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Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 18, 2013 in Anime 
The Anime Mirai program in Japan is part of a government funding project to support studios that train new animators. The 2013 program has a few new anime shorts featured, and one of those is from Hiroyuki Imaishi’s new studio, Trigger. They’ll be releasing a new short on March 2nd (along with the others) called Little Witch Academia, and none other than Yoh Yoshinari will be directing. It looks to be very cute and reminiscent of GAINAX’s old work (which is no surprise given that Trigger features several GAINAX veterans). While you’re paying attention, also check out Studio Trigger’s other show, Inferno Cop, which is my anime of the year. It’s that good. Read more…
Tags: GAINAX, Studio Trigger
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 18, 2013 in Anime 
Are you ready for more Ghost in the Shell? How about a new anime? And what if it looked to be completely new? That’s what we’ve got with Ghost in the Shell Arise, a new project from Production I.G.! While Kenji Kamiyama is not involved, Kazuchika Kisa will be the chief director, and Tow Ubukata will be supervising and scripting the anime. Cornelius will be composing music. Ubukata is the writer and creator of Mardock Scramble, which will either make you apprehensive or pleased. I’m the former. Still, I can’t help but be interested in seeing how a new Ghost in the Shell anime will turn out. We’ll be hearing more details at a livestreamed event on February 12th. Click below for full art of the new look for Makoto Kusanagi! Read more…
Tags: Ghost in the Shell, Production I.G.
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 17, 2013 in Videogames 
Confession time: I only played Metal Gear Solid — the PS1 classic — for the first time last year. I liked it and plan to play more, but that’s just to establish where I’m coming from. Consider it a disclaimer for when I post that Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the action game spin-off starring Raiden, looks absolutely insane in the best possible way. It helps that Platinum Games, makers of fine, yet crazy action games, is developing it on behalf of Konami. The latest trailer looks like it’s from the opening of the game and…well, give it a watch. Read more…
Tags: Konami, Metal Gear Solid, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 17, 2013 in Star Trek, Television 
As any good Star Trek fan knows, the original captain before James T. Kirk was Captain Christopher Pike. He starred in the failed pilot “The Cage,” which was salvaged for the two-part episode “The Menagerie.” But at the time, it seemed as though actor Jeffrey Hunter would be sticking with the series. And while his vision of what Star Trek would be was somewhat close to what it ultimately turned out to be, there was a key difference about what the show was actually about. Read more…
Tags: Star Trek
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 16, 2013 in Videogames 
Hardcore Devil May Cry fans may have balked at Dante’s redesign in Capcom and Ninja Theory’s franchise reboot, but whining aside, the game is looking pretty awesome. The aesthetics may be different, but DmC: Devil May Cry seems like the same crazy, stylized action that the series is known for. Capcom put out a new trailer to promote the launch, and if you haven’t seen the game in a while, give it a watch. There’s a lot of cool stuff going down. Plus, Dante even has white hair at one point. That’s all anyone wanted, right?
Read more…
Tags: Capcom, Devil May Cry
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 16, 2013 in Star Wars 
Internet denizens can sometimes be silly, yet awesome. Almost 35,000 people signed a petition on the White House’s website asking the Obama Administration to secure funding to build a Death Star by 2016. They argued that it would bolster national security and also create much-needed jobs. Hitting 25,000 signatures requires an official response, but it was unlikely that the response would be much more than a humorless “No, stop fooling around.” Imagine my surprise when the White House — one of the most important bureaucratic offices in the world — gave this statement. Read more…
Tags: Death Star, Star Wars
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 15, 2013 in Star Trek 
So I’m watching the latest cut of the official teaser trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness (see below) and it suddenly hits me: I’ve seen this lady before in the Star Trek universe. Sure enough I go back through my stills of Where No Man Has Gone Before which was an early pilot for Star Trek and there she is — Dr. Elizabeth Dehner! There is also a shot earlier in the trailer that reminds of Kirk talking to Lt. Cmdr. Gary Mitchell in the brig: Read more…
Tags: Star Trek Into Darkness
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2013 in Cinema, Star Wars 
With Star Wars becoming such a phenomenon over the years and possessing such a rabid fanbase, it’s really fun to see how things might have turned out if, say, the casting had gone differently. At one point, Lucas had offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi to Toshiro Mifune, well-known for his roles in Akira Kurosawa’s films like Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Star Wars itself was heavily influenced by Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (among other films), so it’s not surprising. But apparently, Lucas may have offered Mifune an additional role: Darth Vader. Read more…
Tags: Akira Kurosawa, Darth Vader
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2013 in Videogames 
For most people, Pokemon is a light-hearted game or cartoon about obsessively collecting weird animals and making friends. But of course, those who grew up with Pokemon are now old, and they’ve been deconstructing all the strange parts with simple logic and often a good dose of dark speculation. So here’s a question: what does Professor Oak do with the pokemon you leave and your rival leave behind at the beginning of the game? Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 14, 2013 in Tech 
Have you been paying attention to the long and exciting story of the Oculus Rift? It’s a virtual reality headset that has been making waves in the gaming community as the first “good” VR equipment. Originally a Kickstarter that took flight, it has now grown into an impressive production that will launch a developer SDK in March along with a prototype headset, and a final consumer version by the end of the year. So far every impression of it has been glowing, with fans and journalists alike saying that it’s a great experience, if a bit disorienting at first. Check out some video below! Read more…
Tags: oculus rift
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 14, 2013 in Cinema 
Danny Boyle is back, and his latest film, starring James McAvoy, looks to be another mind-bending suspense-filled tale. Trance will be about an art thief who is part of a heist that goes wrong – and it seems he took the missing painting. However after being hit in the head, he can’t remember where he put it (or so he claims), so he’s hypnotized to help him remember all the juicy details. Of course, given Boyle’s penchant for trippy visuals and mental games, using hypnotism isn’t going to be that easy. Looks like McAvoy will be having his head toyed with a bit. Get out of my head, Charles! Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2013 in Cinema 
Jurassic Park 4? Yeah, that’s happening. Why? Because DINOSAURS. Universal Pictures has set a release date for the fourth film in the series for June 13th, 2014. As always, studios throw dates out and then get the talent for the movie, so currently it’s lacking a director. A script has been finished though, by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Steven Spielberg is currently on as the producer. I’m sure we’ll hear rumors of Steven coming in to direct, but right now it’s all up in the air. Perhaps some fresh talent would reinvigorate the series? I’m curious to see how everything will pan out, but not very optimistic. Read more…
Tags: Jurassic Park
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 13, 2013 in Television 
Oh look, a three-eyed raver flying through the sky! Oh wait, that’s our world! Maybe this new season of Game of Thrones is going to be way different from what we expected. Or perhaps HBO is just creating a long and needless metaphor for their tagline. But maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “man I wish March 31st would be here sooner.” It’s what we’re all thinking, my friend. Certain events that will transpire in the third season are going to be so earth-shattering that even George R.R. Martin is considering going on a vacation around that time, without internet or phone. That’s how you know this is going to be good. Read more…
Tags: A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones, HBO
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
How much do you like Charizard? If you’re a Pokemon fan, these excellent D-Arts figures are probably right up your alley. Their previous Mewtwo figure was an awesome model that was really well-sculpted, and this new Charizard looks to be just as good. Super-poseable and brightly colored, I think this will be an excellent addition to any Pokemon fan’s collection. He’s set for release in April, but you can pre-order him now on Amiami, so you can have a reserve when he eventually arrives. Now, what Pokemon are they going to release next? Maybe a trainer? Read more…
Tags: Action Figures, Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 12, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve’s series of Team Fortress 2 Meet the Team videos have been some of the best video game-based short films made. Ever. So a lot of people want more of that – I know I do. But making more is a big undertaking, but it looks like Valve is up to the challenge. In a recent Nerdist podcast, Gabe Newell mentions that Valve is indeed working on a Team Fortress 2 short film, and it will be roughly 15 minutes in length. They were originally aiming for a 90-minute feature length film, but once they discovered that was hard, they scaled it down a bit. Given the quality of the previous shorts, I’m incredibly hyped for this new video. Read more…
Tags: Team Fortress
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2013 in Cinema 
Now that Christopher Nolan is done with the world of Batman, everyone is wondering what he will do next. We might have our answer now: Steven Spielberg was previously set to direct a sci-fi film called Interstellar, about wormholes and their potential for time travel, written by Jonathan Nolan. Spielberg has now dropped from that film, moving on to other movies. Who else better to pick it up than Jonathan’s brother, Christopher? It seems the duo will team up again to tackle the project, but Christopher will reportedly be changing things up from Spielberg’s version, though it will still be a “heroic interstellar voyage.” But really, all you had to say was “Nolan directing a sci-fi space film” and I’d be on board. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 11, 2013 in Videogames 
I need this game – in my body, inject it directly into my veins! Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red’s upcoming game based on the popular pen & paper RPG Cyberpunk. It will take that setting an expand it into a story-driven, open-world experience – according to CD Projekt. Basically, if you like anything cyberpunk, or have an affinity for Blade Runner or other tales of that ilk, you’ll probably like this. The teaser trailer features a police officer, bullets, flying cars, and barely-clothed murderous-looking lady. Basically: all the needed elements for an awesome cyberpunk game. Watch it below! Read more…
Tags: Cyberpunk 2077
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 10, 2013 in Cinema 
Jurassic Park is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D rerelease in theaters starting April 5. Of course, the movie wasn’t originally shot in 3D, so the film will undergo a conversion process that better be well done, unlike most films converted to 3D after the fact. But if you’re up for watching the landmark film in the biggest way possible, you may want to consider the newly announced one-week engagement in IMAX 3D. Read more…
Tags: Dinosaurs
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 10, 2013 in Videogames 
Did you love Three Dog, the DJ in Bethesda’s Fallout 3? His voice actor Erik Todd Dellums is hinting at something new for the post-apocalyptic videogame franchise. And since he was actually “given permission” to leak the info, it has to be fairly factual. Read more…
Tags: Bethesda, Fallout
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
The rumors were true! At CES, Valve confirmed they are making their own videogame console — well, sort of. The as-of-yet unnamed “Steam Box” (codenamed “Piston”) will run their already-existing Steam game delivery system, which is by far the market leader when it comes to PC gaming due to solid service, simple DRM, and ridiculously cheap sales and vast bundle deals. Valve has recently introduced “Big Picture” mode, a menu system designed to be viewed on HDTVs instead of PC monitors, so it made sense that Valve was eyeing the couch gaming market. Read more…
Tags: CES, Steam, Valve
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2013 in Videogames 
Nintendo was teasing a major Pokemon announcement, and the latest Nintendo Direct delivered. Despite the 3DS being out for almost two years, Nintendo hasn’t made a main Pokemon game for it yet, with Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 getting a DS release. Now, Nintendo has confirmed an October 2013 release for Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, which features the main games’ first ever 3D world, more dynamic 3D battles, and of course a slew of new pokemon to make up Generation 6. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2013 in Star Wars 
It’s easily assumed that Darth Vader’s helmet has some sort of hearing aid to help him hear inside that claustrophobic helmet. But what if he didn’t? What if he had no idea what anyone around him was saying? That’s the premise of this edited video.
Read more…
Tags: Darth Vader, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
CES is running right now, and Nvidia just revealed a new handheld device they’re calling Project Shield, at least for now. With a 5 inch touchscreen, the device runs Android on Nvidia’s newly announced Tegra 4 mobile chip and features an actual controller in the clamshell about the size of an Xbox 360 controller. Read more…
Tags: Handhelds, Nvidia
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 7, 2013 in Comic Books, Television 
I’m sure this whole “split season” thing is great for ratings. Twice the season finales! Twice the season premieres! More advertising! But man is it frustrating for viewers. Getting right into the swing of things and suddenly the rug is pulled out from underneath you. Thankfully, the wait isn’t long, as the second half of Walking Dead season 3 is coming back February 10th, and AMC is pumping out the previews. Below we have two new videos (a clip and a trailer) to whet your appetite for more zombies. Read more…
Tags: The Walking Dead
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