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Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 27, 2014 in Videogames 
My backlog is getting too big, because I haven’t even gotten around to playing Dark Souls II yet, and here we are getting a newer version. Namco Bandai has announced that they are porting the game to the PS4 and Xbox One, as well as a new DirectX11 PC version. The new releases will feature enhanced graphics, the three previously-released DLC chapters, and additional content. Both the new and previous releases will also get a patch with a new quest, additional story, balancing, and online improvements. It sounds cool, but it’s an odd choice. The first Dark Souls is considered the better game, and From Software’s spiritual sequel Bloodborne will be released a month prior on PS4. I’m curious how many players will be interested in this rerelease. Read more…
Tags: Dark Souls, PS4, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 26, 2014 in Cinema 
Since the last two Jurassic Park movies were so bad, I think it’s fair to approach Jurassic World with some caution. The trailer looks surprisingly interesting, depicting Jurassic Park as it was intended to be. The problem in this one comes from a new dinosaur made to attract more people to the park, because something always goes wrong when man plays God. As far as I can judge for the trailer, it looks like this movie will at least be better than its abysmal predecessor. But it’s a shame how reliant we are on CGI these days, because some of those dinosaurs can’t hope to match up to the animatronics used in the original Jurassic Park. Read more…
Tags: Dinosaurs, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 26, 2014 in Cinema 
First of all, I don’t think Peter Pan needs an origin. I don’t need to know how he got to Neverland, and in fact, knowing too much may make things worse. That said, if you can separate the fact that this is some origin/prequel/whatever, this first trailer for Pan looks like a fun, interesting story. There are many liberties, such as Hugh Jackman playing Captain Blackbeard, and Hook neither being a captain or possessing a hook. But that just makes it easier to ignore that this is tied too closely to the original Peter Pan story and enjoy the adventure. Pan isn’t out until 2015, so by the time more information drips out, we’ll know whether that optimism was justified or not.
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Tags: Peter Pan, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 25, 2014 in Comic Books 
One of the reasons many comic fans have been hoping for a female-led superhero movie (at least one in the modern mold) is that it would offer a different perspective and outlook than the many male-led superhero movies that have come before, to give more variety to the stories told. One way to improve the chances of Wonder Woman expressing that is to hire a female director, and Warner Brothers seems to have made a great choice. Michelle MacLaren, known for directing episodes of such great TV series as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead, has signed on to develop and direct the film. (Charles Roven, Zack Snyder, and Deborah Snyder will produce.) I feel that Snyder is one of the weakest links DC keeps using, so hopefully with MacLaren directing, we’ll get something better than Man of Steel. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Warner Brothers, Wonder Woman
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 25, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
It’s one thing to hear about Batman: Arkham Knight, the final installment (supposedly) of the series from Rocksteady, adding the Batmobile seamlessly into gameplay. It’s another thing to see it in action, but this trailer shows how awesome it could be. Imagine Link’s ability to summon Epona anywhere in Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, but with the ability to hop on and off the horse at a moment’s notice, even in mid-combat. That’s what the Batmobile looks like, and it seems like a joy to use. This is only half of the ACE Chemicals sequence, with the other half being released next week, so stay tuned! Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 24, 2014 in Cinema 
I don’t know if I should be doing this, but come on! It’s the first new Jurassic Park film in a while, and it kind of… looks good?! Jurassic World arrives next year on June 12th, but the trailer is premiering this week on Thanksgiving day. This is our first look at actual footage, featuring the most important element: dinosaurs! No feathers, yes. It looks like they’re not changing that. Perhaps we’ll see some feathered dinosaurs elsewhere in the movie? The park looks great, though, and Chris Pratt appears to be settling well into the lead role. He’s a bit like a goofier Harrison Ford, almost, isn’t he? Check out the teaser below. Read more…
Tags: Jurassic Park, Jurassic World
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 24, 2014 in Star Wars 
Get ready, Star Wars fans: SlashFilm is reporting that they have heard from very good sources that the first teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens will debut this week, around Thanksgiving. They’re saying that it will indeed be shown in theaters. Right around the same time, a Reddit post on /r/StarWars claimed the same thing, also stating that it will be in front of “most if not all films in select theaters.” Interesting! John Williams recently recorded a short piece of music, presumed to be the teaser music, and we also heard reports of a 60 to 90 second teaser. Thanksgiving could be extra exciting this year!
UPDATE: and then, Regal Cinema jumped the gun and posted their theater list early, here. Looks like it’s happening! Read more…
Tags: Episode VII, The Force Awakens
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 23, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
He means it! The upcoming documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness will be particularly compelling due to Hayao Miyazaki’s recent retirement, as it goes in-depth about the making of The Wind Rises and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. It’s an amazing look at how Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki, and Isao Takahata make films. Especially since Miyazaki retired during the period the documentary covers, it’s fascinating to see the way that it affects the studio. The film is already out in Japan, but it’ll be showing in some theaters later this month, with a wide VOD release in late January. Trailer below! Read more…
Tags: documentary, Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 23, 2014 in Cinema 
What’s Strange Magic, you might ask? That’s a very good question! I wouldn’t have been able to answer that question until just recently. Out of the blue, Lucasfilm revealed a CGI animated film, with story by George Lucas, that is coming on in January. It’s a comedy-adventure film with plenty of singing, about two different side (fairies and goblins) being separated until a love potion begins to bring both sides together. Don’t expect for the trailer to tell you that, though! Also, releasing a trailer so close to release with very little promotion doesn’t exactly bode well. Oh, and all that music, but no “Strange Magic” by ELO? Come on, it’d be perfect! Read more…
Tags: George Lucas, Lucasfilm
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 22, 2014 in Videogames 
You might know Tom Francis as the fellow behind the fantastic game Gunpoint. Well, he’s been hard at work on his next game, titled Heat Signature. In it, you pilot a small ship through a vast sea of space, sneaking onto other ships, assassinating people on board, hijacking their ships, and more. It has a really fun, flexible-looking gameplay style, in which things just happen, and you have to react quickly. The idea of stowing aboard other spaceships while flying around is a cool idea! Francis recently uploaded a video of him playing the game, and also teased a testing phase for enthusiasts. I can’t wait to see how Heat Signature turns out! Read more…
Tags: Heat Signature, Tom Francis
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 22, 2014 in Videogames 
Kingdom Rush is one of the best, most polished tower defense games available. It has a charm that’s a step above most other mobile games, plus, it’s just plain fun. You defend your exit with a cavalcade of towers and upgrades, along with a hero that you can direct around the field. The unique tower upgrades and the changing landscape help keep things feeling fresh even after you’ve killed your thousandth gnoll. I’ll be honest: I’ve sunk tons of time into the previous two games, so the same thing will probably happen with this one. Check out the trailer below, then download the game on iOS or Android! Read more…
Tags: Android, iOS, Kingdom Rush
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 21, 2014 in Videogames 
Telltale, the folks behind The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us series, have a new Game of Thrones game coming out “soon.” They won’t say what date yet, but before the end of the year. So, December sometime. This game will follow House Forrester, a family of loyal bannermen to House Stark, from five different perspectives. It’ll feature characters from the show, too, and Telltale has announced that they’ve gotten several of the actors to reprise their roles as well. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Lena Heady (Cersei), Natalie Dormer (Margaery), and Iwan Rheon (Ramsay). Not too shabby! It’ll be out on basically all platforms soon. Steam pre-order page here. Check out the very short teaser below! Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones, HBO, Telltale Games
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 21, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
As you may have heard, a live-action Japanese adaption of Attack on Titan is coming summer of next year. They’ve been announcing the cast now, and to promote them Toho has released character posters for all of the main characters. In addition to your favorites like Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, there are also seven new characters and some new enemies, too. I’m hoping the special effects are good, as Japanese FX studios usually aren’t quite as impressive as what some Hollywood studios can put out. However, they’ve been improving rapidly and this could be a great movie to show off on. Check out the character posters below! Read more…
Tags: Attack on Titan
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 20, 2014 in Cinema 
It’s hard to think of many aliens more iconic than the Xenomorph of Ridley Scott’s Alien. Scott realizes we still need new attempts though, so apparently he has teased a new alien to appear in the third act of Prometheus 2. Scott said that he’d avoid species from previous Alien films, and to “Stop the dragons.” The rumor of God or Satan being involved was also denied. I’m not that surprised, I always figured there were more aliens in that version of space. I’d be interested to hear how they may relate to other species though. Read more…
Tags: Alien, Prometheus, Ridley Scott
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 20, 2014 in Cinema 
Disney has been raiding the Disney Vault for classic animated movies that can be remade into live-action features. After Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent, the next up is Cinderella. I’m of the opinion that these effects-driven movies are just cashing in on the original story and are completely unnecessary. But while the last two films just looked awful from the start, Cinderella actually looks alright. There isn’t visual overload and it just seems like a retelling of the classic fairy tale. It’s still completely unnecessary, but maybe this movie has a chance of being a good movie. Despite my distaste for director Kenneth Branagh, his Shakespearean sensibilities seem to be a good fit. And with Helena Bonham Carter cast as a non-crazy person, plus Cate Blanchett, they’ve got some good actors participating. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Fantasy
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 19, 2014 in Videogames 
BioWare knows it has to make up for Dragon Age 2 after a mixed reaction from fans. From all that we’ve got to see of Dragon Age: Inquisition in preview form, it feels like BioWare is really swinging for the fences, manically working to make an epic game that everyone can enjoy. This launch trailer looks pretty great — not just the game itself, but the beautiful graphics. It makes me kind of sad I’m behind on these games; I never finished Dragon Age: Origins, so maybe I’ll be returning to that one in an attempt to catch up to Inquisition.
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Tags: BioWare, Dragon Age, EA, RPG
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 19, 2014 in Animation, Cinema 
Look, we’re getting an animated Peanuts movie whether we want it or not. Thankfully, BlueSky Studios has got the look down pat, despite being CGI. And “voices” like Snoopy and Woodstock sound good. But what is up with that generic pop song? That’s not Peanuts. It’s likely just trailer music, but it seems odd. Anyway, the Christmas theme makes me want to see this soon, but it’s not coming out until 2015. While Peanuts is still a classic comic to me, I wonder if modern kids will view it the same way. Read more…
Tags: 20th Century Fox, Peanuts
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 18, 2014 in Anime 
Dragon Ball Z is getting its continued anime revivals with the original creator Akira Toriyama actively involved. The next movie has been announced: Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no F, due out April 18, 2015 in Japan. The title refers to the Japanese word for resurrection, fukkatsu, and also Frieza, the most iconic villain from the long-running series. It sounds like someone is wishing him back to life, and somehow Beerus, the antagonist from the previous film, will be involved, as he is on the poster. While I’m interested in seeing Frieza come back, it’s going to be a challenge to make him menacing again without only relying on some increase to his “power level.” After his initial defeat, his subsequent appearances resulted in embarrassing further defeats. Hopefully they find something interesting to do with him. Read more…
Tags: Dragonball
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 18, 2014 in Anime, Videogames 
Since Pokemon Black 2 & White 2, new Pokemon games have received anime teasers to sell what the game is like, but prettier. To be honest, I think they’re pretty cool, with lots of action and a tantalizing overview of some of the game’s moments. But invariably, I realize that they look too good; we’ll never get anything that cool in the Pokemon anime with dopey Ash Ketchum, the world’s least-capable Pokemon protagonist. Why can’t Nintendo do something cool with the anime like these game ads? Tell the animators to get on it! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 17, 2014 in Fandom, Videogames 
We don’t often shine a spotlight on popular YouTubers, because hey, they already get lots of eyes on them. But Matthewmatosis’ fantastic reviews of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine caught our eye. He breaks down exactly why Mario 64 was so revolutionary at the time, pointing out clever game design and tricks the developers used. He even mentions faults the game had, going into plenty of detail. His Mario Sunshine review is equally interesting, praising the strong elements of the game while also examining why so many people didn’t like it and the possible reasons behind that. Check out the videos below, and then check his channel for more! Read more…
Tags: Mario Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 17, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Speaking of Captain America, it appears that we have our most likely candidates for directing Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and 2. Joss Whedon is wrapping up Avengers: Age of Ultron, and we’ve known for a while that he’s getting a bit tired of the whole superhero thing. Avengers 2 is his last film he’s signed on for, anyway, so he could very well leave after this. Marvel reportedly wants the Russo brothers, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War. They definitely have the chops to take up Whedon’s flag, and their involvement in multi-hero films will be a big aid. We probably won’t know for sure until Avengers 2 comes out and Whedon confirms! Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Infinity War, the Russo Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 16, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Here’s an updated version of the previous trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron, with added scenes and a few new moments. It still has that haunting rendition of “I’ve Got No Strings” running the whole way through, though! I think James Spader really nailed the voice of Ultron, as he simultaneously sounds smooth and threatening. However, I love the above shot the most of all… because it looks like Ultron is attempting to do stand-up comedy and failing miserably. “What?! His name is Iron Man, and he’s ironing his shirt… oh, come on, you people are a tough crowd!” Trailer below! Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 16, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Captain America: Civil War is building up quite the impressive cast. Obviously, we have Mr. Tony Stark himself in it, along with Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther. Now, the Russo brothers have also cast Daniel Brühl in the film. You probably know Brühl mainly from his role in Inglorious Basterds or in Ron Howard’s Rush. He’s playing an “unnamed villain.” Variety reports that Brühl is not the main villain in Civil War, but it possibly the main villain of Doctor Strange (maybe Baron Mordo?). Got to get that cross-pollination, eh, Marvel? Brühl is a great actor and I can’t wait to see who he ends up playing. Read more…
Tags: Captain America: Civil War, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 15, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections, Videogames 
LEGO Ideas has been delivering some great stuff recently, but this one really stood out: a Plants vs. Zombies playset. This particular one designed by Jin Kai Soo on LEGO Ideas blows all other PvZ sets out of the water, in both design and presentation. From the moveable plants to the collection of zombies, I’m really impressed by the cohesiveness of the whole set. The best part: it’s not overly ambitious like most LEGO Ideas sets and aims directly for the right size LEGO usually approves. Now it just needs the votes! Head on over to the Ideas page to see more images and vote! Read more…
Tags: Lego, Plants vs. Zombies
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