To announce the upcoming release of “Still Alive” as a download for Rock Band, Jonathan Coulton, the writer of the fantastic portal end theme song performed it live on stage at GDC 2008 using Rock Band, with some assistance from Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann and the lovely Veronica Belmont.

The awesomeness of this can not be understated.

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Just the think to go with your Tie Fighter speakers and R2D2 projector… Top Spina Designs bring you… The Han Solo in Carbonite Desk!

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It’s not like this wasn’t inevitable, given how awesome the first Portal game was, but it’s nice to actually hear it offically. Lead designer for Portal, Kimberly Swift, confirmed that there will be a sequel in an interview with G4TV. Question is, will the cake still be a lie?

6. The Bioware MMO

Okay, so no one actually knows what the hell this is… We’ve talked on the site a number of times about this possibly being a Knights of the Old Republic MMO. The other thought is it could be a Star Wars MMO set around the Clone Wars , which would make sense as well, given there is a new cartoon series launching later this year based in that timeframe. Or, of course, it may not be a Star Wars MMO at all. Maybe a Mass Effect MMO? A Neverwinter Nights MMO? Who knows! The fact remains, it’s an MMORPG, and it’s from Bioware, and that alone get’s it onto the list!

Bioware’s Website

5. Firefly MMORPG

Dave: This is at 5 for 2 reasons. One, we basically know nothing about it… And two, the license is via Fox (the network that canned the show!), not direct from Joss Whedon’s Mutant Enemy which fills me with a sense of foreboding… However, anything with Firefly and MMO in the same sentence is on my WANT list!

On the plus side, Joss is now back at Fox working on Dollhouse, and I can’t see him being overly happy if they trash the memory of Firefly with a bad game, so it’s possible he might be able to get involved… The Firefly universe has the potential to make a great game. However, without Joss’s guidance, I do worry about where it’ll end up… Really too early to tell which way this will go.

Daryl: Both of us would really love to see this MMO happen, the Firefly universe is a diverse one, which has barely been touched upon in the series and movie, leaving huge creative license. I’m a huge fan, a Browncoat if you will, if this MMO happens, I guarantee to be on that beta test and be a subscriber.

Multiverse’s Website

Forbidden Planet has some awesome Serenity prop replicas which are worth checking out!

4. Star Trek Online

Dave: Obviously being a geek, i’m a big fan of Star Trek, so a Star Trek MMO is always going to make the list. However, since it’s now in the hands of an unknown (or at least unconfirmed) developer, and possibly back the drawing board, it’s hard to place it on the list. Really it’s here because of the massive potential a Star Trek game has (and it get’s to be one place higher than Firefly for not having Fox involved).

Daryl: Well, I enjoy Star Trek like most, I’m not quite a Trekky, but I do appreciate the shows. My main problem with this MMO is that its mere existence is in constant question lately.

(I’d add a link to the developer’s website if we knew who they were!)

3. Age of Conan

Dave: Halfway through the list, and our first tangable MMO! I don’t know Conan’s world very well, so it was hard for me to get excited by the story. However this is potentially the first of the ‘next-gen’ MMOs. One that tries to do something different than being a ‘WoW clone’. It’s aimed firmly at a older playerbase, and has some very interesting work going on with the combat system, and that does grab my attention.

Daryl: Conan, a much loved character of mine, and when I first saw the videos and images from this game I was instantly hooked. A brutally violent combat system and adult content means this game is not aimed towards the “after school” MMO crowd and will carry with it a more stable, even mature gaming community. Trying to distance itself from WOW is admirable, and I hope it works. I just hope 6 months down the line they don’t decide to alter it to the favourable WOW system of control like some MMO’s have in the past.

www.ageofconan.com

2. Warhammer Online

Dave: I’m an old school Warhammer Fantasy Battle and RPG player, and i love the Warhammer world. Again, it’s an MMO trying to advance on WoW’s play style. Things like not being able to run though other player characters like they are ghosts like you can in most MMOs… This may not sound like much, but what it means is, in battle, if a bunch of Orc Warriors stand in a line to protect their Mages who are throwning fireballs at you, you’re gonna have to punch through the Warriors to stop yourself dying of 3rd degree burns. All the combat in Warhammer Online is designed up the ante in PvP Battles. Oh, and there are also SQUIGS!.. Any games with squigs gets my vote! (Oh, and if your from EA Mythic reading this, approve my beta request will ya!)

Daryl: Ok, I’ll be straight with this. I don’t have alot of knowledge in regards to the entire Warhammer range… I’ve not played any of the games, and have only ever half painted some of the little metal figures before getting bored and doing something else hehe. I know Dave is very excited about this MMO, and usually our tastes in these matters are similar, so if he says its gonna be good, I’ll believe him… (mostly) lol.

www.warhammeronline.com

1. Stargate Worlds

Dave: We both love Stargate. Lots. So this really is the most anticipated MMO coming out in the next few years for us. And that universe has so much scope for expansion. The T.V. show only covered SG1 and Atlantis. What were all the other SG teams upto? What were their stories? The Stargate system is a perfect vehicle for an MMO. Gating to new worlds. Squad based combat. Good mix of races and character classes. Plus they’re the possiblity of a space combat system too (even if it’s added in later).

Daryl: Finally, this is the one I want most! I am a huge Stargate fan, I mean HUGE! Rumours are all over the place with this, and I hope all of them are right! With several playable species, classes and even good and bad factions. Set in a time period were all the major action happened in the Stargate universe, during the war with Anubis, it allows major baddies to be in it, G’ould, Replicators and now dead good guys like the Tolan and the Asgard. I’m watching this MMO closely, and will keep track of it on the site as much as possible.

www.stargateworlds.com

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So that’s our list! What are your most anticipated MMOs? Let us know what you think in the comments!

And according to superherohype its…Taylor Kitsch!

Nope… I’ve no idea who he is either. He’s apparently in a US show called Friday Night Lights about American Football, which (being English) would explain why I haven’t seen it.

Having said that, he does look right for the role (look at the pic above, i’d say they have that pretty spot on for Gambit!) He’s apparently signed for a 3 picture deal, so he’s either going to be a major player in any upcoming X-Men movies/spin-offs… or the studio is playing it safe and can keep him around if he’s popular.

Already cast in X-Men Origins: Wolverine are Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, Danny Huston as William Stryker, and Lynn Collins as Silver Fox.

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This looks really cool. It’s a direct to DVD collection of 6 Batman stories, written by some of comic books best writers, and animated by some of the worlds top anime guys. The stories are set between Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight, and are designed to tie in with the release of the new movie later this year.