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Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 10, 2013 in Videogames 
Even though it’s not an Xbox One exclusive, Microsoft led the start of its E3 2013 press conference with the first footage of the anticipated Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Since the game is an open world game set in a wide-open desert region, the implementation of stealth has been dramatically redesigned. It looks like a very unique experience with stunning graphics. Naturally, the game is also coming out on PS4, though Microsoft didn’t want to mention that. It’s all looking quite impressive, so watch footage from the stream below! Read more…
Tags: Konami, Metal Gear Solid, PS4, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 6, 2013 in Videogames 
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us comes out on PS3 on June 14, so the marketing is ramping up to make sure everyone knows about the latest game from the makers of Uncharted. This live-action trailer depicts a player becoming Joel, being completely immersed in the game. From what we’ve seen of the game, The Last of Us is a tense survival game with some horror elements. Joel must protect the young Ellie, and because Naughty Dog intends for their relationship to be a major aspect of the game, becoming immersed would be vital for making that emotional connection work. Early reviews have nothing but glowing praise for the game, so hopefully this will be a strong near-swan song to help close the current generation of gaming consoles before the PS4 and Xbox One come out this fall. Read more…
Tags: PS3, the last of us
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 6, 2013 in Videogames 
Vinesauce is showing us the horrific potential glitches of another N64 game, the classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Watch as Link hovers erratically through the air, jewels merge together, and eyes are replaced by mouths. It’s all quite horrifying, like Zelda by way of Silent Hill. Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask already had their share of creepy elements hiding beneath the surface (especially Majora’s Mask), so these glitches might creep you out even more. I’ve never had any glitches when I played various versions of Ocarina of Time, but maybe this has happened to other people before? Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda, Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 5, 2013 in Cinema 
I love The Wizard of Oz. I am told that when I was only three years old, I would watch it (or parts of it) almost every day. So hearing that the classic movie would be rereleased this September in IMAX to coincide with a 75th anniversary Blu-ray release (in October) sounds amazing. Unfortunately, the movie will be undergoing the dreaded 3D conversion process. Read more…
Tags: Wizard of Oz
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 5, 2013 in Videogames 
Harmonix, creator of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central, has finally unveiled their new game, and it’s quite a surprise. Fantasia: Music Evolved is a collaboration with Disney that has players enter portals to control the musical landscape with their hands, playing along and remixing the song as they go. If they don’t like a song, for instance, they can bring in a string accompaniment or ska horns. The game is played with the Kinect on Xbox 360 or Xbox One, as the game is exclusive to Microsoft’s platform. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Music, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 4, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
With Warner Brothers struggling to put together a Justice League film and a DC film universe to compete with The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are lots of rumors swirling about how things will go down. While Man of Steel is being treated as the first step in DC’s rough plans, no one knows what’s happening with Batman. While Christian Bale is almost assuredly out of the picture, will the new Batman be a recasting of the same Batman, a new character taking over his mantle, or a completely rebooted character that ignores Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy? Well, there is a Batman reference in Man of Steel. There are spoilers ahead, but it’s something extremely minor that probably won’t help you feel better about WB’s DC plans either way. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Man of Steel, Superman, The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 3, 2013 in Animation, Cinema, Videogames 
By now it’s known that Disney had considered featuring additional game worlds in Wreck-It Ralph, but cut them for various reasons. The world farthest along in the planning stages was Extreme Easy Living 2, an open-world game (Grand Theft Auto) with a Sims vibe and lots of modern social gaming aspects (think Facebook-like interactions). It was cut both for pacing and logistical reasons — Ralph ended up on the arcade owner’s computer, since this sort of game is not something that would be found in an arcade — but it was storyboarded. Check out this clip showing what might have been had it made it into the finished film. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Wreck-It Ralph
Posted by Bob Muir on May 30, 2013 in Videogames 
Do you remember wirelessly connecting your PSP to your PS3 to play PS3 games on your PSP? You probably don’t, because it was used for a scant few games, most of which were PSN games. Maybe that’s because the PSP not only didn’t have L2 and R2 buttons, but more importantly didn’t have a right analog stick. So when Sony started talking up the same feature for the PlayStation Vita and the PS4, seemingly just to compete with the Wii U Gamepad, it made sense to be skeptical. But thankfully, Sony has some good news. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on May 30, 2013 in Videogames 
Nintendo isn’t playing by the rules at this year’s E3. Instead of holding a big press conference like previous years, they’ll be relying completely on their Nintendo Direct webcast, a series of announcements that have been doing quite well for Nintendo. But beyond that, you’ll be able to play their line-up at certain Best Buy stores across the United States and Canada. Called the “Nintendo Experience,” you can visit these Best Buy stores on June 12 from 4-8PM and on June 15 from 1-5PM to try out demos of Nintendo’s newest games for 3DS and Wii U. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Nintendo Direct, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on May 29, 2013 in Comic Books, Science 
Zach Snyder’s Man of Steel is out on June 14, and besides the usual marketing, Gillette has a new tie-in campaign asking the question of how Superman manages to shave his beard. We know he has a beard earlier in the film, according to the trailer, but obviously Superman is clean-cut, so it has to be done somehow. While this has probably been explained several ways throughout the years, Gillette got several smart people to weigh in: Bill Nye (the Science Guy), Kevin Smith (nerdy director), Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory), and Adam & Jamie (Mythbusters). Whose theory sounds the best? Read more…
Tags: Bill Nye, Kevin Smith, MythBusters, The Big Bang Theory
Posted by Bob Muir on May 29, 2013 in Videogames 
Nintendo had announced during a recent Nintendo Direct that Sega was making a new Sonic game exclusively for Wii U and 3DS. Now there’s a trailer for the game, titled Sonic Lost World. While parts of the trailer may make many wary — there are several new characters, which are always the weakest part of the game — there is something interesting going on that seems to reference an earlier, canceled Sonic game. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Sonic the Hedgehog, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on May 28, 2013 in Videogames 
I love it when players discover new things in old videogames. For something to remain hidden in the Internet Age is quite amazing, and it doesn’t happen often. In this case, YouTube user GarlandTheGreat has found a new sidequest in Final Fantasy IX. It involves going to the Tantalus hideout at the start of the fourth disc, where Zenero and Benero are looking for Marcus and Cinna. This is just the start of the sidequest, which involves triggering certain major events like boss fights or cutscenes to advance the quest. When going back after one of these events, you’ll see a new family member wondering where the previous family members are. Going all the way through the quest earns the player a Protect Ring. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS2, Retro Games
Posted by Bob Muir on May 28, 2013 in Cinema, Star Trek, Star Wars 
With the recent release of Star Trek Into Darkness and the constant buzz surrounding 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII, the franchises continue to be big in the public eye. But if these two franchises were stars, how bright would they be? The New Yorker has charted the two franchises, as well as several other prominent franchises throughout the past few decades, to see which franchise has raked in the most money. Unsurprisingly, James Bond wins that, due to there being 24 films in the franchise. But when ranked by what a franchise’s average film earned, Star Wars was the clear winner, as well as in franchise profitability. (Even the prequels couldn’t ruin that!) Since we can’t embed it, you can see the full chart here and find where your favorite franchise wound up. Read more…
Tags: Alien, Batman, harry potter, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Men in Black, Pirates, Spider-man, Star Trek, Star Wars, Terminator, The Avengers, The Matrix, Transformers, X-Men
Posted by Bob Muir on May 23, 2013 in Anime 
Sailor…Moon…in the coffee! If a barista is talented enough, they can make some intricate designs in your morning latte. One Japanese latte artist is using toothpicks, chocolate syrup and cocktail syrup to draw anime characters in coffee. Going by the name Sugi on Twitter, the artist hand-draws two or three cups a day. She only started working on latte art last April, but she has already done over 800 cups! Read more…
Tags: Food, Sailor Moon
Posted by Bob Muir on May 23, 2013 in Videogames 
I covered the major details of Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal, but what does the internet think of it? Hardcore gamers are almost unanimous in their disapproval, but nothing provides commentary quite like the original presentation itself. No, I’m not going to link the full presentation, but two user-edited videos sums up the system Microsoft is trying to sell. Read more…
Tags: Microsoft, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2013 in Videogames 
Yesterday Microsoft finally spilled the beans — well, a little at least — on their next videogame console: the Xbox One. I hesitate to call it that though, because going by their presentation, it seems more geared as an entertainment system than a machine that focuses on games. The “one” in the name refers to how it’s an all-in-one media experience, which is not surprising. Going by how much Microsoft has been pushing and expanding the non-gaming applications of the Xbox 360, this seems like a natural extension. I’m just not sure it’s a good One. Read more…
Tags: Microsoft, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on May 22, 2013 in Fandom, Videogames 
It should go without saying, but this alternate ending to the critically-acclaimed BioShock Infinite is full of spoilers. I’m not even mentioning the title of this video, as it could contain spoilers. I only just finished the game last week, and I’d have been very upset if I saw this. Needless to say though, it’s an interesting take on how differently it could have ended, taking inspiration from The Office and mixing it with a slightly more fast-paced brand of internet humor. Anyone who has completed the game will enjoy seeing the characters in a more relaxed, parodic context. Read more…
Tags: BioShock: Infinite
Posted by Bob Muir on May 21, 2013 in Comic Books, Videogames 
If you remember the first trailer for Batman: Arkham City, the 2011 sequel that took gaming by storm, you’ll remember that it was just a long, highly-rendered cutscene. Though not as ridiculously detailed as that one, the first trailer for this fall’s prequel Batman: Arkham Origins is in the same vein, showing a younger Batman fighting Deathstroke and other assassins on Christmas Eve before coming face-to-face with primary antagonist Black Mask. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Origins, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on May 21, 2013 in Videogames 
Like many fighting game developers, Arc System Works loves updating its games instead of putting out sequels. Guilty Gear XX — what you could say was the third major installment of the series — was released in 2002. Since then, it’s been updated with Guilty Gear XX #Reload (2003), Slash (2005), Accent Core (2006), Accent Core Plus (2008), and most recently Accent Core Plus R (2012). Part of this was due to weird rights issues that prevented them from making a new game, which led to the spiritual successor BlazBlue (and its various updates). But after over a decade, Arc System Works is finally putting out a new major sequel: Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. Read more…
Tags: Guilty Gear
Posted by Bob Muir on May 16, 2013 in Comic Books, Videogames 
So who would win in a fight: Superman or Batman? How about a different Superman or Batman? How about all the Supermen and Batmen? Get ready to pair off characters, because reportedly every DC character is going to be in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, a new game for 3DS, Wii U, and PC this fall. The new game is making an attempt to get all the various versions of characters in, with reports that there will be 33 different Batmen and 133 Green Lanterns. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Batman, DC Comics, Scribblenauts, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on May 16, 2013 in Cinema 
Vin Diesel is back in a new Riddick film, and it seems like it’s practically Pitch Black with a bigger budget. Simply entitled Riddick, the film trailer depicts Riddick tearing up monsters, making cool poses, and just basically acting like you’d expect. This looks like a very effects-heavy film, but you know what? We need those now and then, and this looks to fill that need nicely. I have to wonder though if there will be a marginally-related video game released in conjunction with the film that turns out to be higher quality and more fondly remembered. I think many will agree that The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was better than the second movie. Read more…
Tags: Riddick, Sci-Fi
Posted by Bob Muir on May 15, 2013 in Star Trek, Television 
The latest battle for viewership is being fought on subscription services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Original shows like House of Cards are proving to be draws, and Netflix’s exclusive season four of Arrested Development could be a major win for the service. In light of this and the renewed popularity of Star Trek thanks to J.J. Abrams’ rebooted films, has led some fans to try and resurrect Star Trek TV series on Netflix. The only thing is that the prime candidate is Star Trek: Enterprise, of all things. Read more…
Tags: Netflix, Star Trek: Enterprise
Posted by Bob Muir on May 15, 2013 in Comic Books, Television 
I know that a big company can make almost anything happen, but I’m still kind of giddy to see what Marvel is accomplishing with their Marvel Cinematic Universe. I was still uncertain that Joss Whedon’s proposed TV series based on S.H.I.E.L.D. would be produced, but those fears were laid to rest last Friday, when ABC confirmed that it had picked up Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the fall. Now the first trailer is out, and things are looking great. Read more…
Tags: Agents of SHIELD, Joss Whedon, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on May 14, 2013 in Videogames 
Tales of Symphonia, originally released on the GameCube (and later the PS2 in Japan), was one of the high points in Namco Bandai’s long-running Tales JRPG series. It now seems that it may be getting an HD rerelease on PS3, according to series producer Hideo Baba. He teased the rerelease, calling it “a representation of the dreams and hopes of the fans, who have long been wanting it.” Namco Bandai has yet to officially confirm anything, but it also seems that the Wii-exclusive sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, will also be included. Considering how that title shares many assets with the first game, I wouldn’t be surprised, since it would cut down on work. It will be interesting to see how the updated games look once there’s a formal announcement! Read more…
Tags: Namco Bandai, PS3, RPG, Tales
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