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Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 20, 2011 in Videogames 
Mojang’s block-building game Minecraft accomplished a rare feat in gaming — it’s been one of the most popular and recognizable games in the world for over a year, but it only came out yesterday. A two-year-plus beta testing period gave it all the exposure it needed to thrive, and now you can find the highly addictive game on Steam, ready for your real dollars. Minecraft is pretty much the definition of “indie darling” , but it has a ridiculously wide appeal; after all, who doesn’t like building with blocks? The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, time, and tolerance for bad graphics. (If you’re looking for something a little more two-dimensional, though, allow me to recommend Terraria.) Read more…
Tags: Minecraft
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 18, 2011 in Videogames 
Developers at Runic Games quipped after announcing their hack-and-slasher Torchlight 2 that Torchlight 3 would see release before Blizzard’s juggernaut Diablo 3. It looks like they might have to eat a little crow on that one, since after announcing today that Torchlight 2 would not be released in 2011 as originally projected, they might not even beat Diablo 3 to release with this game. Regardless of when it actually comes out, Torchlight 2 should be a fun romp while it lasts, and it’s adding the most important part of games in its genre: multiplayer, a curious omission from the original Torchlight. The main appeal of Torchlight 2, though? Its bargain-bin price tag. The last one went for around $20 and Runic expects to have a similarly low price for their sophomore effort. Read more…
Tags: Diablo 3, Torchlight, Torchlight 2
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 13, 2011 in Videogames 
The Elder Scrolls series is pretty much the embodiment of the western RPG, so it’s no surprise that the latest entry in the series, Skyrim, has been one of the most anticipated games in recent memory for genre fans worldwide. What’s slightly more surprising is the fact that it’s overwhelmingly the most popular game on Steam two days after its launch. Why is that such a surprise? Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but there’s this other game that came out recently called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and it had the biggest launch of any video game, ever. But no, Skyrim is thoroughly trouncing it, with roughly five times the number of concurrent players as MW3. Steam gamers: people of taste. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 12, 2011 in Comic Books 
Project Rooftop is a blog dedicated to superhero fashion, but it’s usually more about costumes than couture. In this case, though, artist Kevin Wada has taken several X-Gals and converted their costumes (and powers) into high fashion. All of them are pretty out-there, but then again, so is pretty much every single superhero costume ever conceived, and this is high fashion, so that’s hardly Wada’s fault. He definitely brings the color of these outfits to life, with Phoenix’s crazy hair and Lady Deathstrike’s kimono as highlights in an already-stellar lineup. I’d love to see some of these superpowered supermodels work it on the runway. Read more…
Tags: X-Men
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 11, 2011 in Television 
You might remember that Quantum Mechanix released a pretty huge (1:160) scale replica of Firefly‘s famous starship Serenity. You may also remember that it costs like a million dollars. For those among us who want the old bird in their home without getting a second mortgage, QMx is now offering another option — this time, it’s a 1:400 scale replica, at about 1/25th the price of the big version ($99). It’s built with highly accurate parts as small as a millimeter across, and QMx used the show’s actual CG files to build it. So, pretty cool. Ship like this, be with you ’til the day you die. Or until the dog chews on it, I suppose. The LDH Serenity goes on sale in December. Read more…
Tags: Firefly, Serenity
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 6, 2011 in Star Trek, Television 
The finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, the last Trek show to grace the small screen, is…let’s say unpopular. It essentially undid the entire series in one fell swoop and took away what wind remained in the show’s sails by having Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, aka Riker and Troi, as guest stars. Turns out Frakes wasn’t a fan of the move either, saying that it felt like a sort of middle finger to Enterprise lead actor Scott Bakula. In fact, Frakes calls the entire experience an “unpleasant memory.” Blastr‘s got the whole story. Frakes comes across as a pretty okay guy in these quotes, but then again, any good Starfleet officer would. Read more…
Tags: Star Trek: Enterprise
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 5, 2011 in Videogames 
Man, this kind of thing could only happen nowadays, in the era of always-on broadband internet and complex gaming infrastructure. Somehow, an internal beta client for BioWare’s much-anticipated console RPG/shooter Mass Effect 3 was accidentally released to the public on Xbox Live. And it’s not just the multiplayer, which was slated to have a public beta in January — it’s the singleplayer campaign too. BioWare appears to have taken down the download page from XBL, but there are already videos of the highly-unfinished singleplayer campaign and its companion multiplayer mode as well. In the videos, you can see options for a few different singleplayer modes, such as “Action Mode,” “RPG Mode,” and “Story Mode,” which BioWare says are some sort of variable difficulty level to make sure everyone gets the play experience that suits them best. Hey, I’m trying to avoid spoilers for the game, so congratulations to those who got the chance to download the beta before it disappeared. Enjoy it in my stead. Read more…
Tags: Mass Effect 3
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 4, 2011 in Cinema 
Skyfall? Sounds kind of … video game-y, doesn’t it? But that’s its name, Daniel Craig is back, Sam Mendes is directing, two lovely new Bond Girls are joining the ranks, and Javier Bardem is the bad guy. This one is reportedly unrelated to the plot arc from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace (thankfully), instead dealing with the relationship between Bond and M. It seems like everything is in its right place — good thing MGM’s financial problems didn’t kill the series for good, especially since the last two films were so excellent. Who’s pumped for Craig vs. Bardem, man? Can’t wait for November 9th, 2012. Read more…
Tags: James Bond
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 4, 2011 in Animation, Cinema, Comic Books 
Garrett Hedlund’s made a name for himself based on his starring role in Disney’s highly successful TRON: Legacy, but it looks like he might start getting typecast. No, not based on the role he played, but on the vehicle he drove! He might be trading in his lightcycle for a Neo-Tokyo motorcycle, according to reports, as he’s been offered the lead role in…oh, no. Not this again. The live-action Akira remake? Wasn’t this thing dead in the water, like, months ago? Why do the Warners want to throw so much money at this project? Oh well. At least Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter got offered parts as well. Maybe they can class up the joint. Read more…
Tags: Akira
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 30, 2011 in Animation, Comic Books 
Mark Hamill may have gotten famous portraying Luke Skywalker, but his acting career never quite took off afterward. Hamill found another route to the hearts and minds of a new generation, though — portraying the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. Say what you want about Nicholson’s or Ledger’s or even Romero’s Joker, but TAS Joker is the defining Joker for most people my age, and at the very least the very first voice that comes to mind when someone says “The Joker.” Now, Hamill’s ready to say goodbye to the role after his performance as the Clown Prince of Crime in the recently-released video game Batman: Arkham City. For those who’ve been following along at home, Hamill also said this after he wrapped up Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, but he ended up sticking around for the sequel after its developers promised him that this Joker role would be something special. Everyone give Joker a nice buzzer handshake on his way out. Read more…
Tags: Batman: Arkham City, Joker
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 29, 2011 in Cinema 
I’m not really sure where this lies on the good news-bad news spectrum, but: a) apparently someone wants to make a new Beetlejuice movie, b) it’s a sequel, not a reboot, and c) they want Michael Keaton to come back for the role. Allegedly, screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith and producer pal David Katzenberg have received Tim Burton’s blessing to make a new film starring our garish ghoul friend, but securing Keaton might be a different beast entirely. Grahame-Smith says that their idea is definitely worth Keaton’s time, but man, Michael Keaton ain’t exactly getting any younger. But hey, I think we can all agree on one thing: thank heaven it’s not a remake/reboot. Read more…
Tags: Beetlejuice
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 28, 2011 in Television 
She’s Warehouse 13‘s most junior officer, so it only makes sense that tough-gal techie Claudia would also get the most adorable maquette. This particular maquette is “Animated” Claudia, meaning (of course) that she’s a little less…realistic than you might find in other statuettes. Thankfully, she’s got a meticulously sculpted rendition of her most iconic outfit, including some very, err, well-fitting jeans. She’s even got a Tesla in her pocket (no, she is not happy to see you). This limited-edition agent is a Quantum Mechanix exclusive — just make sure you put her somewhere nice instead of in, I don’t know, a warehouse? Read more…
Tags: Warehouse 13
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 23, 2011 in Dr. Who, Television 
Though he appears not to have managed to regenerate eyebrows in his latest incarnation, the storied Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, has proven more popular than ever in his most recent season on BBC. No Doctor lasts forever, though, and the date of Smith’s departure from the role has been the subject of much speculation. Smith appeared to indicate that he’d only have one more year of Doctor Who in a recent interview, saying that after “another year” as the Doctor, he’d like to come to LA and do some acting work there. Does it mean anything? I bet we’d know if we had some sort of superscientific time-travel device. Anyone know someone who has one? Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who, Dr. Who
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 21, 2011 in Television 
I could’ve sworn we already had one of these like six or seven years ago, but it looks like there’s a paranormal drama theme hitting network TV again. The last time, shows like Supernatural did well enough to continue, but others weren’t so lucky. This time, we’ve got shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time and probably at least two others dealing with the whole supernatural thing. Honestly, I haven’t been following the buzz for either, but if you want to give the latter a shot, the Once Upon a Time pilot is currently available on IMDB to watch in its entirety for free. Hey, isn’t that the guy from Stargate Universe? How bad could it be? Wait, wait, don’t tell me. Read more…
Tags: Once Upon a Time
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 16, 2011 in Cinema 
You know, my parents never bought me any of the Boo Berry family of monster-themed cereals when I was a kid, but even just seeing them in the grocery store colored my perception of the classic Hollywood monsters they riffed on. Artist Jason Edmiston took that one step further with this Universal Monsters mashup with their cereal incarnations. It’s pretty weird to see Count Chocula’s big ol’ schnozz on a “real” human being; somehow, though, that goofy pressure valve on Frankenberry just seems to fit. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 16, 2011 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Yikes! Now that’s a super man. In case anyone was wondering whether Henry Cavill was packing some muscle padding under that blue-and-red suit, well, I think you can see for yourself that that’s definitely not the case. These photos snapped from the set of The Man of Steel show a particularly grizzled-looking Clark Kent with his clothes all torn up. You know, are we absolutely positive this isn’t just a viral campaign? Because if I was a woman or a gay man who had no interest in seeing a Superman movie, I certainly would now. Read more…
Tags: Superman, The Man of Steel
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 15, 2011 in Comic Books, Television 
It’s October, the spookiest month of the year! And what better way to celebrate that than with some good old-fashion gorey zombie-killin’ TV? Despite numerous odd behind-the-scenes changes to the show, the uber-popular Walking Dead is definitely coming back for a second season. In fact, it starts tomorrow night at 9 on AMC, with a 90-minute premiere to kick off the new season. Get the answers to your burning questions! For example, will Rick kill zombies? Probably! That’s sort of the point of the show! Read more…
Tags: The Walking Dead
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 14, 2011 in Animation, Star Wars, Television 
Yeah, you read that right. Apparently George Lucas is bringing back our old demon-faced Sith pal for another go in the Clone Wars TV series. Now, I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure that Darth Maul was very recently dead, so there’ll have to be some downright Lucasian story leaps to make this happen. But hey, after how much of a wasted opportunity he was in The Phantom Menace, maybe he’ll do better this time around. Just kidding. That dude’s definitely gonna die by season’s end. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars, The Clone Wars
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 14, 2011 in Animation 
If you’re not familiar with Adventure Time, well, here’s a short primer: it airs on the Cartoon Network, it’s hilarious, and it’s probably the best animated show on TV right now regardless of your age. That’s why the world at large should be super excited to hear that 12 episodes of the hit show are now available on DVD as “Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People.” Now, this isn’t a full season, but rather a collection of “good” random episodes. I imagine that Cartoon Network took this route to make sure that kids would inevitably have to buy more DVDs. Oh well. Take my money, Cartoon Network. It’s worth it. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 9, 2011 in Pulp Fiction 
I’m a big fan of literary mashups, and also a big weird fiction fan, so obviously a combination of Dr. Seuss and H.P. Lovecraft is right up my alley. Not only did DeviantArt user DrFaustus take up Seuss’ artistic style, he also turned Lovecraft’s famous story The Call of Cthulhu into Seuss-style rhyming couplets! It’s some kind of adorable eldritch gift from beyond time and space. Can’t wait to see more of these pages as they’re released. He should tackle At the Mountains of Madness next; imagine Elder Things drawn all Seussically. Read more…
Tags: Call of Cthulhu, HP Lovecraft
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 8, 2011 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Pete Travis may have discovered that justice is blind in the film industry. Travis, director of the upcoming Judge Dredd film (spartanly titled Dredd) is rumored to have been asked to step down as director as the film entered its post-production phase. The LA Times reports that “creative differences” between Travis and the studio were to blame, but who can ever really know what that phrase means? In the meantime, screenwriter Alex Garland has allegedly taken Travis’ place in the editing room. Does this mean dreddful news for the film? We’ll have to see, when and if Dredd meets its September release date.
Tags: Judge Dredd
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 7, 2011 in Cinema 
Somewhere in Hollywood, a dark assembly of producers, directors, studio heads, and other figures cloaked in shadow gather. One, older and more wizened than the rest, relays the grave news he’s been reluctant to surrender. “Gentleman,” he croaks, “we have run out of Ideas.” A younger man, handsome, speaks up over the uproar. “No! That can’t be true. We had enough Ideas to last through at least 2014. We did the math.” Lifting his hood, a gray-haired man solemnly shakes his head. “That whole Pauly Shore revival thing ended up not working out.” The old man lifts a hand, gesturing for silence from the cabal. “We have no choice,” he says, his voice quivering. “Drastic measures must be taken. We must make two Snow White movies in the same year. And one of them will star Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen for some reason.” Read more…
Tags: Snow White
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 7, 2011 in Anime, Videogames 
Persona 4 was practically an anime to begin with, just like all Persona games before it, but if you’re anything like my JRPG-playing friends, you probably want to watch the new Persona 4 anime anyway. The bad news? It just premiered in Japan. The good news? You can watch it subtitled right now. The Anime Network offers you a heaping helping of streaming Persona animation almost unreasonably soon after it airs in Japan, so get on it! You don’t even need to go to A/V club or flirt with that mousy girl to make it happen. Read more…
Tags: Persona 4
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 1, 2011 in Cinema, Star Trek 
China recently unveiled the logo for its version of NASA, the Chinese National Space Administration, and it looks… let’s say it looks a little familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like it looks a lot like what would happen if you mixed the logos for, say, a united federation of planets and a fleet that traveled through the stars. Admittedly, if you have to design a logo for a space program you want to be successful, you could do worse than drawing inspiration from sci-fi’s most beloved space program. Just be sure to give NASA a call when you discover warp technology because, let’s face it, the US space program sure isn’t going to do it. Read more…
Tags: Star Trek
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