The Great Xbox 360 Contest Begins!

As you heard yesterday, we recently won an Xbox 360 Elite system to give away in the Wing Commander Arena community tournament event... and it's going to the readers who've supported us all these years! Now, we're absolutely adamant that this prize has to go to a Wing Commander fan, so we've tried to come up with a contest that lets you show your colors!

In short, you have ten days to make something relating to Wing Commander! Something? Anything - whatever you're good at! Draw a picture, render a ship, record some music, film a video, write a story... bake a cake! Just make sure your entry is in by NOON EST on August 10th, because we'll be sharing every entry with the community at our ninth annual Wing Commander Combat Information Center birthday party! The CIC staff will vote on the best entry and that person will receive the Xbox 360... and we'll throw in some CIC prizes for the runners up, too!

Make sure your entry expresses that you're a Wing Commander fan - that's the only real requirement. We also ask that you make something new. If you've already started a fan project which has been featured in our news or forums, it isn't eligible... not because you wouldn't deserve to win but because it's an unfair advantage. Everyone should start on an equal footing right now!

Also, note that this is an American Xbox, meaning that it's the type that runs on the power and TV systems found in the United States. We welcome entries from all around the world and will judge them equally... but if you're from another continent then be aware that you might not be able to use the system upon winning it. Games are also region locked, so this system can only play American releases. Even if you aren't interested in winning the system, we'd love to see your creative work on our big day!

Submit your entries to news@wcnews.com. If they're too large for our inboxes then contact us at the same address and we'll arrange an FTP login for you. The winners will be announced at our annual birthday party which takes place in #WingNut and will then be announced on the front page news. All material submitted will be posted for the public to see (no naked pictures, please)!

(Disclaimer: Electronic Arts hasn't actually sent us the Xbox yet - the prize can't actually be awarded until we receive the system to give away.)

Good Reviews

Host 1: It is a fun game...

Host 2: The very strange thing about the game is that it didn't seem like it would appeal to me at all... but when you play it more and you start to do some of the combat stuff... it's actually kind of fun.

Host 1: ...I was totally surprised by it too, because I'm not a driver or a plane flyer, I'm not a pilot by any means... but this is definitely a cool game. The multiplayer is going to be exciting...

Arena is the first XBLA game to support 16 player multiplayer matches, and once you jump into a packed capital ship battle you really see why they put the legwork in. Seeing 8-on-8 ship-to-ship battles as massive, half-mile long capital ships slowly blast each other to bits is an experience I never expected in an XBLA title. There are also straight deathmatch modes and even a one-on-one duel which is a great addition for two friends with the game.

It’s hard not to sound surprised when I talk about how well this game turned out. I honestly thought that EA was just trying to cash in on the Wing Commander franchise with a quick, trashy arcade game. I’m happy to report that that’s not the case, and XBLA fans should seriously consider plunking down $10 for Arena, as it’s not likely to disappoint.