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Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 5, 2015 in Videogames 
It’s a little ridiculous that Persona 4 is seemingly so popular that it deserves not only rereleases and two anime series, but its own dancing game. But that’s what happening, and considering Shoji Meguro’s music in Persona is always fun to listen to, a game centered around that music seems natural. Persona 4: Dancing All Night is coming out on Vita sometime this year, and Atlus’s latest trailer is a lyric video for the opening theme. Seeing as fans usually get a lot of the English lyrics wrong when a new Persona theme is revealed due to the Japanese accent, this is not a bad idea, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more gameplay. Read more…
Tags: Atlus, Persona 4, Playstation Vita
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 5, 2015 in Comic Books, Television 
Many Marvel films go for a slightly more light-hearted tone, adding an endearing mix of humor and optimism to potentially dark events. Trailers may seem dark, but it’s usually just marketing for otherwise PG-13 adventure material, like Ant-Man‘s overly serious trailer for a film that’s actually described as a comedy. But on Netflix, they can play with more expectations, and the first of four upcoming series is Daredevil, which finally released a trailer for its April 10 premiere. With the Netflix series focusing more on vigilantes cleaning up New York (specifically Hell’s Kitchen in Daredevil), it’s not just visually darker, but tonally darker. I think we’re going to see a lot more blood in this series than any other Marvel movie to date. Take a look yourself! Read more…
Tags: Daredevil, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 4, 2015 in Videogames 
Mortal Kombat X is a game coming out at this specific point in time, so of course, there are going to be four special editions, because that’s just how big games are sold. So which should you pick if you find yourself with excess cash? Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment would probably recommend the Mortal Kombat X Kollector’s Edition by Coarse, which includes a special Scorpion figurine designed by collector statue-maker Coarse, a gold Scorpion skin based on Coarse’s design, and the Kombat Pack (access to four more characters, both old and guest). At $149.99, it’s expensive, but not the most expensive option. Read more…
Tags: Mortal Kombat, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 4, 2015 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Fans are still salivating over Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens coming out at the end of the year. But don’t forget, Disney wants Star Wars to become an annual thing, similar to how their subsidiary Marvel is constantly putting out something. There have been at least two stand-alone movies mentioned, the first of which will be directed by Gareth Edwards. Though it still doesn’t have a name, it just got its star: Felicity Jones. The actress is currently Oscar-nominated for Best Actress for playing Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything, so that’s a good pick. Meanwhile, Chris Weitz has taken over writing duties from Gary Whitta, who wrote the first draft. Now we just need to, you know, find out what the movie is about. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 3, 2015 in Comic Books, Television 
Marvel has quite a nice cast shaping up for A.K.A. Jessica Jones so far. Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), David Tennant (Kilgrave), and Mike Colter (Luke Cage) were all previously confirmed, and last week Rachael Taylor (Patricia “Trish” Walker) joined. Now we’ve got Trinity from The Matrix stepping in. Marvel declined to reveal what character Moss would be playing, only saying that she was “a no-nonsense woman who could prove a powerful ally to Jessica…if Jessica doesn’t completely alienate her first.” That doesn’t really narrow it down, but she could easily be an original character too. Either way, it’ll be worth watching this great cast when A.K.A. Jessica Jones premieres on Netflix in early 2016, or if we’re lucky, late 2015. Read more…
Tags: Jessica Jones, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 3, 2015 in Television, Videogames 
By this point, we as a culture have produced approximately 999,999 variations on the iconic opening to The Simpsons. So what’s one more? This one is by Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon, who recreated the intro with chunky pixels. You may have seen Paul Robertson’s work in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game and Mercenary Kings; if you have, then you’ll be pleased to see things get very weird during the couch gag. Also of note is the chiptune version of the theme song by Jeremy Dower. Check it out, even if you’re not a Simpsons fan, just for the wonderful art! Read more…
Tags: Pixel Art, The Simpsons
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 29, 2015 in Videogames 
Indie developer Renegade Kid must be very busy, working on their 3DS remaster of Dementium: The Ward, the next three episodes of Moon Chronicles (also 3DS), and retro platformer Treasurenauts (on, surprise, 3DS). Add one more project to the queue: Mutant Mudds Super Challenge for Wii U and 3DS. As you might guess from the title, this is intended for players who already beat the first game; this isn’t a direct sequel as much as it’s a “stepping stone” to a future Mutant Mudds 2. The game is coming out at some point in 2015, but with all that Renegade Kid already has on its plate, I foresee Mutant Mudds Super Challenge coming out later in the year. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 29, 2015 in Videogames 
Did you ever use Sony’s Music Unlimited service on PlayStation or other devices? It’s okay if you didn’t, not many people did. So it’s not a surprise that Sony is ending the service on March 29, 2015 in all 19 countries it was offered. But don’t worry, people who actually use streaming music on a console: Sony is adding a Spotify app to PS3 and PS4, as well as various Xperia phones and tablets. You’ll be able to stream the music while in a game on PS4, and Sony is promising more exclusive features. And nearly all of those 19 countries that had Music Unlimited will be in the 41 markets that have access to Spotify. Best of all, both free and premium accounts will be able to use Spotify, so if you’re fine with ads, you can add new music to your games for free. Not bad! Could the next step be persuading Spotify to actually pay artists a decent fee for their music? Read more…
Tags: Music, PS3, PS4
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 28, 2015 in Videogames 
Capcom’s 2012 fantasy game Dragon’s Dogma was surprisingly enjoyable, so it’s good to hear about a new sequel. Capcom is bringing Dragon’s Dogma Online to PC, PS3, and PS4 sometime in 2015. Players can form groups with up to three friends (which can also be AI pawns) in an online lobby towns (up to 100 people) and fight giant enemies. The story will be a follow-up to Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, with a new storyline, new setting and new characters. The game will be free, but supported by item-based microtransactions, similar to Dragon’s Dogma Quest on Vita. I’d rather just purchase the game outright, but I suppose this is the way a lot of games are going, so as long as the microtransactions aren’t obnoxious, this could be a good sequel. Read more…
Tags: Capcom, Dragon's Dogma, PS3, PS4
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 28, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just like X-Men and Spider-Man. A lot of Marvel fans are upset about that and would rather Fox hand the rights back over to Marvel so they can make a proper adaptation. But that’s not happening, so let’s look at what we’ve got. Despite all the talk of stupid decisions like Doctor Doom being a blogger and a fantastic team being “grounded,” this actually looks pretty good. Despite being Marvel’s first superhero team, a lot of the aspects of the comic could seem more like a horror story; one guy gets turned into a monster! It’s not a bad idea to move their origin from space to an alternate-dimension experiment, taking inspiration from Ultimate Fantastic Four. So while I’d prefer this to be a lighter, more “out there” story in the vein of Marvel’s other films, I have to admit Trank and Fox’s version doesn’t look half-bad. Read more…
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Fantastic Four, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 27, 2015 in Anime 
Look at these freaking shoes. The Mexican clothing company Heredia Clothing is putting out these Dragon Ball Z sneakers, inspired by Vegeta, Goku, and Trunks. They’re coming out at 400 pesos (about $27), which isn’t too bad, but there is no way you’d catch me wearing these things. They’re way too bright! Still, if you want your feet to feel like Super Sayin feet, maybe you’d enjoy them more than I would. Read more…
Tags: Dragonball
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 27, 2015 in Comic Books, Television 
Part of my enjoyment of all these new Marvel movies and TV series is getting to know characters I never knew of before. The Netflix series fit that bill pretty well, because non-comic fans likely have no idea who Jessica Jones is. But A.K.A. Jessica Jones is the second Netflix series in production (after this April’s Daredevil), telling the story of a retired superhero who becomes a detective. We’ve learned that Krysten Ritter is the titular hero, while Mike Colter is potential love-interest Luke Cage (with his own Netflix series at least a year out). Now Marvel has cast their villain: David Tennant. Read more…
Tags: Jessica Jones, Marvel, Netflix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 22, 2015 in Videogames 
Playing fighting games is great, even if I’m merely competent. But watching the pros at the EVO Championship Series every July is another thing entirely. The back and forth is actually exciting, with massive levels of “hype” to savor. This year’s EVO is being held July 17-19 at the Bally’s/Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, and the main tournaments have been announced. The games are: Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat X, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Tekken 7. I’m sad my personal fave BlazBlue isn’t in there, but it’s understandable when two other Arc System Works games are in there. What’s more annoying is the lack of King of Fighters XIII, easily one of the most exciting tournaments in previous years. I’d rather have that in there than two Smash Bros. tournaments, but I guess Nintendo wanted to show off their newest game while allowing hardcore players to play their tournament classic. Read more…
Tags: Guilty Gear, Mortal Kombat, Persona 4, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros., Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 22, 2015 in Comic Books 
Remember how Marvel was teasing its next crossover event Secret Wars — a revival of their original 80s crossover — with ads for previous popular storylines, many of them alternate worlds? Well, they’ve clarified what’s going on, and though they won’t call it a reboot, it’s basically a soft reboot. Once Secret Wars #1 is out, “there’s no Marvel universe, there’s no Ultimate universe. It’s all Battleworld,” a world made up of countries formed from all the different Marvel universes. That means alternate realities like Age of Apocalypse will be mixing with 2099. The main focus will be on the main Marvel-616 universe colliding with the Ultimate universe, as the latter has been winding down as of late. Read more…
Tags: Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2015 in Cinema, Fandom 
Now that all three films are out, let’s just say what we all knew from the start: The Hobbit did not need to be stretched out over three movies. Not only is there so much filler and weaker subplots about ancillary characters, it all distracts from Bilbo’s charming tale of adventure. And just as was expected, fans are stepping in to fix the problems of the “trilogy.” The first new cut, The Hobbit: The Tolkien Edit, is from “tolkieneditor” and comes in at 4 hours (or 4.5 hours with the credits). His goal was to try to make the movie resemble J.R.R. Tolkien’s original book, so things like the investigation of Dol Guldor, the Tauriel-Legolas-Kili love triangle, a lot of filler moments or filler action scenes, and much of the Pale Orc (Azog) subplot and Laketown scenes are all gone. Read more…
Tags: The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 21, 2015 in Star Wars, Videogames 
Disney isn’t just sitting on the games made by LucasArts as many feared when they bought LucasFilm. They’ve made a deal with GOG.com to sell six old Star Wars games, three of which aren’t available on Steam. Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance, and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds are now available to buy, while Star Wars Battlefront II, Star Wars: Dark Forces, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords have been brought from Steam. These follow a few even older Star Wars games being rereleased last fall. And enticingly, GOG is promising another six LucasArts games over the next ten days. Maybe a few non-Star Wars games, please? Read more…
Tags: LucasArts, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 20, 2015 in Television 
Rumors have swirled about an upcoming Game of Thrones special airing on HBO on February 8. Called “A Day in the Life,” fans speculated about what it could be. Now it’s been revealed that it’s a half-hour documentary about one day of production of season 5. The special is set to highlight “the epic sets, renowned cast and global scale of Thrones, as well as the more intimate and individual challenges of our subjects.” Viewers will see one day of production at three different locations around the globe: Belfast, Northern Ireland; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Sevilla and Osuna; Spain. Besides showing how they pull off such a complex show, it may give hints to the fifth season, which won’t air until April, which is a great reason to watch. Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 20, 2015 in Fandom, Videogames 
I’d say that Konami has gone off the deep end when it comes to most of their games. The company seems horribly mismanaged, and it shows in classic series like Silent Hill that seem to have no direction in mind. But while we haven’t seen much of the next entry Silent Hills, Silent Hill: Alchemilla, a fan-mod of Half-Life 2‘s Source engine, seems more true to Silent Hill than anything Konami has put out recently. It’s in first-person and doesn’t feature combat, instead basing itself on an adventure game template. But it absolutely nails the look and atmosphere of the haunted town. Alchemilla available now for free on PC, with Mac and Linux versions on the way, provided Konami doesn’t C&D the whole thing.
Read more…
Tags: Fan Art, Silent Hill
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2015 in Anime, Cinema 
Disney has first pass at releasing Studio Ghibli’s films, but lately it seems that if Hayao Miyazaki isn’t directing, they’re not as interested. GKIDS stepped in to release From Up on Poppy Hill and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. It seems they’re doing it one more time for When Marnie Was There, the most recent and possibly last film from the famed anime studio. GKIDS is planning a spring 2015 theatrical release and the usual award submissions; the distributor also purchased the home video and TV rights, so expect a Blu-ray release later this year. Read more…
Tags: GKIDS, Studio Ghibli
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 15, 2015 in Videogames 
Nintendo held their first Nintendo Direct of the year, announcing their upcoming games for the first half of the year. Sadly, there wasn’t much Wii U news, but that’s because of the 3DS focus, since there is a new piece of hardware. After an annoyingly long wait and well past the holiday shopping season, Nintendo is finally bringing the New 3DS to America after Japan (and strangely Australia) got to enjoy it. The system has improved head-tracking 3D, more power under the hood, a faster OS, Amiibo/NFC support, two more shoulder buttons, and a c-stick (right stick) nub. (An Amiibo adapter is expected for older 3DS models.) Read more…
Tags: Amiibo, New 3DS, Nintendo, Nintendo Direct, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 14, 2015 in Anime, Cinema, Videogames 
The theatrical adaptation of Persona 3 continues with Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down. The anime movie will be released in Japan on April 4, only a few months from now. It’s not yet clear whether there will be a fourth film or if Falling Down is the final film in the series, but judging by this new teaser, we’re getting close to the end. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting on a Western release for the second movie in the series, Midsummer Knight’s Dream. Seeing as it will be out on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on March 11, I predict a release later this year. Read more…
Tags: Atlus, Persona 3
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 14, 2015 in Cinema, Star Wars
After watching the Star Wars prequels, I think everyone agrees that the new Star Wars trilogy is safer in any hands but those of George Lucas. And yet, if things had happened differently, we could now be anticipating/dreading Lucas’s version of Star Wars Episode VII (now Star Wars: The Force Awakens). Lucas confirmed he had begun planning the next three Star Wars films, but that he only planned to direct the first one. Episode VII would have been released in May 2015, then he would have sold Lucasfilm, perhaps so he wouldn’t feel tempted to direct. But Lucas realized this trilogy would be another ten-year commitment, which is admittedly a ton of work. Disney entered the picture at the right time, and Lucas realized it would be better for him not to develop the new trilogy at all, leaving it completely to others. Of course, Lucas remains a consultant on the movie, but maybe that’s how it should be: offering some new ideas or reference that the actual creative team can choose to use or ignore as they please. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Episode VII, George Lucas, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 13, 2015 in Comic Books, Television 
Unlike the shaky future of DC’s shared movie universe, DC’s shared TV universe is doing great. Arrow is getting a fourth season, while Flash is getting a second. But that’s not enough, because at least one more spin-off is coming, with the possibility of another in the wings. First is Vixen, an animated series to be streamed on CW Seed. Vixen was intended to be DC’s first African female superhero with her own comic series, but after that was aborted, she showed up later, becoming a member of the Justice League and Suicide Squad. Meanwhile, Brandon Routh’s Ray Palmer, a.k.a. the Atom may see his own show, which seemed obvious once he appeared in Arrow‘s third season. Nothing is confirmed yet, but Arrow execs and WB’s president have a “general concept,” as long as there isn’t “audience fatigue.” I’m just happy to see that Routh isn’t on Hollywood’s crap-list like he was after Superman Returns. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Green Arrow, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 13, 2015 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Were you already sold on Avengers: Age of Ultron after the first trailer? If so, don’t bother watching this second trailer. It’s got a lot of new, tantalizing footage, but all that will do is spoil you a bit more for the actual film. But if you were somehow on the fence, or you just don’t care, then soak up more shots of returning characters, big action, and dozens of little things to speculate endlessly on. Look, Age of Ultron doesn’t need much more promotion at this point beyond the final weeks before its release. It’s the sequel to one of the biggest films of all time, so people are going to go see it. But if you can’t get enough, expect more trailers and hints in the coming months. Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel
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