We snuck in (legitimately!) to the Comic-Con 08 show floor prior to the opening of the show, poking around the nearly empty booths before we grabbed our press passes. There's a pretty sizable gaming presence this year — much bigger than the last. Konami, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Ubisoft, SOE, EA and Capcom are among the bigger publishers taking up a floorspace this year, with playable demos, limited edition merchandise and coveted swag ripe for the taking.

The Comic-Con masses were just admitted, mere minutes ago, into the show floor. Take a look at the virginal booths, before they were violated by the collectible hunting horde.

We'll be checking in with everyone (and finally getting our hands on the new Prince of Persia!) throughout the week.

We're Going To Comic-Con!

We're making the trek down to the San Diego Convention Center tomorrow morning for our annual trip to Comic-Con. We'll be covering all things video game related over the next five days, bringing you details from the show floor, live blogs from Comic-Con panels and all the news that breaks from Capcom, EA, Activision, Konami and much, much more.

For even more Comic-Con coverage that goes beyond the game-o-sphere, check out io9 for your extended sci-fi nerd fix. For those attending, let us know in the comments what Sailor Moon character you'll be dressed as.

Want to learn more about the inspiration behind gaming's most-beloved post-apocalyptic series? Bethesda Softworks has teamed up with The American Cinematheque and Geek Monthly to present ‘A Post-Apocalyptic Film Festival Presented by Fallout 3’ at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California next month. The festival runs two days - August 22nd and 23rd - with three films being shown each day. Friday's movies are Ralph Bakshi's animated masterpiece Wizards, followed by Damnation Alley and A Boy and His Dog - the most perfect selection of the festival. Then on Saturday they've got The Last Man On Earth, The Omega Man, and Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys.

Tickets go on sale July 25th at Fandango.com at a price of $10 per day, which includes popcorn, a large soda, and a special Fallout 3 giveaway. Considering I would sell any one of you for parts for a chance to see Wizards on the big screen, the price seems pretty fair. Hit the jump for more details!

by Lesley Smith

As is expected with Blizzard events, company employees were handing out the much-prized (and instantly eBayable) Goody Bags. The swish mini backpack emblazoned with the WWI logo includes a host of loot, including an in-game pet (which we’ve not yet been able to redeem in Booty Bay), the Beta key, a programme, a figure from the Upper Deck miniature game, a notebook and a mousemat sporting the event’s banner featuring Arthas as well as characters from Diablo and Starcraft II.

We’ll let you know what the pet is as soon as Landro Longshot makes nice and starts talking about the WWI.

This year's Penny Arcade Expo is going to be bigger than ever, and that's good because scaling down would have probably been a bad idea. Instead they've taken the more practical route, adding more space, more exhibitors, and more 80's movie relics. That's right, the ECTO-1 of Ghostbusters fame will be on hand the entire weekend, making the other exhibitors like Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, Activision, and Ubisoft look like second stringers in comparison.

"We nearly doubled our exhibition hall and added another 80,000 square feet of content overall, so the show is going to be pretty amazing this year," says Penny Arcade's Robert Khoo. "You should come. I think you would like it."

I've a feeling he could be right. This year's show takes place August 29th through the 31st in sunny Seattle Washington. Hit the jump for a full list of exhibitors. Be prepared to scroll.

Microsoft Signs On For E For All 08

The E For All Expo got off to a somewhat rocky start last year with relatively low attendance following the decision to hold the event the same weekend as Penny Arcade's PAX event, but things are looking up for the 2008 show already. They've got their own weekend (Oct. 3-5), and now Microsoft has thrown in their hat as an exhibitor. IDG World Expo CEO and mouthpiece Mary Dolaher is ecstatic.

“Microsoft’s presence at the 2008 event will help us build on the great success of last year’s inaugural E for All event, and will further our goal of building an exciting and cutting-edge event that brings the best and newest games to gamers of all types. We look forward to a terrific 2008 event, and to having the opportunity to bring even more great game products to the great gamers who attend E for All.”

Last year Microsoft passed on the first E For All, so this early sign of support casts a very encouraging light of hope on the event's second year. Dolaher promises more participants will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hundreds of Metal Gear devotees braved moderate temperatures and clear skies yesterday to be the first to get their hands on a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4... on the West Coast, that is. Southern Californians also had a chance to rub elbows with some of the game's talent, including producer Kenichiro Imaizumi, associate producer Ryan Payton and the voice of Solid Snake David Hayter. Also making an appearance to scribble their names on mint copies of MGS4 were Patrick Zimmerman, the voice of Ocelot, and Khary Payton, who plays Drebin in the fourth Solid Snake adventure. Blow by blow after the jump.

What better way to celebrate Father's Day than a relaxing stroll through Middle-Earth? Codemasters Online invites players to drag their fathers kicking and screaming into the MMO realm with a bit of Lord of the Rings Online. The game will feature a series of celebratory Father's Day events this Sunday, June 15th, ranging from fathers and sons fishing (apparently daughters don't fish, despite the screenshot), music, fireworks, and various challenges taking place throughout the day.

"What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than spend it with your loved ones in the greatest fantasy world ever created?" said David Solari Vice President of Codemasters Online. "We invite fathers to come and enjoy the festivities that will we be running all day to mark this special occasion.”

See? there's a man who knows you can't write about a special Father's Day event without using the phrase "What better way".

Players are encouraged to use the free trial at TryLotRO.com to get their dads online. Start downloading now so you can spend a lazy Sunday explaining the WASD keys to your father before giving up in frustration and taking him out to Chili's. Mmmm, Chili's.

GameStop's MGS4 Launch Event Details

You knew that GameStop wouldn't let something as big as the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots launch go by without burning the midnight oil to get PlayStation 3 owners the game as soon as humanly possible. The games retailer has announced that over 1,500 stores will be hosting special launch day events tomorrow, featuring trivia contests, a Big Boss costume contest, and special sneak-peaks at the game leading up to the 12:01 AM release.

Seeing as 1,500 stores is less than half of the stores located in the United States (GTA IV events were held at over 3,500 locations), I'd highly suggest that you call ahead (or check this list) before showing up at your local locations dressed as Big Boss, as your sad story of standing in a parking lot alone in an eyepatch and trench coat would make us cry, and we hate one-eyed people crying.

Sony's Bozek, BioWare's Clark Headlining Women In Games 2008

UK-based Rare, along with the University of Warwick's computer science department, are co-organizing a September 2008 Women in Games conference aimed at promoting careers for women in the game industry, and have just announced the ladies who'll be delivering keynote speeches.

BioWare product manager Karen Clark; Sony's Paulina Bozek, director of SingStar, research director Dr. Sara de Freitas of the Serious Games institute, Karen Brennan of MIT's Media Lab, and Microsoft technical evangelist Eileen Brown will all be headlining the event.

That's Bozek in the photo, by the way, holding the BAFTA award she won for her role in SingStar.

The full schedule has yet to be determined, as the event organizers are still accepting submissions for talks. Further info after the jump.

Nintendo's Father's Day Smash Bros. Tournament

Sunday June 15th is Father's Day, and what better way to celebrate than playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl all day long? Alright, so some of you were planning on doing that anyway, but if you're in the New York City area that weekend you can get your father involved for a chance at fabulous prizes!

Nintendo is hosting a Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii Father's Day Tournament at the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Plaza on the 15th from 1 to 4 PM, with the winners of the bracket-style playoff walking away with two Wii, two copies of the game, and a trophy commemorating the event. Photographers will be on hand throughout the event to offer framed father and son pictures so at least you come away with something if the tourney only drives home the fact that you and your father have absolutely nothing in common.

SOE Fan Faire Registration Is Go

SOE is now accepting registration monies for their 2008 SOE Fan Faire, being held August 14th through the 17th at the Las Vegas Hilton in beautiful downtown...you know. $89 gets you an All-Access pass, which secures you a sneak-peek at "three monumental new games in development". Interesting.

The pass also gets you into the Free Realms beta test, a beta for an upcoming EQ2 expansion, gifts, in-game items, and the chance to listen to John Smedley talk for a bit.

Of course if you'd rather miss out on all the All-Access goodness you can pick up a day pass for $39, which just seems like a giant waste of time and money. Head over to http://www.soefanfaire.com/ and mention my name when you register to receive the awkward joy of having my name on your attendee badge. I've been doing it for years, and look where it's gotten me!

Golden Joysticks Team With London Games Festival

The 3rd annual London Games Festival is set to kick off in late October, and for the first time the Golden Joystick Awards will be there. Now in its 26th year, the 2008 Golden Joystick Awards show will now be a major part of the week-long gaming festival, taking place from the 25th of October through the 2nd of November. Says Keith Ramsdale, Chairman of the 2008 LGF,

‘The Golden Joystick Awards have been a gaming calendar highlight for years. The London Games Festival team is delighted to enter into an exclusive relationship with Future, opening up a range of opportunities for both the Festival and the Joysticks.’

Announced earlier this week, preliminary voting is now open for the awards, which are based completely on the voting public. Make sure you get your votes in, or it's High School: The Musical for Game of the Year.

The relatively annual celebration of all things Blizzard returns this year as the company announces BlizzCon 2008. Perhaps to help avoid the August event crush that occurred last year, which saw BlizzCon, SOE Fan Faire, and Quake Con all taking place over the same weekend, Blizzard has moved the convention back to October, which is when the 2005 original took place. The show will run from the 10th to the 11th at the Anaheim Convention center in California, where fans will be able to get hands-on time with upcoming releases, attend panels, play in tournaments, collect as-of-yet-unannounced spacial, limited edition merchandise, and see hideously inappropriate women dressed up as elves, both Blood and Night varieties. Joy!

Tickets will go on sale within the coming weeks for $100 a pop. Maybe this year I'll actually make it out there. I needs me some free murloc-themed goodness.

The Inaugural Adventure Gaming Expo

Sid Meier Appearing At New York Comic Con

We're smack dab in the middle of the Call of Duty 4 Live Fire weekend, where Xbox 360 COD4 players have a chance to win prizes, play with devs, challenge girls, or maybe even learn a thing or two. Kicking things off are hourly prizes, in which everyone who plays a multiplayer match of COD4 online are entered, meaning your odds pretty much suck. They get worse for the Grand Prize - an Xbox 360 Elite console, VIP Accessories kit, and various bits of Call of Duty 4 merchandise. For those of you not into games of chance, Infinity Ward game devs will be on hand tonight from 6-9 Eastern to challenge all comers. The tomorrow night from 9-11 Eastern you can choose to challenge the girls of the Xbox Gamerchix, or possibly three-time UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. Finally Sunday is for newbies, with many of the Xbox Ambassadors available to help you learn the ropes, or just suck less. Hit up the link for more info on the Call Of Duty 4 Live Fire Weekend.

Call Of Duty 4 Live Fire Weekend [Xbox.com]

"Fan Faire is by far the best vacation destination for SOE gamers, their families and friends," said Alan Crosby, Senior Director, Global Community Relations, Sony Online Entertainment. "This is the ultimate party for gamers and a great chance to meet up with their online friends in the real world."