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Comic Gives New Details on Deckard’s Battle Against the Black Order

Spark Unlimited announced today that its 96-page graphic novel adaptation of Legendary is now on shelves. Written by comic book veteran, Mark Waid, and penciled by Top Cow Production artist Martin Montiel, readers are given further insight into Charles Deckard, the main character of both the graphic novel and the game.

Based on Spark Unlimited’s upcoming action game that pits players against werewolves, minotaurs, griffons and a horde of other mythological beasts let loose in the modern day, the Legendary graphic novel is filled with story details not available elsewhere. Not only will readers learn more about the backstory of Deckard, the main character in Legendary, they’ll also come to learn how exactly he became involved with Pandora’s Box, his dealings with the Black Order, and how he ultimately comes to terms with being the world’s unwitting savior against the hordes of mythological beasts that threaten mankind’s extinction.

“Our primary focus at Spark is all about making Legendary an epic gameplay experience,” said Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited. “However, there was a lot more of the story we wanted to tell and so we reached out to Mark Waid and invited him to create a unique expression of Legendary’s characters and narrative as a graphic novel.”

Mark Waid began working in the comic book industry as a writer in the early 1980s and eventually became an editor for DC Comics. He is perhaps best known for his graphic novel KINGDOM COME and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT – a 12 part limited series generally considered the new official origin story for the Man of Steel. Currently he is Editor-In-Chief of the new comic publishing group Boom! Studios.

“Working with Spark as a writer was great fun,” commented Mark Waid, Editor-In-Chief of Boom! Studios, “because they gave me the creative freedom to adapt their game world into my own vision of how the narrative should be structured to work well on the page.”

“It only makes sense that any adaptation of the game be an equally epic experience,” added Renae Geerlings, Legendary’s graphic novel’s Editor, “and so we worked hard to assemble some of comic’s greatest talent to produce this graphic novel, and together they’ve truly created something incredible.

The Legendary graphic novel is available now at all fine comic retailers for an MSRP of $14.99 (USD).

About Legendary
Legendary places you in the shoes of art thief, Charles Deckard, as he becomes the unwitting pawn in a centuries old struggle over Pandora’s Box. Tricked into opening it, Deckard becomes inexorably linked to its fate and single-handedly responsible for unleashing its mythological creatures upon the modern world.

Please visit www.legendarythegame.com for more info.

MTV Games and Harmonix Release AC/DC Live: Rock Band® Track Pack^TM — Available This Sunday at All Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Locations Nationwide

Cambridge, Mass. – October 31, 2008 – Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today the release of AC/DC Live: Rock Band® Track Pack^TM, the video game that gives music fans a whole new way to experience rock’s hardest hitting act with access to 18 live recordings from AC/DC’s epic, live performance at Castle Donington.

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack is available starting this Sunday, November 2, 2008, nationwide at all “AC/DC Rock Again” store areas within Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®2 computer and entertainment system. In addition, the game will be available at the AC/DC Rock Band “pop up” stores in New York City at the MTV Store in Times Square and in Los Angeles at Hollywood and Highland, in partnership with MTV. AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack will be available in the U.S. on the Wii^TM home video game console from Nintendo on November 16, 2008.

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack marks the first time the iconic rock band has released an entire album for video game play. The band’s first inclusion in a music-based video game came with the launch of Rock Band 2, which featured AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock”.

The AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack set list includes18 live tracks with more than 100 minutes of game play for each instrument:

“Thunderstruck”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“Back in Black”
“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
“Heatseeker”
“Fire Your Guns”
“Jailbreak”
“The Jack”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Money Talks”
“Hell’s Bells”
“High Voltage”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Let There Be Rock”
“Highway To Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

All tracks from the AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack are also available for play in Rock Band and Rock Band 2by entering a special export authentication code for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system versions.

Pricing Info:

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack (Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system) MSRP $39.88

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack (PlayStation 2 system) MSRP $29.88

AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack will also be released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand this December on Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system, PlayStation 2 system and Wii.

AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack follows the debut of AC/DC’s newest album, “Black Ice,” which features the first release of all-new material from the band in eight years. The album has quickly become the #1 selling album in the U.S. since its release on October 20th, selling more than 780,000 units. “Black Ice” also represents the first time an AC/DC album has debuted at #1 in the US. “Black Ice” is available now exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam Club retail locations as well as through www.walmart.com, www.samsclub.com and on the band’s web site www.acdc.com.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Electronic Arts is the exclusive distribution partner for Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack.

20 Free DLC Tracks for Rock Band 2 Owners Available Starting November 4th

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of five new tracks to the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content. To celebrate the upcoming election this week’s lineup will feature a 3-pack from alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America, which includes hits “Dune Buggy,” “Feather Pluckn’” and “Ladybug.” The three tracks join one of the band’s best selling singles “Lump,” which is already featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack.

In addition, Fall Out Boy offers up its new single “I Don’t Care,” for the Rock Band Music Store. The track comes from the band’s new album, Folie á Deux, due out December 16 2008. “I Don’t Care” will become the third Rock Band DLC release from Fall Out Boy. The band’s first single “Dead On Arrival” was featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack and “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” was released as downloadable content in May.

Plus, rock band Hinder joins the Rock Band catalog of downloadable content for the first time with the release of “Use Me,” the single featured on the band’s new album Take It To the Limit launching the same day.

As previously announced, MTV Games and Harmonix will also release 20 free DLC tracks for Rock Band 2 owners [1] on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The 20 free tracks, which range all genres of rock from up-and-coming artists, combined with the 84 tracks already available on the Rock Band 2 game disc make for a total of 104 songs on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack. The 20 free DLC tracks can be accessed by using the DLC redemption code located within the game’s retail packaging.

Each track will be available starting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, 2008, for the Xbox®360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and November 6, 2008, for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainmentsystem. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) or $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for The Presidents of the United States of America 3-pack. Fall Out Boy and Hinder tracks will be available for a one month special offer of $.99 (80 Microsoft Points.) Prices good until December 2, 2008 on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and December 4, 2008 for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, when they return to the regular price point of $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360.)

Release date: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, November 6, 2008 (PlayStation®Store)

Tracks: The Presidents of the United States of America – Dune Buggy”
The Presidents of the United States of America – “Feather Pluckn’”
The Presidents of the United States of America – “Ladybug”
Fall Out Boy – “I Don’t Care”
Hinder – “Use Me”

Price: $.99 (80 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) Fall Out Boy and Hinder one month special offer

$1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

$5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for The Presidents of the United States of America 3-pack

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and PlayStation®Network

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

With the addition of these tracks there are now more than 400 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/dlc). Rock Band continues to fly off shelves and satisfy music fans and gamers’ voracious appetite for rock with more than 25 million downloads since its launch on November 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of
offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 allow online play and features that expand the boundaries of music gaming. Rock Band downloadable content is playable and integrated into setlists in all game modes. In order to play downloadable content for head-to-head matches or multiplayer online, all players must own the same downloadable track. Downloadable content for Xbox 360 is available for purchase via Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360 using Microsoft Points and is downloaded directly to the hard drive of Xbox 360. Downloadable content for the PLAYSTATION 3 system’s version of Rock Band is available for purchase on the PlayStation®Store through the free PlayStation®Network and is downloaded directly to PLAYSTATION 3 system’s built in hard drive.

Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system is now available nationwide and supports all previously downloaded content. The groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games is committed to taking gaming to the next level with the evolution of the franchise. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com

Demo Already a Smash Hit on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network with Nearly One Million Downloads to Date

SAN FRANCISCO – October 31, 2008 – Kicking off the countdown to the game’s release, Ubisoft announced today that a playable demo of Tom Clancy’s EndWar(TM) for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system is now available to consumers. The demo is free and offered for download on the PLAYSTATION®Network.

“The EndWar demo is already a smashing success with more than 900,000 players participating and experiencing the game on Xbox LIVE – making it the biggest demo download in the history of the Clancy franchise,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Ubisoft is thrilled to now be offering PLAYSTATION 3 system owners an opportunity to experience such innovative gameplay for themselves before the game’s release next week.”

The demo features both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. The single-player portion of the demo is part of the “Prelude to War” campaign, serving as a tutorial for players. The multiplayer portion contains one mode, Conquest, and one map, Kennedy Space Center. The multiplayer demo contains one-versus-one functionality and includes full matchmaking capabilities.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar will ship in North America for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION 3 system on November 4, 2008.