I’m heading to Los Angeles tomorrow with Julian (Clumsy) and Aaron (Ruby) so we can bring you all the latest news and happenings from the E3 show floor. We’ve got lots of stuff planned, including blogs, tweets, and photos.

But before we get rolling, I wanted to share with everyone some of the people you’ll see in and around our booth. If you’re coming to E3, please swing by the booth for these special events!

Daisy Fuentes

The former model and MTV VJ will be in our booth to promote Daisy Fuentes Pilates. She’ll be in our booth on Tuesday, June 2nd from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM signing 8×10 photos. Stop by our booth to meet Daisy and get her photo and autograph!

Bayonetta

Gaming’s next big female icon comes to life as the beautiful but deadly Bayonetta graces the SEGA booth. Bayonetta’s elaborate costume has been meticulously re-created, right down to her trademark foot guns (don’t worry, they’re not loaded).

You can see Bayonetta in our booth on Tuesday from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM. On Wednesday, she’ll be there from 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM. Your last chance to catch her is Thursday from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

The industry’s two most popular rivals will be in costume at the SEGA booth in the area for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Tuesday – Thursday to promote this year’s mega holiday hit.

Alpha Protocol

Line up to get your photo taken with the ladies of Alpha Protocol! These three CIA agents will be sporting neon squirt guns and dark sunglasses Tuesday – Thursday to help promote the #1 RPG of 2009.

That’s all for now! We’ll have lots more coming up this week from the show.

E3 is just around the corner, and we are very fortunate to have a sneak peak at High Voltage Software’s booth across the E3 show. The booth, which is decked out from top to bottom with The Conduit, is fully realized in render form, as a preview of what will actually be shown on the floor.

Looking over the renders, you can tell someone who loves The Conduit had a lot of fun creating this booth. Amongst the demo kiosks scattered about the floor, you’ll also see smaller details, even some Drudge Code across the back! Plus, having seen these photos, I know where I’ll be taking my breaks – up top where there appears to be a bit of a bar, how convenient!

Hopefully this whets your appetite a bit for the E3 experience with The Conduit, look for shots from the booth on the actual floor of E3 next week. If you like what you see, let us know here, or at our Forums!

E3 is almost here and we are rolling in new trailers, info, and exciting updates from the pre-show. Thankfully, the rollout this year for updates has been feeding in a bit early, giving everyone a chance at some of the new details before stepping onto the show floor. I love E3 and am just really excited to see what the week will bring!

Bayonetta E3 Trailer

Kicking off (ha! a pun) the festivities for Bayonetta is an all new trailer showing off the over the top action from our upcoming game! If you haven’t yet seen Bayonetta in action, then this is an absolute must see. I predict we’ll be seeing a lot of Bayonetta from the show floor, it’s a fantastic and fun game that I can’t contain my own personal excitement for. Head on over to GameTrailers and check out this newest release!

Bayonetta Interviews with Yosuke Hashimoto and Hideki Kamiya

In addition to this great new trailer, we also are happy to pass around some great interviews with the game’s Producer, Yosuke Hashimoto and Director, Hideki Kamiya. You’ll also find some new video footage spliced in too, so do check them out across GameTrailers and IGN. Additionally, 1UP.com has an interview and is covering Bayonetta all week. Check out the interview, or browse the other updates!

As always, tell us what you think, either across the blogs or in our Bayonetta Forum!

Today we announced Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, a fast and furious battle to the finish line in this supercharged racer.  Developed for the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii™ system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Nintendo DS™., Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will speed into stores in early 2010.

In a frantic battle to the checkered flag, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in medieval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the visually rich and varied universes of Sonic and SEGA.  Fan favorites such as Dr. Eggman, Tails, AiAi, Amigo and many more will join Sonic in their custom built vehicles, revving their engines and jostling to stay ahead of the pack.  Each character will race around the track in cars, planes, motorbikes, and in AiAi’s case – a banana mobile!  Secret short cuts, swift handling and avoiding strategically placed obstacles are certainly the best way to get to the top of the podium.

And winning is only part of the fun in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing!  Each character has a specific All Star move such as Super Sonic, Banana Blitz and Tails Tornado, allowing a quick way for competitors to get back into the race!  Power ups and weapons can also be collected around the tracks and used against the opposition to ensure they don’t become a threat to that number one position. Players can battle it out in single or multiplayer mode, allowing up to four friends to race in frantic split-screen action, or up to eight players to compete online in the ultimate racing showdown.

Want to see more? Here’s our announcement trailer:

You can also see all 5 screenshots in our Flickr set for this game.

It’s time again for Free Stuff Friday on Twitter! As you can see, we have some great stuff to give away this week. Read on for details about each item, including eligibility requirements (for the games). If you need a refresher on how to enter via Twitter, details are at the bottom of the post.

On the Block This Week

Item 1: Empire: Total War

Brand new, in the plastic copy of Empire: Total War for PC. Only people in the US, Canada and Mexico are eligible to win this prize due to region locking of the game. Please note the technical requirements for the game, including Steam activation.

Congrats to @iluvrobot for winning this prize!

Item 2: PictoImage for Nintendo DS

Brand new copy of PictoImage for Nintendo DS. Only people in the US, Canada, Latin America and Mexico are eligible to win this prize.

Congrats to our winner, @robby1051!

Item 3: MADWORLD Wii Decals

Skin your Nintendo Wii up with these Madworld-themed decals. They look pretty sweet. All regions are eligible to win.

Item 4: Sonic Chronicles Strategy Guide and Sonic Pen

Check out this brand-new strategy guide for Sonic Chronicles. With it, you get a Sonic-topped pen, from the personal collection of RubyEclipse! Our forums members voted on which pen to give away, and Sonic won! All regions are eligible to win.

Congrats to @konkonkon!

Item 5: SEGA shirt

This is a black button-front shirt (buttons all the way down) with an embroidered SEGA logo on the upper left side. It is a size small. These shirts were worn by SEGA staff a few years ago at E3, and now you can have one! Don’t worry, it’s brand new (tag still on). All regions are eligible to win.

Congrats to @reinaurre!

Item 6: Golden Axe Beast Rider Art Book

This is a new art book for Golden Axe Beast Rider. All regions are eligible to win.

Congrats to @ksarart!

How it Works

1. You must be following us on Twitter to be eligible. (If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can create one by going to http://www.twitter.com and click the green “get started — join!” button in the center of the page.)
2. At random times on Friday, we will announce the prize we are giving away, and what number of response you need to be to win. Send us a direct message (DM) via Twitter and be that number to win the prize. (@ replies do not count as entries!)
3. All followers are eligible to win all prizes, unless a restriction is noted. Restrictions are usually due to the prize being region-locked. For example, US games that won’t work on UK gaming systems.  There may also be age restrictions due to the rating of the game.
4. We will announce the winner on our Twitter feed once eligibility is confirmed.

Make Sure We’re Following You on Twitter

If you are currently following us on Twitter, please be sure that we are following you as well. You can do this by making sure that SEGA is in your “followers” list, or by going to DoesFollow and typing SEGA in the first blank, your Twitter username in the second, and pressing the “check” button. You can reverse this to be sure that you are following us. If you are following us, but we’re not following  you, please send a message to @SEGA and we will follow you. This is important, because only people we follow can send us direct messages (DMs), and DMs are the only way to enter the giveaways.

How to Send Direct Messages on Twitter

There are a few ways to send us a Direct Message on Twitter. The easiest way is to go to our Twitter page and select “message” under the “Actions” heading in the side bar. If you do not see “message”, this means that we are not following you. Please send a message to @sega to let us know, and we will follow you. When you click “message” you will be taken to a window where you can type a message and press send.

You may also select the “direct messages” tab from your Twitter homepage, and select SEGA from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Again, if you don’t see our name there, it’s probably because we’re not following you. Let us know, and we’ll follow you.

There are also many Twitter clients that you can use instead of using the website. These include TweetDeck, Twitteriffic, Tweetie, and Twhirl. Each of these programs works differently, so you’ll want to figure out how to send a direct message on the program you use. If you want to send us a test message, we’ll let you know if we received it or not.

An All New Alpha Protocol Trailer

E3 is nearly upon us and we’re really excited about all the fun stuff going out for the show. For me, the week before is when the excitement sets in, when new bits of info starts to either leak out or get rolled into one big release. One such big release that you might have heard about is the upcoming GameTrailersTV and Spike TV show previewing E3 with a few of the games to be seen at the show. One game we’re all very excited about here is Alpha Protocol and are very happy to see a huge new E3 trailer launching on the show. I won’t spoil anything on the trailer, it looks amazing and is something every Alpha Protocol fan should check out. Don’t miss it, the GameTrailersTV event airs at 11pm this Thursday on Spike TV.

Spy Dossier Giveaway

In addition to our huge new trailer we’re also running a special giveaway to award six lucky fans with one of our exclusive Spy Dossier packs. These limited run packs were only distributed to a few press sites, until now… The Spy Dossiers feature special collectors items for a huge Alpha Protocol fan, including some nice glossy photos, a spy pen, and a Leatherman all purpose multitool branded with the Alpha Protocol logo.

Info on how to pick up one of these packs will be available in the upcoming GameTrailers newsletter and across the blogs later in the week. To get the submission details as they are available, head over to GameTrailers.com and sign up for an account to receive the newsletter, it’s that easy. If you already have an account, go to your user control panel, go to the Account section, and confirm you are receiving the newsletter at the bottom of the page.

To help you in your quest for world domination, the Empire: Total War team has put together a list of tips to give you the upper hand in battle!

Naval Battles

Maintain station! - Grouped ships will try to maintain relative positions and follow the lead ship around. So, if you group your ships in a line they will then move in a line around the map.

Fire! - The stern is the weakest part of the ship, so concentrating fire on this weak spot will deal the greatest damage to an enemy ship. But conversely, this is the weakest point on your own ship and must be protected at all times.

Chain Shot! - Using Chain shot to take out the sails of the first ship in an enemy line will slow down the whole line as they regroup.

Beware the Broadside! - Try to keep your fleet to the stern or the bow of enemy ships, all their fire power rests in their broadsides.

Boarding! - Don’t board a ship until you are absolutely sure that it is no longer a threat. Also, make sure that you have taken care of any other threats from the enemy before beginning the boarding process.

Concentrate Fire! - By holding down the Alt key and clicking on an enemy ship you can order any ships you currently have selected to concentrate all their fire on that one ship.

Divide and Conquer! - When commanding a large naval force it is advisable to split it into three separate groups; one to approach the enemy fleet’s port side, one to approach from starboard and a third to cover any gaps which may appear.

Stay upwind! - Always try to keep your ships upwind of the enemy. It will give you the upper-hand and allow you to maneuver into position much quicker than your enemy.

A Whiff of Grapeshot! - After dealing some damage to an enemy ship’s hull with regular shot, draw in close and use grapeshot for maximum damage. The holes created in the hull expose the crew to incoming fire.

Lay alongside! - When firing grape shot, line your ship no more than a ship’s width away from the enemy hull. This will allow the shot to spread effectively and dispatch the maximum amount of enemy troops.

Come about! - When using line astern make a conscious effort to turn ships around periodically, in an attempt to distribute hull damage equally. If one side is allowed to take the bulk of the damage, the ship will go down.

Land Battles

As one! - When you group units they remember the relative position of each other so, when you give them a move order, they will reform in the same positions at your chosen destination This, in combination with the new rotate/move buttons on the HUD, allows you to quickly and easily move groups and even to break off parts of a formation into a new group.

At Ease! – Hitting the enter key deselects all the troops you currently have selected.

Flanking Fire! - Forming a horseshoe around enemy units will give your men maximum coverage and increase enemy casualties. Positioning Light infantry in trees to the left and right of your main force will give them the opportunity to get a couple of rounds off before the enemy even knows they’re there.

Form Line! - Drawing your men out into long thin lines will increase the area of battlefield covered by their field of fire. So, no matter where the enemy comes from you will have men covering it (unless they outflank you!)

Deploy defenses! – When defending an area which has limited routes in and out, it is often best to deploy chevaux de frise, followed by a line of earth works. This will protect your army from cavalry and infantry and create an easily defendable position.

Hold it! Hold it! FIRE! - Canister shot is an excellent shot type to use in close range combat. Taking your cannons off fire at will when this shot type is selected will allow you to hold your men until the last minute and release the canister shot just as the enemy reaches you for maximum effect.

To the last man! - When presented with the choice to end the battle or continue, it is often better to continue and wipe out the entire army to prevent them reappearing on the campaign map. Cavalry are particularly effective in this mopping up role.

Skirmishers! - When confronted by a complex enemy formation use Light Infantry to lure enemy units out. Once this is achieved, your light infantry can skirmish away from the attackers, leaving supporting units to deal with them piecemeal.

To me men! - If your men are losing their resolve and routing from the field, send your General and his Bodyguard unit to boast their moral and bring them back to the cause.

Dig in! - Earthworks are particularly effective against an enemy which is heavy on Line Infantry. Your men will be safer from the barrage of bullets.

Dragoons! Flanking Manoeuvre! - Dragoons provide an excellent opportunity to outflank an enemy. Ride your dragoons around the back of the enemy and once there, dismount and begin firing into his rear.

Take Cover! - Deploying your men behind walls will provide essential cover from enemy bullets.

Form Square! - Square formation is particularly effective against Dragoons and other cavalry units.

Cannon fodder - If you’re willing to lose men for the greater good, send your militia or a similar unit down the centre of a battlefield to draw enemy fire. Then bring your better troops around the sides to deal a devastating blow to the enemy front ranks whilst they’re engaged.

The General has fallen! - Killing an enemy general will decrease the moral of any remaining troops, making them more likely to rout.

Up close and personal - Press the Insert key with a unit selected to get a first-person view of the battlefield!

Campaign Map

Raiding trade routes - Raiding an enemies’ trade route will cripple their economy. If a trade route is shared by an enemy and an ally you will only raid enemy ships and never those of your allies or countries you are not at war with.

Foreign policy - If your Rake succeeds in an act of sabotage, the faction you attack will automatically blame their greatest enemy and the relationship between those two nations will suffer as a result.

Clamor for reform - Enlightenment technologies naturally lead to a more enlightened populace. However, an enlightened people often chafe against the bonds of their lot in life, leading to unrest. In order to restore order in regions affected by such dissatisfaction it may be necessary to increase your military presence, or even destroy educational buildings.

A nation of Trenchermen - Not using a character to his full potential will result in them gaining a negative trait. If you have a 9 star general but leave him to fester in some back water province he will gather negative traits and slowly slide into obscurity. Making sure your best generals and agents are in constant use will see them improve and result in a much more effective character.

Money makes the world go round - So, when offering any diplomatic proposals, sweeten the deal with a little cash incentive.

History repeats itself - Saving your campaign before beginning a battle will allow you to replay the battle, should you be displeased by the outcome. It also gives you the opportunity to try out a variety of tactics on the same battlefield to discover what works best for you.

Quick reference – For those wondering what happened to double right-click zoom-to camera functionality, this has now moved to double mouse-wheel-click.

White gold - Trade is an essential aspect of a successful campaign. By sending trade ships to the various trade theaters around the world you will significantly increase your country’s economy. The best strategy to adopt in relation to trade theaters, is monopolization. It is much better to have a single ship in each of the Trade Posts in a theater, rather than having three ships on a single post.

Thanks to Mark O’Connell and the Empire: Total War team for this information!

If you are a fan of The Conduit, you have a lot of options for fun stuff depending on where you pre-order. As mentioned a few weeks back, you can grab the Collector’s Edition at Gamestop.com and get some in game goodies or you can head over to Amazon.com and pick up an exclusive Digital Comic.  The comic, which can be redeemed after purchase and launch of the game, features insight into the events surrounding the back story of the Conduit.  Below is a brief description of the Comic, and the cover…

With aliens attacking DC it seems like the conspiracy theorists would be happy, finally being given proof of extraterrestrial life. But what if that’s just another lie? That is exactly what Gordon Welles believes, and a mysterious video file he received seems to contain evidence that proves his theory.

Follow the tale of this DC talk radio host as he digs deeper into the secrets and mythology of The Conduit in this officially sanctioned comic book. Just remember; you’re not paranoid if they really are out to get you…

As always, we appreciate your feedback, let us know what you think across the blogs or over at our new forums!

The Future Tapping Game draws even closer to release – and today we’ve got a brand new trailer to show off the “Silent Blocks” mode!

Silent Blocks isn’t quite as fast paced as Tap Runner, but the real winners will be those who can think quickly with their minds – plotting out the best piece to move is somewhat similar to planning a few steps ahead in Chess, only a bit more simplified.

Side Note: That could very possibly be me on the left, playing like an uncoordinated, colorblind penguin. I’ve since tried to phase out the memories of being absolutely trashed in this mode after my victory in Rhythm Tap.

Let’s Tap! will be arriving here in the US next month!

Having the original Sonic the Hedgehog on iPhone is sweet nostalgia in your pocket. From the moment I played the game on my phone, I haven’t been able to put it down – I’ve been hooked. I’m pretty much transported back to my parent’s TV, trading turns with my sister, playing over and over to get each extra life. I have such good memories of playing the original Sonic and I’m positive I’m not alone this feeling; it’s just great to play and enjoy this classic on the go all over again.

Sonic the Hedgehog on iPhone has also reminded me of how out of practice I am with the original release. I used to be quite good, had most of the levels memorized, and could grab every emerald with ease. I’m almost there, but playing and replaying has me getting closer to my target skill level. Having spent some time with the game, it’s really fun to revisit all the old favorite stages, remember the hidden areas, and get back into the rhythm of moving through the levels. Everything is as it should be, the graphics are great and the controls are top notch, all very smooth. I am a little sad the level select code wasn’t added, but aside from this one omission, the game is pretty much exactly as I remembered it.

Sonic the Hedgehog is available on the iPhone for $4.99 and can be bought, played, and enjoyed immediately! If you like what you see, tell us about it here or across our new forums!