The BBC has never been known for breaking the bank when it comes to special effects, but is that such a bad thing? Take this awesome clip from the early days of Doctor Who, starring Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor, for example. We were decades away from Jurassic Park and animatronics, but that couldn’t stop the BBC. They need dinosaurs, so they made it happen, and it was glorious — terrible, even hilarious, but glorious nonetheless. In fact, if this clip alone hasn’t convinced you to stomach classic Who‘s terrible acting (often on the part of his companions,) then I’m not sure what will. If, on the other hand, you can’t get enough of these killer special effects, and you wish to brave the acting, some of those classic episodes are still available via Netflix instant streaming.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 12, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
This is kind of cool news for those of you like me who can’t stand heavy handhelds. Nintendo’s Masahiro Sakurai recently revealed that the upcoming 3DS title Kid Icarus Uprising will come packed with a special stand to help keep the system steady while you play. Truth is, I love the concept behind Nintendo’s 3DS, even if I don’t really own too many games for it, but unfortunately, the system is a bit hefty, especially when I want to play for any extended period of time. Although I wasn’t looking forward to Kid Icarus Uprising so much, having played a demo at last year’s San Diego Comic Con International, this little addition might just change my mind. Keeping the system balanced could potentially improve the gameplay, and I’m sure I’ll be making use of the stand for future titles.
I’ve never been big on owning box sets while a franchise is still on-going, but in this instance, I might make an exception. It’s true that James Bond has always remained a controversial character, and while he’s often described as misogynistic, sexist, and even a tad juvenile, he remains one of the most iconic heroes to ever grace the silver screen. For the first time ever, all twenty two 007 films will be made available for Blu-ray, nine of which have never been released in high definition — that is, until now.
As many of you are already aware, Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level is set for release later this month. The Blu-ray sampler includes three recently remastered HD episodes from the series, including the full feature length version of the series premiere “Encounter at Farpoint.” If you’re wondering what to expect, check out this sweet side-by-side comparison of the original and remastered version. The colors really pop, and you can tell they spent some time polishing those special effects. I’d like to believe the changes could make that entire first season bearable, but short of inventing a time machine and rewriting the scripts, its not likely. Nevertheless, they’ll also be including “Sins of the Father,” as well as the critically acclaimed “The Inner Light,” both of which are exponentially better both in terms of writing and pacing. The disc goes on sale January 31st, and will retail for just $21.99.
Recently, over 60,000 free ebooks were removed from the Nook’s digital bookstore, and fewer titles are appearing every day. Why, might you ask? It’s not Barnes & Noble’s fault, but Amazon could have something to do with it. It should come as no surprise, especially considering their history of aggressive marketing and bully-boy tactics, but Amazon recently negotiated a deal with authors, offering to instantly add their novels to the Kindle’s lending library in exchange for their exclusivity. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 10, 2012 in Videogames
To be fair, I’m not sure what to think of Cyanide Studio’s upcoming Game of Thrones RPG. Seeing as A Song of Fire and Ice is a bit of a hot commodity right now, we would expect the license to land in the hands of an experienced developer. However, that didn’t happen. Instead, in what I can only imagine was a stroke of luck on their part, Cynaide Studios will be delivering several games based on the popular series, the first of which will be a third-person roleplaying adventure. Entitled simply Game of Thrones, the plot follows two survivors of Robert’s Rebellion as their decisions lead them on separate paths throughout the land, only to once again unite them against common enemies in an attempt to save the kingdom. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 10, 2012 in Dr. Who, Fandom
Every once in awhile, I come across a TeeFury design that I just can’t pass up. More often than not, they relate to Doctor Who, due to the lack of awesome Doctor Who merchandise we get here in the States. For example, today’s design features an beautiful ad for the Sonic Screwdriver Mark VI, which you might recognize as the model used by Tennant and Eccleston throughout the 2005-2009 seasons. While I love how classy it looks, especially against that background, I’m not so sure I’d look good in it — cream really isn’t my color. Girls, on the other hand, will luck out with a white alternative. Why only two colors? Great question. All I know is that the shirt will only be on sale for the next 24 hours, so if you really want one, don’t wait.
Like many of you, I had my reservations about Spielberg and Moffat’s The Adventures of Tintin. Based on Georges Remi’s classic comics, the film served as an attempt to revive the series with state-of-the-art 3D animation. After having the pleasure of seeing the film in theaters, those reservations were laid to rest. While the 3D animation may initially appeal to kids, the films plot, littered with a healthy dose of violence and alcoholism, befits a more mature audience — especially those of us who grew up with the comics. Back in November, Weta released a hardcover coffee table art book giving fans a glimpse at the creative process behind the film. Now they’re taking it a step further with its digital release.
I know we’ve all been biting our nails over this, but fans of NBC’s Community may sleep a little easier knowing the show will definitely return this Spring. NBC’s entertainment chairman Robert Greenblat made the announcement as they kicked off their portion of the Television Critics Association 2012 Winter Press Tour last Friday. As you may recall, NBC pulled Community mid-season to make room for 30 Rock, which premieres later this week. While we had heard that it could possibly return in the spring or even later this summer, there had been no official confirmation until now. That said, Greenblat was quick to point out that the series has yet to be renewed for a fourth season, and that the network will likely wait to make a decision. Again, it’s not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it’s far from “the darkest timeline,” at least for now. Speaking of which, Star Trek 2 officially starts filming this Thursday and should continue through the next four months — about time, don’t you think?
This has to be the third or fourth spoof I’ve seen for The Dark Knight Rises trailer, and it’s probably the best one yet. Editor and director, Brad Hansen, decided to sync the audio from the trailer with clips from Disney’s The Lion King. It’s pretty amazing how it all fit together so well. It’s certainly more entertaining than the original trailer, but that’s not too hard to manage.
Introducing Retrode, a USB adapter for 16-bit retrogaming. I’m not sure if there’s a simple term for what Retrode does, but I certainly dig its purpose, so I’ll try to describe it. The adapter delivers an authentic retrogaming experience by allowing you to use your own cartridges and controllers with the emulators you download. With ports for both the SNES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive , Retrode gives you driverless emulation, complete with data access and the ability to save to sram, without the need to obtain your roms via the net. Of course, you can still use the controllers with one you’ve downloaded, but its nice to know you’ll have options. Read more…
According to reports, Bandai Entertainment announced that they’re through localizing new anime and manga. While they will continue to sell their current products, Bandai plans to shift its focus to license distribution. Subsequently, all the upcoming anime and manga series they’ve announced have been officially cancelled. If you were looking forward to Turn A Gundam, you’ll just have to hope someone will be able to re-license it once Bandai’s current license expires. This also applies to several upcoming manga titles like Gurren Lagann volume 7, Code Geass, Kannagi 4, 5, 6 and others.
Here’s bit of sad news to start out the new year. Bob Anderson, Hollywood Sword Master and former Sith Lord passed away on Monday. The 89 year-old Olympian choreographed some of Hollywood’s most memorable fights, but is best known for his role as Darth Vader, having donned the mask for many of his iconic duels.
The other week, Softbank debuted a lengthy 5 minute 30 second long ad for their mobile phones starring the ever-popular “White family.” For those of you who haven’t seen any of the previous ads, they were centered around a multi-racial Japanese family with a dog (Otousan) as the father and often range from hilarious to adorable. The latest ad sees Otousan attempting to fulfill his dream of traveling in space, and guest-stars Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, who had spent several months on the International Space Station last year. you can watch that portion of the ad above. The final three minutes of the full ad feature former Japanese boy-band, turned Television hosts, SMAP and can be viewed by clicking here. Read more…
This has got to be the most fashionable handheld to date — Konami’s upcoming limited edition Metal Gear Solid 3DS. There’s been no official word on the pricing or availability just yet, but those details will be announced later this month. Hideo Kojima has, however, confirmed via twitter that the unit will feature the embossed snakeskin pattern pictured above, and that it isn’t just a removable skin, or case. It might be worth mentioning that the last Konami 3DS bundle to be sold never made it stateside, so there’s a good chance you’ll have to import one.
I can’t believe these are actually a thing, but here they are — Tactical Bleeding Zombie Targets. It’s true, Zombies are totally played out, but you never know when an outbreak may occur, so why not be prepared? Nevermind that Zombies are entirely fictitious and that we would never stand a chance should a supposed outbreak ever occur. Still, if firing weapons at semi-realistic targets is your thing, Zombie Industries might just what you’re looking for. The offer a whole range of zombie targets from paper to busts that actually bleed when shot. What’s more, the sale of the busts have actually been banned from the Crossroads Gun Shows. Apparently they feel the targets pose a threat to the second amendment as they’re “too graphic, offensive, and ghoulish in nature,” hilarious, right? The products range in price from as low as $12 for paper sheets to ~$115 depending on the model and are available via their official website.
Although we’ve seen him in numerous internet shorts and TV guest spots, it’s been awhile since Will Farrel’s last feature film. Our hopes were pinned on a sequel for 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, but Paramount nixed the film back in May. Ironically, Farrell and company are using Anchorman to market their upcoming film, Casa de mi Padre. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 28, 2011 in Videogames
With so many games on the market, and so little time to play them all, deciding which was best can be a difficult task. Some writers look at the review scores, or sales figures, while others may take a more personal approach. For me, it’s definitely more personal, but I also understand that labeling something “Game of the Year,” would be a tad pretentious if it weren’t truly worthy. Read more…
Check out Kotobukiya’s latest DC Comics Batman ARTFX statue. Does it look familiar? It should — it’s a re-release of their first Batman ARTFX statue, which featured the blue & grey batsuit from Jim Lee’s Hush graphic novel. Now discounted, that original statue was among Kotobukiya’s most popular to date, and while it’s out of print, this latest edition more than makes up for the loss. Kouei Matsumoto’s masterful sculpt still stands as a perfect testament to Lee’s work, and the new black cowl almost makes it worth owning twice. Thankfully Kotobukiya tends to keep their figures and statues reasonably priced for the most part — I’m estimating ~$125. The statue should hits stores next July. Read more…
It might not be the same quality you’d expect from a major studio like Pixar, but this is worth checking out. Using a mix of CG and footage from the original film, YouTube user Mylex67 recently tried his hand at recreating some of the battle sequences from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. While it’s my instinct to complain about the lack of accuracy, he notes that the clip is not meant to be a shot for shot recreation, but rather just an alternate take on the battle in the Mutara nebula from the film. Needless to say, I’m a bit impressed, and I hope there’s more to come.
No, it wasn’t the worst Christmas special ever — it’d be difficult to top the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special — but, this year’s special certainly wasn’t one of The Doctor’s best. It’s true, the episode had almost everything we’d expect from this post-Tennant era. Another space ship in distress, a bit of suspense, Matt Smith running around like a madman, and an Eco-friendly story about a mother’s love for her family. The episode was chock-full of references to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Doctor’s involvement throughout, though sporadic, is sufficient enough to win us over. But is that really enough? Read more…
Star Wars: The Old Republic hit the ground running this week and despite some crowded servers, its reception so far is seemingly positive. At a distance, the gamemay resemble World of Warcraft more ways than one. Visually, both titles might appeal to the lowest common denominator, in that they’re designed function with the average PC, yet feature beautifully crafted opening sequences. Being that they’re MMORPGs, both titles feature an ability-based interface and similar gameplay mechanics. However, one area in which The Old Republic really shines is its ability to tell a story. World of Warcraft has some incredibly deep lore, and the while the story is well-told, Bioware really excels. Here’s a documentary to explain why.
Being a geek myself, I’ve received my fair share of Geek-themed stocking-stuffers over the years. Some have been awesome, and others not so much, so I’ve decided to throw together some quick suggestions for those of you in a rush. Don’t worry, we’re all guilty of a little procrastination every once in awhile.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 21, 2011 in Videogames
Feast your eyes on this travesty. Its not often that I find a video with so many views and dislikes. Earlier today, TouchGameplay released some in-game footage from the upcoming iOS port of Mega Man X. Based on a previous mobile phone version of the title, the graphics have been enhanced, along with the addition of touch controls. Suffice to say, fans are not happy — many of whom have questioned Capcom’s definition of “enhanced.” Read more…
