Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 15, 2010 in Videogames
Literally. The first in-game footage from the highly-anticipated Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception debuted last night on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra were on-hand to show off the game, and while I imagine they’re still working out a few of the bugs, they put on a pretty good showing. The demo featured a few minutes of gameplay that takes place presumably early on. Nathan Drake, and his partner/mentor Sully are caught in what appears to be a burning mansion in France and are under assualt by numerous gun-wielding mercenaries intent preventing their escape. It’s pretty exciting footage, despite Jimmy Fallon’s inability to press the shoulder buttons when prompted. The game is currently slated for release on November 1st, 2011.
I still don’t get why people take the time to make these Star Wars poster parodies, but it would seem they’re becoming more popular. Back in October, I shared several examples of these alt-art posters and they proved to be somewhat entertaining, so here we are again with another set — this time, by artist Matt Ranzetta. While I personally can’t say I love the posters themselves, I can’t really knock Matt’s taste in cinema. They also fit the subject matter quite well, all things considered. I’ll admit that Cool Hand Luke made me giggle a little, though.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 14, 2010 in Videogames
While I admit I’m equally excited about the recent announcements of Elderscrolls V: Skyrim, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, nothing had my jaw drop quite as fast as the debut trailer for Bioware’s upcoming Mass Effect 3. I’m sure what we’ve witnessed is a pre-rendered CG film clip, but if the visuals even come close to that, we’ll all be in for quite a treat. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 14, 2010 in Videogames
It’s been well over a year since this stripped down, arcade-friendly version of the popular Magic the Gathering videogame, Duels of the Planeswalkers, hit Xbox 360’s Live! online gaming service. Back in June, the game launched for the PC, giving those of us who were left out by the Xbox exclusive launch a chance to own the game. Well, now it would seem the game has finally launched on Playstation Network, complete with all three current expansions. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved the original trading-card game but in addition to being incredibly addictive, it was also perhaps the most expensive hobby I’ve ever had — aside from music. I can’t fathom how much money I must have wasted in college trying to build decent decks. The nice thing about this scaled down version of the game is that it includes all the rules and gameplay of the original at a fraction of that cost. How so? Read more…
I got a real kick out of the new line of Superhero Snapsuits which are aimed at fanboys and fangurls in training. The series includes Wonder Woman (shown above), Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Batman and of course Superman. What nice about this line is that it comes in several different sizes from six to twenty for months so you can keep up with your superkid! Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 13, 2010 in Fandom, Star Trek
These wonderful Victorian styled Star Trek photos are he handy work of an artist known as Rabittooth. I really love how the artist has matched the role of each character on the show with an appropriate historical counterpart: Read more…
I just love the level of detail on this recreation of Andy’s room from Toy Story which was made using lego bricks! The talented artist behind this effort is Matt De Lanoy who will be showing it off at the 9th Annual Lego Train Show at Cantigny Park, Wheaton, Illinois. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 13, 2010 in Science
The video clip below doesn’t show just anybody predicting settlements on Mars, but Pete Worden, Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center. Now I’ll grant you that gives us a good fifty years to get there — but what kills me is that we have the technology today to do this, or to at least get started trying. In fact part of the problem I think is that NASA is just spread too thin; I’d love to see the agency with a single focus on manned space exploration with a realistic budget to match. But alas that could be fifty years off in the current political climate…Read more…
U.S. currency is full of references to the Freemasons, the so-called secret brotherhood that oversaw and controlled the burgeoning nation (and, some people say, still does). That sounds an awful lot like a certain evil overlord who dwells in the scarred land of Mordor, doesn’t it? It looks like dschwen on Threadless had the same idea, and he turned into a shirt pitch. It’s a fantastic mashup of the famous “e pluribus unum” Masonic pyramid and the Eye of Sauron. Let’s hope this one makes it to the printing phase. Read more…
Marvel’s been doing a pretty good job of tying their shared-universe films (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, etc) together, and it looks like they won’t stop trying after The Avengers is released. MTV’s Splash Page spoke with Jon Favreau, who said that the third installment of the Iron Man film franchise will continue the story threads started in the Avengers movie. It’s good that they’ve decided to let the superheroes lead separate lives, so to speak, while also letting them get together for coffee and Cosmic Cubes every now and then. Read more…
It seems like every geeky show or movie has some kind of ID card on it, whether the nametags that Chuck and the Nerd Herd wear on, uh, Chuck, to the CSI lab tech badges, to Jack Bauer’s Counter-Terrorism Unit ID cards (above). Of course, since those places and people don’t exist, we can’t just apply for jobs at those locations and grab a badge for ourselves. Thankfully, Identity Props exists, and they sell replicas of famous (or even obscure) ID cards from various media. Just what you need for your Commissioner Gordon cosplay. Don’t pretend like you haven’t been thinking about it. Read more…
We’ve had a rough, unfinished teaser for the upcoming Thor film making the rounds online for a few months now, but now we’ve got a crisp, glorious, official trailer on which to feast our eyes. The trailer’s got pretty much everything you need — Natalie Portman for the fellas, shirtless (and built) Chris Hemsworth for the ladies, a beautiful Asgard for Jack Kirby fans. Heck, there’s even some action in there. It certainly looks great, and we finally get a taste of the Kirby cosmic mythos that could bring the Marvel films up to that next level of awesome. Let’s hope the film itself hits as hard as Mjolnir does in the trailer. Read more…
Yeah, so, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was missing something. A lot of somethings. And Michael Bay, director of the Transformers live-action films thus far, has listened to your complaints. If you thought the answer to “Just what was the Transformers franchise missing?” was “Apollo 11 astronaut and first man on the moon Neil Armstrong,” then you’re going to love the teaser trailer for 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Okay, so it’s just an actor playing him, but still! Admittedly, the trailer’s gorgeous, and Bay says that the CGI in it is only 75-80% done, so it’ll look even better when it’s complete. Bay even reassures fans that this entry into the series will ditch the “goofy comedy” (his words) of Revenge. Hopefully the racial stereotypes, too. Now to figure out who that Transformer rocking the Fu Manchu mustache is… Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Dec 10, 2010 in Cinema, Horror
Word was that Ridley Scott’s long-planned prequel to the sci-fi classic Alien had been pushed back to 2013 or 2014 at best, or shelved at worst. But it looks like it’s finally happening, with production slated to begin in March and a promise of old-school claustrophobia and horror. There’s even casting going on, with some notable hopefuls, including Michelle Yeoh. Sounds good so far! The only weird thing is the actual title, which is “Paradise,” though we’re not sure if it’s just Paradise or whether it’ll be called Alien: Paradise or something along those lines. Kind of an odd name for an Alien movie, but maybe it’s supposed to be ironic. Read more…
Who watches the Empire? Aside from making for an incredible t-shirt, this design by artist Jonah Block draws a rather apt comparison between the Watchmen and the Galactic Empire. At first I didn’t really see how you could compare the Empire who, though acting at the behest of an evil sith lord, ruled through fear and the gritty and morally-questionable superheroes of Alan Moore’s world. However, the more I think about it, the more I get it. People who trust or fear the empire do so at the expense of personal responsibility and freedom, ignoring or living with their plight out of a false sense of security — much like the every day citizens of Moore’s reality. It’s a neat statement, and one I’m not really sure the artist may have intended, but it works for me. If you’re a fan of Star Wars or Watchmen and love the design too, you’ll be happy to know that TeeFury currently has a t-shirt available for the next 24 hours, so hurry up and order one while you still have the chance.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 9, 2010 in Cinema, Tech
I know what you’re thinking. “This doesn’t look anything like a portable hard drive,” and you’re right, it doesn’t, but that’s kind of the point. Rather than simply taking an existing model and slapping a logo on it like Buffalo and Warner Brothers did with their recent Harry Potter portable drives, the guys over at FlashRods specialize in making portable hard drives with some serious flare and attention to detail. The Doc Brown’s iconic Delorean just happens to be one of their most recent projects. This amazing little hard drive connects externally via usb and stores up to 500 GBs worth of data. In addition to sitting and looking pretty, both the hood and the trademark gull-wing doors open up for a better view. Like most customs, these babies will end up costing you $250, so if you have the cash to spare, head over to FlashRods and order yours today. Read more…
Eons before Ramna 1/2 us old time otaku fell in love with Rumiko Takahashi’s 80s epic Urusei Yatsura. Shown here is a special figurine that will be released in Japan next year which features the character Lum as a child sporting a Tigers baseball team hat. Apparently the baseball connection is that Takahashi is a Tiger’s fan: Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 8, 2010 in Animation, Tech
When I wasn’t watching Robotech, or Starblazers, I’d try to catch an episode of Voltron: Defender of the Universe. It wasn’t quite as cool as a convertable aircraft, but I admit I still loved watching the five guardians form their giant sword wielding lion mech to battle the evil King Zarkon and his minions whenever I’d get a chance, and this nifty little USB drive’s definitely triggering that nostalgia. I do wish it was a little bigger, seeing how it’s only three and a half inches tall, but I imagine that’s about right for a USB stick — any larger and it’d probably be a nuisance. At least the arms and legs can be articulated. The chest also lights up when plugged in and it just wouldn’t be complete without its own Blazing Sword which apparantly fits in both he hands and feet.
The film that would have been Spider-Man 4 has officially started shooting this week. I know some of you have mixed feelings about the prospect of rebooting the Spider-Man franchise, especially after three wildly successful outings featuring a cast we’ve grown familiar with. However, after the latest film failed to impress critics and fans alike, it probably came as no surprise when Sony decided to drop the proverbial axe. The director, Sam Raimi, had already left the project citing an inability to complete the film on schedule for May of 2011, but rather than simply replacing him, they figured it’d be easier to start from square one. Personally, I don’t mind rebooting the series but I’m starting to wonder if rebooting in general has become a little too prevalent in recent years.
Not quite sure what to buy a musically-inclined gamer for Christmas? Well, this might do the trick — assuming you’re quick about it. The circut bending experts over at GetLoFi recently finished this sweet little mod that takes an original Nintendo Entertainment System and creates a fully functioning electric guitar. Currently, they only have one left in stock and I have no idea if they intend on building any more in the near future. Still, if you’re interested, it wouldn’t hurt to visit their site. I would imagine the higher the demand, the more they may produce. The last one they have in stock is currently priced at $150 with an optional internal fuzz upgrade for an additional $40. Reasonable, considering the novelty of it all.
Ever imagine what Star Wars would look like through the eyes of Dr. Seuss? Me neither, but cartoonist Adam Watson has. Recently, he posted a few pieces of this brilliant mash-up on his blog and frankly, they’re nothing short of amazing. While he claims that these pieces started as doodles for the most the part, he apparently has a few more planned. I’d love to see him strike a deal with Lucas Arts to publish a book, but I imagine there’d be all kind of legal hurdles involved. Either way, I think I’ll just cross my fingers and hope for more. Also, wouldn’t some of these make for a nifty t-shirt? Read more…
As an anime fanboy I think one of my most bitter lessons one year was waiting until the last minute to order my new year’s calendar — sadly every one was grabbed up. Part of the reason for this is that often the Japanese fans will grab them quite a bit in advance leaving the sad crumbs for poor gaijin otaku like myself. Well I learned my lesson and I started to plan my wall decor well in advance. Shown here are my top suggested picks for 2011 starting with the beautiful Bleach (B) 2011 Calendar shown above. Here are my other favorites: Read more…
The animation isn’t exactly Pixar, but the humor in Warriors of the Unknown will bring a smile to any gamers face. This video (which is available on DVD) was created by the Cosmic Radicals, a team of online gamers who know their subject perhaps a bit too well. Watching the videos I loved the juxtaposition of romantic fantasy elements set against conversations about dog food: Read more…
