Interested in how games are made? Maybe interested in some charity too? Well today is your lucky day, as the organizers of the incredibly popular Humble Bundle are partnering with Mojang (creators of Minecraft) to create a game in 60 hours for charity. Basically, by the time the weekend is over, you’ll see a finished game show up. Currently, polls on Mojang’s site are dictating that the game will be a “steampunk real time strategy” game. They’ve already started, so hop on over and check out the whole process! Read more…
New iOS game PSA time! Out now on the App Store is Beat Sneak Bandit, the latest game from Simogo. It’s a fantastic little puzzle game that also has a little rhythm game mixed in with it. The aim is to collect as many clocks as you can while staying in time with the beat of the music. It starts simple but ramps up and becomes really involving. And if you’ve ever wanted to play an interactive Saul Bass opening, this is probably the closest you’re gonna get. Read more…
Remember those Minecraft LEGO sets we kept hearing about? Well here it is: the third LEGO CUUSOO crowd-voted project! It’s modular in design, so while it fits together as a single model (as seen above) it also separates into 4 sections that function as their own set. It doesn’t look too bad (and for the LEGO collectors out there, it has lots of handy flat 1×1 tiles in it). You can pre-order it through J!NX’s online store for $34.99 and it’ll release in the summer! Read more…
Just a friendly reminder, yesterday saw the release of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1. Dark Horse’s latest Star Wars series focuses on the era of the first Jedi, before the force was divided between light and dark. During this time, Jedi exist as an order of warrior monks who strive to maintain peace and balance. The initial arc surrounds the coming of a stranger said to bring an end to the balance by heralding a new era of conquest and exploration. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
When it comes to mobile gaming, I’m always in the market for a decent control interface. Recently I wrote about Ten One’s Fling Joystick which allows you to stick an analog nub to your favorite tablet or smartphone. While it’s a great alternative to fussing with a touchscreen interface, it has its shortcomings such as a lack of buttons, and so on. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives such as ION Audio’s iCade series. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2012 in Videogames
There are so many video games out there, and while most gamers find themselves content with the mundane titles the industry churns out on a regular basis, some look to indie developers for an experience they can’t find anywhere else. These developers slave over their games, often without any benefits or guaranteed paychecks, not because they have to, but because they love to, one aspect of which is the music. Indie Game Music Bundle is a collection of soundtracks from various game composers who’ve worked on some of the most popular indie titles, some of which are among the most amazing scores I’ve ever heard. Their latest bundle features even more music and includes artists like Jim Guthrie, and Tomáš Dvořák. Finally, while the majority of the revenue from this project goes to the artists themselves, no doubt to maintain a steady supply of Hot Pockets, a portion of the proceeds also go to the American Cancer Society and Child’s Play. Click here for more info.
A double-header today: Late afternoon Nickelodeon treats us to a mini-upfront for their new “NICKMOM” brand, and early evening Bill Plympton premieres his restored and colorized version of a classic Winsor McCay ‘toon, The Flying House. Not much in common between them except for two factors: my presence… and free food. (Nick gets the edge, thanks to their open bar.) Read more…
Last weekend, Ben posted one of the variant covers for IDW’s upcoming Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover comic. A few more details have since surfaced, including our first look at the official cover art, courtesy of StarTrek.com. Set for release this May, Assimilation2 #1 will be the first of eight and will feature The Doctor and his Series 6 companions, Amy & Rory, teaming with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D to take on deadly alliance between the Borg Collective and their newest ally, the Cybermen. Read more…
I always thought it’d be cool to own one of those hover boards from Back to the Future II & III, but I don’t think anyone has actually tried to manufacture one, that is, until now. Revealed at yesterday’s New York Toy Fair, MattyCollector.com plans to manufacture a 1:1 scale replica of Marty’s hover board as it was seen in the films. While they claim the board doesn’t actually hover, it apparently glides over most surfaces. Additionally, the cost of manufacturing the boards would be so much that they will need to reach a certain amount of pre-orders before going ahead with production. If the minimum, which has yet to be disclosed along with the price, is not met by the deadline of March 20th, all pre-orders will be refunded in full. Again, while the price has yet to be disclosed, pre-orders will start on March 1st and run through the 20th. Oh and keep in mind, it won’t work on water.
The other week we showed off a little teaser for Lego’s upcoming Lord of the Rings product line, but it’s not the only film license they have in the works. With Marvel’s The Avengers coming to theaters this summer, Lego will be dropping a few sets to tie-in with the film. I’m not posting photos of all of them as they might actually spoil a few scenes from the film, but if you just have to see them, click here. Otherwise, just click on the break for more.
Here in the West, Sega’s Yakuza series is considered a bit niche, but that hasn’t kept its fans from falling in love with it. When Sega of America decided to skimp with their localizations, fans were passionately vocal in their opposition. In Japan however, the series has been so successful that it’s led to two films by acclaimed cult-director Takeshi Miike, and a television drama based on the PSP spin-off Yakuza: Black Panther. This April, the drama returns with a second season based on the upcoming sequel. Read more…
Here’s a crossover I’m sure many of you will be excited to hear about: Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation! Bleeding Cool has scooped art and some minor details regarding a new comic book series from IDW starring The Doctor, Amy, Captain Picard, Worf, and the rest of the gang. No news yet on the story or the crew creating the comic yet, but at the very least you can check out the cover art after the break! Read more…
George Lucas has been jumping about promoting Star Wars Episode I in 3D, and recently did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The interviewer, I assume, wanted to give George one last chance to repent (or something) but instead he just went further into the deep end. When asked about the ‘ruckus’ over Han or Greedo shooting first, George said something plain silly. Read more…
NECA promised us a Portal gun replica a while back, and now it’s finally up for pre-order! At least, on Japanese toy sites. Yes, the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device can soon be yours, for only ¥16,000. That’s almost $200, with our currently delightful exchange rate. However, most sites discount it for pre-orders and Hobby Search (sold out) has it for roughly ¥13,000, while AmiAmi is running at ¥12,400 (still available). But, there’s this little thing called Toy Fair happening next week where we’ll be hearing more about an American release. Read more…
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t been paying much attention to Grasshopper’s latest, Lollipop Chainsaw. However, this new trailer for Valentine’s Day looks to be kicking it up a notch in the romance department… that is, if you’re okay with guys that’re only a head. And let’s be honest: if a video game features a girl kicking her boyfriend’s disembodied head into waves of zombies as a power move, well, that’s begging to be posted. Looks like this game is going to be cheesy as it can be! Read more…
The highest-grossing film in China is arriving on American shores finally, and Well Go USA has brought us a new trailer via AICN to help promote it. Let The Bullets Fly broke box-office records in China in 2010 and starred Chow Yun-Fat, Jiang Wen, and Ge You as the main characters. It’s a bit goofy, features dark humor, and is very, very violent. When it shows up March 2nd it’ll be showing in select theaters and will be available On Demand as well. Click through for the trailer! Read more…
I’ll take any opportunity to write about Blade Runner, and the last week has been filled with speculation and rumors. It all began with Twitch posting an article claiming they learned that Harrison Ford was in talks to join the sequel. Two days later, the head honchos at Alcon (the company financing the sequel) said this wasn’t true at all. Now, AICN posted an Entertainment Weekly article in which Ridley Scott himself speaks out on the film. What did he have to say? Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 9, 2012 in Television
This is either going to be great or terrible: It looks like there’s a deal in the works to do a reimagined version of Space:1999 which is currently titled Space 2099. It looks like the project is a joint venture between ITV Studios America and HDFILMS which is based out of Hollywood. Above is a promotional poster which looks cool — although we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that the scripting and the casting are good.
Back in December, YouTube user KinectFAAST showed off his Kinect-enabled Skyrim mod. Part of a larger series of mods in which he combines PC games with Microsoft Kinect functionality, the video made its rounds, eventually ending up on popular gaming blogs like Joystiq and Destructoid. Not too long after, KinectFAAST posted a follow-up showing off some of the enhancements he had made since his initial post. In addition to swapping through his favorites via simple voice commands, and simply interacting with the world, newer commands allow him to choose just how many potions he drinks, select weapon presets on the fly, determine the strength of his shouts by the word, and even use a bow and arrow with ease. Needless to say, it’s really impressive work. Be sure to check out more of his videos by visiting his YouTube channel, and let him know what you think by leaving a comment on each video.
For those in need of a Doctor Who fix, 2011 Christmas special, The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe, is set to hit stores on February 14th, just in time for Valentines day. Some of you might have caught my mini-review back in December, and while I felt it wasn’t the Doctor at his best, the special certainly had its moments. For some of you it’ll make an awesome alternative to flowers or chocolates, and for others it might just serve to hold you over till the Doctor returns to BBC later this year. For those of you who want to pre-order it, Amazon is selling the Blu-ray for $15.99, or if you’d rather have it on DVD, just $10.99. Amazon prime members can select free 2-day shipping to receive their copy on the 14th instead of having to wait.
Not too long ago, AICN reported that Directors Bryan Fuller and Singer — conveniently, also named Bryan with a ‘y,’ — were considering pooling their resources in an attempt to sell CBS and Paramount on a new Star Trek series. Since both directors are currently busy with their reboot of The Munsters, and the Trek film franchise still in full swing, it might be a while before the project sees any momentum. So how would you want to see it? A new franchise in the Abramsverse? A return to the prime universe with the history we all know and love? Read more…
Following last month’s announcement of the latest installment in Capcom’s Ace Attorney series, and the release of Ghost Trick for Apple’s iOS, Japanese fans were pleasantly surprised to hear that the first three titles from the series would also be released in HD. While Capcom USA hasn’t made any announcements regarding the localization of either Ace Attorney 5, or the HD iOS collection, some recently posted screenshots show just how beautiful the games can look in high definition.
This awesome animated short has been floating around the net for a few weeks now, but hasn’t garnered a fraction of the views it deserves. Space Stallions was created by a group of students from The Animation Workshop attempting to capture the essence of 80’s cartoons like Voltron, Thunder Cats, and so on. Personally, I think they hit the nail on the head. The music was dead on with everything from sequenced arps and laser toms to its poorly written chorus. Visually, they touched on everything you’d expect to see like several of the characters rocking a mustache, Unicorn space-bikes, oh and a keytar sword. While I don’t think I’d ever want to sit through an actual episode should they ever make one, I have to applaud their awesome efforts here. Oh, and if you want to buy a copy of that theme song, you’re in luck. It’s available via BandCamp. Read more…
IRL – In Real Life is a warmhearted look at one fanboy’s journey from being a non-stop World of Warcraft addict to getting a real life. What I loved about this film is that it’s a video diary of how one fan fall in love with game — leaves his non-virtual friends behind — meets the fangurl of his dreams — is then dumped by the fangurl of his dreams — and then, well here is the result: Read more…
