Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 16, 2010 in Videogames
There has to have been countless iterations of this game over the years but it’s looking more and more like Pac-Man Championship Edition DX may be the best to date. Scheduled for release via Playstation Network and Xbox Live!, this sequel features multiple game modes, and gameplay tweaks such as slow motion, bombs and a new type of ghost. Much like the original Pac-ManChampionship Edition released back in 2007, the visuals are stunning, clean, and colorful. If you haven’t seen for yourself, check out the video above. Pac-ManChampionship Edition DX is scheduled to release sometime this week. Read more…
I don’t have very fond memories of the Men in Black films. I’m not sure if it was the campy PG humor, saturation or excessive use of CG, but something about the films always left me wanting less. The first time around, it wasn’t because it was a terrible movie. In fact, I actually liked it until I had to watch it more than once. The sequel, on the other hand, was pretty terrible. Everything about it, save for the excessive CG, felt rushed — as if the producers couldn’t wait to capitalize on the oil they thought they struck. It would also seem that I’m not alone in my opinion. But why, then, would we need another sequel? Read more…
I know all the “cool kids” these days watch Naruto and Bleach, but there are still some of you out there who really appreciate Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama’s legacy. It seems like it’s been forever, but I can remember a time when obtaining your favorite anime required you to order your fan subs on VHS, and prior to being properly licensed, Dragon Ball was one of those series I scoured the net for. When FUNimation decided to bring over the recently released Dragon Ball Kai, the remastered, filler-free version of the hit series Dragon Ball Z, I was pretty stoked. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 11, 2010 in Fandom, Horror
He’s always been a favorite amongst Lovecraft fans, but his cameo in recent episodes of South Park has brought him national attention. Rather than hide your obscure love for Lovecraft lore, you can choose to embrace it, and what better way to do that than with an adorable Cthulu hand puppet. Okay, I’m sure there’s probably better ways to do it, but this hand puppet is pretty killer. He’s made out of a soft ploy-fiber plush, giving you the ability to manipulate the claws and tentacles with ease. I don’t know if owning him will grant you admittance to the enigmatic Cult of Cthulu, but there’s no harm in trying. Head over to Neatoshop to order yours today. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 10, 2010 in Tech, Videogames
Hasbro is reportedly developing an accessory that allows users to experience immersive 3D using Apple’s iDevices. The product, known as My3D, requires what the use of binoculars which attach to your iPhone or iPod, allowing you to simulate 3D. Under normal circumstances I’d post the image of the My3D accessory that’s been floating around the net, but seeing as it belongs to AP, who have been more litigious than normal as of late, you’ll have to settle for this lovely image of Nintendo’s Virtual Boy.
It’s a shame that Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World flopped at the box office. It wasn’t a terrible movie, and the entertainment industry as a whole would have benefited from it success. While I can’t build a time machine and take back to the opening weekend, you can do the next best thing and buy a copy of the DVD or Blu-ray that hit stores this week. I’m not sure if they’re planning on throwing this clip in the extras or not, but for whatever reason, director Edgar Wright decided to have the actors film the opening scene with British accents. I thought it was pretty funny even if Michael Cera couldn’t quite pull it off. If you’re curious as to why the video quality isn’t quite up to par, it’s because this test footage was apparently shot with a Lumix. Read more…
When he’s not busy lording over the Imperial fleet, or choking incompetent admirals who fail him for the last time, Darth Vader apparently spends his time hanging out in the Land of the Rising Sun. What’s he do exactly? Market cell-phones, what else. It would seem that he’s at the center of NTT Docomo’s latest ad campaign for Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone. In case you’re wondering, it’s comparable to the Samsung Fascinate and Captivate in the US, featuring the Android operating system. Even though it’s obvious that he’s just hanging out, I’m still wondering what Darth Vader is up to — maybe someone told him that these were the droids he was looking for. Read more…
No, Abrams didn’t revive Flash Gordon — though, I really wish he would. Instead, these retro-futuristic propaganda posters feature the his reimagined Trek, captured brilliantly with an art deco approach. Of course, the designs already lent themselves to it, but that doesn’t make them any less cool. Lucky for me, I can’t really pick a favorite which is why it’s probably a good thing that ThinkGeek is forcing us to buy the lot of them rather than selling these individually. Unfortunately, if you do have a favorite, that might pose a bit of a problem. The set of four will run you roughly $30. My suggestion? Buy them, take one and sell the rest on ebay. Piece of cake, right? Read more…
Remember these? The classic Atari 2600 joystick — I’m feeling nostalgic just looking at it. It brings back fond memories of classics like Defender and Frogger. Trying to gator infested chasms in Pitfall! or defending my cities from the constant barrage of missiles in Missile Command. Even thoughmy old Atari is broken and sitting in my closet collecting dust, I still enjoy playing those classic games via modern emulation. I’ve had to settle for whatever controller I’ve had on hand, be it an Xbox 360 wireless, or some piece of Logitech hardware, but fortunately, the guys over at ThinkGeek finally have a solution to that problem. Someone decided to finally create a replica of the original Atari 2600 joystick with a USB input. Amazing, right? If you want one of these one-button bad boys, they’ll run you about $25. That’s pretty reasonable if you ask me. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 4, 2010 in Cinema, Fandom
Harrison Ford has had his fair share of roles over the years –he’s done everything from cracking whips to hunting replicants. It goes without saying that roles like those require quite a bit of stunt work, and while he might not always be the one throwing himself out a window — they have stunt doubles for that — he still has to lend his voice to those scenes. Though many directors would resort to using stock audio, such as the famous Wilhem scream, Ford has proven time and time again that he’s mastered the art of screaming. In doubt? Check out this hilarious video by Jon and Al Kaplan.
Back in June, I touched on Capcom’s Okamiden, the upcoming sequel to their modern-cult classic Okami. I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with the title at the various trade shows I’ve attended and I have to admit it was a lot more fun than I had expected. Well, it would seem Capcom has finally settled on the North American release date of March 15th, 2011. I know that seems a ways off, but they’re looking to make up for that by offering several limited edition pre-order bonuses if you purchase the game through GameStop. the first 20,000 pre-orders will recieve a special stylus for their DS in the shape of a brush, and a custom screen cleaner that’ll feature art of the main characters. Capcom has also created a Facebook app that lets you try your hand at painting a goblin mask. The app will allow users to enter contests to win a Nintendo 3DS, a copy of the game and several other Okamiden-related prizes. Exciting, right?
Filled with terrible acting and Trekkie humor, this web-series follows a family of Trekkers — I’d call them Trekkies, but the seemingly made a point to refer to themselves as Trekkers — who, in an attempt to prevent their Cardassian cosplaying neighbor from “shifting the balance of power in the quadrant,” plan a last minute trip to the annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. The series started back in late September and they’re already five episodes in with new episodes being released each week. It can be a little much at times, but they’ve peppered the scripts with enough references to keep you mildly entertained at the very least. It’s not quite as off the wall as Chad Vader, but it’s up there. If you’re interested, check out their YouTube channel or follow them of Facebook.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 2, 2010 in Cinema, Tech
Back in April, Paramount teamed up with Seagate to produce a special edition hard drive that came loaded with select movies, such as Abram’s Star Trek. Well, it sees Buffalo will be taking this cross promotional concept a step further with their upcoming Harry Potter hard drives. Buffalo has teamed up with Warner Home Video in order to load the drives with all six films to date. The films will come in a DRM-locked DivX format and require an Internet connection to be played. Chances are, if you’re reading this, that won’t be a problem. Aside from having the movies sitting on the drive, the only film-related reference seems to be the Harry Potter logo located on the external drive itself. Nifty, but is it worth the price? I guess we’ll have to see when it’s announced, along with the official release date later this month.
I imagine the first thought that’s probably running through most people’s heads would be “what’s wrong with that NES controller?” Well, good call. This slick little iPhone 4 case is actually modeled after a Japanese Famicom controller, hence the red and gold color scheme. Personally, I liked it but I wouldn’t dare question Nintendo’s decision-making process to rebrand their product stateside — it was only the best selling console of that era. Still, this design should speak to you, and if the classic d-pad or button layout aren’t enough, the fact that it’s an import might sweeten the pot in terms of nerd-cred. You can order them through geekstuff4u.com, but you’ll want to note that these are imported and will probably cost you a bit.
With the exception of Darth Maul, I practically loathed the recent Star Wars films. They had their moments but between Jar Jar and Hayden Christensen, they left a lot to be desired. Maul, on the other hand, was mysterious, menacing, and the first on-screen character to wield a dual-bladed lightsaber. Sure he had his flaws, but as far as I’m concerned, this statue alone more than makes up for that lack of character development. Read more…
Back in 2009, improvisational pianist and composer Richard Grayson performed several requests for students at the Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica. The presentation was apparently filmed and subsequently uploaded to YouTube in a series of clips. In each video he takes a request and performs each song as if it part of a classical genre. Here we have him performing the theme to Star Wars as if it were a baroque gavotte — for those of you who aren’t musically inclined, that’s a type of rhythm based on a French folk dance that often went along with baroque compositions around the mid to late 1600’s. Needless to say, he does a pretty awesome job, though I imagine some of you would rather hear his rendition of the “Imperial March” ala Beethoven. Read more…
Amazing, isn’t it? While I’m sure this little Haro can’t possibly beat the limited edition Fist of the North Star alarm clock I bought when I visited Tokyo last month, it’s really cute and probably annoying enough to wake you from the deepest of sleeps. Modeled after Amuro Ray’s personal Haro bot, the Gundam mascot comes available in two distinct colors — pink and the original green. In addition to reciting a few lines from the show, it’ll flap its ears while it displays the time and date in Earth years. I was hoping it’d give us some kind of Universal Century equivalent but that’d be pretty useless. You can pick one up via Hobby Fan, but if you’re an Amazon prime member, you’ll want to order through them to save on shipping. The $69 price tag might seem a bit expensive, but can you really put a price on cuteness?
And no, we’re not talking about Khan. Pop Culture blog Badass News managed to snag a scoop on the upcoming Abram’s flick that should have Fanboys and girls relieved. According to an informant whom they claim is close to the production, the basic plot of the film has been decided. Rather than attempting to top Ricardo Montalbán’s legendary portrayal of the genetically engineered tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh, they’ve opt’d for more of an unconventional approach by instead focusing on a villain archetype that’s never been done before.
Japan never ceases to amaze me. If they’re not busy inventing crazy new flavors of Pepsi, and Pocky, they spend each day trying to reinvent the wheel. This week, their item of choice is the printer. Scientists at Tokyo’s Keio University have managed to invent a new printer that not only prints ink, but — you guessed it — smells. I’m not exactly sure it’ll catch on, after all, Smell-o-Vision certainly didn’t. Of course, that doesn’t mean this won’t either. Imagine it, we could be reading a cook book that lets us smell the pie we’re about to bake, or looking at various floral arrangements and trying to decide which one would smell best. There’s plenty of applications, I’m sure, but there’s just one little problem. Nobody quite knows how to synthesize the scents yet. It may be some time until we finally see these printers hit the market, and even then, plenty of research will have to be done before we can even enjoy the sweet scents. Until then, we’ll just have to make due with those scratch-and-sniff stickers you find at thrift stores.
While many of you have probably given up hope that Serenity will ever return the big screen, there are still a handful of you faithful who’ve continued to hold your breath. Though that may never happen, people will continue to produce plenty of Serenity merchandise for you to sink your teeth into. We’ve seen everything from replica knit caps, to comic books, and now there’s even a figure — a maquette to be exact. Featuring a pose from River’s unforgettable fight sequence, this limited edition maquette is made of a durable polystone resin and serves to remind us why Summer Glau ended up being the next Terminator. If you have $70 laying around, head over to ThinkGeek and pick one up. They’ve only made 1,500, so get them while they last. Read more…
I’m not sure what it is that posesses people to dress their babies on Halloween, but assuming you’re one of those people — or at least you know someone who does — then these might be for you. Rather than butchering your favorite bathrobe, attaching a broken flash light and calling your kid a Jedi, you can dress them up like everyone’s favorite Vulcan. Better yet, you can dress your baby like Kirk just to see if they can do Shatner as well as Chris Pine did. What’s more, if you hurry and order one of these from ThinkGeek, chances are they’ll arrive by the 25th — that is, unless you order baby Spock toddler outfit. That one might show up in one to three weeks, and I honestly have no idea what you’d do with it aside from having them cosplay at the next Sci-fi convention. Don’t worry, they’ll be coolest kid there, aside from the one with the Darth maul face paint. They’re always such show-offs. Read more…
Back in 1987, Star Trek the Next Generation had just hit the air and Shatner had yet to release the flop that was Star Trek V. It was an exciting time for Trekkies and there plenty of companies lined up to take advantage of that ever-growing market. One such company was Temporal Graphics based out of Sutton, MA. In addition to producing a number of blue-prints for non-existant Star Trek vessles, they created posters, one of which is this beauty — “The Enterprise Legacy: Six Bold Centuries of Adventure.”
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 20, 2010 in Animation, Tech
When you think Neon Genesis Evangelion more often than not, the first image that comes to mind is Rei Ayanami. Her bandage-clad stoicism garnered plenty of fanboys and girls, making her practically synonymous with that classic series. That popularity explains why I’ve seen her on everything from softdrinks to body pillows. Well, now you can add another item to that list — a USB memory stick. Apparently it had been produced and sold-out rather quickly a few years back, but this unique little USB stick has made a return to Japanese markets. So how do you get your hands on one? Don’t worry, GeekStuff4u.com has you covered. You can import one for just 5,900 yen — that’s about $72. I know, it’s a little pricy for a 4GB USB stick, but you’ll probably be the only person you know with a mini-Rei holding your documents for you. Read more…
I love alt-art, but I love parodies even more. Recently, a friend showed me oldredjalopy.com — a site that specializes in alt-art posters for our favorite films. What’s more, many of these alternatives are parodies of some of the more iconic posters from years past. For example, the fantastic Star Wars Episode IV poster, shown above, is actually a parody of the poster from Stanley Kubrick’s classic Full Metal Jacket. I’ve went ahead and thrown a few more Star Wars posters below, but you really need to check out their site. They have everything from Superman II to more recent works like Oldboy — and best yet, you can actually order prints for some of these while supplies last. Read more…
