This week, Sony launched a line of PlayStation 2 titles to be distributed digitally via the PlayStation store. Under normal circumstances, this would be welcome news. However a few gamers are more than a little ticked. Some of you may recall the console having launched with backwards compatibility, allowing PS2 owners the option to carry their libraries over to the new platform. Current models no longer support hardware emulation and, until now, have lacked the means to play PS2 software. Sony finally seems to have perfected their software emulation, but won’t be giving it to us for free. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, after all where’s the profit in giving us backwards compatibility when Sony could simply charge us twice for the games we already own. At least early adopters can still brag — that is, assuming their consoles haven’t died yet.
It’s been a long time coming, but for fans, I suppose its been worth the wait. Both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: the Animated Series are now available for streaming via Netflix. I was already excited about Deep Space Nine, as the series eventually grew on me over the years. Initially, I wasn’t very fond of the characters and while I appreciated the serialized approach to the series, I always felt the scripts paled in comparison to The Next Generation which, at the time the series aired, had been my long-running staple. As far as the Animated Series goes, I never really saw much of it but I’ve never heard any nice things about it either. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing whether or not it’s as terrible as everyone makes it out to be.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 4, 2011 in Design, Fandom
A few months back, Chronicle Books published The MAD Fold-In Collection: 1964-2010, a collection of Al Jaffee’s award-winning fold-ins featured on the back of MAD Magazine over the past four decades. For those of us who grew up reading MAD, this special collection is an absolute must-buy. Though I haven’t personally subscribed to the publication in recent years, I have fond memories of purchasing issues and immediately flipping them over to see what Jaffee had in store for us. His brilliant designs are not only humorous and satirical, but constantly remain topical and are often thought-provoking.
Okay, this is a bit of exciting news and I really could help but write about it, but it looks as though — wait for it — Arrested Development will be returning for a fourth season! Okay, well, maybe not a entire season, but at least nine or ten new episodes that will serve as a lead-in for the upcoming feature film. The announcement came from series creator Mitch Hurwitz during a recent cast reunion. No word on when the episodes will start full production, or where they’ll end up, but there’s some reports that both Netflix and Showtime have shown interest.
Feast your eyes on Big Chief’s Doctor Who Limited Edition Eleventh Doctor collectible figure. From the sculpt itself to the accessories, it’s about as high-end as it gets — I’d even say it’s almost on par with some of the Hot Toys figures we’ve been seeing recently. Of course, it’ll cost you about as much as one too. A special signature edition of the 1:6th scale figure retails for roughly $265 without shipping, while the less expensive limited edition will run for only $233. Both of them should be hitting the market around December or early January. To make up for that asking price, the signature edition includes a plaque hand-signed by Smith, while both figures will come with several interchangeable hands, and numerous accessories like the Doctor’s invitation to Lake Silencio, a sonic screwdriver, and more — sorry, no fez or stetson. The signature edition will be incredibly limited in supply as only 250 units are being produced. Ironically, the limited edition may not be so limited in number. If you want to get yours hands on one, head over to the official Big Chief website and sign up to pre-order yours today. Read more…
China recently unveiled the logo for its version of NASA, the Chinese National Space Administration, and it looks… let’s say it looks a little familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like it looks a lot like what would happen if you mixed the logos for, say, a united federation of planets and a fleet that traveled through the stars. Admittedly, if you have to design a logo for a space program you want to be successful, you could do worse than drawing inspiration from sci-fi’s most beloved space program. Just be sure to give NASA a call when you discover warp technology because, let’s face it, the US space program sure isn’t going to do it. Read more…
Director Kevin Tancharoen put the internet into an uproar when he released a proof-of-concept trailer for a rebooted, more “realistic” Mortal Kombat film he called Mortal Kombat Rebirth. Attention from the trailer got him a gig directing a new web series, Mortal Kombat Legacy, using the actors and themes from the trailer, and fans seemed to dig it. Now, with the success of the web series, Warner Bros. has officially signed off on a new Mortal Kombat movie with Tancharoen as director. None of the actors from the web series, like Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan, are signed on yet, but given that the project was only just announced, we can probably wait a while before worrying about casting. I’m not big into Mortal Kombat at all, but Tancharoen’s bootstraps approach to getting to work on a property he loved is pretty impressive and I hope he continues to do well for himself. Read more…
If you’re a fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead, you were probably alarmed when it show-runner and series producer Frank Darabont decided to “gut” the entire writing staff at the end of last season — I know I was. Well, the second season is almost upon us with its October 16th premiere fast-approaching, and we’ve had no indication to date as to how the changes will affect the series moving forward. That said, AMC plans on releasing an entire webseries on October 2nd that will serve as a lead-in for the new season, and that might be our first opportunity to see just how the series will shape up from here on out. It should be noted that Darabont himself did contribute to last seasons writing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
So it’s official, StarTrek.com has confirmed the upcoming release of Star Trek: The Next Generation in high definition. The three episode Blu-ray sampler Star Trek: The Next Generation — The Next Level is now set for an official release on January 31st, 2012. Priced at $21.99, the disc will include the full-length version of the series premiere “Encounter at Far Point,” as well as the episodes “Sins of the Father” and “The Inner Light.” All of those episodes are pretty solid choices, but it just means we’ll have to wait until they finish with the rest of the series before we can get our hands on our favorite episodes like “The Best of Both Worlds.”
Check out this slick replica of the Master’s watch from the Doctor Who series 3 episode Utopia. Don’t worry, contrary to what Professor Yana might tell you, it works just fine. In fact, it actually lights up and comes made of a durable but light zinc alloy so it won’t weigh you down. Fortunately, it shouldn’t contain the hidden essence of a Time Lord either — just don’t blame me if you start hearing the sound of drums on occasion. You can head to ThinkGeek and pick up yours for only $49.99. All things considered, that’s probably a bargain. I can’t imagine what it’d cost on Gallifrey. Besides, pocket watches are cool.
Back in June, Brent Spiner took part in a webcast where he discussed his recent webseries Fresh Hell. During the course of the interview, he mentioned that he’d love to join his former Star Trek: The Next Generation cast mate Wil Wheaton, and guest star on The Big Bang Theory. Well, it looks like he got his wish; both Brent and Wil will be appearing in an upcoming episode of the CBS comedy. Not many details have been revealed about the spot, other than he’ll be playing the role of himself while attending a party being thrown by Sheldon’s arch-nemesis, Wheaton. An image from the episode has been released, depicting Sheldon, Leonard, Brent and Wil in the same shot, but as to how Sheldon or Leonard scored an invite will remain a mystery until the episode airs on October 13th.
Sure, it’s another video, but I’m sure you’ll overlook that once you see what it is. Beat Town Boogie, the guys who produced that hilarious Metal Gear Solid x Modern Warfare fan-film the other year, recently attended DragonCon in Atlanta. While they were there, they took their nifty HD camera setup and filmed all the cosplay they could. Here’s the final product; a 23 minute montage of some of the best cosplay you’ll ever see. After seeing the quality of these costumes, its no wonder why everyone I know decided to attend this year. The number of con-goers who attend in costume is simply mind-boggling, and from what I understand, continues to grow each year. If this video isn’t enough to convince you to attend, I’m not sure what would — it really looks like a blast.
I recently stumbled across this awesome short from a recent episode of Looney Toons and have since made it my mission in life to share it with as many people as possible. I can only preface it by saying that I truly detest the use of the word epic to describe anything these days, but if there were ever times to invoke its use, this would surely be among them. The short features Daffy Duck in the role of “The Wizard,” as he battles hordes of villains in what is later revealed to be a dream sequence of sorts — or at least, how he must envision his every day life. What really amazed me was the quality of the animation itself, as well as the character designs. It actually makes me want to sit down and watch some recent episodes of this new series to see how awesome the rest of it must be.
I didn’t really realize they were still running theAdidas x Starwars campaign from the other year, but it’s cool that it’s still happening. For example, check out these sweet wampa-inspired kicks, complete with faux wampa fur. It’s actually horse hair, but I don’t think anyone would notice. Besides, convincing someone you actually killed a wampa shouldn’t be too hard. Luke did it and he probably had some form of frostbite by that point. Of course, you’ll have to actually order a pair first. Tthey’re pretty expensive at $150 a pair, and I’m sure keeping them clean is going to be a pain, but chances are that you’ll be the only person you know who owns them. There’s always that, right? I just hope that at some point, they make a pair in wookie-brown. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 26, 2011 in Dr. Who, Fandom
Fans never cease to amaze me. For those of you who are scratching your head, you’re looking at a poster mock-up for the fictional 1960s British television series Inspector Spacetime, seen in last weeks episode of Community. Upon witnessing the terrible acting and low-budget special effects, Abed proclaims it to be the best thing he’s ever seen — which, ironically, is the exact same reaction I had the first time I watched Doctor Who. So, the series supposedly follows the Inspector as he travels through time and space in his red DARSIT, while saving the universe from creatures like the dreaded Blogons, or Digifleet. Within a week, the series already has its own TVtropes page, cosplayers, and fan-made merchandise. As a friend pointed out, the joke was clearly meant to parody the Doctor’s fans more than his series, but I suppose that’s what makes it so great. There’s multiple layers to the humor. Let’s just hope the producers keep the joke running through out the season.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 25, 2011 in Animation, Cinema
Regardless of how you feel about the whole My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic thing, you have to admit that this scene from a recent episode, a parody of Star Wars’ ending scene, is pretty much pitch-perfect. Perhaps the world doesn’t need yet another Star Wars parody/homage/reference/whatever, but hey, if you’re gonna do it, you might as well do it right, and it looks like that’s what happened here. Side note: I feel like Vader probably would have made being a “brony” against Imperial law. That’s at least one thing he and I would agree on. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 24, 2011 in Comic Books
DC’s “New 52” initiative, which rebooted/relaunched 52 ongoing comic series starting this month, is a great opportunity to challenge or completely destroy conventions that have been present in Big Two comics for a long time. As someone who’s purchased nearly half of said 52 books, I’ve actually been really pleased with the ones I picked up, but I’ve been choosy about which I purchase. I have a confession, though — I love female superheroes, so I bought every book that had one in it. Laura Hudson of Comics Alliance wrote a great piece about the unfortunate depictions of DC mainstay ladies Catwoman and Starfire (in Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws, respectively). Basically, Catwoman is offensively bad cheesecake — it looks and reads like fanfiction, with Selina walking around with half her bra showing and ending the book with a two-page spread of Selina riding Batman on a rooftop — and Starfire in Outlaws is some twisted male vision of what a “sexually liberated female” would be (read: a sex doll). It’s disheartening to see books coming out with content like that, because the relaunch was such a great opportunity to build some bridges with female readers rather than burn them down. But I’m here to tell you that the rest of the ladies in the new DCU don’t have it as bad. In fact, most of them seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. This week, I came home with Birds of Prey, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman, all of which star female characters, and I walked away really pleasantly surprised. Read more…
Some day in the future, when you open up a book about the top ten greatest innovators in filmmaking, you’ll see one name at the top of the list: one Mr. Tim Burton, the filmmaker responsible for classics like Edward Scissorhands. Why, you ask? This man has done what previously the world thought impossible, a feat that will undoubtedly be imitated for years — nay, decades — to come. The feat? Casting Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in a Tim Burton movie. You can see from the above promotional still that there is indeed one (1) Johnny Depp (center) and one (1) Helena Bonham Carter (far left) in this film, which is directed by Tim Burton. The movie is Dark Shadows. But you’ll remember. You’ll remember. Read more…
A few days ago, Gameforge uploaded the trailer for their upcoming browser-based Star Trek title, Star Trek: Infinite Space. Set during the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the game lets you take control of either Federation of Klingon forces during the brief conflict that followed the dissolution of the Khitomer Accords. From the looks of it, it’ll be primarily a starship combat simulator. Those of you who were turned off by Star Trek Online‘s subscription-based platform might be interested to know that Infinite Space will be free-to-play and should feature multiplayer co-op. In addition, the game’s scenarios have been scripted by series writer Lee Sheldon, and both Denise and Michael Okuda will be serving as consultants on the project. The game is set for release later this year, so keep checking the official site for more information.
It’s been tough for fans of Simon and Schuster’s Star Trek novels. After the lay off of series editor Margaret Clark, and the subsequent cancellation of various Typhon Pact novels, many feared the Pocket Books universe would meet its end. Fortunately, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. At the beginning of next month, Simon & Schuster will be releasing their first original Star Trek e-book exclusive in nearly four years. The Struggle Within will continue the Star Trek: Typhon Pact arc, and will feature characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Tallarians, as well as focusing on the mysterious Kinshaya — the only race that has yet to be heavily featured in a Typhon Pact novel.
Yelp certainly has its problems, and anyone who has taken the time to wade through the sea of nonsensical reviews would agree, but even I have to admit that its been useful on occasion. Unfortunately, upset customers tend to be the most vocal, and it’s impossible for an establishment to please everyone. That being the case, the service often finds itself plagued by it own users — people with a false sense of entitlement and way too much time on their hands. Don’t believe me? Just check out this hilarious Tumblr account that chronicles some of the worst Yelp reviews ever written. Normally, I would say that I’ve never seen so many ridiculous reviews in one place before, but that’s not true — I’ve also browsed Apple’s app store.
It’s certainly one way to ensure your kid has a spot at the “cool kids” table. All of this lunch box art is by a San Diego dad who enjoys drawing on his kid’s lunch bags in his spare time. The designs come from every corner of geekdom, from Sci-fi and film to comics and games. I have no idea if his kids get multiple uses out of the bags, but the bags are certainly cooler than anything you could get at a store. Speaking of which, he actually has a store you can visit if you’d like one of his original works, or a caricature of Rick Astley. Otherwise, if you just want to see more of his designs, check out his official Tumblr — it’s updated regularly.
I’ve been trying to convince myself to overlook Lucas’ edits, but I really haven’t found a reason until now. It seems as though the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special — or at least, the portion of it featuring the introduction of Boba Fett — has been included as a hidden treat. The Easter Egg can be found on the bonus disc for the Original Trilogy by accessing the archive for Episode V. After that, navigate your way to “Pursued by the Imperial Fleet,” access “The Collection,” then select Boba Fett’s prototype costume. A menu then pops up on the right with the option “First Look” which will treat you to a short introduction that leads to the Holiday Special. If you’ve never seen the special before, be prepared to be disappointed. The voice acting is terrible, and the plot is a little lame, but it’s a piece of history that rarely sees the light of day. There’s probably going to be more Easter Eggs hidden away, but I doubt any of them could be as pleasing as this one.
