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Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 31, 2013 in Cinema 
Dead Snow was a fun, campy movie about Nazi zombies in Norway. It was never going to win many awards (especially in subtitle-adverse America), but it was certainly worth a watch. Now the sequel is on its way: Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead. It’s not going to be just more of the same, though. One of the survivors lost his arm, and one of the Nazi zombies lost his arm. Apparently the doctor didn’t notice that the Nazi arm was dead, because he reattached it to the survivor, meaning we’ve got that wonderful cliche of the evil hand on a good guy’s body. And from this first teaser trailer, it looks like the good guy can use it to dish out some serious damage. It looks like more campy fun, and I’d definitely like to see the finished product. Read more…
Tags: zombies
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 31, 2013 in Television 
In Parks and Recreation‘s latest season, accountant Ben Wyatt is unemployed for a week between jobs and comes up with a ridiculously complicated board game called The Cones of Dunshire. It was actually produced for the show based on the script by Mayfair Games, who makes The Settlers of Catan, which this game is trying to evoke. I loved the joke because it reminded me of times when I’d have to try and explain other complicated board games like Arkham Horror to neophytes and watching their eyes glaze over — or times when I felt the same way trying to understand someone else’s board game. Apparently the numerous rules have been ironed out somewhat, as the game will be staged at GenCon this summer in Indianapolis. Mayfair notes that it will be “big and festive and probably for charity,” hoping that Adam Scott, the actor who plays Ben, can make it there for “his” game. I’d just like to figure out how the hell it’s actually played, because nothing he said in the episode made sense. Read more…
Tags: Board Games, parks and recreation
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 30, 2013 in Videogames 
After a series of heated votes, a heroine design has been picked for the Mighty No. 9, Keiji Inafune’s wildly successful Kickstarter video game. They had been leaving voting to the community to determine the most popular design for Call, the heroine of the game, and after a heated session, they’ve picked the above design. Granted, she looks pretty similar to Roll from Megaman, but given that this game is a spiritual successor to that series, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Check the second and third place designs below! Read more…
Tags: Kickstarter, Mighty No. 9
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 30, 2013 in Anime 
Space Dandy is finally here on Saturday, January 4th! Aren’t you excited? I know I am. Featuring all the animation talent of the Japanese industry, along with tons of musical artists, and back up by director Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop, it looks like 2014 will start off with a bang. It’ll air on Toonami at 11:30pm and every Saturday after that for 24 episodes! And that’s even before Japan, which gets it the day after! Dubbed or subbed, live on TV or streamed via the internet, pick the way you want to watch it and have fun. It’s a good time to be an anime fan. Watch the trailer right here! Read more…
Tags: BONES, Shinichirō Watanabe, Space Dandy
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 29, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
Please, Hot Toys, please. What dark magic do you use to shrink actors’ heads down to figure scale? It’s insane. Also, making a Dark Knight armory replica with Alfred to boot? You’re just killing my wallet here. Both Bruce and Alfred look fantastic, and the cabinet containing all of Batman’s weaponry looks like a great way to store all those extra figure pieces, right? At the very least, if you’re already deep in the Hot Toys pit, this armory is basically the last thing to complete the collection. No word yet on a release date or price, but I bet it’ll be expensive. Check out some more images below. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Hot Toys, The Dark Knight
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 29, 2013 in Cinema, Videogames 
Now there’s a title you don’t see every day. Clancy Brown, most famously known as the voice of Spongebob Squarepants’ Mr. Krabs, has join the World of Warcraft movie cast. No word on what part he’ll play, but he did voice Scourgelord Tyrannus in Wrath of the Lich King. Also announced was Daniel Wu. Previously, we had also heard that Travis Fimmel, Ben Foster, Toby Kebbell, Rob Kazinsky, Dominic Cooper, and Paula Patton had been cast as well. And remember how it opened on the same day as Star Wars Episode VII? Well, no longer! It was moved to March 11th, 2016. A smart move. Read more…
Tags: Warcraft, World of Warcraft
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 28, 2013 in Videogames 
I love goofy in-universe ads for fictional products, so seeing this new trailer for Titanfall presented as an ad by Hammond Robotics is pretty cool. It’s got a 23% lighter frame! Obviously! I’m pretty interested in Titanfall, not because it’s another multiplayer FPS, but because it introduces a lot of verticality into the game. Most of my favorite multiplayer FPS games (or at least the ones I keep coming back to) have an emphasis on being mobile and getting vertical space between you and your opponent. Titanfall isn’t far away now: it’ll arrive March 11th. Read more…
Tags: Titanfall
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 28, 2013 in Cinema, Fandom 
Alright, I know what you’re gonna say: another Kickstarter? But this one’s good. And with so many people using it, it really has become less of a novelty and more a legitimate pathway to funding your project. Kung Fury is an 80s-themed live-action movie by David Sandberg. It features vikings, Norse Gods, dinosaurs, guns, neon lights, and renegade time-travelling kung fu cops out to kill Hitler (the Kung Führer, of course). It looks suitably insane and has the look down pat. You can watch the trailer below made up of their existing footage, and then head over to their Kickstarter page to find out all the juicy details! Read more…
Tags: Kickstarter, Kung Fury
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 27, 2013 in Cinema, Fandom 
Sigh. We’d all like to forget the Star Wars Christmas Special, wouldn’t we? What if other beloved movies had gotten something just as terrible? Well, Nerdist decided to subject us all to the hilarious pain of imagining what a Blade Runner Christmas Special might look like. Yes, it’s as silly and terrifying as you might guess. Santa, Jesus, and elves that “just do toys” are involved… although I’m not sure what the point was of the random Chuck Norris joke? Maybe I’m missing a deeper level of meta-commentary. Check out the video below. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Read more…
Tags: Blade Runner
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 27, 2013 in Videogames 
Another returning character has been announced for Smash Bros., and it’s Zelda! This is really no surprise, but her upgraded look and (seemingly) some new moves involving the Phantom Armor from Spirit Tracks. Just recently we had gotten news of Rosalina being included in the game, so I’m glad to see more female fighters in the game. Especially when it’s called Smash Bros. I will say, I really like her design, as she looks even more fierce than before. Now we just need to wait for the inevitable Sheik reveal, eh? I’d also like to see Ganondorf get a more original moveset, ok Sakurai? Thanks. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Super Smash Bros., Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 26, 2013 in Videogames 
Nintendo’s “Year of Luigi” — celebrating 30 years of both the original Mario Bros. and Mario’s younger brother Luigi — was a great success. With Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, New Super Luigi U, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Luigi Bros. in Super Mario 3D World, Dr. Luigi on December 31, and tons of merchandise, I’m almost Luigi-ed out. Nendoroid finally revealed their Luigi Nendoroid, and it’s adorable. It won’t be available by the time 2013 ends, but I suppose Club Nintendo’s Luigi statue won’t be available either. It comes with a Goomba, Bullet Bill, warp pipe, dust cloud, 2 extra faces, and running legs. Plus, look at his big head! Read more…
Tags: Mario Brothers, Nendoroid, Nintendo, Toys
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 26, 2013 in Tech 
Sometimes I have difficulty really seeing optical illusions. My brain will just break the image down and I’ll see how it works, or if it’s one of those hidden image things, I can never cross my eyes just right. But this T-Rex Illusion by brusspup, based on a dragon illusion by Jerry Andrus, is just mind-boggling to me. The way it turns its head to keep looking at you had me thinking it was somehow mechanized. But no, it’s just a stationary cut-out, which you’ll realize near the end of this video. But even once you’ve seen the secret, your brain will likely snap it back into the illusion once the camera pans back around. Read more…
Tags: Magic
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 25, 2013 in Videogames 
Living in Los Angeles, I can attest to the fact that we barely get any sort of bad weather, much less snow. But Grand Theft Auto V‘s similar setting, Los Santos, is getting a winter make-over, along with various holiday treats. If you’re reading this on Christmas Day, you can hop into Grand Theft Auto Online and see the snow, which will also affect driving conditions. There are now special holiday items to buy such as Santa hats, snowman masks, and elf jackets, but they’re only available until January 5. There are new filters to use on your camera as you take selfies, as well as other additions like facial expressions, depth of field, and the ability to add text for easy meme pictures. And finally, some items like weapons and vehicles are up to 50% off, if you need to buy a gift for your online character or a friend. Read more…
Tags: Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 25, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
The Legend of Equip Pants is a retro-styled adventure game that usually doesn’t feature any player death. But for Christmas, there’s a new episode called Panta Claus where you can die. The developer tracked some data about where players went and where they died, then compiled it into this animation of the level’s layout. It’s a Christmas tree! The green lines are where 2000 players went in the level, and the red lights are where they died 6000 times, or about 3 per playthrough. If dying over and over in order to give a faux-Christmas tree twinkling lights doesn’t fit the spirit of Christmas, then I don’t know what does. Read more…
Tags: Christmas
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 24, 2013 in Animation 
Craig McCracken’s The Powerpuff Girls was one of Cartoon Network’s best series. Beneath the pink-colored veneer was a wonderful action series with strong scripts and smart jokes. Cartoon Network is reviving the characters for a new special to be aired on Monday, January 20, 2014 at 7:30PM. Unfortunately, going by this new trailer, the whole thing is animated with unattractive CG, trying to give it a flat look. It’s also lacking vibrancy, like some of the color has been sucked out in the interest of making the world look more realistic. It could still be good, but it’s a shame that so many people seem to have practically abandoned 2D animation in favor of trying to do the same thing with CG. Read more…
Tags: Cartoon Network, Powerpuff Girls
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 24, 2013 in Videogames 
Sega bringing back Typing of the Dead with Typing of the Dead: Overkill (and including the original House of the Dead: Overkill as a bonus) on Steam was a pleasant surprise. Now that Lab Zero has to put out Skullgirls Encore to replace the version delisted by Konami, they’re including a typing mode too. Plug in a keyboard and you can play The Typing of the Skullgirls Encore. Type well to deal super moves with bonus damage, then type well to defend against an opponent’s super move. I love when companies toss in weird extra modes like this as a way to reuse a game’s assets while offering a different experience. Read more…
Tags: Skullgirls
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 23, 2013 in Videogames 
Get ready to be sucked back in again: Co0kie Clicker has returned with a new holiday update. It adds a bunch of Christmas cheer, holiday upgrades, and a little elf that you can upgrade in the bottom corner. I’m not sure what this elf will do, given that I haven’t upgraded him the whole way yet, but it seems slightly nefarious. If you haven’t played the addictive web game Cookie Clicker before, it’s basically all in the name. You click, you get cookies. Once you click enough, you can spend those cookies on devices that will auto-click for you, thus netting you more cookies, which allows you to buy even more auto-click items. Suddenly, you’re opening portals to hell and generating millions of cookies per second and it all becomes quite terrifying. Try it! Read more…
Tags: cookie clicker
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 23, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Well this is a weird story to write. Apparently Vin Diesel, despite saying publicly that he was playing Groot, was not “officially” announced as part of the project. Disney and Marvel never denied it, and Vin Diesel was talking about it, so everyone assumed it was a done deal. But now, Disney has sent out a press release along with a new promotional image officially telling us all about this super-cool new actor in Guardians of the Galaxy. Thanks guys! Hey, if anything, at least we’re getting a better look at how Groot will look in the film, although James Gunn says that his appearance has changed slightly in the final version. Neat stuff! So, Disney, when are we going to get that first real trailer? Soon I’d hope? Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 22, 2013 in Cinema 
Here’s the first trailer for Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, Transcendence. Christopher Nolan’s dedicated director of photography is stepping out on his own to make his own films, and he’s got quite the cast for his first: Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, and Cillian Murphy just to name a few. It looks like working on the Dark Knight trilogy paid off, eh? It features Depp as a scientist who promises a world of super-intelligent computers and the eventual merging of man and machine. But once he’s killed by anti-technology radicals, his wife uploads his consciousness into a superpowered computer and things get a bit crazy from there. It seems like an interesting idea, but I’m not sure where Depp is getting those supernatural powers from? I suppose we’ll understand more when the film comes out on April 18th, next year. Read more…
Tags: Johnny Depp, Wally Pfister
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 22, 2013 in Design 
You’ve probably seen some of those Photoshop videos that reveal how much retouching goes on in a typical model’s photoshoot. It’s made to show that we shouldn’t rely on ads and magazines for the body image to strive for, as it’s completely artificial. Well, Victor & Spoils has done a great little video about the dangers of Photoshop, except this time they’ve put a holiday twist on it. I won’t spoil it for you, but suffice to say, if you’re looking at Photoshopped models, you should be prepared to see some skin. It just might surprise what you’re seeing though! Read more…
Tags: Christmas, Photography, Photoshop
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 21, 2013 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
Sure, it’s not street-legal, but still! A crazy LEGO fan from Romania, Raul Oaida, along with a entrepreneur, Steve Sammartino, built a life-size LEGO car that actually can be driven. It’s powered by air and pneumatic LEGO parts, which is the most crazy part. It doesn’t go very fast, but it’s still quite the engineering feat, using 256 LEGO pistons. Overall, it uses just over 500,000 LEGO bricks total, and can reach speeds of 20-30km, according to their YouTube page. What an insane project! Maybe they could make a car that’s street-legal next? Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 21, 2013 in Videogames 
It’s the time of the year, when everyone gathers around the warmth of the computer screen and buys games for cheap on Steam. The holiday sale has started now and will run until January 3rd. There’s a lot of really great games on sale, so be sure to check out the full list for everything. Konami also has the PC port of Metal Gear Rising up for pre-order… and on sale! Jump on that ASAP if you’re interested. In other Steam-related news, you can get items for your favorite free-to-play games by participating in the sale. And, as part of that, Team Fortress 2 has just gotten a holiday update that adds new Smissmas-themed items and more! Read more…
Tags: sales, Steam, Team Fortress
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 20, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Get excited, Ant-Man fans! Variety is reporting that the rumors that have been swirling for months are true: Paul Rudd will star in Ant-Man, Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the Marvel comic book. Paul Rudd is a great actor, and given the more comedic angle Wright will be taking (presumably) I think it’s a great fit. I really hope they still integrate it with the other Marvel films too. In the end, I’d love to see Ant-Man join up with the Avengers in their third film, but who knows how Marvel will handle that right now. Below the jump I’ve embedded the FIRST footage of the film, which is TOTALLY LEGIT. I’m serious! Read more…
Tags: edgar wright, Marvel, paul rudd
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 20, 2013 in Uncategorized 
It looks like her role in Super Mario 3D World has gotten Rosalina, the princess from Super Mario Galaxy, some more work! Her two most recent cameos seems to be cementing her position as a stable Mario character. First up, she’s a playable character in Smash Brothers for Wii U and 3DS, along with her Luma star pal. They seem to have a bit of a 2-player vibe going on, too! Then, she’ll also be appearing in Mario Kart 8 as a racer, but given her appearance in the previous Mario Kart, that’s not as surprising, but it’s nice to see her sticking around. I’m cool with Rosalina being a new Mario mainstay, as we need to female characters in our video games. Check out the Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros. trailers below! Read more…
Tags: Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros.
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