Capcom’s Lost Planet 2 Launch Party

If any game publisher knows how to promote its product it’s Capcom. What better way to market a game than by commandeering a hotel and having Hollywood’s hottest young stars play a video game tournament for charity? That’s exactly what Capcom did on May 6 for the launch of the highly anticipated Lost Planet 2 video game. The event was held in the swank Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood and hot celebrities like Gilles Marini, Robert Buckley and Scott Porter came out to preview the game. The cherry on top, however, was Olivia Munn who hosted the tournament.

Lost Planet 2 pits the player against giant enemy alien bugs called the Akrid on the beautiful planet E.D.N. III. The game is played from a third-person perspective and features gigantic weaponry, colossal boss fights and some of the best-looking scenery you’ll find in a video game. A lot of care, however, has been placed in designing the competitive play. There are several modes to choose from, including Elimination, Team Elimination and Capture the Flag. There’s also a Fugutive mode that offers one team of poorly armed fugitives that must elude the well-equipped hunters of the other team. With so many choices for competitive play, Lost Planet 2 was made for tournaments.

Several stars attended the tournament, but not everyone competed and not everyone stayed for very long. In typical Chuck Bass style, Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick stopped by the Lost Planet 2 launch party to say “hi” to some friends before running off to paint the town red. Step Up 3-D’s Rick Malambri stepped out of his dancing shoes and put on his game face. The break dancer felt right at home in the crowd of gamers and came ready to play. Some celebrities that did compete didn’t last long in the tournament. American Idol alumnus Kimberly Locke traded in her microphone for a video game controller at the launch party, but was knocked out early.

Video games are generally the domain of boys and the Capcom Lost Planet 2 launch party exemplified that reality. Heartthrobs Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad and Robert Buckley of One Tree Hill put their friendship aside to battle it out in a video game tournament. With no hard feelings, the two ended the playful feud with a handshake as they grabbed their games and headed home to practice. Buckley is actually an avid gamer and never misses a video game launch so it was no surprise he was one of the first guests to show up to sample the new game!

As for Aaron Paul, it looks like his love life might be opening up to new company. He was seen getting very cozy with a hot brunette other than his under-the-radar girlfriend, 90210 star Jessica Lowndes. The pair was sitting together in VIP – Paul with his hand on her leg – and then they left together at the end of the night.

It was a family affair for avid video gamer Booboo Stewart of Twilight Eclipse. The newest wolfpack member joined his sister Fivel in all the action. It seemed like he was a little too focused on the game, however, since he missed out on the female attention being showered on him. When he wasn’t playing the game, Stewart hung out in the VIP area with reality star and recording artist Seth “Shifty” Binzer and new TV heartthrob Logan Huffman of V. They relaxed and jammed to beats spun by DJ Cobra. Binzer was pleasantly surprised when Cobra started playing his new single “City of Angles”. Binzer eyed the crowd for their reaction and looked pleased.

Of course it wasn’t a complete sausage-fest. Don’t forget that the gorgeous Olivia Munn hosted the night’s festivities. Munn was the perfect host of the Capcom Celebration of the Launch of Lost Planet 2 video game. In between announcing the different rounds of the tournament and starting an impromptu karaoke session with fans, Munn hopped off the stage to sign autographs and pose for pictures with partygoers. She also had a flock of male admirers, including Greek hottie Gregory Michael, Robert Buckley and Scott Porter, vying for the host’s attention. Although she was flattered and finally single, she carried on as the host of the event and made sure to cheer on the boys as they duked it out. Later, however, the Maxim cover girl was spotted with Brothers and Sisters star Gilles Marini dancing to tunes spun by DJ Cobra.

The other female head-turners of the evening were the Girls Next Door’s Shannon twins who debuted new boys at the Capcom Lost Planet 2 launch party. Karissa Shannon stepped out with boyfriend Sam Jones III and they were seen holding hands all night. Her sister also had a date in tow, but they were a bit more inconspicuous.

Gaming wasn’t the only thing to do that evening, of course. Guests were encouraged to try their hands at skeeball, t-shirt making and taking pictures in the photobooth. Lost Planet 2 is available now on the PC, Playstation 3 and XBOX 360. Grab your copy today and check out the game the stars love to play!