CES announced LEGO Universe's presence at the show's Gaming Showcase back in October, but it wasn't clear to what extent NetDevil would be showing off its building block MMO title. Turns out they've got big things planned, from the first hands-on demos to meet and greets with the LEGO fans who are lending a hand to the developers in order to make sure the game appeals to gamers and LEGO enthusiasts alike.

And of course, there are the beta sign ups. Currently the only way to be informed of beta news is to subscribe to the game's official newsletter. Hopefully online sign ups will commence on or around the time of CES, which of course runs from the 7th to the 10th of this month. Horseshoe-shaped gripping appendages crossed!

The Brandford Rant Institute of Cosmic Kinesis was founded in 1984 by inter-dimensional theorist Bradford Rant to study the possibility of intersecting alternate universes, and they may have finally hit pay dirt. They've been tracking mysterious LEGO pods that have been falling to Earth from origins unknown, apparently drawn to locations that contain a significant number of LEGO bricks and large amounts of imagination.

The scientists who maintain the Institute have set up a website to track the progress of their discoveries, having already posted a video documenting the discovery of the first pod, found in LEGOLAND Park in Denmark. That discovery only led to more questions. What are the mysterious words on the side of the pod? Why are the pilots so damn cheery? What does it all mean?

The next Pod is somewhere in North America. Can you help them find it?

This is obviously some sort of alternate reality game for some sort of LEGO product, and we've got a hunch that it could be for LEGO Universe, Net Devil's upcoming MMO. When you start talking LEGO and parallel universes, it's the logical conclusion to come to.

Visit the Bradford Rant Institute website yourself to see if you can help solve the mystery of the LEGO pod people.

This year we will be taking over Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in downtown Denver for hours of giveaways, Rock Band and fun, all for a good cause: Child's Play.

The event will be on Nov. 19, probably starting around 7 p.m., but I'm open to suggestions. I'll be meeting with the owner on Thursday to pay for the space, but I'm told they're already reserving it for us.

More details to come, but I will be, once more, giving away a mountain of swag as door prizes. I also plan to do a silent auction this year.

Last year's venue, The Mercury Cafe, had a capacity of 300, which we quickly filled, raising $4,000. This year's venue has two floors, balconies and a capacity of about 500. Let's see if we can pack them in again this year.

So if you want to show up to play Rock Band 2, The Beatles: Rock Band (maybe even DJ Hero) for a good cause mark November 19 in your calendar.

Keep your eye out for pictures of some of the stuff we will be giving away and auctioning off.

[Pic]

Apparently I am not the only one with a craving for action-packed, massively-multiplayer online space combat. According to Codemasters, more than 250,000 individuals have signed up for a chance to test out NetDevil's baby, with more flocking to the website to register every day. Needless to say, the developer is extremely excited.

"Our players' enthusiasm continues to exceed our expectations at every milestone and we are extremely excited to achieve such fantastic support," said Scott Brown, President of NetDevil. "We have thoroughly enjoyed obtaining some valuable feedback from the people in our Friends & Family test, helping us to take the next major step towards launch."

See? I didn't need to say it.

Of course, more folks signing up means less chance of you getting in, but look on the bright side...okay, I got nothing.

Don't you wish you could just play a game trailer instead of the actual game? I mean, I enjoyed my hands-on time with Jumpgate multiplayer during the show, but it wasn't nearly as epic as the E3 trailer for the game. Hell, it even ends with "your destiny awaits", which is a phrase that has sadly fallen out of everyday use this day, just like "as foretold by prophecy" and "as is my birthright". We need to bring those back. It is our destiny.

What Is It?
What do you mean, what is it? It's Jumpgate Evolution, the massively multiplayer online space shooter that's so thick and rich you can play it with a joystick. Rather than sticking to a strict leveling system with higher level players far overpowering newbs, the game's combat is about skill...if you can hit the ship, eventually you'll kill your opponent, as long as they don't get you first.

What We Saw
I got to play through a couple of rounds of multiplayer in a completely enclosed space station map appropriately called "The Descent" on a rather lovely triple-monitor set up.

How Far Along Is It?
The game looks highly polished, but of course that's only half the battle in an MMO game. Beta should be coming up soonishly, with a planned release sometime this year.

What Needs Improvement?
Skill Balance: Right now there really isn't any method in place to separate the novice players from the more advanced ones, and in a skill-based game that can lead to some frustrating situations. NetDevil has no plans to fix this at the moment, so it might be a matter of just ganging up on the more skilled player until he or she gives up.

Control Tweaking: The ship I was flying had dampers on that were supposed to make it easier to navigate for a novice player, but I just couldn't quite get the hang of it. Once I took off the dampers, however, I was flying around like a seasoned Descent veteran. This might just be a problem of personal experience - one just feels more natural than the other.

What Should Stay The Same?
Interior Battlegrounds: Fighting in space is nice, but you can only do so much in space. Battling in a confined area with huge space ships adds a welcome bit of variety to the game's multiplayer. The Descent level I played through was quite true to its namesake, with round tunnels and twisting passages leaving the skilled triumphant and the uncoordinated hopelessly bumping into walls. I fell somewhere in-between.

Space Magic: Every time I think we've done all we could with computer graphics in space, some developer comes along and proves me wrong. Jumpgate is gorgeous, utilizing some interesting tricks and alien technology to keep something as bland and empty as space colorful and full of life.

It's In The Way That You Use It: While the skill-based game play has its down side, it also has its upside. No matter how far a player has progressed through the game, they can still be taken out. They might have access to tougher ships or better equipment, but that means nothing if you can out-fly them. It gives players a chance to shine without having to invest all of their time in the game, which is still relatively rare in MMO-space.

Final Thoughts
This was my first time actually playing Jumpgate after watching others play for a year, and damn if it wasn't worth the wait. If the adventure and excitement of the multiplayer game play carries over to the player-versus-environment sections, this could be exactly what fans of Wing Commander, Privateer, and Decent could want in a massively multiplayer game.

Discovered by a curious reader via a product listing at UK retailer Game's website, the Special Edition of Jumpgate: Evolution is packed with exactly the sort of things you'd expect to find in the special edition of a massively multiplayer online game. Galactic map? Check. Art book? Check. Official soundtrack? Check. It's one of the most by-the-book MMO special editions we've seen, right down to the 5 buddy postcards and the 2 in-game items, the experience enhancing Stella Ensign and Stella Citation.

No word yet on whether or not this £39.99 special edition will be coming to the states. I'm sure NetDevil will let us know if and when they're good and ready.

Jumpgate Special Edition [Game - Thanks CrowGoblin!]

When you spend the majority of your time looking at the rear end of a space ship, you're going to want an attractive rear end to look at. Looking through these screenshots and concept art of the ships in Jumpgate Evolution, it seems that NetDevil has included attractive backsides in all shapes and sizes for players to stare at for hours on end. They're not quite up to female wood elf levels of goodness, but then female wood elves don't have rocket boosters.

Is that some special, dramatic way of asking who I am going to shoot? I only ask because both the trailer and the accompanying screen shots only serve to remind me that, despite an on again, off again stint with EVE Online, I have no shot anything in space in a good long time. I am relatively sure that, as a gamer, I am required to shoot a certain number of things in space each year, or they revoke my card and I lose my Quiznos discount.

So when darkness falls, I'll be the guy shooting those other guys in space. Thanks for asking!

Still, Eve is a very particular kind of MMO. The generous would say "thinking man's," which is a nice way of saying it bores you to tears. Hard to imagine that space firefights with rival corporation ships could be dull – but at least it leaves room for Jumpgate: Evolution to do Eve one better.

What Is It?
Jumpgate: Evolution is the sequel to 2001's MMO, Jumpgate: The Reconstructive Initiative. It features new assets, a new graphics engine and an action-oriented gameplay system that's supposedly more accessible than its predecessor.

What We Saw
I spent 30 very comfortable minutes with the game, which was enough time for two quests and to run my ship into half a dozen asteroids before my shields gave out and I exploded.

How Far Along Is it?
Evolution is gearing up for a closed beta and will likely open it up to the public sometime before the June 2009 release window.

What Needs Improvement?
It's STILL an MMO: A fetch-quest in space is the same as a fetch-quest in Azeroth; kill so many X, and bring me this many Y. I understand there's a need for basic monotonous quests to grind with in order to upgrade ships, characters, mounts, etc. But couldn't the "why I need you to bring me rat-butts" expository text be more interesting? Maybe then I'll actually read it before clicking through it with that glazed look in my eye.

Character Design: All characters appear as a thumbnail image of a guy or a girl and none of the options are terribly attractive. The big issues, though, is that that's all you see of your character – you spend the whole game inside your space ship. Because the image doesn't change no matter what quests you complete or what factions you're a part of and because characters aren't given extensive back-story or witty dialog, it's hard to form an attachment to your character – even when you blow them up repeatedly.

What Should Stay The Same?
The controls: It is not at all complicated to fly, shoot or dock your ship in Jumpgate. W, A, S, and D propels the ship in different directions, moving the mouse steers, the shift key is your afterburner and spacebar is the brakes. Once you master these controls, mash down on the left mouse button to spray death from your lasers and you're set to recreate Galaga in 3D.

The combat: It's simple, it's action-y; and it's a whole lot of fun. You fly after ships that try to fly away from you. They shoot at you, you shoot at them – whoever's shields give first is the guy that gets exploded.

Friendly specs: More and more developers have caught onto the idea that if an MMO doesn't require a major graphics card upgrade or a total overhaul of your PC more people are likely to play it. The joke around developer NetDevil's office is: "You can't play Jumpgate on a calculator. But you can play it on two calculators."

"Non-consensual PvP": I actually don't think I'd enjoy being on the receiving end of this, but the term itself is hilarious.

Final Thoughts
Evolution wants to blend parts of "Elite, X-wing Vs Tie-fighter and Privateer" into a cohesive persistent world. I don't know if such a thing is possible, and I didn't play enough of the game to get any feel for the depth of the lore or the extent of the PvP space battles. But if they manage to pull it off, they will have succeeded where I feel like Eve fails in creating a not-boring space MMO.

"Within the company we have made a strategic decision within LEGO to make a delay of LEGO Universe. It will not be coming out in 2009," said Mark Hansen, director of business development for the LEGO Group. "The reason is, we have a luxury right now, the business is going good. We have products launching that are not digital, the physical products, with them going so well we don't want to take focus away from them."

While Hansen couldn't say if the game would come out even in 2010, he was adamant that LEGO Group remains committed to the online multiplayer game being developed by NetDevil.

"This is something LEGO is very committed to," Hansen said. "We see it as a major growth."

It's likely that LEGO Group's annual earnings report next Monday might shed a bit more light on which project they don't want overshadowed by LEGO Universe. It's possible that more details about eventual timing for the game could be hinted at then as well.

The delay means that NetDevil will have more time to both work on the original concept and also potentially add new ideas to the game before it ships, Hansen said.

"There will be additions," he said. "But we are holding exactly to the plan we had when we started game development. (NetDevil might) create more content and alignment with the products we have on the shelf."

At least initially that won't include the LEGO bricks that use different IP like Batman, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Hansen said. But that's not totally off the table. The hang-up would be getting the owners of those properties to sign off on the rights, he said. Something that's often a difficult proposition.

Hansen said that while the game has been delayed, development is progressing nicely. In fact LEGO Group released two new pieces of art to Kotaku that were created using 100 percent game assets.

One shows pirates the other shows a robot of sorts being attacked by people with swords and spears.

"We like the results very much," Hansen said. "The NetDevil relationship is very, very strong. The commitment to bring it out is as well."

Here's the post.

Thanks to the early release of some 2009 LEGO sets, we now have confirmation for at least one new LEGO video game for 2009, LEGO Racers: The Video Game! The advertisement for the game, which features preliminary box art, can be seen on the top of certain 2009 Racers sets boxes. Systems the game will be released for have not yet been announced.

Since these guys watch anything LEGO like a hawk, it sounds good to me. But the big question is, what did they see exactly? Is this going to be a console release, or is Lego teasing a Web site where you sign up, maintain your racer and play the game?

New LEGO Video Game Announced! [Brickset via GoNintendo]

‘We are pleased to announce this exciting landmark for Jumpgate Evolution,” commented Edward Relf, Director, Marketing, Codemasters Online. “Since the commencement of the BETA signup program three months ago, we have seen overwhelming support for the game and look forward to inviting players into the BETA in the coming months. We encourage everyone looking to get into BETA to sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”

Great news for the developers, not so great for those of us eager to get into the beta test. With numbers rapidly growing (and I suppose this post doesn't help), the odds of snagging a beta spot by signing up over at www.jumpgateevolution.com are getting worse by the minute. Closed beta should be going live soon, so if you are so inclined I strongly suggest jumping on it.

Jumpgate Evolution Blasts Beyond 150k BETA Signup Milestone

Upcoming Elite Space Combat MMO Gains Momentum as BETA Approaches

(Warwickshire, UK) – 10th November, 2008, 2pm GMT – Codemasters Online & NetDevil today announced that BETA signups for the highly anticipated elite space combat MMO, Jumpgate Evolution have now exceeded 150,000 with numbers climbing rapidly! Gamers can continue signing up for the chance to participate in the upcoming BETA at www.jumpgateevolution.com

‘We are pleased to announce this exciting landmark for Jumpgate Evolution,” commented Edward Relf, Director, Marketing, Codemasters Online. “Since the commencement of the BETA signup program three months ago, we have seen overwhelming support for the game and look forward to inviting players into the BETA in the coming months. We encourage everyone looking to get into BETA to sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”

Jumpgate Evolution is the definitive elite space combat MMO published by Codemasters Online and developed by the US-based NetDevil. This unique new title will allow players to choose from one of three playable Nations and engage in an intense action experience featuring ship-to-ship combat in a persistent online universe. Gamers can embark on an immersive and accessible space adventure where they can trade valuable commodities, take part in dangerous large-scale intergalactic battles, meet and play with friends and live out the dream to become an elite space hero. Jumpgate Evolution features both a rich and varied universe to explore and has been designed for experienced and novice MMO players alike.

Jumpgate is set for release in 2009 with closed BETA due to go live soon. For more information on Jumpgate Evolution or to sign up for BETA visit: www.jumpgateevolution.com

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Hands On With Jumpgate Evolution

In an interview with Massively, though, NetDevil's Mark Hansen did not entirely dismiss the suggestion that some of the licensed properties from the Traveller's Tales games might make an appearance in the future.

When asked if this was the case, Hansen said, "No, not at all. I think you will ... yeah. (laughs)"

It might be a nice extra but you have to hope that this doesn't distract from the basic Legoiness that the game seems to offer. It is always more fun if you make it yourself, after all.

Lego IPs interview pt. 2 [Massively, via Joystiq]

In the coming weeks (blame TGS) we'll be posting some in-game videos, hands-on impressions, interviews and tour videos on the site. While LEGO Universe isn't quite playable(by me) yet, producer Ryan Seabury took some time to talk to us about where the game was headed and what we could expect to see. He also showed off his totally kick-ass real-world Starcraft LEGO diorama. Look for that one a bit later today.

In the meantime amuse yourself at my expense:

We've been working with about 50 of them — and now up to 68, and it's only going to keep expanding. We've brought them out to Denver twice... the first time, it was more about getting them up to speed on the concept and what was going on and hearing a lot of feedback and opening a dialogue, and the next time we brought them back out, they actually got hands-on with the tools and the technology.

Conceptually, we think of them as developers helping us build the game...You never hear about a community being involved in an MMO besides coming in at the beta test at the end. Those people that can be the most influential... [are] heavily involved and tell us what their expectations are.

I can tell you our expectations: if we can't recreate the original Lego castle, all bets are off.

NetDevil Talks Merits, Precautions Of Early Focus Testing [Gamasutra]