For Doctor Who fans lucky enough to live within spitting distance of Manhattan, BBC America is planning a special season premiere screening on August 25th. While they haven’t nailed down an exact venue quite yet — they’ll be updating us with details via their official blog — attendees will be shown a special screening of the series 7 opener “Asylum of the Daleks,” followed by a Q&A with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and executive producer Caroline Skinner! Ironically, tickets will be sold for just $0.11, along with a dollar surcharge. I know you can just stay home and watch the series premiere for free, but who would want to pass up a chance to chat up the 11th Doctor or the beautiful Amy Pond? You have no idea how jealous I am of you New Yorkers.
Of all the amazing props Weta helped to create for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I’m sure this ring has been the most requested. It’s no surprise, really. Setting aside the lore, and the fact the entire series centered around the ring itself, it’s one of the few props you can wear in public without drawing too much attention. Until now, Weta only offered a solid gold version which retailed for ~$3,300.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 15, 2012 in Videogames
Finally, a reason to dust off Sony’s latest handheld. If you bought a PlayStation Vita at launch, but have already exhausted the system’s limited selection of titles, then you’ll be pleased to hear that PlayStation (PSOne) titles will finally be supported when Sony launches its 1.80 firmware on August 28th.
Some bad news for Star Trek gamers. Star Trek: Infinite Space, Gameforge’s browser-based starship combat simulator, has been officially cancelled. In truth, it’s no surprise to anyone, as the developer had been experiencing a number financial setbacks and layoffs over the past year. In order to complete development, Gameforge had been seeking a co-publisher for the title, but according to a recent statement, has finally given up the search. As we had previously reported, the game had been originally scheduled for release in late 2011.
It seems a number of factors will play a role in limiting the release of Peter Jackson’s high-frame rate cut of The Hobbit. This version of the film will feature a full forty-eight frames per second, that’s twice the number of frames you’re used to seeing in theaters. While that sounds amazing, some of the footage shown at CinemaCon actually seemed a bit too realistic for many fans in attendance. That initial negative reaction, combined with the fact that many theaters may be lacking the technology to display the higher frame-rate, has caused the studio to consider limiting its release. Read more…
The latest collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli might lack the touch of fantasy or adventure we usually associate with their films, but that won’t keep us from appreciating the beautiful art or story. From Up On Poppy Hill tells the story of high-school romance set against the backdrop of a post World War II Japan in days leading up to the 1963 Tokyo Olympics. The film hit Japanese theaters a little over a year ago, but won’t be released domestically until next Spring. If you’re just curious as to how it looks, or what to expect, be sure to check out the trailer above. The film was directed by Miyazaki’s son, Goro, who had previously directed the 2006 Ghibli feature Tales from Earthsea based on the novels by Ursula K. Le Guin.
No, I’m not talking about the classic Star Wars flight sim. Rather, I’m referring to the series of novels that just happen to share that title. Star Wars: X-Wing has been an on-going series featuring the writing of Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston, which follow several squadrons of X-Wing pilots as they battle the Empire, and its remnants after its fall. The series actually consists of ten separate novels, the first four — written by Stackpole — focus on the members of the infamous Rogue Squadron, while the later focus on the efforts of the Wraith Squadron as they battle the enemies of the New Republic. The latest novel in the series, Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill, was released this week and continues Wraith Squadron’s story following the events of the Fate of the Jedi novels. Mercy Kill serves as a spin-off of the final installment in that series, Apocalypse.
Ever sit down to play Katamari Damacy and wonder what led the King of All Cosmos to sport those ridiculously tight pants, or chiseled abs? Why he has so many attachment issues and forces his son, the Prince, to gather everything up like a hoarder? This little montage puts it all together for us, but be forewarned, it’s collection of cut-scenes from the game We Love Katamari, and if you’re planning on playing through it someday, you might not want to spoil it for yourself. If, on the other hand, you want to laugh and cry — this one’s for you!
It might not be what you’d expect, but Chewie, The Movie may be happening. Collider reports that Peter Mayhew, the actor who played the famous wookie, is currently working with Fanboys director Kyle Newman to flesh out the biopic which recounts Mayhew’s experiences while playing the iconic role. The initial script seemed promising enough to make the Hollywood blacklist, so it’ll be interesting to see if the project takes off. Given Newman’s previous dealings with Lucasfilm, I’m sure getting George Lucas to sign off on it won’t be too difficult. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 1, 2012 in Animation, Tech
Like many of you, I’m always looking for new reasons to dust off my iPad or Kindle. To be fair, I use them for everything from casual gaming, to streaming films, and reading books, but being the creative type that I am, I’m never really satisfied. I’m constantly looking for new outlets for my creativity, and with their touch-based interface, you’d think visual art would be a natural fit for such a device. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve come across some fantastic applications, and I’ve managed to create some impressive works — at least, by my own standards — with just my fingers, but sometimes you just want to have a tool you’re more accustomed to. Introducing the Sensu Brush.
BioWare made the official announcement earlier today — Star Wars: The Old Republic will be receiving a free-to-play option this fall. I know there are a handful of you out there who still play the game, and might be worried that the change in format might require you to embrace micro-transactions. You’ll be pleased to know that might not be the case, after all. Indeed, there will be several options available to you. If you choose to go the free-to-play route, you will have access to all eight character classes and can play for free until you reach level 50, at which point, high-level content can be purchased through micro-transactions. If however, you choose to go the subscription route instead, you’ll be spared that fate with unlimited access to the content. But wait, there’s more…
I know what you’re thinking, Vans made an iPhone case? I realize its 2012, and while I don’t personally endorse their line of skater-friendly kicks, it’s nice to see the brand is still branching out. Thanks to the good Doctor, I’m much more of a Converse man these days, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a clever idea when I see one. So, what makes their case so special? Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 26, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
Another Kickstarter, I know. I’m getting sick of seeing them posted everywhere too, but I still stumble across a cool one every now and then. For example, here’s a neat little project that’s almost fully funded. The GameDock is a device designed to take the iOS platform to the next level by offering a classic console experience. It claims to be compatible with iCade titles, so there should already be a handful of games supported. The dock itself will be able to connect to your HD displays via HDMI out with a crisp 1080p resolution. Some of the games will even have support for two players. Just note that in order for them to send you an actual unit, you’ll need to “donate” at least $125 at this point, and you’ve gotta ask yourself, do you really need an iOS console? Really? Read more…
BBC America will be airing four all-new Doctor Who documentaries leading up to season premiere of Doctor Who next month. The line-up starts on August 4th with The Science of Doctor Who. I’ve been seeing plenty of ads for it while trying to catch mid-day reruns of Battle Star Galactica, so I’m already a little excited. Next up is The Women of Doctor Who, set to air on the 11th, followed by The Timey-Wimey of Doctor Who and The Destinations of Doctor Who on the 18th and 25th respectively. Is it just me or does the “timey-wimey” bit seem like a reach? I’d like to think the science would pretty much cover all that, but perhaps they realized that a little too late. Oh well, I know I’ll be watching them either way.
The first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation in HDshould finally be available at store near you. My copy arrived earlier today, and I couldn’t wait to marathon a few of the discs. Of course, watching the first season of Star Trek the Next Generation can almost seem like a chore — the writing wasn’t incredible, the props and costumes needed some work, and the acting left plenty to be desired — so I had to pace myself. I was a bit worried that the experience would be much akin to chewing on a stick of Fruit Stripe gum — you know, ‘oos’ and ‘ahs’ for the first few minutes then suddenly ‘aww’. However, it actually isn’t that bad.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 24, 2012 in Videogames
The other day Kotaku posted a rumor stating Final Fantasy Versus XIII had been cancelled. More and more sites reported on it, ourselves included, which eventually led Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada to refute the claim via Twitter. Not only did he deny the cancellation, Wada even mentioned having recently attended a presentation for the game, and being incredibly impressed by the quality of the cityscape. This is great news for diehard fans who had purchased a PS3 with the expectation of being able to purchase the exclusive title. Of course, whether or not it’ll remain a Playstation 3 exclusive remains to be seen.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 19, 2012 in Videogames
A few weeks back, Polytron decided to release a patch for their Xbox 360-exclusive puzzle platformer Fez. The patch was meant to address a number of issues from being unable to run the game on older consoles, to simply fixing a series of crashes that can occur in specific situations. Unfortunately, while the patch seemingly eliminated the majority of the issues being experienced by players, a new bug was introduced which rendered certain end-game save files unusable. The patch was quickly pulled but after reviewing the issue with Microsoft, Polytron has opted to once again release the patch as is. According to some sources, Microsoft would charge them nearly $40k just to implement a new one!
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 18, 2012 in Videogames
A year after winning an academy award for his work on The Social Network, Trent Reznor has returned to the gaming industry to score the main theme for Call of Duty Black Ops 2. It’s the first videogame he’s participated with since his ill-fated attempt to engineer Doom 3 came to an abrupt halt during the game’s production. His most memorable contribution to the industry remains his involvement with Id Software’s other hit title, Quake, in which he, along with Nine-Inch-Nails, helped to score the soundtrack and design many of the sound effects heard throughout the game. I’m not sure how excited I am for Black Ops 2, or any FPS these days, but one thing’s for sure — its theme song will probably rock.
When we first mentioned Marc Zicree’s Space Command kickstarter back in June, the project had already hit its goal of $75,000. I knew early on that the project would prove popular but I didn’t expect the fundraiser to be quite this successful. By the time the kickstarter came to its conclusion, Zicree had managed to collect nearly three times that amount for a total of $221,267 — a rousing success to say the least. Not only will they be producing the first film, but hopefully this outpouring of support will allow them to continue to create more down the line. Now, all we have to do is hope they deliver what we’ve all come to expect — a task Zicree and his team are more than suited for. For more information on the project, check out their kickstarter page or click here.
If you’re a big enough fan, you likely own every one of these films already, but now Marvel’s giving you a reason to buy them all again. Introducing the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled! This ten disc set comes with the six films that make up the current Marvel universe and is loaded with all kinds of extras. In case you’re unsure which films we’re talking about, its The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and finally, The Avengers. Oh, and did I mention it comes with a Tesseract?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 17, 2012 in Videogames
Last week, during an event at San Diego Comic-Con International, I had the opportunity to sit down with a recent console build of Namco Bandai’s upcoming fighter, Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to be stunned by the visuals, and I hadn’t expected any significant improvements in terms of actual gameplay. Much to my surprise, however, the game offers quite a few enhancements over its predecessor, Tekken 6.
Ex-lawyer, and renown brick artist Nathan Sawaya will be in town for San Diego Comic-Con this year. Apparently Nathan plans on teaming up with artist Jim Lee for a special live exhibition where he’ll recreate one of Jim’s Batman portraits using standard LEGO bricks. As part of the larger Darkness & Light: Art Inspired by Heroes & Villains, Hope & Heroism exhibition that’s currently on display, the live event will take place on Friday, July 13th from 11 am to 4 pm at Michael J. Wolf Fine Art Gallery. Read more…
There won’t be an official Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic Con, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of Star Trek-related content this year. CBS is handing out 1701 free Star Trek the Next Generation 25th Anniversary posters throughout the weekend. To find out how to pick one up, you’ll have to swing by their booth (#4129) for more info. They’ll also have collectible postcards available. Alternatively, you can follow the official StarTrek.com twitter feed for updates on when they’ll be handing both the postcards and prints out. Read more…
There was once a time when trying to find a decent looking shirt featuring your favorite anime was nearly-impossible. You could either settle for an over-sized beefy tee, or one of those awful lounge-shirts with a design that covered entire front side, and sometimes even wrapped around. Times have certainly changed, and fortunately enough, we have other options. Recently, our fellow fanboy.com writer, Ben Huber, recently designed this awesome Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann shirt. Once again, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can choose a variety of sizes and colors — including a women’s fit — or you can even pick up a hoodie. Each shirt is made to order and is available for order directly from Ben’s Society6 store. Read more…
