Report: StarCraft II pre-orders at 800K, News from GamePro

VGChartz reports this morning that StarCraft II pre-orders have topped 800,000 units in North America. Blizzard declined to confirm or deny this number, but they expect to announce their own numbers in a couple of days once the game actually hits shelves.

There's no way to know where VGChartz is actually getting its numbers -- the site also estimates total worldwide week-one sales to top two million units -- but when we spoke with a lead publicist at Blizzard, that number didn't seem to surprise them in anyway.

The publicist reminded us, however, that Blizzard does not give out pre-order numbers prior to a game's retail release. So sit tight, hit some midnight launches this evening, and wait for official word hopefully later this week.

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StarCraft II Hits 800,000 Pre-Orders in the Americas{VGChartz}

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King's Quest-inspired free game now available for download, fan creators announce commercial project, News from GamePro

The Silver Lining--an adventure game featuring characters and settings from the King's Quest franchise--has finally seen release after eight years of volunteer development. Read on to learn where to download the game, and what its creators will be doing next.

The first episode of The Silver Lining, entitled"What Is Decreed Must Be,"can be downloaded onthe game's official website. The development team at Phoenix Online Studios, who have collaborated on the game for eight years without pay and have braved copyright issues with two separate publishers, are promising four more episodes throughout 2010.

In the next year, Phoenix Online Studios will move onto a for-profit project, as the team has announced another episode adventure game to be called Corridor 9. Updates on Corridor 9 and The Silver Lining can be found over the next few months at the officialPhoenix Online Studios website.

Got any tips, corrections, or feedback?Contact GamePro's news teamor follow the author of this storyon Twitter.

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GamePro Friday Giveaway: R-rated movies, kid-friendly games, and stuff in-between--here's the rules, News from GamePro

It's the end of the week, which means we're going to reward our readers with plenty of great gaming-related goodies. This week, we're expanding the branches of our giving tree so that our Twitter, Facebook, and website-based fans will all get a chance to win age-appropriate prizes.

With every social group that matters getting showered with free stuff today, we'll dispense with the pleasantries and get into the contest rules. Ready? Here goes...

For our Facebook users, we're giving out ten packs of three kick-butt Universal Studios Blu-ray movies--Inglorious Basterds, Public Enemies, and Wolfman. Due to all three movies being rated R, we've got to go with the site that has the strongest age filters (Facebook), and youmust be 17 or older. In order to enter this contest, please reply to the contest post onGamePro's Facebook pageonly oncewith the answer to this simple question... If you win, which Blu-ray will you watch first, and why? We'll pick our ten favorite posts and give each of them all three movies.

Our Twitter fans will be in the running for younger fare, as we've filled a bag with E-rated mystery titles for all of the current consoles. Don't fret at the rating, however, as we've picked a batch of games that will appeal to kids, adults, casual players, and hardcore fans alike. To enter via Twitter, simply reply to the contest post on theGamePro Twitter feedonly oncewith the name of your favorite E-rated game. We can't guarantee it'll be in there (in fact, odds are it won't be), but we're pretty sure you'll be satisfied by the haul. We'll pick one winner at random and send them the set. Make sure you pick an E-rated game to reply with, as we'd hate to disqualify you because you put a T or M-rated game in the text box.

Last, but certainly not least is the GamePro.com prize pack. We've heard the comments from some of our users, and we're giving you the chance to win sweet swag here on GP. We're going to be giving one winner on GamePro a pair of, you guessed it, teen-rated games for the console of your choosing. To win this pack, please reply in the comment sectiononly oncewith the name of your favorite teen-rated game, and we'll pick a winner at random.

All winners will be picked at 5PM PST. You can enter all three ways, but can only win once. For more information on GamePro's Friday Giveaways, please refer to 'The Rulez.'

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GamePro Culture Club Podcast -- Let them eat video game cakes, News from GamePro

Whoever first committed Mario to frosting may as well be sainted now that we're all obsessed with video game-themed cakes. Join cake enthusiasts here at GamePro as we listen to former Kotaku Weekend Editor Flynn DeMarco tells us how the great video game cake craze first began and maybe tells us where it's going.

Host:Dave Rudden

Music:"It's My Party,"Lesley Gore

Discussion Group:Dave Rudden, Ben PerLee, Flynn DeMarco

Dramatic Reading:Chris Parisi, AJ Glasser

Length:36 minutes

AJ's cake

Ben's cake

Here are some of the other cakes we talk about during the podcast (click on them to see their origins):

You can find Flynn DeMarco's baked goodshereand check out Ben and his friends' cake explotshere. Be sure to check out theCake Wrecksblog if you haven't already and a very special shout out toJennie Sue, cupcake artist.

Got any tips, corrections, or feedback?Contact GamePro's news teamor follow the author of this storyon Twitter.

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Four things to watch for on day one at Comic Con, News from GamePro

The day-one Comic Con schedule is up and loaded with video game-related events. From game reveals to familiar acts, here are four things you won't want to miss at San Diego Comic Con this month.

12:30-1:30 City of Heroes Going Rogue: Reinventing a Superheroic MMO

What they're talking about:City of Heroes' next big expansion adds a moral gray area to the hero/villain dichotomy -- the developers explain why that's awesome.

Why we care:With DC Universe Online on its way to shelves in November, it'll be interesting to see how the original superhero MMO plans to hold on to its fanbase.

1:15-2:15 World Premiere of the First Game From 38 Studios

What they're talking about:Curt Schilling is finally ready to reveal what he's been working on with heavy-hitters Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore, and Ken Rolston.

Why we care:Even if it turns out to be an iPhone game about pink fuzzy bunnies, the spectacle is still worth the watch.

2:00-3:00 Radical Publishing Panel

What they're talking about:A bunch of famous and semi-famous storytellers from comic books, movies, and video games get together for"special announcements"and a raffle.

Why we care:Keith Arem of Call of Duty and the upcoming Exile is one of the panelists. Could be one of those"special announcements"pertains to his work. Also, this whole transmedia thing is picking up speed -- so even if it's not a game, the likelihood of something on this panel being game-related is pretty high.

3:30-4:30 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Exclusive Live demo

What they're talking about:Executive Producer Haden Blackman leads a game demo of a new level.

Why we care:It's the Force Unleashed II. How could wenotcare?

4:45-5:45 Capcom 2010 and Beyond!

What they're talking about:Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Sengoku Basara, Okamiden, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, Ghost Trick, Dead Rising 2, and other stuff, too -- including a game announcement from Mega Man papa Keiji Inafune.

Why we care:Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Okamiden, and that game announcement from Keiji Inafune.

Check out the rest of the day-one video game eventshere.

Got any tips, corrections, or feedback?Contact GamePro's news teamor follow the author of this storyon Twitter.

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Voting open for The Tester Season 2, News from GamePro

Sony's competitive reality show, The Tester, returns to PlayStation Network sometime fairly soon after what the company called a"successful first season."As of today, the gaming public gets a say in which of the applicants will become one of the 11 contestants competing for a job as a Sony QA tester.

Anopen casting callwas launched back in mid-June, and since then, over a thousand users have signed up in the hopes of winning a spot on the show. Each would-be contestant was given the opportunity to create a profile and upload an audition video as well as photos. Voting starts today onThe Tester's casting site.

Voting ends July 16. The top 500 contestants will move onto round two and presumably subsequent rounds will continue the elimination process until the contestant pool is full of worthy applicants.

Interestingly, Erik Estavillo, a gamer witha history of civil casesagainst Sony (Estavillo sued for $180,000 after being banned from PSN), is one of the most active members on the site. To date, he's contributed 4,345 votes and comments. His own personal entry into the Tester contest, however, only has 53 entries.

No air date is set for Season 2 of The Tester. Check out our impressions of Season 1here.

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Daily (Stale) Bread: The news we didn't post July 2, 2010, News from GamePro

With a long holiday weekend looming, today's news focused more on deals and giveaways than new product announcements. A few other cool newsbits started to heat up today, and they've exploded onto today's daily stale bread.

7/2--Happy Fantavision weekend!

A Kirby Made For and From Epic Yarn

Tae: Hey AJ. KAWAII DESU DESU!

AJ: Yes. Yes it is.

John: Check it out...a new Infamous 2 trailer's popped up on YouTube.

Dave:Why do European video game trailers always feel the need to tell me"Peggy's 16"at the beginning? I don't even know any Peggys.

DanT's Design Blog -- Moving On

AJ: One of the Rock Band 3 leads from Harmonix is going to work for 'Splosion Man developer Twisted Pixel.

Dave: So he's going from a rock video game to a game that will almost assuredly rock.

John: And here's more awesomeness with Isiah whatshisface.

Dave: This guy and Kevin Butler need to schedule a meeting together. And I need to videotape it.

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Crackdown 2 demo gets harder, makes Perfect Dark bigger, News from GamePro

The already-innovative Crackdown 2 demo has been updated by Ruffian Games with the hardest difficulty in the franchise yet, while Rare has revealed an unlockable crossover character that will be playable in Perfect Dark upon purchase of the retail version of the superhero sandbox game.

If the ability topre-earn achievementsin the Crackdown 2 demo hasn't piqued your interest in downloading the file, Ruffian Games has made the brief taste of the open-world action game appealing to more than just convenience-seekers. Starting today, players will have the ability to play the demo on an even more abusive difficulty level called Sadistic, a setting that promises to put the demo's Ruthless level to shame. When the game releases, however, the only difficulty levels available will be the bottom two -- Fragile and Tough -- though it'll certainly give demo-trained agents a leg up on the skills necessary to dominate online multiplayer at launch.

Speaking of agents, the agencies behind Crackdown 2 and Perfect Dark are planning a bit of a crossover, as Rare announced that players of Crackdown 2 will unlock a character from the game in the Perfect Dark remake's multiplayer mode. According to Rare's description of the crossover, the unlockable will not require a purchase -- rather, the addition of Crackdown's Agent 4 in Perfect Dark will be contingent upon having a Crackdown 2 save file on your Xbox 360.

Crackdown 2 is due out next Tuesday, July 6. Which of these two new Crackdown developments excites you more?

SOURCES:PD's Agent 4 is Active{Rare News}

Crackdown 2 demo now harder than it was yesterday{Destructoid}

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Over 200 music game tracks on sale next week on Xbox Live, News from GamePro

While we'd love to have the sale start in time for fourth of July parties, its tough to get angry at Microsoft for slashing the prices on hundreds of music game tracks, as 50 Guitar Hero tracks, 123 Rock Band tracks, and 38 Lips songs. From July 6-12 Xbox 360-owning game musicians will be able to score the songs for up to 50 percent off.

The 211 songs on sale as part of Microsoft's LIVEapalooza promotion encompass only a handful of single tracks, with 10 Guitar Hero tracks, two Rock band tracks, and 8 Lips songs each dropping from $2 to $1. The savings for the other 191 songs are only applied when purchased as part of a track pack or album set, with three-packs selling for $3 instead of $6. Rock Band track packs featuring more than three songs have dropped to $6, while all albums have been cut to $10. On the Guitar Hero side, Metallica’s Death Magnetic Album has dropped from $18 to $12, while the Rolling Stones Live pack is $5 instead of $9

To check out all of the tracks for the instrument based games, including the likes of Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, The Killers, and Vampire Weekend, check out the source links located at music game blog Plastic Axe below. For the Lips songs, check out the Xbox.com LIVEapalooza link.

SOURCES:It's LIVEapalooza{Xbox.com}

Rock Band DLC on Sale Next Week&Rock Band DLC on Sale Next Week{Plastic Axe}

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Fourth of July sales you oughta see, News from GamePro

Not everyone owns a beach house to visit on Fourth of July weekend. In fact, not everyone celebrates the Fourth of July. Don't let that stop you from cashing in on video game sales, though -- check out our quick roundup of all the cheap stuff you can score this weekend:

Note: Most deals are going to be on PC and iPhone, but you may want to keep an eye on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network over the weekend to see if anything worthwhile gets a price cut.

Steam,"Perils of Summer"sale

"Through July 4, gamers will find massive savings on today's top releases, classic titles, and publisher catalogs. In addition, special 1-day sales will offer discounts up to 90% off regular prices."

Our Pick:Saints Row 2 for $7.50

Check it outhere.

Impulse

"Get your gaming goggles on because the Weekend Impulse Buys FOURTH OF JULY edition is here and smokin' hot with many games up for grabs at just $2.99 and $5.99."

Our Pick:Command and Conquer 4 for $25

Check it outhere.

Direct2Drive,"Freedon's Never Come So Easy"

"Up to 65% off select war games through July 6th!"

Our Pick:Battlestations: Midway for $10

Check it outhere.

EA Mobile,"Red, White,&Blue"sale

"Get Up to 70% Off Great EA Games"

Our Pick:FIFA World Cup for iPhone and iPod touch for $3

Check it outhere.

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We've got two more New Xbox 360s to give away on Twitter and Facebook, News from GamePro

Since you guys were so awesome during our Facebook giveaway last week and because Microsoft sent us a few more New Xbox 360 units, we're giving away two more consoles. Hop onto Twitter and/or Facebook for your shot at one.

Same rules apply for theFacebookcontest: comment on theFacebook post of this articleand to make yourself visible, you might want to get a few friends to Like your comment.

For theTwittercontest, reply to @GamePro with what you plan to do with your old Xbox 360 once you get a new oneortell us the reason why you don't have a 360 already.

The contest is open now (even though it still counts as Swag Friday) and closes at 12PM PST tomorrow. We'll announce the winners at 1 PM PST -- sorry, no runner-up prizes this week.

Feel free to enter either contest -- but we do actually check to make we don't double-prize somebody. If you won something during last week's giveaway (even if you were a runner-up), you arenoteligible for this week's giveaway. And once again, these are North American retail units, so we're giving them away inNorth America only.

Full disclosure: These units do not contain any of the fancy peripherals from last week's giveaway. It's just the console, the necessary cables, a controller, and a headset. Also, we're keeping the third unit Microsoft sent us for office use.

Got any tips, corrections, or feedback?Contact GamePro's news teamor follow the author of this storyon Twitter.

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