“The American Red Cross does so much to help people in need and we are thrilled to be able to bring more attention to the importance of blood donation through our Dracula Blood Drive,” said Cal Morrell, president of Encore. “We look forward to a successful blood drive and hope people who have never donated blood take this opportunity to make a difference.”

Hit the jump for a list of participating locations, and remember...they take your human juices from you on-site. Showing up with your own blood-filled bags is considered very bad form indeed.

ENCORE ANNOUNCES RED CROSS DRACULA BLOOD DRIVE THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OCTOBER 3 & 4

LOS ANGELES – Sept. 8, 2008 – Encore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, announced today they will partner with the American Red Cross to hold a “Dracula” Blood Drive to celebrate the release of the first computer game in their Mystery Adventure Game line, Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon. The Dracula Blood Drive will take place October 3-4 at eight locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Each blood donor will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon for the PC as well as other give-aways.

“We are very excited to partner with Encore for the Dracula Blood Drive,” said Teresa Solorio of the American Red Cross. “We love having this opportunity to provide a fun environment for our donors, who are so generously giving of themselves to help others. If you have never donated before, now is a good time to start. If you have donated before, now is a fun time to donate again.”

“The American Red Cross does so much to help people in need and we are thrilled to be able to bring more attention to the importance of blood donation through our Dracula Blood Drive,” said Cal Morrell, president of Encore. “We look forward to a successful blood drive and hope people who have never donated blood take this opportunity to make a difference.”

The Dracula Blood Drive will take place at the following locations:

Pasadena Red Cross Donor Center
133 North Altadena Dr., Ste. 103
Pasadena, CA 91107
Friday and Saturday - 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

West Los Angeles Donor Center
11355 Ohio Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Saturday only - 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Encore Software Corporate Office
999 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
El Segundo, CA 90245
Friday only – 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Woodland Hills Donor Center
6338 Variel Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Friday and Saturday - 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Long Beach Donor Center
3150 E. 29th Street
Long Beach, CA 90806
Friday – 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday – 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Pomona Donor Center
100 Red Cross Circle
Pomona, CA 91768
Friday and Saturday - 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Fullerton Donor Center
1144 Rosecrans Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92833
Friday and Saturday - 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Laguna Hills Donor Center
22971 Mill Creek Drive
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Friday and Saturday - 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

For more information about the Dracula Blood Drive or to register to donate blood at the event, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.

Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon, a game produced by Microïds and developed by Kheops Studio, is the newest installment in the original Dracula series. Based on Bram Stoker’s universe, Dracula 3 takes players to Europe on a suspenseful quest to discover the reality of vampires and come face-to-face with Dracula. As Father Arno Moriani, players must travel to Transylvania to investigate a potential candidate for sainthood. Along the way players are submerged into a gripping storyline with numerous challenging and engaging puzzles to solve that leads to a final confrontation with Dracula! More information for the game can be found at www.mysteryadventuregames.com.

Mercenaries 2 Giving Away Free Gas in L.A. Tomorrow [1UP]

E For all is really starting to become a force to be reckoned with. First came the announcement of Nintendo as an anchor exhibitor, then Sony got in to the mix and now Video Games Live will be making a special appearance at the new expo. Video Games Live will be the first event to take place at the Nokia Theater in LA's all new "LA Live", an entertainment hub which is being described as the "Times Square of the West."

Tickets for the October 19th event will go on sale July 1st through Ticketmaster. Flynn De Marco

VGL to be first ever performance at Nokia Theatre, LA Live, in Los Angeles on October 19th. [Music4Games]

Nintendo today announced that they are going to be an "anchor exhibitor" for IDG World's Entertainment for All Expo slated to hit the Los Angeles Convention Center this October.

Unlike E3 and many other industry events, this one is open to the public.

"The E for All Expo supports Nintendo's mission to reach as many types of consumers as possible to expand the world of video games to new audiences," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Our Wii and Nintendo DS systems are all about gaming for the masses, and the E for All Expo will give consumers a chance to try out the hottest new Nintendo video games." "Nintendo's early involvement in E for All demonstrates the importance of a broad consumer-focused event for this industry," says Mary Dolaher, executive vice president of IDG World Expo. "E for All has been shaped from the ground up with all gamers in mind, and Nintendo has proven its commitment to embracing the spectrum of gamers, as we've seen with their launch of the Wii. In addition to being our flagship exhibitor, Nintendo of America Executive Vice President of Operations Don James has agreed to serve on our Exhibitor Advisory Board. I couldn't ask for a more universally respected colleague in this new venture."

Sounds like E or All is building up a little steam. Still not sure if it's worth covering though. What do you think? Brian Crecente

E for All Expo

By: Colette Bennett

Entering the doors of Meltdown on Sunset Blvd, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a fumbling geek orgasm-toys, comics, figurines and t shirts as far as the eye could see. Never having been before, I was a bit overwhelmed by the desire to just hurl my wallet at the unsuspecting guy behind the register and run about whooping with delight.

As easy as it would have been to stand drooling and mesmerized before glass cases of Kubrick and Qee bears, I steadied my resolve and headed back to the gallery area to scope out the scene and hopefully chat it up with some equally game-friendly citizens. Walking in and hearing the DJ playing a remix of the Maniac Mansion theme song put a wry smile on my face. You know you're in the right place when you see people shaking ass to that shit.

The gallery itself is modest in size, with clean white walls and some fantastic Roman Dirge artwork hanging. Even distracted by all that goth creativity, I pretty much made a beeline for the tables set up for the event, as I wanted to get my hot little paws on the material in question ASAP. I'm happy to say the Nerdcore calendar itself looks good. Frankly, when I first saw posts about it, I had some qualms. Sure, naked girls rock. And I've been known to get hard nippled at the sight of a Power Glove myself, so I'm sure as hell not bitching about seeing all that peripheral goodness either. From my perspective though, something about it seemed a bit off. I wasn't sure I believed any of those girls would actually play those games, and while your average 16 year old isn't going to be remotely phased by that, it got me wondering if the concept could really be sexy in actual execution. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm no more convinced that these girls are real gamers than I was when I saw the original bloggings about the calendar, but the photos were sexy and tasteful enough to push my buttons just fine.

I did have the pleasure of chatting with the photographer, Cherie Roberts, a girl lovely enough to warrant a calendar of her own. Cherie's no stranger to photography-she's shot for the likes of Suicide Girls, not to mention maintaining her own website and writing for IGN Babes on the side. I would need two clones to achieve this, but somehow she makes it look effortless. She says the Nerdcore calendar was a project meant to combine the funky iconic look of retro gaming with the classic pin-up theme. Best of all, it peppers the usual calendar boredom of holidays no one's ever heard of with nerd-friendly movie releases, key anniversaries (Mega Man's 20th!), and conventions of interest. Coming soon: Nerdcore Special Edition Blackberry with HAL voice reminders! Ok, not really.

We hung out a while, chatted with the girls and enjoyed the spoils (free booze, always a delight.) It seemed the general consensus on the calendar was that it was a good idea and done well. I did hear a peep or two from a few of the attendees that while the girls looked great and the shots were well done, that they lacked the spark of a player actually enjoying the game. Well, I can't deny that myself-I certainly didn't believe any of these girls were firing up their PSPs in between shots, armed with Nintendogs or otherwise.

We mused at what a real game girl calendar would look like-perhaps still centerfold influenced, but replacing stats and measurements with favorite games and top scores? On the other hand, I'm unsure that even the hottest girl looks her best truly enjoying the game she's playing. She's likely in sweats with no makeup, having just rolled out of bed and tortured out of sleep by the fact that she can't quite beat the shit out of that kid in Bully. Less sexy....or more? Is it better than polished models posing with carefully selected arcade games? It's hard to say. Regardless, naked still sells-no matter what the consensus is in the end, you're likely to find the Nerdcore calendar hanging in the homes of at least a few of your friends by year's end. In the end, we're all still supporting games. Who wouldn't take all their clothes off for that cause?

Special thanks to Travis for the pics, including this one featuring him, Chobot and Pereira-bot

The new York event will take place at the Toys R Us in Times Square, while the LA event will happen at the GameStop in Universal CityWalk. Both midnight events will feature live music and entertainment, games, "special guests from Nintendo" and a countdown to the sale of the first Wii.

"Who'll be the first person to line up?" asks George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Will it be a Zelda fan in New York or a soccer mom in Los Angeles? We're going to make sure these events help everyone feed off one another's energy and enthusiasm."

"Toys "R" Us Times Square will be the first store in the United States where customers can both experience, and purchase Wii, Nintendo's new revolution in gaming," says Ron Boire, President, Toys "R" Us, U.S. "As a family oriented store, we are thrilled with the potential of the Wii system to bring parents and kids closer together. There is no better place to launch this truly innovative gaming console than The World's Greatest Toy Store."

"Just like our retail outlets, Wii has something for every kind of gamer," says Steve Morgan, President, GameStop Corp. "As the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer, we're ready to kick off the celebration at midnight on Nov. 19th, and help show the world a new way to play."

Sounds like there's going to be a lot of cold people in a few weeks. I'm still waiting to hear what Sony is planing for the launch of the Playstation 3. Brian Crecente

NINTENDO HOSTS CROSS-COUNTRY LAUNCH EVENTS TO SATISFY CONSUMER DEMAND FOR WII

Thousands of Video Game Fans Expected at Toys "R" Us Times Square in New York and GameStop in Los Angeles

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 2, 2006 - With just 17 days until the worldwide launch of the Wii game console in the Americas, Nintendo is throwing big bashes to celebrate the momentous occasion. From New York to Los Angeles and untold places in between, shoppers won't have to wait long to be the first to buy Nintendo's revolutionary new Wii video game console when it goes on sale at the stroke of midnight the morning of Sunday, Nov. 19. However, video game fans will have to get in line fast, as demand is high for this season's hot holiday product.

Toys "R" Us Times Square in Manhattan and GameStop at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will host official Nintendo midnight launch events to satiate rabid fans who can't wait to get their hands on Wii. The events will feature live music and entertainment, fun, games, special guests from Nintendo - and a countdown to the moment that will change the way video games are played forever. Other retailers nationwide are expected to hold their own midnight launch events, so consumers should check with their local retail stores that sell video games.

"Who'll be the first person to line up?" asks George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Will it be a Zelda fan in New York or a soccer mom in Los Angeles? We're going to make sure these events help everyone feed off one another's energy and enthusiasm."

"Toys "R" Us Times Square will be the first store in the United States where customers can both experience, and purchase Wii, Nintendo's new revolution in gaming," says Ron Boire, President, Toys "R" Us, U.S. "As a family oriented store, we are thrilled with the potential of the Wii system to bring parents and kids closer together. There is no better place to launch this truly innovative gaming console than The World's Greatest Toy Store."

"Just like our retail outlets, Wii has something for every kind of gamer," says Steve Morgan, President, GameStop Corp. "As the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer, we're ready to kick off the celebration at midnight on Nov. 19th, and help show the world a new way to play."

Wii launches Nov. 19 in the Americas at an MSRP of $249.99. Its unequaled Wii Remote lets players control the action on their TV screens through the motion of the controller itself. It's designed for young and old, novices and experts. For more information about Wii, visit www.wii.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems, and upcoming Wii console. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 375 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario , Donkey Kong , Metroid , Zelda and Pok mon . A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Los Angeles is disgusting. From the game store/check cashing combo, to Melissa's blas pep, to Batman's creepy laugh, to the Hulk hustling for a tip ( and being denied), this whole segment gives me the jibblies.

Not the jubblies.

It's like watching your fat friend run.

Well said, Batman. Eliza Gauger

[thanks Hal]

"Dude, they didn't have a single Xbox 360 for sale."

"Sorry man, but some clown told me they were in stock."

I so amuse myself.

If a Clown Says Xbox 360's In Stock, Then It's in Stock, Dangit!
[GamerScore Blog]