Hey guys, really bad thunderstorm going on right now. If you're reading this, I've lost power. Don't worry, I'll come back and wrap this up eventually! UPDATE: Three hours later, I'm back! I basically caught everything before the outage, so here's a few more pieces of media. Thanks for not causing a massive riot that cost the lives of thousands of Shackers everywhere. That interview with the ESPN NFL 2K5 reps is good stuff; they confirm that the price drop is purely to gain an edge on the competition; they didn't cut back on R&D or development time or anywhere. I'm not sure if this tactic has been used before (or if it has, to this extreme), but I can't wait to see how it plays out. It's also worth noting that ESPN NFL 2K5 moved up its release date by two weeks, now setting itself up to come out a whole week before Madden.

	Free Riddick Soundtrack VU Games, publisher of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, released the soundtrack to the critically-acclaimed title in MP3 format for free. There are 16 tracks by the game's composer, Gustaf Grefberg, four of which are remixes exclusively for this release. Total running time is a little over 46 minutes and can be downloaded at this location on FileShack.
	Online Play Dropped from Def Jam 2 IGN received word from EA representatives today that the online mode for Def Jam: Fight For NY for both the Xbox and PS2 is being dropped, which includes downloadable content and online scoring. No official reason was given for the sudden change of heart.
	Burnout Peels Out on PSP A designer at Criterion Games confirmed to GameSpot today that a portable version of their racing series will arrive on Sony's PSP. The source simply stated, "Yes, we are going to do it." The game is still in design stages, so don't expect it to be a launch title as the U.K. company is busy at work on Burnout 3 for the console systems.
	Bungie Weekly Update It's Friday and you know what that means! Another splendid round of Halo 2 tidbit goodness! I know how you guys love to savor these, so I won't spoil anything here. Okay, maybe one hint. *Darth Master Chief!* Uh oh, I've said too much!
	Misc. Q&As/Interviews GameSpot talks with representatives from both Take 2 and Visual Concepts and they discuss the price drop of ESPN NFL 2K5. IGN speaks with product manager Devin Knudsen about WWE Smackdown! vs RAW.
	Misc. Media/Previews
	GameSpot tips its wings to bring us shots of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Gran Turismo 4. IGN has updated impressions of Jak 3 with exclusive images and movies. They also have new screens for Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, showing Snake using beehives to his advantage. GamerFeed takes a look at the brutal Shadow of Rome. The chaps at Game Informer has what they're calling a 'movie extravaganza' of Xenosaga Episode II (1up previews it here). They also have the E3 trailer of Final Fantasy XII.
	IGN has a huge blowout on Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow that includes impressions, screens, and movies of the online mode. GameSpot has a few images of Samurai Warriors.
	Another week, another Prime Time Friday at IGN; Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, that is! I know you guys can't get enough of these Tales of Symphonia vids; here are more from GameSpy!
	GameSpot takes a look at the portable version of The Urbz: Sims in the City. GamerFeed previews the SNES port of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest. Game Informer slips in with images of Metal Slug Advance.
	IGN has a few screenshots for The Incredibles and NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, both for PS2, Xbox, and GCN. They take a look at the high-school based survival horror game Mortifilia (PS2, Xbox), pimp videos of Mercenaries (PS2, Xbox), and previews Headhunter: Redemption. GameSpot has exclusive multiplayer footage of the Moonraker level in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (PS2, Xbox, GCN), among other kinds of footage. There's also the first trailer for Colin McRae Rally 2005. GameSpy throws a long one with their preview of Madden NFL 2005 (PS2, Xbox, GCN). TeamXbox pulls the Trigger Man (PS2, Xbox) for a preview. They also unsheathe a preview of King Arthur (PS2, Xbox, GCN).