LEGO Universe will have a free part in August.
The free version will only have access to 3 worlds. Also the game will no longer be in a box, but will be a free download for everyone. The membership for access to everything will still be $10 a month.
I think you mean mission 5. And those look computer generated. But they have announced that everything you see in the game will be able to be ordered, including your minifig, but this feature will not be available at launch.
When you sign up for beta, the only email they send you is one saying that you signed up and might be chosen, and a lot of people have problems and don't receive it. But it is not important.
When they choose the people who will beta test, then they will send them the keys to test.
No. It comes out in the second half of 2010.
The timer on the Help the Minifigs page ends April 1st 2010 at 8:00 pm EST, and people have thought that that means the game comes out, even though it has been confirmed for the second half...
There are/were other ways to alpha test. Such as I am a tester from visiting where pod 4 landed.
One person got in from sending a custom pod into Bradford Rant.
Someone by just posting about video game design on bzpower. Other people I think are getting in by just having some communication with Bradford Rant.
I'm not sure if you have seen these movies yet. http://atlantis.lego.com/en-us/Movies/Default.aspx
One interesting thing, is that at the end of part 6, they have different newspapers, and one is called the AFOL TIMES.