The long-awaited Star Wars: The Old Republic is a huge MMO based in the Star Wars universe that has been in the making for years now at BioWare, creators of the Mass Effect and Dragon Age action RPG video game series. Plenty of impressive trailers and gameplay videos have been released over time, but because the game is so mammoth and because fans have been dying to finally play it for so long, BioWare has to make sure to keep releasing new goodies to appease the masses.

To sweeten the pot at E3 2011, the Old Republic crew brought not only some juicy details and brand new footage, but the entire opening cinematic to the game, which I have to say is really freakin’ good. Oh, and it has a SPACE COWBOY! Not sure if that’ll upset or elate fans, but this humble observer loves it (#teamfirefly). On top of that, BioWare still remains determined to have the game out at some point in 2011, though there’s still a good chance we’ll have to wait for 2012.

You can see the awesome Star Wars: The Old Republic opening cinematic, as well as an extended interview with lots of details and new gameplay footage by clicking on over to the other side now.

Ubisoft demonstrated gameplay at E3 this week for The Adventures of Tintin: The Game, the tie-in for the upcoming animated film produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Steven Spielberg.

The presentation began with the film trailer. This was followed by a recorded introduction by Spielberg and Jackson, proudly describing the game as “very cinematic” and faithful to the film. Following that, the lead Ubisoft developer asked us to don our 3D glasses, and fired up the demo.

Most of the gameplay shown took place aboard the SS Karaboudjan, a cargo ship Tintin has stowed away aboard, as he dodges volleys from smugglers who are trying to get him off the ship, Later, Tintin must escape the sinking cargo ship, as rising ocean waters threaten to drown him. These levels play as side-scrolling platformer, but the 3D effect make the set pieces feel so deep and impressive, it nearly counters the linear gameplay.

At this year’s WonderCon back in April, IDW Publishing announced the upcoming release of a new artist’s edition hardcover of Walt Simonson‘s classic 7-issue run on Marvel’s The Mighty Thor. Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor: Artist’s Edition will be released this July and is available now for pre-order.

Today, IDW has announced that they will be offering a limited edition of only 300 copies with a variant cover that will be available only at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con in July. You can pre-order Walter Simonson’s Thor Artist’s Edition Variant Cover Edition online now direct from IDW and then pick it up at the convention, or purchase it at the IDW booth during the Con (if you pre-order online, you can ONLY pick it up at the convention; there’s NO options for shipping).

Check out the cover art here below.

Also, Walter Simonson will be appearing at the IDW booth during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, signing copies of The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition.

DC Comics made another set announcements on Thursday regarding what they are calling their “edge” titles. Now, I’m not exactly sure why they chose the name to describe these titles, but we’re just going to roll with that, for now. In this set of titles we see a rebirth to a few Wildstorm characters, as well as the return of a few fan favorites. Today’s titles showcased murderers, war, and a hopeful teenager. Yeah, it’s been a weird day to accompany a weird week. But, in continuing my ongoing series of coverage of the DC Relaunch, I will be listing each one of the nine books announced alongside my running commentary. So, let’s get to it!

The digital deal of the day over at Amazon today is the Oscar-winning film Black Swan, which is available for rental for only $.99. The film, is directed by Darren Aronofsky, and stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.

This deal is valid all this weekend through Sunday, June 12, 2011, until midnight PST. Once you activate the rental through the Amazon Instant Video service, you’ll have access to the movie for 24 hours. If you’re interested in purchasing the digital version, the cost is $14.99.

Also, if you’d like to own a physical copy of Black Swan, the Blu-ray is available for $21.99 while the DVD is $12.99. Both editions are part of Amazon’s “Buy This DVD and Watch it Instantly” program “” purchase the physical copy and you get the film as a FREE digital rental you can watch immediately while you watch for the DVD or Blu-ray purchase to be delivered.