Posted: 30 Sep 2010 02:00 AM PDT

[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]

- to be published immediately -

Munich , Germany , September 30, 2010

The ESL Major Series is all set to go. On October 11, the eagerly anticipated group phase is finally going to start. At this point, it is even still possible to join. Just keep in mind that the deadline for signing up is approaching fast. September 30 is the final day where you can apply together with four friends to participate in the largest "5on5" Avalon Heroes tournament. You will certainly find it worthwhile! Every team that makes it among the last 16 will definitely win a share of the € 5,000 prize money.

What else is new in Avalon Heroes? A selection of brand-new outfits! Starting immediately, the four heroes Bazraal, Bentilus, Kazure, and Seimei will join the fracas wearing the latest in warrior fashion. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, create a "Kin" in the free-to-play online RTS RPG, and immerse yourself in a world filled with fierce battles and countless challenges.

Please visit http://www.esl.eu/eu/avalonheroes/news/135453 to sign up for the upcoming ESL Major Series. For more information about Avalon Heroes, see the official website at www.avalonheroes.alaplaya.net. The current game client is available for free download at www.avalonheroes.alaplaya.net/download.

* * *

About burda:ic & alaplaya

burda:ic GmbH is a leading publisher of free PC online games with headquarters in Munich, Germany. The company markets and distributes massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) such as LOCO – Land of Chaos Online, Avalon Heroes, S4 League, and Florensia. Since its launch in the summer of 2007, the innovative alaplaya games platform has grown immensely and is expecting its ten millionth registered user by the end of 2010. For more information about burda:ic, please visit www.burda-ic.com.

About ESL

With more than 2.6 million members, the Electronic Sports League (ESL) is the largest and most important computer gamers league in Europe. Founded by Turtle Entertainment GmbH in 2000, the ESL offers a platform with more than 3,500 leagues and games from all genres, hosting hundreds of thousands of matches every month. The ESL website, www.esl.eu, receives more than ten million visits (IVW) per month.

Press contact:

Björn Sturm

Gärtner PR

Destouchesstr. 68

D-80796 Munich, Germany

Phone: +49 89 / 30766859

Mobile: +49 151 / 12290207

E-mail: bs@gaertner-pr.de

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No Ordinary Family Series Premiere Review (Season 1, Episode 1) - TV.com

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 02:29 AM PDT

Average, everyday people become genetically mutated heroes with superpowers. If that premise sounds familiar, it's because it is. From comics to film to television, the superpowers shtick is far from uncharted territory. No Ordinary Family, ABC's new drama, which premiered last night, treads on this very familiar ground, though it may offer just enough light and family-friendly entertainment to make its mark this television season.

Show co-creator Greg Berlanti told BuzzFocus at Comic-Con that No Ordinary Family is like no other family show you've seen before. This claim is somewhat true, though there's no denying the obvious influence of The Incredibles and other superhero tales. Michael Chiklis (who played The Thing in the similarly themed Fantastic Four movies) is patriarch Jim of the Powell family. He's a regular, slightly emasculated guy that's just an average police sketch artist. He's a bit disappointed with where his career has turned out. Jim's married to Stephanie (Julie Benz), a brilliant scientist that is just way too busy for her own (and her family's) good. The couple has two kids, teenage Daphne (Kay Panabaker) and JJ (Jimmy Bennett), the former being the typical bratty socially-involved girl and the latter being an intellectually challenged.

Jim, frustrated that the family is quickly falling apart and have been too busy for each other recently, organizes a family trip to Brazil. En route, they crash into the Amazon River, but are able to escape without a scratch. Their airplane's pilot? Not so lucky. After the harrowing experience, they recover amazingly quickly and return home only to find out that something is different; they all have superpowers.

You can probably guess what happens next. The characters start freaking out to their newfound abilities and try them out in the most suicidal ways possible. Jim instinctively jumps in front of a bullet to save a colleague, just before jumping off of a building to see if he'll survive. Stephanie runs on a six-lane freeway to avoid being late to a meeting. All of this is far from groundbreaking material. What NOF does have working for it is that it offers a relatable family, with characters that people can relate to. Interspersed in all of that family drama is some light and fun humor. The show also subscribes to the now overdone mockumentary format, though the fourth wall breakage is later attributed to the Powell's hashing out their marital woes in a therapy session.

The good thing is that the series doesn't take itself too seriously, steering clear of the convoluted, time-traveling direction that NBC's superhero drama Heroes dared to take us in. However, as NOF does its best to establish relatable ground for viewers, it needs to be careful that the superpowers aspect is the sideshow and the story is the main attraction. Granted, the pilot episode featured a lot of set up, the characters themselves need to break out of their archetypical molds. Chiklis and Benz are just as likable as ever, but the writers will need to spice things up if we're to truly care what happens to this dysfunctional family.

The second episode will be a huge tell as to whether or not this show will sink or swim. With an unknown threat from Stephanie's boss looming overhead, the series will push itself past the origin story and settle into its steady state. Keeping things simple and fun is where No Ordinary Family can distinguish itself. If it does that, then it certainly has a chance. If it swims the treacherous waters of the cliched, selling the superpowers angle as its only trick, then it will not last long.

You can catch new episodes of No Ordinary Family on Tuesdays at 8/7C on ABC.

Marvel Super Heroes Unite at AllPosters.com - Forbes

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 08:09 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- AllPosters.com, a division of Art.com Inc., the world's leading online specialty provider of wall art, today unveiled a new gallery of high quality wall art featuring iconic characters and images from leading comic book publishing company Marvel Publishing, Inc., many of which have never before been available to consumers in this artistic format.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091208/ART-COMLOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091208/ART-COMLOGO)

This introduction coincides with a recent national survey that illustrates the nostalgic, enduring nature of the Marvel Comics brand. Of the hundreds of adults surveyed:

-- 66 percent of people surveyed read Marvel Comics as a child -- The ability to fly was selected as the most coveted superpower -- X-Men was selected as the top comic book of all time -- If they could choose to be any Super Hero, 46 percent would be Spider-Man, 25 percent would be Iron Man and 10 percent would be Captain America -- 99 percent of respondents recognized a photo of Spider-Man versus only 63 percent who recognized a photo of Vice President Joe Biden and 51 percent who recognized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

These survey results point to the broad appeal of Marvel Comics, as does the new wall art collection on AllPosters.com. The collection offers fans more than 200 of these vintage images, available in different wall art formats including museum-quality giclee prints, master prints with glossy heavy card stock paper, wall murals and canvas. Prints can be customized further by adding a hand-made frame. Characters featured include X-Men, Spider-Man, Silver Surfer, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Luke Cage and Mighty Thor.

"With over 850,000 images, AllPosters.com offers one of the world's largest assortments of quality wall art and we're pleased to introduce these iconic Marvel Comics images to comics fans of all ages," said Andrew Wait, chief marketing officer of Art.com Inc. "Our new Marvel Collection brings these Super Heroes to life, allowing them to make that leap from the comic book to any wall, be it in the bedroom, living room, family room, den, office or any other place of honor in your home. Aside from the stunning imagery, what makes this collection particularly unique is the ability to personalize each piece of artwork by choosing from a wide range of formats and custom framing options."

The Marvel Collection at AllPosters.com currently consists of two galleries, Marvel Vintage Covers and Spider-Man, with additional galleries for Marvel Heroes and Marvel Extreme to launch later this year:

-- Marvel Vintage Covers: Illustrates iconic comics throughout Marvel's history in a series of vintage comic covers and select comic pages, dating as far back as the 1940s -- Spider-Man: Highlights one of the most revered characters in comic book history through an extensive collection of Spider-Man images -- Marvel Heroes: Unites Marvel's most famous figures in unique prints that pair multiple heroes such as Wolverine, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Hulk -- Marvel Extreme: Presents adult comic fans a unique collection of artist renderings of Marvel Super Heroes

"We're pleased to partner with AllPosters.com to offer this amazing collection of wall art to both Marvel fans and art lovers alike, helping expand the consumer experience with Marvel brands through new mediums and new formats," said Paul Gitter, president of consumer products for North America, Marvel Entertainment. "We know that AllPosters.com will honor the artistic integrity of these high-quality Marvel Comics images to offer the best possible product in the marketplace."

"We've all had heroes growing up and this exceptional collection allows us to relive some of those happy memories and introduce that tradition to the next generation," continues Wait. "This collection is all about 'fun,' and whether you're 7 or 70, parent or kid, comics collector or enthusiast, or just young-at-heart, there's no better place to indulge your passion for Marvel imagery and wall art than AllPosters.com."

AllPosters.com's Marvel Comics collection includes an assortment of products ranging from wall posters, retailing for as little as $14.99, to higher-end specialty wall art, such as stretched canvas and oversized wall murals, up to $279.99. The new line is now available for purchase online at www.AllPosters.com/Marvel-Collection.

About AllPosters.com and Art.com Inc.

AllPosters.com is a division of Art.com Inc. Art.com Inc. is the world's leading online specialty provider of posters, prints, and framed art. Since 1998, Art.com Inc. has sold high-quality wall art online to more than 10 million customers -- including students, teachers, home decorators, interior designers, businesses, art collectors and art lovers -- in over 120 countries worldwide. The privately-held company is headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.art.com and www.AllPosters.com. "art.com" and "AllPosters" are registered trademarks of Art.com Inc.

SOURCE Art.com Inc.

Heroes Series

Thursday, September 30, 2010

“Avalon Heroes: Countdown for the ESL Major Series - Gamasutra” plus 2 more

“Avalon Heroes: Countdown for the ESL Major Series - Gamasutra” plus 2 more

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