Round-Up: New School Event, Lego Star Wars 2, Gilman Debuts

Today's round-up includes news on a New York-based gaming panel event, advance information on the next in the Lego Star Wars game series, and a fishy new addition to Midway's Rampage update, as well as today's GameSetWatch posts, product news, and the latest Gamasutra job postings. - New York-based university The New School will be holding an event called "Gaming: Console, Online, and Handheld, Hollywood Killer or Savior?" on February 28th, beginning at 7:00 PM. Admission will be free with an email RSVP to the event, which will center around a panel discussion featuring SkyZone Mobile vice president Neil Haldar, Majesco Entertainment VP of development Daniel Kitchen, GameTrust founder and CEO Adeo Ressi, Major League Gaming CEO Mike Sepso, and Large Animal founder Wade Tinney. The panel will be moderated by National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chairman Shelly Palmer. - Building on the immense success of the first Lego Star Wars game, a game which portrayed the events of Episodes I-III in miniature Lego form, it appears that Traveller's Tales and Giant Interactive will release a second in the series that covers the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, according to online reports. The sequel will allow players to create their own vehicles and starships using in-game Lego bricks, as well as custom characters within the Star Wars world. - Midway announced the first batch of 5 playable monsters (out of a 'collectible' selection of 30) in its upcoming Rampage: Total Destruction, a 3D update of its classic city-destroying action game, due for release on April 24 on multiple consoles. Series stalwarts George, Lizzie, and Ralph are accounted for, as well as a couple of new characters. In particular, Gilman the Blowfish is highlighted as being "set to 'fin'ish destroying all the buildings in your city, and he won't even feel any 'gil't about it!" That is all. - Today's updates on Gamasutra sister weblog GameSetWatch include vital news on the return of the Sega Pico, new information on DARPA, gaming, and 'social puppets', and a massive Friday freeware game bonanza, among others. - Also updated today: product news, including info on Pixelbox's offering of Collada training, and the latest Gamasutra job postings from companies including Blue Shift, Capcom Studio 8, Collision Studios, Factor 5, Insomniac Games, Mad Doc Software, muvee Technologies, Red Storm Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America and Vicarious Visions.