Saturday, May 30, 2009

Star Trek Online Update - Excalibur Class

Cryptic studios have unveiled a new starship for Star Trek Online. this time they have taken the iconic Constitution Class, USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise A for example, and modernised it to create a cruiser that's able to fill a variety of roles for Star Fleet in the 25th century.


Following previously announced vessels this is also designed to be very modular, a way for them to explain why the player can customised their vessels whilst keeping it a part of the Star Trek Universe. because of this, it is more versatile than a ship designed specifically for science or battle.

Due to it's versatility, they explain that its used alot for cargo runs and resupplying, perhaps a hint of missions in the game, and also able to help evacuate civilians. in battle, they say when talking about its Warp Core, "...transfer power to damaged ships or extend its shields to protect an ally without impacting its own defenses or systems. Engineers on an Excalibur-class starship can reroute that power to boost its tractor beams, allowing it to grapple enemy ships that could easily break away from lesser vessels..." perhaps hinting at control schemes, being able to mange power from one thing to another.

They finish off the article by saying ""We can send her anywhere and she can do anything," said Graarvin Narl, primary designer of the Excalibur class. "The Excalibur will carry Starfleet into the 25th century, and she'll do it with style." suggesting that this will be a fairly common class, differenced by the user picking different modules for it.

Information from http://www.startrekonline.com/ships/excalibur
Picture from http://media3.startrekonline.com.s3.amazonaws.com/img/ships/excalibur.jpg

Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

Sony Pictures - Ghostbusters Gear Will be in Home from June. Expect T Shirts, Figurines, Costumes and more - Press Release

Sony Pictures have announced a collaboration with Loot to provide Home with various branded interactive items such as figurines, T Shirts, Costumes and more.
Expect mini-Stay Puft Marshmallow man, Slimer ghost, Ecto-1 car and ghost trap which can be bought individually or together in a Fan Pack.
The Ghostbusters Firestation will also be re-created, as a Home Space, with Full size Ecto 1 and Slimer ghost and a special Stay Puff Head for your Avatar.
All items will be Priced from $0.49 to $4.99 and will be avaliable from june.



Press Release

CULVER CITY, CA – May 28, 2009 - The cult-classic sci-fi movie Ghostbusters is coming to PlayStation®Home, thanks to “Loot,” a group of innovative developers dedicated to creating branded interactive entertainment products and experiences for Sony Computer Entertainment America’s PlayStation Home, and Sony Pictures Consumer Products. Loot (http://www.twitter.com/lootgear) will provide PlayStation Home with an array of interactive Ghostbusters-branded items – such as figurines, t-shirts, costumes and more – in conjunction with the worldwide release of Ghostbusters on Blu-ray the week of June 16, 2009 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the simultaneous launch of “Ghostbusters: The Video Game,” the highly anticipated videogame from Atari, celebrating the film’s 25th anniversary.

Ghostbusters is one of our most popular franchises and, thematically, it was a natural fit for the social gaming world of PlayStation Home,” said David Sterling, VP of Business Development for Sony Pictures Digital Authoring Center and General Manager of Loot. “We’ve created an experience where fans can virtually participate in the movie environment.”

Starting today, Ghostbusters figurines – including mini-Stay Puft Marshmallow man, Slimer ghost, Ecto-1 car and ghost trap – go on sale individually or as a Fan Pack, followed by Ghostbusters regular and logo T-shirts and Ghostbusters Proton- Pack Costumes in the coming weeks. Among the products to be released is the Ghostbusters Firehouse On-Location, which is a replica of the three-story firehouse from the movie featuring a fireman’s pole, a full-size Ecto-1 car, a flying Slimer ghost and exclusive furniture as well interactive stage set cameras. With the purchase of the Firehouse, users get a bonus Stay Puft Marshmallow man costume head.

All of the Ghostbusters-branded interactive items, created by Loot and offered in conjunction with Sony Pictures Consumer Products, and selected by Sony Computer Entertainment America will be available for purchase in the coming weeks from the PlayStation Home Mall. Prices range from US$.49 to US$4.99.

Directed and produced by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs, Stripes), with the screenplay written by Dan Aykroyd (My Girl, The Great Outdoors) and Harold Ramis (Knocked Up), Ghostbusters stars Bill Murray (Meatballs, Stripes), Dan Aykroyd (My Girl, The Great Outdoors), Sigourney Weaver (Aliens, Copycat), Harold Ramis (Knocked Up), Annie Potts (TV’s “Designing Women”), and Rick Moranis (Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Spaceballs).

The Infogrames group, including the Atari brand and the massively multiplayer online game company Cryptic Studios, is a global producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software for all market segments and all interactive game platforms including consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, advanced smartphones, Personal Computers, web and online. Its games are sold in more than 60 countries through an international distribution network and direct to consumers via www.atari.com.

Atari’s extensive catalogue of popular games is based on original franchises (Test Drive®, Alone in the Dark®, V-Rally®, My Horse & Me®, Backyard Sports franchise, Total Annihilation®, Outcast® etc.), Cryptic Studios titles (StarTrek Online™, Champions Online™), publishing properties (Ghostbusters®, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Witcher, Race Pro etc.), international licenses (Dragon Ball Z®, Dungeons & Dragons®, Jamie Oliver etc.) and classic games covering the entire history of the video game industry (Pong®, Missile Command®, Asteroids® etc).

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. For more info on Blu-ray Disc™, visit www.sonypictures.com/bluray.

Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. (SPCP) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPE) based in Los Angeles which handles the merchandising and branding efforts for some of the most recognized properties in film and television.

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 130 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

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SPE Press Line
(p) 310.244.7737