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Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 19, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
A movie with a nebulous future date has gotten pushed back to another nebulous future date! Yes, the sequel to Man of Steel, which will feature Batman facing off against Superman has been moved to May 6th, 2016, which is nearly a year’s delay. Rather than heading off against the rest of Disney’s onslaught in 2015, it’ll instead battle X-Men: Apocalypse and Amazing Spider-Man 3 which come out the same month. Rumor’s have been circulating that Ben Affleck hurt his leg, but studio execs say that’s not the case. So, that means script problems then, eh? Maybe. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Man of Steel
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 19, 2014 in Star Wars 
Here’s some small rumors about the upcoming Boba Fett spin-off film. Granted, the movie isn’t even officially confirmed yet, but we’ve been consistently hearing rumors about it for a while now, and it fits in with Disney’s plan to have other Star Wars films fill the gaps between mainline entries. Lawrence Kasdan is reportedly scripting it, and supposedly dislikes the prequels interpretation of Boba Fett, so his story will tell of a total stranger who kills Boba and begins wearing his armor. This fits right in with Fett’s original concept of “a Man With No Name but in space” so I’m actually perfectly fine with this, especially if the switcheroo happens before the original trilogy takes place. LR also says that Joe Johnston is the top pick to direct the film, but in my opinion, the crew behind Dredd should make it! Never take that helmet off! Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 18, 2014 in Videogames 
This was some nice news to see this morning: Octodad: Dadliest Catch will be releasing on Steam, GOG, and Humble on January 30th! The popular indie game features an octopus who’s doing his best to fit in. He might be an octopus, but he’s still got a family, a job, and he’s got to make sure no one realizes that he’s an ocean creature! The trailer shows off a lot of goofy fun – most of the entertainment comes from trying to do basic tasks and your tentacles getting in the way, flopping around – but the second half threw me for a loop. Is Octodad going to make me cry, too? Check out the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Indie Games, Octodad
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 18, 2014 in Videogames 
Just a few days ago now, Nidhogg, the intrepid indie title that has been in development for several years now, jumped onto Steam. It’s a simple-looking game on its surface: two dudes face off against each other with swords. But despite only having one button to jump and another to jab with your blade, it becomes very complex, very quick. While you can play single-player or online, the real joy is playing against someone in the same room. Ducking, dodging, and stabbing each other is some of the most fun I’ve had in ages. It’s $11.99 on Steam until January 20th. Read more…
Tags: Indie Games
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 17, 2014 in Cinema 
I don’t even know what to say here, guys. ET Canada went to visit the set of the upcoming Gozilla film, and they took some time to quick interview Bryan Cranston about his role in the film. He seems to be a huge fan of the character, saying ever since he was a kid he loved Godzilla. Then he proceeds to break out his best Godzilla roar and encourages the reporter to join in with him. Now that’s how you make an interview interesting, eh? They also talk to Sally Hawkins for a bit, then grab a little footage of the sets and destruction they’ve made for the movie. Nothing else super new, but seeing Cranston yell made my day. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 17, 2014 in Animation, Anime 
Many folks wondered if Hayao Miyazaki’s film film, The Wind Rises, would get nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. Well, the noms came out and surprise, surprise, it’s on the list. It’s in the company of The Croods, Frozen, Ernest and Celestine, and Despicable Me 2. This is also the first time in a long, long while that Pixar has not had a film nominated for the category. I’m honestly a bit surprised that Monsters University didn’t beat out, say, The Croods. Also interesting, is that Shuhei Morita’s Possessions short animated film got nominated as well (it was part of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Short Peace collection). Read more…
Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, The Oscars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 16, 2014 in Television 
These days, everyone’s on board with Batman being a dark, gloomy character. The movies have shaken off Schumacher’s stench and gone gritty and realistic. But there was a time when Batman was downright camp: the 60s live-action Batman TV series. DC sometimes revisits this time with things like the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon, but there’s really nothing quite like the original. Through Conan O’Brien (whose show Conan shoots right on the WB lot near my apartment), WB has confirmed that they are releasing Batman — presumably all 120 episodes — in a complete box set later in 2014. Conan tweeted the news with a picture of him and the Batmobile, which was retweeted by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. There are no further details yet, and I’m not sure if the 1966 Batman movie with nearly the same cast from the TV show will be included. Regardless, it’s good that this is finally getting a release so we can see Adam West, Burt Ward, Cesar Romero, and all the other wacky actors. Would a Blu-ray version be asking too much? Read more…
Tags: Batman, Conan, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 16, 2014 in Videogames 
Dark Souls II is out on March 11, 2014, so it’s time for those trailers to start rolling in and hyping up all the ways you can die. As expected, you play a cursed character of some sort, and you’ll be dying over and over again against brutal defenses in order to progress through the game. Look at some of those bosses! Though it’s not the most impressive enemy, the guy in shackles creeps me out; maybe I’m thinking of the deformed (and unkillable) Lisa Trevor in the Resident Evil remake on Gamecube? Regardless, everything here looks deadly. It should be fun! Read more…
Tags: Dark Souls, Namco Bandai, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2014 in Videogames 
Yasumi Matsuno has made some of the best strategy RPGs, like Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics. He’s since left Square Enix and gone freelance for almost a decade, but he’s ready to reveal his latest game. Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians is another medieval strategy game inspired by some of his earlier work. You’ll play as several heroes as they take part in the “Seventy-Seven Years War” in the land of Rasfalia, with each hero getting their own episode. The title is being made by American developer Playdek and is planned for PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows tablets. The game is being posted on Kickstarter, so it will have to meet its minimum funding goal. Two of the stretch goals, however, will add PS Vita and 3DS versions to the development schedule, so you have the option to play it on more systems. Other stretch goals include additional scenarios, voice-overs, and a soundtrack composed by Hitoshi Sakamoto, who has scored some of Matsuno’s past games. I’m interested because of Matsuno, but I have to point out that the game has one of the most generic fantasy titles ever. Read more…
Tags: Fantasy, RPG
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2014 in Tech 
Well damn. Net neutrality has been considered one of the most important policies for the Internet to have. The concept is that the Internet should be a free and open space to encourage competition and allow smaller sites to grow big; therefore, internet service providers (ISPs) must give equal treatment to all websites and traffic, regardless of how big or small they are. ISPs have wanted to offer faster connections that bigger sites must pay for, or section off certain types of websites for an additional fee. Net neutrality argues that a start-up like Amazon may not have been able to fully grow if it had to compete with other websites that could afford to load faster. Unfortunately, that just got thrown out the window. Read more…
Tags: The Internet
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 14, 2014 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections 
Magic: The Gathering is still one of the most popular trading card games out there, despite being 20 years old. And since Hollywood has shown it is willing to develop even simple board games like Battleship into a reasonable facsimile of a movie, I can’t be entirely surprised that there’s a Magic movie on the way. Yes, Hasbro has made a deal with 20th Century Fox to adapt a card game into a movie. They’re aiming for something as epic as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, which sounds silly, but there’s a ton of lore (often expanded upon in books and comics) for writers to draw from, so it’s possible. Simon Kinberg, who helped produce the X-Men and Fantastic Four universes for Fox, will produce Magic as a franchise, with multiple movies being the ultimate goal. All well and good, but do we really need a Magic movie? Does everything need to be tied to a preexisting product or franchise these days? Read more…
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Magic the Gathering
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 14, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Paul Rudd will play Ant-Man in Edgar Wright’s Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 3 film, fittingly called Ant-Man. But he’s not playing Hank Pym, the classic character. No, Marvel has clarified that Rudd is playing Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man who steals equipment from Pym. Of course, it makes sense for Pym to be in the movie, so Michael Douglas has been cast in that role. Now that we finally know which Ant-Men are involved, I can make some guesses as to some plot points. I’d imagine that in this universe, Hank Pym might just be a scientist instead of also being Ant-Man. Scott Lang steals his equipment for some reason, uses it to become Ant-Man, and eventually gets mentored by Pym. I’m still curious as to what the conflict will be. Could it be related to Ultron in The Avengers 2, since Pym created him? Read more…
Tags: ant-man, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2014 in Star Wars 
We haven’t heard much from JJ Abrams recently, and that’s probably because he’s got his nose to the grindstone cranking out a new Star Wars script with Lawrence Kasdan. We’re just now getting the first rumors coming out of the big script changes after kicking Michael Arndt out. Apparently Abrams really wanted the focus of Episode VII to be on Luke, Han, and Leia for one last time before passing the torch to a new generation, which is what prompted these changes. Another big change is that Abrams is reportedly looking for a 20-something mixed-race or black woman to play the daughter of Obi-Wan. Of all the rumors, I actually really like this idea, especially if she’s one of or the main character in the next films. Also up? Michael Fassbender, Hugo Weaving, and Adam Driver. Weaving is reportedly being looked at for an Imperial Officer role, which is so perfect I can’t even handle it. Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, J.J. Abrams
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2014 in Cinema 
Deadline is reporting that Quentin Tarantino is back and has finished the first draft on his next film, reportedly titled The Hateful Eight. Last time Tarantino was on Jay Leno’s show, he mentioned that this film would be a Western. He just couldn’t stay away after Django Unchained! Tarantino is also apparently shopping his script around to several actors he wants to be in the film. Unsurprisingly, Christoph Waltz is at the top of the list. Another name Deadline is hearing is Bruce Dern (who had a small part in Django), who’s been getting a lot of buzz for his performance in Nebraska. I’m really interested to see Tarantino do another Western, so I hope we get more details soon. Read more…
Tags: Quentin Tarantino
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2014 in Videogames 
After all this time, we’re finally getting Broken Age… part 1. Yes, as previously announced, the game will be divided into two parts, one releasing soon — to finance the production of part two. It’s a risky bid for Double Fine as they try to make their Kickstarter baby work, but they’ve done a great job so far. Part one will arrive on January 14th for backers, and on the same day the public release date will also be announced. The funds from the sale of part one will top off part two, and completing the game. So far a star-studded cast has been revealed, feature names like Elijah Wood, Jack Black, Pendleton Ward, Wil Wheaton, and Jennifer Hale. Read more…
Tags: Broken Age, double fine, tim schafer
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2014 in Videogames 
It’s been a while since a skateboarding-themed game has come out, hasn’t it? Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Skate both had their success (the former more than the latter) but then quickly died out. Since then, no one else has really tackled that genre, but I suppose skateboarding isn’t really “in” right now anyway. Still — that’s no hindrance to roll7 Games, who are releasing OlliOlli on the PlayStation Vita later this month. The game takes a unique side-scrolling perspective, but still focuses on tricks and not falling flat on your face. Although that’ll probably still happen a lot. Check out the neat trailer and grab the game itself on January 21st. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2014 in Videogames 
Yoshi is finally back! Nintendo has announced that Yoshi’s New Island will come out in the US on March 14th. Thankfully that’s not too far away. The game is a new addition to the Yoshi’s Island series featuring Yoshi once again rescuing baby Mario. The art style attempts to recreate the classic original’s visuals, but I’m not sure it’s quite there. It still looks alright, but I feel that one more pass might’ve made it pop a bit more. I love the idea of soft, painted graphics though. It’ll be available in stores and digital download via the eShop. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, yoshi
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2014 in Animation, Anime 
You know, a lot of people pick on The Simpsons nowadays, but when they put their heads together and do a tribute in reference to something, they really do it well. The latest tribute features Homer getting drunk in Little Tokyo and then everything goes as little crazy, Miyazaki-style. Cat-bus, the moving castle, Kiki, and of course, Spirited Away, are all there. I think I saw a few smaller references as well, so watch the video below and see if you can catch them all. It’s a pretty lengthy sequence to devote to one gag. Read more…
Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, The Simpsons
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 10, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Many fans weren’t happy with the twist involving Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. If you haven’t seen Iron Man 3, bail out here. Unless you don’t mind being spoiled. Since he was merely posing as the Mandarin, fans were upset that we’d never get to see the version of the famous villain from the comics, clearly ruining his legacy. I thought it was a great twist, although sadly Guy Peace couldn’t really hold his own as an interesting villain once the “Mandarin” was gone. Anyway: Ben Kingsley is back as the actor Trevor Slattery again, but it seems that the whole Mandarin thing was perhaps… appropriated from the already existing terrorist group The Ten Rings. And hints that perhaps the real Mandarin is very upset that someone is using his namesake. This could be a neat twist on things, but we’ll have to wait till the one-shot arrives — it’ll be on the Thor 2 blu-ray, which comes out February 25th. Till then, have some pictures of Ben Kingsley looking nervous! Read more…
Tags: Iron Man 3, Marvel, Thor: The Dark World
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 10, 2014 in Videogames 
If the name Turtle Rock sounds familiar, it’s because they’re the crew that originally made Left 4 Dead. Once they were acquired by Valve, they made Left 4 Dead 2 and its accompanying DLC, but then split off back into their own company (some staff stayed at Valve and others returned to the original studio). Now, after dealing with the hassle of the THQ (their original publisher) bankruptcy mess, they’re now being published by Take-Two and 2K, and are back with a brand new multiplayer game: Evolve. Four players act as hunters on one team, and one player gets to be the monster they hunt. There’s a variety of classes and monsters to play as, and it sounds like a great twist on what made Left 4 Dead so much fun. Check out some images below or visit Game Informer’s page for the game that’ll have frequent updates with more details. Read more…
Tags: Evolve, Turtle Rock
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2014 in Videogames 
WayFoward’s take on Double Dragon, Double Dragon Neon, was an awesome beat ’em up game with a rocking 80s soundtrack. Now it’s coming to Steam, with online co-op to boot. For $9.99, you can punch bad guys in the head, which is better than getting hit yourself, as this trailer illustrates with science. It says “coming soon,” so there’s no date, but I’d imagine it won’t take long for it to come out. Now PC gamers can enjoy this old-school game too! Read more…
Tags: Retro Games, Steam
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2014 in Videogames 
We all know videogame graphics aren’t as important as gameplay, but having some good graphics generally can’t hurt. The Farm 51 is making an FPS called Get Even, and it certainly won’t be out until 2015. But in the meantime, we have a trailer that shows off their use of Thorskan, which allows them to scan an environment directly into the game. The walls and floors look really pretty (or should I say ugly and gritty?), though I noticed the camera quickly flies over the faces on those bodies, so maybe all they’ve got are pretty environments. The studio promises a game that “subtlety [sic] removes the classic division between single-player and multiplayer” and focuses on the memories of the main cast. The trailer doesn’t show any of that, but it does include a few live-action shots, so try not to get too confused when you watch it. Read more…
Tags: Videogames
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2014 in Videogames 
When showing off the PS4, Sony shared its desire to be able to stream PS3 games from their servers to the PS4 since the PS4 couldn’t play PS3 games due to its different chip architecture. The console launched, but the game streaming wasn’t ready yet, as we had been told from the start. But it seems we’ll have game streaming soon, as Sony has announced PlayStation Now. The streaming service will work not just on PS4, but also on PS3. Streaming is also planned for PS Vita, as well as most 2014 US models of BRAVIA TVs, and in the future tablets and smartphones. Sony is using the Gaikai tech they purchased to help stream across multiple devices, even keeping your save progress in the cloud. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS3, PS4
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
The most recent game based on Alien/Aliens was 2013’s Aliens: Colonial Marines, one of the worst games of the year that failed to live up to any of the apparently-false advertising and press demos. Everyone’s rightfully wary of any future games in the franchise, but let’s give Creative Assembly (known for Total War) a shot. They’re making Alien: Isolation, a survival horror game about Amanda Ripley — the daughter mentioned as having died of old age at the beginning of Aliens — exploring a space station to find info on Ellen Ripley and the Nostromo. Instead of hundreds of xenomorph enemies that are treated like cannon fodder, there’s only one, nine-foot-tall, formidable xenomorph that hunts Amanda throughout the game; they’re clearly aiming more for the horror of Alien than the action of Aliens with this game. Read more…
Tags: Alien, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
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