Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Romulan Ale suppose to be alcoholic? I thought as much — which is why I’ve found myself wondering why anyone would ever consider making it an energy drink. Maybe someone thought blueberry soda would be a great idea and realized it actually tastes pretty nasty so they upped the caffine and slapped the term “energy drink” on it. That’s one theory, at least. The last time I had something claiming to be Romulan Ale, it was actually German beer with some food blue coloring — not the best beer I’ve ever had, but the novelty was certainly there. Any way, if you’re interested in trying some, ThinkGeek is selling a six-pack for $15. Expensive, right?
It would appear that NBC’s Wonder Woman has had an official wardrobe change. Apparently, enough people complained about the bright blue vinyl to make a difference. In addition to ditching the shiny pants in favor of a darker spandex, it looks as though they’ve decided to do away with her glossy red lipstick, and blue high-heels as well. While the changes are arguably for the best, I can’t help but feel the costume still seems a bit off. Perhaps I’m just not used to seeing Wonder Woman in anything but shorts. Maybe it’ll grow on me. Read more…
In case you’ve been waiting, Telltale Games has finally released the third installment of Back to the Future: The Game for PC & Mac. For those of you with consoles, the PS3 release of chapter two should be available tomorrow as well, via Playstation Network. The iPad & European releases should follow in coming weeks, but so far there’s no official date. In other news, the first episode of their Jurrasic Park adventure series should be out sometime next month. Unfortunately, if you’d rather own a console version you’ll be stuck waiting until Fall. I can’t imagine why they’d wait so long to port it, but I’m sure they have a good reason. Besides, there’s really nothing like playing a point-and-click adventure with a mouse. Read more…
This video has been making the rounds on twitter for the past few days, and while I don’t exactly find it humorous — especially considering how many people are still suffering overseas — I found it very interesting watch. For those of you who don’t speak Japanese, it’s a government sponsored propaganda cartoon that insists that plutonium is not as harmful as activists may have led you to believe. I’m not sure when this film was drawn, but judging by the fact that it’s completely hand-drawn, I’m sure it’s safe to assume it wasn’t recent. I certainly hope any kid ever exposed to this would know better by now.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 29, 2011 in Videogames
For those of you who’ve been waiting, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy III hitthe app store last week. The game appears to be a port of the 2006 Nintendo DS remake with upgraded visuals and obvious tweaks to the gameplay, accounting for the touch-based interface. Both this, and the 2006 remake feature a number of enhancements over the original Famicom title, including a revamped story, developed characters, added scenes, an overhauled job system, and much more. While all of this sounds pretty awesome, I should note the app is fairly expensive at $15.99. That said, if you’re a fan of Japanese RPGs, it’s probably worth the price.
Like many of you, I spent last weekend wondering why I saw Zack Synder’s Sucker Punch and subsequently worrying about his upcoming Superman reboot. I tried to convince myself that the film really wasn’t so bad but I’d just be lying. It really seemed like the film had an attention deficit disorder. The poorly paced, terribly written script mixed with Snyder’s inability to direct had me wanting to lobtimize myself halfway through. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who felt this way. So, what does this mean for The Man of Steel? Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 28, 2011 in Animation, Fandom
The latest episode of CollegeHumor’s Nerd Alert features an interview with Fanboy.com publisher Michael Pinto (although you have to get a few minutes into the show: Read more…
Whether it is cries of fear or sadness, or maybe even of laughter. Vampires have been a continuing viable market that ensnares people to follow the stories of these tormented immortal individuals. In graphic novels or manga, there are memorable vampires-type characters that left an impression with its fans and viewers. Read more…
Posted by Linda Yau on Mar 28, 2011 in Comic Books
Since 1909 Kodansha has been an influential publisher with titles that are beloved to Japanese fans for generations — however it’s only recently that they’ve set out to make their name in America. Their blockbuster titles include Akira, Oh My Goddess, Card Captor Sakura and Ghost in the Shell to just name a few. Up until this point Kodansha have released their titles through Random House’s imprint of Del Rey, but now they’re ready to make their own name. Here are nine Kodansha titles worth getting to know (some of which you may already know): Read more…
We see conventions like Comic-Con as so huge and, well, modern, that for the young (like me) it’s hard to imagine what they were like before the internet, before information got around so easily. Well, we now have video proof! Joe Field from Flying Colors did a promotional video review of WonderCon 1988, and it’s surprisingly … YouTubey. Eerily ahead of its time, even. There are interviews with Stan Lee and Will Eisner, among others, as well as footage and commentary on the con itself. It’s a pretty fascinating piece of video. Read more…
If you think your house is missing something, I think I know what it is. It’s a cross-stitched art piece of characters from your favorite genre series! Wee Little Stitches agrees, and they have your back. There are over 20 cross-stitch patterns of the casts from everything from Firefly (above) to the Avengers, and reasonably-priced, at that. I don’t know about you, but a cross-stitched picture of Jayne’s hat feels meta to the max to me. Like some kind of recursive meta loop. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Mar 26, 2011 in Videogames
BoingBoing gives us this video, a grim video diary of deaths from classic video games. It’s funny to see the stark differences between deaths from one game to another, the bombast and understatedness you could experience depending on the game. Exploding into a shower of multicolored pixels is pretty cool, or a series of flashing rings, or a ball of flame, but what about the classic woob-woob-woob-woob of a Pac-Man in his death throes? In games as in real life, not everybody goes out with a bang. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Mar 26, 2011 in Animation
One of the world’s most beloved children’s book artists and the world’s most beloved fantasy series? Sounds like the perfect team to me. Tony DiTerlizzi says that Maurice Sendak (“Where the Wild Things Are”) very nearly illustrated “The Hobbit” in the 70s, but a misunderstanding between J. R. R. Tolkien and Sendak led to the partnership falling through. Sendak created art that was whimsical but could also be twisted and dark, a lot like Arthur Rackham before him, so he would’ve been the perfect choice for a book like “The Hobbit.” It’s a shame that a silly misunderstanding prevented what would’ve been beautiful work. Check out the whole story at Hero Complex.
Even though it hasn’t even been released yet, Sony Pictures is banking on The Amazing Spider-Man being a big success. How big? Well, they’ve already greenlighted a sequel to the reboot, that’s how big. James Vanderbilt, screenwriter for the first film, has received the go-ahead to start a script for the sequel. Seems like a pretty big risk, but if TASM does do well, it means that they’ll have a leg up on pre-production for the sequel. If not, well, I’m not an accountant, but greenlighting a movie definitely costs some money. Maybe someone at Sony got bit by a radioactive hundred-dollar bill. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Mar 25, 2011 in Television
In a parallel universe, the internet is mourning the loss of some of the best sci-fi ever seen on television. But not in this universe! Despite worries about ratings and a much-dreaded move to the “Friday night death slot,” Fringe has officially been renewed for a fourth season. And it gets better: a full run of 22 episodes has been ordered, not a “we’re worried about this show’s chances” 13-episode run. Fox seems to be of the mind that an established show will do better in the Friday night slot than a new one, and they’re probably right. Either way, great news all around. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 24, 2011 in Videogames
ThinkGeek recently updated their stock with this awesome Space Invaders hoodie. Not only does it speak to my inner-gamer, but it’s actually fashionable. I love a good argyle — top that off with some 8-bit prints and I’m sold. With those April showers less than a month away, picking one of these up might not be such a bad idea. Normally they retail for roughly $60, but ThinkGeek actually has them on sale for 50% off list price for a limited time. That means only $30 before shipping. Head over and order yours today.
This Star Wars-themed Wampa pound cake was recently designed by Star Wars fan & professional illustrator Alica Policia for her 30th birthday. Pretty amazing, right? Made with her mother’s classic sour cream pound cake recipe and featuring some fantastic buttercream icing, one might wonder why she didn’t bother going all the way by adding a layer of ice cream. After all, Hoth has plenty of ice — you’d think it’d be a necessity.
With the upcoming release of Captain America: The First Avenger, I felt we should take a moment to reflect on the Captain’s previous bid for box office gold — probably because it wasn’t much of a box office bid in the first place. Few of you probably remember 1990’s Captain America, seeing as it it never receieved a domestic theatrical release. those of you who have seen it probably were unlucky enough to stumble across a copy at your local Blockbuster — you know, those places people used to go to rent films.
Like many of you, I found Resident Evil 5 to be a bit underwhelming — especially after having played through 4 — so you can imagine my frustration when they decided to release additional DLC for that latest title in lieu of simply moving on to a bigger and better sequel. That said, I had no objections when Capcom recently announced their latest project, Resident Evil Revival Selection — an HD remake of Resident Evil 4, and it’s predacessor of sorts, Resident Evil: Code Veronica for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Mar 22, 2011 in Videogames
If you don’t mind waiting for the game to ship when it’s released next month, Amazon has a special promotion for anyone who’s interested in pre-ordering a copy of Valve’s Portal 2. In addition to only costing you $55 on your console of choice — Valve recommends the PS3, though I personally prefer the PC for any FPS — you’ll get an extra $20 in Amazon credit to spend on whatever you like. Every other retailer currently has the title listed for $59 , so why not save some cash and a pick up a virtual giftcard while you’re at it?
We’ve been hearing about it for years, but it seems Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit has finally started production. Things had been looking pretty grim when the Tolkien Estate & British publisher HarperCollins filed suit against New Line cinema over a breach of contract. Following that debacle, Guillermo del Toro had been attached to direct the project, only to pull out when MGM’s financial issues had sidelined the project indefinitely. Thankfully, those issues have been resolved, and Jackson looks to be directing the project once again.
The image of a vampire licking their blood stain lips after feeding, or bearing their fangs may or may not send a shiver up your spine, but for viewers these are possibly a quintessential appearance of a vampire. Vampires was first mentioned in literature around the 1700’s, but until Bran Stroker’s Dracula was published around 1897, the other vampire works weren’t as definitive or influential. Now the usage of vampires is a very common tool. Viewers can easily see vampires in contemporary series like Twilight, True Blood, or The Vampire Diaries. But consider these vampires in three different categories, Movies; Television; Comics, and see if you want to be bitten, if they have their focuses on you. Read more…
Anyone paying attention to Asian news these past several weeks would have realized that a devastating triple threat has happened in Japan. On March 11, 2011 around the Northern east coastlines of this island nation, there was a strong earthquake that resulted in devastating tsunamis, and what is now the concern of Japan in controlling a nuclear incident around its nuclear plants. Every day checking certain tweets on Twitter, there is an official notification of how much casualties there has been, with also thousands of people displaced or suffering. This incident has caused casualties and victims that surpass Japan’s Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. Japan needs an incredible amount of money or resources in order to rebuild. So many people around the world, celebrities, or civilians have banded to join up the cause of fundraising and donating time or money for Japan relief. The better option in other countries, out of Japan, of course is to send money to charity foundations to supply aid. Read more…
Dystopian young-adult sci-fi novel “The Hunger Games” is being converted into a feature film by Seabiscuit‘s Gary Ross, and the hunt has been on for an actress to fill the role of heroine Katniss Everdeen. Names like Saoirse Ronan and Hailee Steinfeld have been tossed around as potentials, but according to The Wrap, the film has officially found its lead: Winter’s Bone actress Jennifer Lawrence. Having an Oscar nominee leading a genre film is a pretty big deal, and Lawrence is one of Hollywood’s rising female stars, so this certainly bodes well for the film. Suzanne Collins’ book series has been one of the biggest and most talked-about young adult series in years, so if The Hunger Games does well, it could mean a trilogy (and mass exposure) for Lawrence. Read more…
