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Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 16, 2014 in Videogames 
There are two DLC packs planned for Mario Kart 8, and they’re planned to have some crossover elements from fellow Nintendo series The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing. Each DLC pack features two new cups, four new vehicles, and three new playable characters, one of which is Link. He’ll be in the first DLC pack due November 2014, along with this newly-revealed motorcycle called the Master Cycle. It’s blue like the hilt of the Master Sword, and also looks like a horse. Nintendo humorously notes that this vehicle “has plenty of horse power.” This is such a cool thing to see that I’m going to let that horrible pun slide. Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, Nintendo, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 16, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Well, at least WB and DC are getting serious about competing with Disney and Marvel. WB has confirmed all the upcoming pieces of their shared superhero universe that started with Man of Steel in 2013. 2016 will see two movies: the already-known Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (directed by Zack Snyder), and then a Suicide Squad movie (directed by David Ayer) about a team of villains who do dangerous work for the government. Then, 2017 will see a stand-alone Wonder Woman movie (starring Gal Gadot, who will be introduced in BVS:DoJ) followed by the inevitable Justice League movie (which will see all the heroes team up). But the schedule doesn’t stop there. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 15, 2014 in Videogames 
I’ll admit, I was done with South Park for a while. The humor just wasn’t working for me any more. But I decided to play South Park: The Stick of Truth for the hell of it. The game turned out to be really funny, so I checked out the newest season, which has turned out to be amazing, so I guess I’m a fan again. And because of that, I feel compelled to share the news of two South Park tables coming to Zen Pinball (or Pinball FX if you’re playing on Xbox). The tables consist of South Park: Super-Sweet Pinball and Butters’ Very Own Pinball Game, because Butters is awesome. You can get them on consoles and PC later this week for $4.99. Mobile versions will cost $3.99 as an app, or $1.99 per table to add them to Zen Pinball. My only disappointment is that the first table isn’t a recreation of the real-life pinball table, to which I’ve lost far too much money over the years. Read more…
Tags: Pinball, South Park
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 15, 2014 in Videogames 
The good news: Nintendo is finally putting out demos for some of its biggest games. The bad news: not only are these generally restricted to a certain number of uses, but sometimes they’ll make you jump through hoops to try things out. Chances are you already know if you’re interested in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire; after all, they’re remakes of the third generation, the point by which the overall formula had pretty much been figured out. But if you’re on the fence, here’s what you need to do to get a demo. By October 20, go to Pokemon.com and sign up for a Pokemon Trainer Club account (which you likely already have if you use online features). Then, make sure you’ve opted in to marketing emails, and they’ll send out codes in their next Pokemon newsletter. It’s pretty simple, but still more complicated than just making the demo available to everyone. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 14, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Let’s start with the facts, because this is going to turn into speculation quickly. According to Variety, Robert Downey Jr. is in final negotiations to play Tony Stark (Iron Man) in Captain America 3, due out on May 6, 2016. Though currently only contracted for one more Avengers film — The Avengers: Age of Ultron has finished filming and will release May 1, 2015 — Downey had previously stated that he was in negotiations for further Marvel movies, which seemed to be Iron Man 4. While that may still happen, this movie could be what was being referred to. While this was initially supposed to be a small role, Downey asked for a bigger role, which angered Marvel Entertainment chief Ike Perlmutter. Though Stark was almost entirely written out, it seems this was resolved by Marvel mastermind Kevin Feige. But that’s not even the most interesting news. Read more…
Tags: captain america, Iron Man, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 14, 2014 in Cinema, Star Wars 
Maybe you’ve heard of Star Wars Uncut, the 2012 project that split the movie up into 15-second clips, allowed fans to pick a clip to remake however they liked, and then cut it back together into a full-length movie. Disjointed? Yes. Fun? Totally. Well, Star Wars is well and good, but every true fan knows that The Empire Strikes Back is where it’s at. Hence, the team has finally released Empire Uncut, using the same premise as the first movie. 480 fans worked on this two hour movie, which you can watch below. But if you don’t have the time, at least check out the trailer to see what they were going for. Read more…
Tags: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 9, 2014 in Cinema 
Remember when Disney adapted their Disneyland ride Pirates of the Caribbean into a movie? While the sequels and fellow ride-turned-movie The Haunted Mansion got mixed reviews, the first Pirates movie was great fun. Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is currently adapting Disneyland’s Tomorrowland section — or at least adapting the name and concept — into a movie starring George Clooney. The story involves a young girl (Britt Robertson) teaming up with a failed inventor (Clooney) to rediscover Tomorrowland, a sort-of separate, better world of science. Ordinary people have difficulty finding this wonderland, much in the way that only wizards can enter Platform 9 ¾ to go to Hogwarts. Obviously, most of the production is shrouded in mystery, but this first image sets the imagination on fire. Tomorrowland seems to be a mix of dreamy nostalgia and retro-futuristic optimism, another sign that escapist stories are continuing to move away from depressing dystopias in favor of dreams of a better tomorrow. Read more…
Tags: Brad Bird, Disney, Tomorrowland
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 9, 2014 in Television, Videogames 
Here’s a blast from the past. Many will remember Myst, the prerendered videogame from 1993 that has the player touching books to enter immersive worlds (or “ages”) filled with puzzles. The series ended with Myst V in 2005, but now Legendary Entertainment has announced a deal that will allow them to develop Myst for TV. Since there is little story in the game, there are many ways this adaptation could go. I wouldn’t be surprised if they included a new age or two if their story needs it. But dormant fans should take note: developers Rand and Robyn Miller have discussed making a new videogame to tie-in to the TV series, so the franchise may see a sudden revival. Read more…
Tags: Myst
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 8, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Since Robert Downey Jr. is only contracted for one more Avengers movie after 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, many assumed that individual Iron Man films may be no more. The actor commands an extremely high paycheck, and he has also expressed an interest in retiring from the role as he gets older. It would make sense for Marvel to continue to build up newer heroes while giving Iron Man a big send-off (before a later recasting) in Avengers 3. But lo and behold, maybe Downey will be starring in more films than expected! On Ellen, he admitted that Iron Man 4 was in development. It would be strange for him to allow the crowd to get excited if he wasn’t involved, so perhaps Marvel’s willing to pony up the cash to keep their biggest star around. It also gives me hope that he may remain involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers 3, at least in some capacity. Read more…
Tags: Iron Man, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 8, 2014 in Videogames 
I’ll be honest: I didn’t think Super Smash Bros. for Wii U would come out this year. Though the tie-in Amiibo toys were scheduled to be released soon, it was somewhat strange that it was already October and no one knew the release date of the supposed “Holiday 2014” release. But apparently I was wrong, because Nintendo has finally announced that the game would be out on November 21, the same day as Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. As a reminder, you can also get a bundle with a Gamecube controller adapter and a Smash-branded controller for $100, $10 cheaper than grabbing the adapter and controller separately. Read more…
Tags: Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 7, 2014 in Television 
25 years after Twin Peaks finished airing on ABC, David Lynch and Mark Frost are reviving the cult TV show on Showtime as a nine-episode limited series. Lynch and Frost are writing and producing every episode, with Lynch directing the entire series. It seems as though actor Kyle MacLachlan will be returning, and it’s likely many other of Lynch’s collaborators will return. The two creators promise to finish long-standing mysteries and give the story a full conclusion with this present-day continuation. Perhaps this is the reason that the original series (and movie) were released on Blu-ray recently. If you don’t want to buy Twin Peaks, you can find the whole series on Netflix; or you can watch Showtime, which will rerun the original series as a precursor to the 2016 premiere of the limited series. Read more…
Tags: Twin Peaks
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 7, 2014 in Anime, Comic Books 
The Big Three shonen manga series has been slowly crumbling as the stories get longer and longer. The Bleach anime stopped in 2012 (though it seems they could finish it later a la InuYasha: The Final Act), and the manga has been working towards a conclusion for a while. And while the Naruto anime (Naruto Shippuden) is still going strong, Weekly Shonen Jump (which serializes all three manga) has announced that the manga will end on November 10, only five weeks away. Author Masashi Kishimoto had mentioned the manga was nearing its conclusion in 2012, so it’s not like this is unexpected or anything. But once Naruto anime winds down and the Bleach manga ends, the only surviving member of the Big Three will be One Piece. And while the manga hid its midpoint in 2010, it shows no sign of stopping any time soon. Read more…
Tags: Naruto, Shonen Jump
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Now that DC has sorted out their animated movie universe to be more in line with The New 52 comic initiative they’ve had going on, it’s time for more New 52 adaptations! Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is the sequel to Justice League: War from earlier this year, the movie that basically adapted the origin of the new Justice League in The New 52. Aquaman is going through his own origin in this movie, as he didn’t appear in the previous one. It seems they’re going with the more “bad-ass” version of Aquaman from recent years instead of the joke everyone remembers from the Super Friends. Good on ’em, but I still can’t stand the bright orange and green outfit. (It clashes!) No date on the movie yet, but the release date shouldn’t be far off. Read more…
Tags: Aquaman, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 2, 2014 in Cinema 
In one month’s time, we’ll all be able to enjoy Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Interstellar, a story about leaving a dead Earth to find a new home for humanity outside our solar system. If you’ve been watching the previous trailers, you’re likely already hyped up about what looks to be an excellent, gripping sci-fi movie. If you haven’t seen them yet, do yourself a favor and check out the ideas presented in this final trailer. Interstellar premieres November 5, so get your tickets now! Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar, Science Fiction
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 1, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
As Hollywood runs out of viable properties to remake, reboot, and sequelize the past, it has expanded to brands that don’t even really have stories. Perhaps spurred by the ludicrous existence of the Battleship movie, Threshold Entertainment has announced that they are producing a Tetris movie in conjunction with The Tetris Company. The movie will be live-action, described as “a very big, epic sci-fi movie” by Threshold CEO Larry Kasanoff. Kasanoff has adapted videogames in the past; he produced the cheesy Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Meanwhile, Threshold is most notable for Foodfight!, an ugly CGI monstrosity where the product placement are the characters. Read more…
Tags: Tetris
Posted by Bob Muir on Oct 1, 2014 in Comic Books, Television 
When James D’Arcy was cast as Edwin Jarvis, the butler of Howard Stark (and inspiration for Iron Man’s AI), in Marvel’s Agent Carter, many wondered if that meant we would see Howard Stark (Iron Man’s father) in the upcoming TV series. While John Slattery portrayed an older, Walt Disney-like version of Howard in Iron Man 2, Agent Carter’s post-WWII setting meant asking Dominic Cooper to play the younger version, as he did in Captain America: The First Avenger. With Dominic Cooper mainly sticking to films, it was uncertain whether he would work on a TV show. But Marvel has confirmed that Cooper will return and portray Howard in Agent Carter, so no worries! Cooper is great in the role, taking inspiration from the portrayal of his son Tony Stark, so I’m happy to see him still involved with the setting. Read more…
Tags: Agent Carter, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 30, 2014 in Videogames 
I love this new trailer for The Evil Within, Bethesda’s new horror game from Shinji Mikami, the man behind Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4, among other critically-acclaimed games. It reads like an old-style ad, with a straight-laced narrator extolling the virtues of a product instead of visually selling the experience. Not that the visuals don’t command your attention, especially those elements that seem to call back to Shinji Mikami’s past games. (There’s a spooky house like RE1, a chainsaw enemy like RE4, a body-burning mechanic like the RE Gamecube remake, etc.) The trailer makes The Evil Within look rather action-oriented at parts, so hopefully the game spans the whole range of horror and doesn’t just become a horror-skinned shooter that happens to have limited ammo. The game releases on October 14, just in time for Halloween. Read more…
Tags: shinji mikami, The Evil Within
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 30, 2014 in Videogames 
Japan will soon see the release of the New 3DS, an upgraded version of the 3DS handheld with extra controls and horsepower. One of the features of the smaller model (not the bigger New 3DS XL) is changeable faceplates, featuring Nintendo characters and other designs. So to promote this and tie-in with the recent release of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Nintendo made an ad with Japanese pop idol Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. This girl is like the Japanese version of Lady Gaga, but more cute-weird than sexy-weird. After learning this sequence of events, you can see how this ad turned out to be so weird, with various Nintendo characters getting sort of dressed up, if you somehow consider a mish-mash of patterns to be proper formal wear. Read more…
Tags: New 3DS, Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 25, 2014 in Videogames 
It may not be quite as good as a hands-on demo, but Japan’s first ad for the New 3DS does a good job of showing off the system’s new design. There’s a new C-stick (more of a nub), more meant to control the camera than act as a stick. You can also use the new Amiibo toys (think Skylanders toys) without needing a separate NFC adapter. What’s missing is a good view of the new extra shoulder buttons, as well as the movement of the card slot and stylus holder to the bottom of the handheld. The increased horsepower also gets no mention. Still, I know that I’ll be picking this up for the various upgrades, if only Nintendo will announce it for release. While the New 3DS is out in Japan next month and has just been announced for Australian release on November 21, the system won’t be released in North America or Europe until 2015! Read more…
Tags: New 3DS, Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 25, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
The previous US teaser trailer for The Tale of Princess Kaguya sure looked stunning, but we didn’t get to hear the movie’s English dub. But this new trailer fixes that problem, letting us hear the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss, and Lucy Liu. This is currently the second-to-last film from Studio Ghibli, with just one more film awaiting international release; after that, any future movies are currently uncertain as the studio has winded down production for now. Read more…
Tags: Studio Ghibli
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 24, 2014 in Tech, Videogames 
While I think the 2DS has a place as a budget-friendly, kid-friendly alternative to the 3DS, I could never see myself buying one unless it was just to add to my videogame collection. The 3DS XL has 3D screens (if you’re into that like I am), bigger screens, and it folds in half to protect those screens. The 2DS just looks bulky, albeit more comfortable. But oh lordy, Nintendo keeps putting out more limited variants of its handhelds, and even though I already own great-looking systems, I keep wanting to spend more money on things I don’t need. These red and blue 2DS systems are coming out in Europe on November 28, bundled with a copy of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, respectively. But the coolest thing about these is that their plastic is transparent. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 24, 2014 in Videogames 
Those expecting the successor to Blizzard’s World of Warcraft to release anytime soon should probably stop waiting. Though it was never officially announced to begin with (despite numerous confirmations of its development), Blizzard’s next MMORPG, codenamed Titan, has been canceled. Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime spoke on the project, noting that after creating the gold standard MMO with WoW, Blizzard thought it knew MMOs well enough to try to create “the most ambitious thing you could possibly imagine.” But after things didn’t gel, the developer questioned whether they were even passionate about the project, not finding the game fun enough. That’s when Titan entered a reevaluation period. Read more…
Tags: Blizzard, MMORPG, World of Warcraft
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 23, 2014 in Tech, Videogames 
I’m curious how PlayStation TV will fare outside of Japan. The little device allows you to play almost 700 digital games on your TV, from PS Vita, PSP, and PS1, as well as some Vita game cards that generally don’t require touch controls. In addition, you can use PlayStation Now to rent streaming PS3 games, as well as stream your PS4 console to the device in another room. It’s a neat little device, but I’m wondering how many people will pick one up in the US and Canada for $99.99 on October 14. The standalone system doesn’t come with a DualShock 3, which is required to play, so that price point is mainly appealing to those who own a controller already (likely from their PS3). But if you don’t have a controller, you can get the system, a controller, an 8GB memory card, and The LEGO Movie Videogame for $139.99. (Buy that bundle at Wal-Mart to get Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time added for no extra cost!) In Europe, the box is releasing for £85/€100 on November 14, with OlliOlli, Velocity Ultra, and Worms Revolution Extreme included for free. Read more…
Tags: PlayStation 4, Playstation Vita, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 23, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Hey, remember when Fox leaked that Deadpool test footage, but it wasn’t really them? Well whoever leaked it, it must have kicked Fox into gear, because director Tim Miller’s film is finally getting greenlit at Fox. Happy days! Now for the somewhat more iffy news: the movie is reportedly aiming for a PG-13 rating. Many fans assumed that a Deadpool movie would be a good fit for an R rating, allowing the character to slaughter enemies with as much cursing and gore as necessary. But considering how many superhero movies get an R (almost none), this shouldn’t be a surprise. And considering that Miller, a huge fan, has reportedly approved of a script that supposedly is PG-13 while managing to “not lose its soul,” I wouldn’t expect a PG-13 rating to negatively effect the film’s production. Read more…
Tags: Deadpool, Fox, Marvel
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