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Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2015 in Animation, Anime, Cinema, Comic Books, Design, Fandom, Hobbies and Collections, Horror, Podcasts, Pulp Fiction, Science, Star Trek, Star Wars, Tech, Television, Videogames 
I’m sorry to report that Fanboy.com is now on hiatus: We’re currently thinking of relaunching the site in the future, but for now no new stories will appear. We will still be posting links we love on a regular basis on our Facebook page so please keep in touch with us there.
I first registered this site on a lark in the 90s, but then started blogging almost 9 years ago in 2006 and found it to be a very rewarding experience. However after about 3,000 or so posts I got a bit burned out, however I was very lucky in that I found a few folks who were willing to put in the work to keep the site alive (namely Ben Huber, Bob Muir and Tim Sheehy) and to them I owe a great deal of thanks. I also would like to thank you the readers of this website for coming back to us over the past few years. In the meantime we’ll keep this site up for anyone who would like to see our old stories until further notice.
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 29, 2015 in Videogames 
It feels like the Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter was ages ago, but it was only September 2013 that it was funded. After much development time, Keiji Inafune’s spiritual successor to Mega Man is finally close to being finished. Mighty No. 9 will finally release on September 15, with publisher Deep Silver handling a physical release as well for $19.99. The platforms it’s releasing on are many, so here goes: PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U, with 3DS and Vita versions coming later. So unless you’re still rocking a Commodore 64, I bet you can get it on the platform of your choice.
Read more…
Tags: Keiji Inafune, Mighty No. 9
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 28, 2015 in Videogames 
After plenty of hints that sent fans into a frenzy, Scott Cawthon has announced Five Nights at Freddy’s 4: The Final Chapter. While there’s no telling for sure that this is the true end of the series thanks to Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, it does seem as though the YouTube-popular indie horror series does seem to be ending. Even if the series does end though, fans can still look forward to the movie, which was recently announced. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 is due out on Halloween later this year. Read more…
Tags: Horror
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 28, 2015 in Videogames 
It doesn’t look like you’ll be playing as anyone other than Batman in Batman: Arkham Knight. But that doesn’t mean the Caped Crusader will be fighting alone. The game’s latest trailer shows both Robin (Tim Drake) and Nightwing (Dick Grayson), entering the fray. This seems to imply they’ll have a larger part than in Arkham City, where Robin cameoed in one cutscene and Nightwing only showed up in non-story challenges. The trailer also shows a lot of tantalizing footage, including hints that previous teased subplots are being picked up for this finale. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 27, 2015 in Videogames 
At the San Francisco Film Society, Guillermo del Toro showed up to the Castro Theatre for a screening of one of his favorite films (The Devil’s Backbone) and an in-depth conversation about his past and future work. Well, as you might imagine, someone asked about Silent Hills, which has been going through tough times (as Hideo Kojima is probably leaving Konami soon, thus abandoning the project). Guillermo said, as for his end of the deal: “It’s not gonna happen and that breaks my greasy heart.” That’s not official confirmation of cancelation from Konami but… that’s a pretty solid nail in the coffin. But perhaps the game will continue on without del Toro? Though, to make matters worse, P.T., the playable teaser for Silent Hills, is being removed from the PlayStation Network on April 29th, so if you want it, download it now (or add it to your PSN account via the web store). Sorry Silent Hill fans… I’m not sure this story will have a happy ending. Read more…
Tags: guillermo del toro, Silent Hill
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 27, 2015 in Videogames 
It was pretty much the worst-kept secret, but hey: here’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Promotional materials were leaking left and right the past few weeks; plus, who wasn’t expecting a new COD game soon? This one looks to continue BLOPS II’s advanced tech even further, with more drones, wallrunning, robots, and robotic limbs. It’s basically Titanfall and Deus Ex tossed into a blender after being drained of any color. Okay, okay, that’s awfully negative of me. But I can’t really bring myself to be excited about another COD game right now. Who knows, maybe this one will do something unique and interesting? If so, I’m there, because while I love the technological angle they’ve been taking… it just hasn’t grabbed me yet. Here’s the reveal trailer. Read more…
Tags: Black Ops III, Call of Duty
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 25, 2015 in Videogames 
Yes, you read that right: you can now pay for mods. Steam’s Workshop has been a really impressive source of user-generated content, and being able to easily load and unload mods into games has been incredibly useful. Skyrim in particular has gotten tons of great content from the modding community. Now, Valve has added a way for modders to get paid for all their hard work: you can list paid mods on Skyrim’s Steam Workshop. After uploading a mod, you can choose a set price for it, allow a “pay-what-you-want” model, or leave it for free as before. The idea is to have modders get paid for making good content, and also encourage higher-quality mods in hopes of hitting it big time. Read more…
Tags: Mod, Skyrim, Steam
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 23, 2015 in Videogames 
This announcement was kind of spoiled back in January, but this is the “official” Sega announcement. The next installment of the popular strategy series Total War will be Total War: Warhammer. Yes, the tabletop strategy game is going to be a strategy videogame, with all the usual fantasy races for you to play as. This is supposedly the beginning of a trilogy, which always seems like counting your chickens before they hatch, but seeing as this union of strategy franchises makes sense, I’d say it’s a safe bet, provided it resonates with their audience. Read more…
Tags: Sega, Total War, Warhammer
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 21, 2015 in Anime, Videogames 
There have been some enjoyable Dragon Ball Z fighting games over the years, as various developers took their turn with the classic anime series. But Arc System Works, who is known for their “anime fighters” like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, hasn’t made a DBZ game since Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2 on DS. They’re returning to the series with Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden, which just had a demo released in Japan, giving us our first good look at the gameplay (below). While not as high-res as their console fighting games, it looks like a fun fighter with good artwork. Here’s hoping it’s better received than their previous DBZ fighters.
Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Dragonball
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 17, 2015 in Videogames 
Ah, here we go: an in-engine trailer for Star Wars Battlefront, one of the first major fruits of the EA/Disney Star Wars partnership. Granted, the phrasing “in-engine” is always a little misleading, as this trailer doesn’t feature any actual gameplay, but hey – it still looks pretty cool. No gameplay footage is out there yet and reportedly won’t be until a later date. But until then, you can watch a stylish action-packed trailer with Ewoks, Rebels, and of course: Darth Vader. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars Battlefront
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 15, 2015 in Videogames 
Isn’t it kind of nice when a series doesn’t get yearly installments and spin-offs? Star Ocean: The Last Hope came out in 2009, and unlike Final Fantasy, fans have had to patiently wait for another installment instead of getting burned out. Famitsu revealed info about the next title, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, which is being developed by Tri-Ace for PS3 and PS4. The RPG is about 30% done and features Akiman as the main character designer. This one is set between Star Ocean 2 and 3. Here’s hoping it’s a better game than the last two games in the series. Read more…
Tags: square enix, Star Ocean
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 13, 2015 in Videogames 
Something bright and colorful caught my eye earlier – it was the trailer for Monster Hunter Stories, a new spin-off RPG set in the Monster Hunter world. The game was reportedly five years in the making, and is set to come out in 2016. While details are scarce (and this is a CGI trailer), it appears the game will eschew typical Monster Hunter gameplay and instead play “within the boundaries of an RPG, while still preserving the core sensibilities that people have come to associate with Monster Hunter.” That quote comes from series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. Perhaps this’ll finally be a Monster hunter game I can get into?! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Monster Hunter
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 10, 2015 in Videogames 
There had been rumors of Lego jumping on the toys-to-life bandwagon for the past few months, and now it has come to fruition: LEGO Dimensions. It’s a new video game from Warner Bros. and Travelers Tales (who’ve made all the previous Lego games) and you’ll be be able to buy Lego toys that will scan into the game on a portal via NFC. The portal and game starting pack (which includes Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and Batman with a Batmobile) will run you $99 and after that you can pick up Fun Packs ($15 for a figure and vehicle), Team Packs ($25 for 2 figures and 2 vehicles), or Level Packs ($30 for 1 figure, 2 vehicles/weapons, and 1 new level). Some of the brands involved are The LEGO Movie (obviously), Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, Back to the Future, The Wizard of Oz, and Ninjago, with more on the way. No matter what you’re into, there will probably be a Lego version for you to spend ridiculous amounts of money on. Read more…
Tags: Lego, Lego Dimensions, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 9, 2015 in Cinema, Videogames 
Five Nights at Freddy’s is actually a pretty cool game, where you run a faux-Chuck E. Cheese at night while avoiding murderous animatronic animals. I’m not sure if it’s cool enough to necessitate a third game in the series, but at least it’s popular on YouTube. Apparently Warner Bros. also thinks it’s cool, because they’ve picked up the rights and plan on adapting it into a feature film. Personally, I’d think that a movie would lose some of the horror, since you lose the player’s agency, but from what I can tell, there actually seems to be a rich mythos below the surface, so it’s not like they’ll lack for material. Read more…
Tags: Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 9, 2015 in Videogames 
Funny enough, I’ve been watching my girlfriend play Deus Ex: Human Revolution lately. It’s been pretty cool, and now Square Enix has announced a sequel: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It occurs two years later in 2029, so still well before the original Deus Ex. Eidos Montreal is returning to make this one, so let’s hope they don’t outsource the boss fights this time. There’s no release date announced, but the game is set to release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Check the trailer and tell yourself “Yes, I did ask for this!” Read more…
Tags: Deus Ex, PS4, square enix, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 8, 2015 in Videogames 
Yo-kai Watch, a Pokemon-like game about collecting weird creatures, did really well when it was released in Japan, blowing up into a massive sensation and getting things like anime adaptations. Now Nintendo has announced that Level-5’s RPG is coming to the West. It hasn’t specified which game is getting released — the second game even had two versions, like Pokemon — or when it’s releasing. But it’s still cool news, and it seems that they’re really making a push for the brand. Viz is releasing the manga adaptation later this year, and Level-5 made a big toy deal for 2016 with Hasbro. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this blow up with kids and some adults. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Level-5, Nintendo, Yo-kai Watch
Posted by Ben Huber on Apr 6, 2015 in Videogames 
Crawl is a pretty great indie title that’s best described as a multiplayer dungeon crawler — but one player plays as the hero, and the rest as enemies that spawn in each room. Whichever enemy succeeds in killing the player gets the role next. It’s great for couch play with friends, and a new update will add even more fun in the form of Gabe Newell. Yes, the Valve co-founder and gaming icon will be added as an enemy boss soon. And man, the animations look great! Check out a gif below and then check out the game here. Read more…
Tags: Crawl, Gabe Newell
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 2, 2015 in Videogames 
It seems that 2015 is truly the Year of the Amiibo for Nintendo. While many games were shown off on their latest Nintendo direct, many of the major ones had corresponding amiibo announcements. Let’s start with Super Smash Bros. news first though. The Mewtwo DLC is pretty much ready and will be released on April 23 for $3.99, or $5.99 for both systems. Those who earned the character for free via the Club Nintendo promotion will get him on April 15. Lucas (from Mother 3 and Brawl) was announced as the second DLC character, due sometime in June. Future characters may be influenced by your votes on the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot that just launched on smashbros.com. And if you want to spend more of your money, there will be new Mii costumes available. The cost of the costumes seems reasonable at $0.75 each, or $1.15 each for both systems. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Amiibo, fire emblem, Nintendo, Nintendo Direct, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Apr 1, 2015 in Videogames 
If you haven’t purchased a PS4 yet for Bloodborne, here’s something that may entice you. When Batman: Arkham Knight comes out on June 23, you’ll have the option of getting a jet black PS4 bundle with the game for $400. But if you toss in a bit extra, you can have this cool steel grey limited edition bundle for $450. I already own a system, so I’m not biting, but otherwise, I’d be very tempted. I guess I’ll just stick with the somewhat less expensive limited edition. Read more…
Tags: Batman: Arkham Knight, PS4
Posted by Bob Muir on Mar 31, 2015 in Videogames 
Microsoft and 343 Industries are starting their marketing push for this fall’s Halo 5: Guardians. It’s due out on October 27, 2015, which means we’ll probably be seeing a lot more at this year’s E3. But for now, we’ve got what is frankly a really cool ad, with new character Spartan Locke hunting down Master Chief and confronting him about consequences. But then, there’s a second ad where Master Chief confronts Locke! I’d assume we’ll get to play as both characters a la Halo 2 (my personal favorite in the series). I wonder what twists we’ll see? Read more…
Tags: Halo, Microsoft, Xbox One
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 23, 2015 in Videogames 
Recently, the director of the Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, discussed some of the work that went into making the Wii U and 3DS iterations. Of course, people mainly asked him the questions you’d expect. When’s the Mewtwo DLC coming? “Soon.” What were some of the most ridiculous character requests? “Goku, Spongebob.” Any characters who were cut? “Takamaru.” Yes, originally the ninja from NES game The Mysterious Masamune Castle was on the cards to be in Smash Bros. He still showed up as an Assist Trophy, but I think he could’ve been a cool addition! Then again, do we really need another blue-haired swordsman in Smash Bros.? Read more…
Tags: Super Smash Bros.
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 22, 2015 in Videogames 
Straight out of Fanfest 2015, CCP Games has released new gameplay footage of EVE: Valkyrie, their upcoming dogfighting game made for VR. So far, all impressions for this game have been wildly positive, saying it does a great job making you feel like you’re really piloting a small spacecraft. This trailer shows a more story-based setting, which leads me to wonder how linked this game will be with EVE Online proper. So far it appears fairly standalone. I would love to have an effect on the full EVE world if possible! The trailer is below, check it out! Read more…
Tags: EVE Online
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 21, 2015 in Videogames 
I’ve been surprised by Telltale’s Game of Thrones episodic video game series. The first episode was a little rough in spots and felt too similar to the Stark’s story in the series proper, but in episode 2 suddenly things became much more fleshed out and a few interesting wrinkles were thrown into the plot. I can only hope that the series to continues this upward trend! Telltale has released a few new screenshots from the upcoming episode 3, which is presumably coming soon. They also said that a new trailer for the episode will arrive on Monday, March 23rd. Perhaps we’ll get a release date then! Check out the screenshots below. Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones, Telltale Games
Posted by Ben Huber on Mar 20, 2015 in Videogames 
Some big gaming news is rumbling through the industry right now: it appears Konami is going through a restructuring right now and want the Konami branding front and center, instead of other studio names like Kojima Productions. As part of this, they’re renaming Kojima Productions LA Studio to Konami Los Angeles Studio, and the “A Hideo Kojima game” branding on Metal Gear Solid V ads and website has been removed. According to Gamespot and their anonymous source, the restructuring has resulted in a power struggle between Kojima Productions and Konami, the latter of whom has embargoed corporate internet, emails, and phone of KojiPro. Kojima and other senior studio staff are essentially only on as contractors now, and plan to leave once their contract is up in December. Gamespot goes into more details here, but suffice to say, it appears Kojima and Konami won’t be working together after MSGV. Read more…
Tags: Hideo Kojima, Konami, Metal Gear Solid
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