game for young girls who have had fairy tale dreams of
becoming a princess!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FRaDXXXwkI]

In Princess Debut, players find themselves in a fantasy world where
they have 30 days to get ready for the big ball; they’ll have to
master their dance moves and win over one of the six handsome princes
to be their partner. They’ll meet and woo the princes through the
game’s large, branching storyline and exciting event system. Once the
player convinces a prince to be their dancing partner, it’s time to go
out on the dance floor! By utilizing the Touch Screen, players will
guide their character gracefully across the dance floor while matching
their partner’s rhythm.
All of the dances in the game are taken from motion-captured
professional dancers, so the game is just as impressive to watch as it
is fun to play.

Princess Debut offers four modes of play including Story, Ballroom,
Practice, and Movie. With 20 outfits to find, 14 unique endings to
experience, and 18 different kinds of music and dance styles to choose
from (including Waltz, Latin dance, Tango, Ballroom, and much more),
there’s no shortage of things to see and do!

Princess Debut will be available exclusively for the Nintendo DS this
fall. For more information on Princess Debut, please visit
www.natsume.com.