Well, I can’t say I didn’t see this coming — Fox has decided to cancel Terra Nova, and will not be renewing the series for a second season. The series seemed popular enough to sustain an audience, but viewership declined over the course of its 13 episode run, leaving studio execs with the choice of footing the bill for the show’s enormous budget, or cutting their losses. Given Fox’s track record with shows like Firefly and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I’m sure everyone could have guessed which option they’d pick. That being the case, the series did seem to suffer from poor writing, and the premise didn’t seem all that original to begin with. Read more…
To help commemorate tonight’s release of Mass Effect 3, I thought I’d post this interesting bit of fan art. Until today, I never knew salt was something people actually used for artistic purposes, but as you’ll see in this time-lapsed video, salt art can be quite impressive. No doubt it’s incredibly time consuming, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue for Bashir Sultani, the artist responsible for the piece. It actually took around two and a half hours for him to complete it, though I imagine someone who isn’t used to working with salt might have taken much longer. If you’re interested, he has entire YouTube channel dedicated to the art and it’s definitely worth checking out.
I always have difficulty writing about the passing of artists and visionaries who inspired so many over the years. It’s as if nothing I could write or say could even begin to express the loss the industry faces each time it happens. Nevertheless, it’s only appropriate that we honor them for their contributions. This time it’s Ralph McQuarrie, the conceptual artist whose work dictated the visual direction for films and series such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Battlestar Galactica, and even Raiders of the Lost Ark, but is best known for his work on Star Wars. Read more…
Here’s the latest trailer for second season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, and perhaps the most breathtaking yet. The clips they’ve used contain some fresh footage, and are spliced together beautifully. The music is also quite striking, in a haunted sort of way. Then again, if you’ve already read George R.R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings or A Storm of Swords, then you’d find it appropriate given the events that will take place this season.
Next week marks the release of Mass Effect 3, Bioware’s high-anticipated finale to the on-going adventures of Commander Shepard and his crew as they attempt to save humanity, and the known universe, from its greatest threat yet. Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, but until then, I’m left looking elsewhere for my Mass Effect fix. Introducing The Art of the Mass Effect Universe. This full-sized coffee table book comes packed with over 180 pages of art, featuring everything from character studies to weaponry and more. Read more…
Microsoft’s latest entry in their series of flight simulators, simply titled Microsoft Flight, is out and it’s free-to-play via its official website. There’s still the option of paying for premium content, with the option to purchase a plane of your own with just an exterior cam for just $7.99. A $14.99 deluxe package gives you the option of a cockpit view as well. As far as missions and such, the $19.99 Hawaiian Adventure Pack gives you free reign of the Hawaiian islands, with 20 new mission and additional challenges to keep you busy. It’s interesting to see how popular the free-to-play platform has become, and I have to wonder if piracy could be the cause. Is it really that more lucrative?
Today, Paramount and Marvel are set to release their latest trailer for The Avengers. It’s available via Apple.com, so we won’t be able to stream it for you, but if you’re so inclined, click here to visit Apple’s trailer page. The film is still set for early May, so we only have a few more months to wait and from what we’ve seen so far, I really hope it’ll be worth the wait. What little has been revealed seems promising enough, but even with all the press floating around the set, there’s always that chance the film could fail to deliver — especially when dealing with such a star-studded cast. There’s a lot of egos involved, and it’ll be interesting to see if they function dynamically. Whedon certainly had his work cut out for him, so let’s hope it pays off. The Avengers will hit theaters May 4th.
This has been a long time coming, but now they’re finally here. Starting today, Marvel will be releasing its digital graphic novels via Apple’s iBookstore. So far there is over sixty titles available from their catalog from popular titles like X-Men, The Avengers, Spider-Man and more. I know many of you are still comic book purists and have to physical copies, but for those of you who’ve embraced the digital age, this should provide a welcome alternative. Marvel’s promising new releases each week, as well as free previews for each graphic novel, including an extended preview for New Avengers Volume 1. Read more…
YouTube voice-over extraordinaire Brock Baker recently uploaded his abridged dub for Star Wars: Episode IV. It’s mostly silly, but hilarious at times and definitely not safe for work. While I chuckled here and there throughout, nothing really beats his Chewbacca. I’m not sure why it’s so good, and I’m not even sure you’ll love it too, but I can promise it’s not what you’d expect. Still, he must be doing something right because after 8,200 people “liked” the video, he only managed to rack up 150 “dislikes.” Most impressive, considering the material. If you dig it, check out his YouTube Channel for more.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 28, 2012 in Design, Tech
Some of us use it for work, others just to craft memes for their favorite image boards, but one thing is for certain, Adobe Photoshop has easily become a staple of internet culture. Until recently iOS users have been forced to contend with Adobe’s Photoshop Express which, as I’m sure many of you know from their browser-based version, comes with an extremely limited toolset, missing features like multiple layers, advanced adjustments, filters and more. The complaints haven’t gone unnoticed. To provide a tablet alternative, Adobe recently released Photoshop Touch. Read more…
The comedy epic Monty Python and the Holy Grail is finally making Blu-ray debut. The film’s been “digitally remastered for high-definition,” so I imagine that means they did more than just upscale the previous DVD release. The Blu-ray release will also include several exclusive features, such as “Second Screen Experience” compatibility, along with extended scenes, outtakes, lost animations and more. Finally, the disc features UltraViolet compatibility, granting its owner a digital license for the product. The owner can then instantly stream, or download a digital copy of the film. Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be available March 6th and retails for $19.99, but you can pre-order it via Amazon for just $12.99. Read more…
So here’s the latest trailer for BBC Worldwide and Supermassive Games’ upcoming adventure title, Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock. BBC decided to label it “epic,” but I’m not so sure about that. It certainly features a lot of rotating environments, voice acting and running. The Doctor and River both make an appearance, voiced by Matt Smith and Alex Kingston respectively, and it will be the first Vita game to utilize the Unreal Engine, but that last bit is hardly anything to brag about. The engine has been around for awhile and it certainly showing its age. The game, set to release sometime next month, will be available via PlayStation Network for both the PlayStation Vita, and PS3.
I admit that I haven’t watched a lot of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, but I’m not sure why. I’ve only seen a few episodes, but the ones I’ve seen are absolutely hilarious. For me, at least, the art took some getting used to, but the writing is so good that it more than makes up for it. The show itself is often littered with video game references and even the creators are huge gamers themselves, which probably explains why I love this Adventure Time x Legend of Zelda crossover shirt. It’s currently available at TeeFury for the next 24 hours, so head over there if you want to pick one up. The piece itself was designed by artist TeeKetch. If you’d like to see more of his work, you can check out his DiviantArt & RedBubble. Read more…
Prepare to be floored. CGI artist, and Star Wars fan, Francisco Prieto pieced together this amazing stop-motion CGI short. The video shows the brick by brick construction of Lego’s Star Wars Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon set. Each piece was rendered using 3ds max and V-ray software, taking him over three years to complete. I don’t think anyone could expect him to make the perfect video, but the results are impressive and the video really speaks for itself. The set can still be found through online retailers, although it can be pretty expensive — the set is considered a collectors item after all. I hope Francisco decides to do more of these videos, and hopefully we won’t have to wait another three years for the next one.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 22, 2012 in Videogames
I always thought it’d be cool to work on one of Konami’s Metal Gear projects, but until recently that would have been a difficult prospect. Konami always handled production of the series in-house, and since relocating to Japan would have been the first of many hurdles, I never gave it a second thought. Several years ago during his keynote at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Hideo Kojima announced that he was looking to expand his studio, and to embrace western development, and now it looks like he really meant it. Kojima Productions recently posted a recruitment page looking for candidates to work on their next Metal Gear project. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 22, 2012 in Television
Fans of NBC’s Community can finally exhale, the show is set to return to its 8PM slot starting Thursday, March 15th. I know many of you were terrified when the show was suddenly placed on hiatus earlier this year, myself included, but thankfully we won’t have to worry about its cancellation any time soon. NBC is apparently shaking up its line up with 30 Rock moving to 8:30, and Parks & Recreation going on a hiatus of its own. Fortunately, you won’t have to wait on pins and needles for Parks, as it’s scheduled to return April 19th at 9:30, as soon as Up All Night finishes the last of its 24-episode run. They’ll also be launching some new mid-season comedies for Wednesday nights, but none of them really look all that interesting. I’m sad to see Parks & Rec take a breather, but Community to fill that void, I’m sure I’ll learn to live with it. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 21, 2012 in Television
HBO’s at it again, having just posted this little featurette with the cast for the second season of Game of Thrones. Seeing how passionate the actors feel towards the show itself speaks volumes and serves to remind us of how magnificent the show really is. In addition, we get to see some behind-the-scenes footage from the set, as well as a glimpse at some of the new actors who will be joining the cast next season, although none of them were interviewed.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 21, 2012 in Videogames
Foregoing traditional launch tactics, Sony staggered the launch of their PlayStation Vita by offering several different bundles for their new handheld. Having had an opportunity to play several of the launch titles at industry events over the past year, I’ve been dying to pick one up, but with several different bundles available and retailers offering their own deals, deciding which to get and where to shop can be a bit tricky. So, I thought we should probably go over some of the best deals. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 20, 2012 in Television
This weekend, HBO released a series of spoiler-free character posters advertising the upcoming season of Game of Thrones. Set to premiere this April, the second season will follow second novel in George R.R. Martin’s award-winning series A Song of Ice & Fire, picking up right where A Game of Thrones left off. Having read the books, I’ve been dying to talk about it, but I’m afraid of spoiling anything for those who haven’t had a chance to pick up the novels. Without spoiling too much, I can assure you this next season should be full of action, suspense and intrigue. They’ll even spend more time north of The Wall. Check out the posters after the break and remember, Game of Thrones season 2 premieres April 1st on HBO. Read more…
Just a friendly reminder, yesterday saw the release of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1. Dark Horse’s latest Star Wars series focuses on the era of the first Jedi, before the force was divided between light and dark. During this time, Jedi exist as an order of warrior monks who strive to maintain peace and balance. The initial arc surrounds the coming of a stranger said to bring an end to the balance by heralding a new era of conquest and exploration. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
When it comes to mobile gaming, I’m always in the market for a decent control interface. Recently I wrote about Ten One’s Fling Joystick which allows you to stick an analog nub to your favorite tablet or smartphone. While it’s a great alternative to fussing with a touchscreen interface, it has its shortcomings such as a lack of buttons, and so on. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives such as ION Audio’s iCade series. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2012 in Videogames
There are so many video games out there, and while most gamers find themselves content with the mundane titles the industry churns out on a regular basis, some look to indie developers for an experience they can’t find anywhere else. These developers slave over their games, often without any benefits or guaranteed paychecks, not because they have to, but because they love to, one aspect of which is the music. Indie Game Music Bundle is a collection of soundtracks from various game composers who’ve worked on some of the most popular indie titles, some of which are among the most amazing scores I’ve ever heard. Their latest bundle features even more music and includes artists like Jim Guthrie, and Tomáš Dvořák. Finally, while the majority of the revenue from this project goes to the artists themselves, no doubt to maintain a steady supply of Hot Pockets, a portion of the proceeds also go to the American Cancer Society and Child’s Play. Click here for more info.
Last weekend, Ben posted one of the variant covers for IDW’s upcoming Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover comic. A few more details have since surfaced, including our first look at the official cover art, courtesy of StarTrek.com. Set for release this May, Assimilation2 #1 will be the first of eight and will feature The Doctor and his Series 6 companions, Amy & Rory, teaming with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D to take on deadly alliance between the Borg Collective and their newest ally, the Cybermen. Read more…
I always thought it’d be cool to own one of those hover boards from Back to the Future II & III, but I don’t think anyone has actually tried to manufacture one, that is, until now. Revealed at yesterday’s New York Toy Fair, MattyCollector.com plans to manufacture a 1:1 scale replica of Marty’s hover board as it was seen in the films. While they claim the board doesn’t actually hover, it apparently glides over most surfaces. Additionally, the cost of manufacturing the boards would be so much that they will need to reach a certain amount of pre-orders before going ahead with production. If the minimum, which has yet to be disclosed along with the price, is not met by the deadline of March 20th, all pre-orders will be refunded in full. Again, while the price has yet to be disclosed, pre-orders will start on March 1st and run through the 20th. Oh and keep in mind, it won’t work on water.
