LEGO Universe officially launches on Oct. 26, but players who pre-ordered the game (also known as Founders) are going to get a pretty big head start. Founders were originally supposed to gain access to the game on Oct. 12, but the LEGO team has decided to open the doors four days early on Friday, Oct. 8 at 10:08 a.m. EDT!

This change will give Founders the opportunity to play throughout the weekend. Will you be playing LEGO Universe as a Founder? If not, do you plan to try out the game once it launches on Oct. 26? For more details on the game, check out our recent look at the ninja-filled Forbidden Valley zone, and keep an eye on ZAM.com for our upcoming preview!

The LEGO Universe pre-order is nearing its end, which means that players who want to get early access to the Founder's Launch on Oct. 12 better act fast! The kid-friendy MMO launches on Oct. 26 in North America and Oct. 22 in Europe, but players who pre-order get a two-week head start!

The pre-order deadline in North America is Sept. 30, while European players only have until Sept. 27 to become a Founder. In addition to the early access, players who pre-order will get a limited edition Minifigure, an exclusive in-game outfit, and a launch bonus pack.

For more information on LEGO Universe, check out our recent look at the ninja-filled Forbidden Valley! We also invite you to broxe through our LEGO Universe news articles. Will we see you in-game?

When I was a kid, one of my most prized possessions was a huge LEGO castle set that took me ages to build. According to my embellished memory, the building was at least 25 feet tall and contained roughly 10,000 Minifigures that fought for glory in epic battles held around the castle's walls. Ah, the wonders of imagination.

Aside from glancing at the newest sets on department store shelves, I haven't sat down and built with LEGOs in years. That's probably why I was intrigued to dive into the closed beta for LEGO Universe, the upcoming kid-friendly MMO that puts you in the shoes (or those weird square pants) of your very own Minifigure. I wanted to know if the game could match my memories of that castle from my childhood. So far, it seems to be doing a pretty good job.

The four factions of the Lego Universe were founded by the four members of the Nexus Force and collect the strongest and most imaginative LEGO minifigures in the universe. Aligning yourself with one of these factions grants you access to unique abilities. Whether you like building, fighting, exploring or turning your enemies against each other, you'll find a faction that fits your play stye.

Check out the video below from LEGO Universe's website to see the factions explained.

Do yourself a favor and don't be like us. We thought LEGO Universe might be a bit light on real, deep content. Consider us pleasantly surprised by the amazing depth of customization and creation on display in this video. With building tools like this, LEGO Universe deserves some attention, both from MMO fans and games that are trying to do the same thing, like APB or Little Big Planet.

It also helps that the ethereal soundtrack makes you feel a bit like the Big Man Upstairs while you do your creating. Check out the "Build" video below and go here for more LEGO Universe videos.

We saw more than 20 MMOs at the recent E3 2010 convention in Los Angeles. We participated in the spectacle by attending parties, touring booths and watching the booths babes ... and the games, of course. So that is why each year, we honor the best of the best from each show. Over the next few days, we'll unveil our winners. Here is the schedule:

Today:

• Best Real Life Game
• Best Fantasy Game
• Best Sci-Fi Game
• Best in Show

Day 1:

• Best Party
• Best Booth
• Best Family Game

Day 2:

• Best Trailer
• Biggest Surprise
• Best Demo

So stay with us all three days as we unveil the winners. In case you missed our coverage, you can check out the E3 index page.

Now's your chance to start the fight to save imagination! You've got to love the whimsical, adventurous attitude Lego Universe has woven throughout their game and website, and now's your chance to show them a little love. Lego Universe is now available for pre-order and if you pre-order through the Lego website or in Lego retail stores, you'll get a few added prizes as well.

Pre-order Prizes:

1. A limited edition plastic minifigure.

2. The ability to play that exact minifigure in the Lego Universe game.

3. 30 day free trial

So get on your Lego-constructed horse and pre-order!

Lego has revealed four factions that players can join during their adventuring that will help personalize their experience. They almost seem like classes: The Assembly are builders, The Sentinels are fighters, the Venture League are explorers, and Paradox are ninjas. The factions don't seem to be against each other like in other MMOs, and they seem to be unified against the common threat of the evil Maelstrom. Kudos to Lego Universe for adding some more flavor to the Lego Universe experience.

From universe.lego.com:

"One tiny shard of Pure Imagination remains in LEGO Universe-- and the mighty Nexus Force has vowed to defend it at all costs!

Led by powerful minifigures, these four Nexus Force factions bring special strengths to the battle to save imagination:

Assembly - Guided by construction specialist Doc Overbuild, the Assembly battles back the Maelstrom with creative building skills!

The Sentinels - Legendary warrior Duke Exeter commands the Sentinels to fight the dark menace with awesome force!

Venture League - Space pirate Hael Storm's Venture League explorers seek answers and solve mysteries in every corner of the Universe!

Paradox - Ninja warrior Vanda Darkflame instructs her Paradox disciples in the secret art of turning chaos energy against the Maelstrom!

As you adventure into LEGO Universe, you can join a faction to express your unique creative style! Customize your minifigure with the coolest LEGO gear as you rise in your faction's ranks!

Who do you want to be in LEGO Universe?"

Way before Legos were about taking all of pop culture's best heroes and converting them into cute, easy to play games, Legos were about something else: building stuff! So it's exciting to see that the feature announced today for Lego Universe is all about building and racing Lego race cars.

The whole thing sounds like a ton of fun. First you build your minifig character a race car from over 100 options and then you blaze around some really exciting and creative tracks. One track you'll race around is in the middle of a pirate battle and the other weaves its way through spaceships being built to access new Lego worlds. Throughout the races you'll be able to soar off of huge jumps and smash through stuff built with Legos. Do well enough and you'll win new helmets or accessories for your race car.

Racing is coming to the Lego Universe closed beta, so to get in on the this action, go and sign up here.

Lego building blocks are one of the most popular and ubiquitous toys of the 20th Century. Since their invention by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen in the late 1940s, the Lego brand of toys have gone on to enjoy worldwide success at an astonishing pace; by the 1960s, the first Legoland park opened in Denmark. By the 1970s, the simple, interlocking plastic bricks were a staple of almost every child's toy chest. But kids weren't the only ones who enjoyed tinkering with Legos; many adults pursued the construction of giant and highly-complex Lego sculptures, earning recognition and respect as a form of art.

But it wasn't until the Lego minifigure (or "minifig") was introduced in 1978 that the Lego series achieved widespread success in popular culture. Minifigures opened up a completely new world of IP licensing for the Lego Group to explore; famous examples include the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and comic book franchises. Dozens of Lego-inspired video games have also been published since the late-90s, and later this year, the Lego Universe MMO will enter the fray. In this installment of "What We Know So Far," ZAM highlights the recent news and announcements surrounding the upcoming MMO.