Round Up: Metal Slug 6, LotR Online Japan, Second Life Phones

Today's round-up includes news of Metal Slug 6 added to the upcoming Metal Slug Anthology collection for the Wii and PSP, Turbine and Sakura Internet bringing The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar to Japan, and Vivox giving away phone minutes to users of Second Life, as well as the latest Game Career Guide updates, Serious Games Source posts, GameSetWatch posts and Gamasutra job postings. - SNK Playmore USA has announced that it will add Metal Slug 6 to Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii and the PSP. The collection will now feature seven titles, including Metal Slug 1-6 and Metal Slug X. Metal Slug 6 was released in the arcades earlier this year and expands the cast of playable characters by two. In addition to the Metal Slug regulars – Marco Rossi, Tarma Roving, Eri Kasamoto, and Fio Germi, Metal Slug 6 includes Ralf Jones and Clark Steel from the classic SNK series Ikari Warriors. - Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach developer Turbine has announced a deal with Sakura Internet to distribute the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar in Japan. The companies have worked together previously in bringing Dungeons & Dragons Online to the Japanese market. Sakura will handle marketing, distribution, and operation of the game within Japan, with Turbine contributing to the title's localization. “The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular franchises in the world and we are pleased to work with Sakura to bring our game to the Japanese market,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine. “With nearly 200,000 players already signed up for our upcoming Beta Program, we believe that The Lord of the Rings Online will have massive appeal.” - Online voice communications firm Vivox announced that it will give away one million free phone minutes and distribute group chat “microphones” to residents of Second Life. The Vivox Million Minutes promotion will begin on October 4, 2006. Using Vivox’s technology, Second Life residents will be able to make voice calls to other residents and make phone calls from any of the Vivox Phone Booths placed in sponsored areas throughout Second Life to any PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) or mobile phone in North America. In addition, residents will be able to go to the Vivox kiosk and receive one of a limited number of Vivox microphones. The Vivox microphones, when placed on property in Second Life, will enable up to five people to have live group voice chat. - The latest updates on Gamasutra sister alt.gaming weblog GameSetWatch include a collection of snapshots taken from the floor of the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Jordan Mechner's The Last Express and Cyan's Spelunx signed for GameTap, and a look at a video game-related South Korean film, 'Resurrection of the Little Match Girl'. - The latest updates on Gamasutra's sister site Serious Games Source include news of 3Dsolve joining the America's Army team. - News on Gamasutra's game education sister site Game Career Guide includes a feature on building a portfolio to get into the video game industry. - Also updated today: the latest Gamasutra job postings, including openings from Destineer, HumaNature Studios, NaturalMotion, NcSoft, The Collective, The Zizo Group, Total Immersion Software, Vivendi Games, and the Waterford Research Institute.