The big day has finally arrived! If you haven’t already signed up, the God of War: Game Directors Live is hours away, and our Facebook Fan Page is filling up with respondents.

That said, be sure to show up early as seating is first come, first served, and there’s only a total of 150 seats available.

This will be your last reminder. Be sure to RSVP!

Date: September 1st, 2010 (aka, “today”)
Time: 4-7pm
Location: El Portal Theater (5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601)

You must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by a parent. ID will be checked!

Now… what’s a God of War event without prizes? Here’s a sneak peek at some of prizes we’ll be giving away at the event:

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Entertainment Pack on 11/2/10

Available at launch on November 2nd, this limited two-tone, black-and-red PSP Entertainment will be signed by all five game directors.

God of War Franchise Bundle

Receive the entire God of War franchise signed by each of the five game directors. Includes the God of War Collection (God of War, God of War II), God of War III, God of War: Chains of Olympus, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta (on 11/02/10).

And ONE God of War exclusive premium item to be announced and given out at the event! You’ll have to attend to find out what it is…

Additionally, all God of War Live attendees will walk away with a limited edition God of War OMEGA PSP strap and a voucher to download the God of War: Ghost of Sparta Demo!

Every End Must First Begin…

During Comic-Con a few weeks ago, IGN’s Greg Miller asked me if I had my PSP and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker with me. As it turns out, I did. Greg, a dude named Dennis Miller (not *that* Dennis Miller), and I then proceeded to take down Metal Gear Rex in an intense co-op match. Oh yeah, this was in the middle of G4’s party.

In that moment, an idea was born.

A few days later, Greg asked if I was interested in getting a bunch of Peace Walker fans together to tackle the hardest levels – the ones that are best handled cooperatively. Sounded good to me. As we began to plan it, we realized that such a group is already going to assemble… next week at Penny Arcade Expo.

So here we are, doing this thing, and you’re invited. We’re renting out Top Pot Donuts in downtown Seattle next Thursday evening and will fill it with new and upcoming PSP games such as Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Valkyria Chronicles II, Split/Second, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

Also, we have ordered 34 dozen donuts. They’re tasty. Very tasty.

While it’ll no doubt be fun to try out those games, we also strongly encourage you to bring your own PSP for friendly competitive or cooperative matches in games like Hot Shots Tennis, SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3, and, of course, MGS: Peace Walker. We’ll even lend you a copy if you wanna jump in but don’t already have one.

Are you sold on this yet? Wait, there’s more!

As you sample the games, we’ll be keeping track of the best players, and the top performers will get a special behind-the-scenes tour of our media-only area, where you’ll be able to check out games that won’t be on the show floor like inFAMOUS 2 and the recently announced Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One.

And every attendee will walk out with a voucher to download the demo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta – before anyone else gets to play it. Please tell me this is reason enough to attend.

Still want more? Ok, I’ll give: Greg Miller will autograph your bare chest if you ask politely.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Thursday, September 2, 2010
• Top Pot Donuts (2124 5th Ave., 
Seattle, WA 98121)


• Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
• RSVP here

RSVP today, and don’t forget to bring your appetite for fried dough – we’ve got 408 donuts and we’re going to make Rey eat any leftovers.

Spartan Army Members! The time has come…

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Earlier this month, we announced through the PlayStation.Blog that the God of War: Ghost of Sparta six-item pre-order bundle will include an EXCLUSIVE Game Directors Documentary. What we didn’t mention however, is the open invitation to our loyal God of War fans to take part in the actual filming of the documentary in front of a live studio audience.

On Wednesday, September 1st from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, we’re taking over the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and bringing together, for the first time in history, the entire cast of God of War Game Directors for a roundtable discussion filmed in front of a live studio audience, including: David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen, Ru Weerasuiya, and Dana Jan.

As with all epic events, we’ll have gifts and prizes for all in attendance, but be sure to get there early! Seating is first come, first serve, and there’s only a total of 150 seats available.

We’ll have more information on the gifts and prizing leading up the event, but for the time being, make sure to mark your calendars (and our Facebook Fanpage) as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in this Olympic-size event with all five God of War Game Directors.

Alright, now to the important details:

Date: September 1st, 2010
Time: 4-7pm
Location: El Portal Theater (5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601)

You must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by a parent – ID will be checked!

RSVP to the event invite on our Facebook Fanpage.

Next Tuesday, we’ll be bringing PlayStation Move out to the nation’s capital to show to some local and national media outlets. But why should they have all the fun?

We cordially invite you, the PlayStation community in the Washington DC area, to go hands-on with PlayStation Move a month before it starts showing up in stores. We’re going to outfit Current Sushi & Lounge in Dupont Circle with final or near-final versions of Sports Champions, Kung Fu Rider, echochrome ii, Start the Party!, Tumble, and some brand new tech demos showing what the future of motion gaming may look like.

Attendance is, of course, free, and we’ll pick up the tab on hors d’oeuvres and drinks (for those 21 and up). And all attendees will score the much-in-demand PlayStation Move tee.

Here’s what you need to know; be sure to read and then RSVP:

• When: Tuesday, August 24, 6-9pm
• Where: Current Sushi & Lounge, Dupont Circle, Washington DC, USA, Earth
• Who: PlayStation fans 18 and up (must have valid ID). Kids under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• RSVP here.

Our previous Move Meet-ups have been a great time – but they’ve taught us that showing up early is a good idea.

Now, does anyone have a connection to get the President to show up?

I’m biased, but I think last month’s E3 Blog meet-up went pretty awesomely. You may have seen the amateur video of the event (and Kojima’s suprise visit), but the Hot Shots Tennis team went a step further, producing a really cool video featuring the attendees of our meetup.

Things to look out for: Frawlz and Dave from Sarcastic Gamer, Mr. Destructoid, Hiphopgamer, longtime PS Blog commenter Delriach, Hot Shots US Producer Chris Hinojosa-Miranda, Hiphopgamer’s championship belt, Rey Gutierrez’ awesome PlayStation tat, and yours truly, tired, sweaty, and hopped up on a cocktail of caffeine and adrenaline.

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Were you there? Did you see yourself?

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip is now available on UMD and PlayStation Store download for $19.99. In true Hot Shots form, it’s also really addictive.

E3: it’s the most important gaming event in the world. But if you’re not part of the games industry – good luck getting in the door!

Well, as we proved last year: we don’t feel that it’s got to be that way. Once again, we’re opening up E3 to our most loyal fans, and you’re invited: I’m happy to announce details for our 3rd annual PlayStation.Blog E3 Meetup.

On Sunday, June 13th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, we’re taking over Ciudad in downtown LA. As usual for these types of events, we’ll have food, games, prizes and the opportunity to mingle with your fellow PlayStation gamers. We’ll also be featuring new and upcoming PSP titles such as Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip (we’ll be holding doubles matches for advance copies of the game). And just like last year – the first 150 people in the door will gain access to our E3 Press Conference, to be held at the Shrine Auditorium the following Tuesday.

If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, or will be visiting during that time, get your serve and smash ready – this will be our best meetup yet!

Now, the all-important details:

• Location: Ciudad (445 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90071)
• Date: June 13th, 2010
• Time: 5-7 p.m.
• You must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by a parent — ID *will* be checked!
• RSVP to the event invite on our Facebook Fanpage

Please note – last year intrepid Blog readers started lining up 8 hours before the meetup… so if you want in to our press conference, you might wanna set your alarm ;)

And if you’re not able to make it, we’ve still got you covered. Stay tuned for details on how you can follow along with E3 from wherever you live.

Hi guys, I’m Seth Killian, O.G. Street Fighter, Capcom community guy, and the shadowy “special advisor” to Super Street Fighter IV. I wanted to give the PlayStation.Blog a heads-up on a little party we’re teaming up with Sony to throw in honor of the arrival of our new game.

For those who don’t know, we call these things “Fight Clubs” and the concept is pretty simple. We find an underground location (sometimes literally underground, sometimes just an abandoned warehouse, sometimes a sneaker shop, but you get the idea), and drop a bunch of Street Fighter games in there, then let people throw down in arcade-style, face-to-face combat. We spice it up with some totally exclusive shirt giveaways, exclusive artwork and giftbags, and maybe… just maybe, some extra epic events.

The party is going down this Friday, April 23rd, from 8pm to midnight, in Los Angeles, CA (in the Silver Lake neighborhood). We’ll post the exact address on Thursday, so stay tuned, but here’s a little taste of what’s in store, and why people are already making plans to fly into town just for this party:

• Hands on with Super Street Fighter IV, including chances to win an early copy of the final game on PlayStation 3.
• Great Street Fighter art on the exclusive shirts + posters, live art on the walls, and even… on you?
• Gift bags for the first few hundred fans through the door
• Live DJ, light food and drinks
• Big-screen game exhibitions, plus appearances from some very special guests all the way from Japan
• One final note—we have an, um… special opportunity for some brave fans to win some great prizes, but to participate, you’ll want to bring a change of clothes—clothes you don’t mind having potentially destroyed :-)

This event is open to the public, and based on some of our past parties, there’s a very good chance this is going to be totally nuts. Translation: if you want to go, try and arrive early! We’ll be posting the exact address and one more surprise on Wednesday, so stay tuned. But make your plans now, and set expectations to “awesome.”

For anyone that isn’t in LA, or just can’t make it, you can watch the action on the Capcom ustream page. Event starts at 8, but we may begin streaming anytime that day!

Super Street Fighter IV arrives on April 27th, and it’s only $39.99. For fighting fans, this is a no-brainer, but for anybody that missed out on the original Street Fighter IV, or just wants to see what it is about these games that drives their fans so crazy, do yourself a favor pick this up (and come down to the party!)

Don’t let our recent love affair with the East Coast fool you – we’re giving the West Coast a shot to go hands-on with PlayStation Move… next week. This time, the lucky city is Seattle.

We’ll be at Sole Repair Shop (near downtown and Seattle U) this coming Thursday evening, armed with food, drinks, and state-of-the-art motion-based gaming; that’s *months* before PlayStation Move will show up in stores, so don’t miss out on your opportunity!

You’ll also get to chat with the devs, us (if you care to), and meet some of your fellow Washington-based PlayStation gamers. Of course, we’ll also raffle off prizes – always a fan favorite at our meetups. And the price – as always – is FREE. If you’re not convinced (really?), take a look at some pics from last week’s PAX East meetup. A good time was had by hundreds.

Here are the details:

• Date: Thursday, April 8th
• Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
• Location: Sole Repair Shop
• Directions: Sole Repair (aka ‘the Shop’) can be found just off of East Pike 1 block past Broadway on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Located right next door to Quinn’s, and directly across the street from Neumos. Be sure to enter in the 10th avenue entrance. Look for the white door.
• Parking: Plenty of places to park! Available at 10th & East Pike ($7), Broadway & East Madison ($5), Pike & Broadway (free!) and, of course, street parking is free after 7:00 p.m.

Adult beverages will be served, so we have to limit admittance to ages 21 and up… remember to bring your ID.

We hope to see you there – so make sure you RSVP today.

We may not make it out to the East Coast very often, but when we do, we bring the big guns. PlayStation.Blog readers in Boston and New York were the very first in the gaming public to play PlayStation Move this week, as we brought our GDC-announced games out for a pair of community meetups.

On Tuesday, we made our much-requested New York Meetup debut in Tribeca. Despite the crappy weather, fans braved the outdoor line to go hands-on with Slider, Move Party and Sports Champions (all working titles), and to watch Dr. Rick Marks and Anton Mikhailov show off the Move’s capabilities in a series of intriguing tech demos. You can see some of those demonstrations in the replay of last Saturday’s Engadget Show here.

We also honored Ray, our PlayStation SuperFan who’s been to our meetups in SF, Vegas, Seattle, and Los Angeles, despite living in NYC. Now that we were on his home turf, we rewarded him with a God of War III Ultimate Edition for his incredible fanship.

Click here for more pics of the NYC Event.

Next stop: Boston. Last night we kicked off the PAX weekend with PlayStation Move, and I’m still at a loss for words to describe the crowd. Actually, “huge” probably has it covered. Over 300 gamers, fans, and bloggers came out to hang out and go hands-on. GTTV’s Geoff Keighley even turned up to help hand out the prizes (special thanks to Charlie at 2K for providing BioShock 2 and Borderlands PS3 prize packs). Take a look at the pics – Boston knows how to party.

Ray showed up for that one too :-)

In both locations, everyone let us know that they were glad we came out East, and we’re really happy we made the trip.

Now to answer the big question: which Northeast city turned out in bigger numbers? Let’s just say that if Boston and NY meet in the ALCS this year, my money’s on the Sox.

What are you doing today? Out enjoying the warm weather that’s somehow taken over the country this weekend? Well, you *could* do that, but that’s tacit approval of global warming. And that’s evil :-)

Why not stay inside, away from the sun’s dangerous rays, and catch Dr. Richard Marks as he takes the Engadget crew through a behind-the-scenes look of the PlayStation Move, LIVE on today’s Engadget Show, which starts at 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT). It’s streaming right here!

Once you’ve seen PlayStation Move, how about actually playing it? For those in the New York area that want to get their hands on the PlayStation Move, be sure to stop by our first New York meetup this Tuesday, March 23rd. RSVP for the event here and let us know you’re coming.

Oh, and we’ll also be in Boston this Thursday, March 25th, PlayStation Move in hand. Details and RSVP are right here. See you there!