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Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 10, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Many fans weren’t happy with the twist involving Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. If you haven’t seen Iron Man 3, bail out here. Unless you don’t mind being spoiled. Since he was merely posing as the Mandarin, fans were upset that we’d never get to see the version of the famous villain from the comics, clearly ruining his legacy. I thought it was a great twist, although sadly Guy Peace couldn’t really hold his own as an interesting villain once the “Mandarin” was gone. Anyway: Ben Kingsley is back as the actor Trevor Slattery again, but it seems that the whole Mandarin thing was perhaps… appropriated from the already existing terrorist group The Ten Rings. And hints that perhaps the real Mandarin is very upset that someone is using his namesake. This could be a neat twist on things, but we’ll have to wait till the one-shot arrives — it’ll be on the Thor 2 blu-ray, which comes out February 25th. Till then, have some pictures of Ben Kingsley looking nervous! Read more…
Tags: Iron Man 3, Marvel, Thor: The Dark World
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 10, 2014 in Videogames 
If the name Turtle Rock sounds familiar, it’s because they’re the crew that originally made Left 4 Dead. Once they were acquired by Valve, they made Left 4 Dead 2 and its accompanying DLC, but then split off back into their own company (some staff stayed at Valve and others returned to the original studio). Now, after dealing with the hassle of the THQ (their original publisher) bankruptcy mess, they’re now being published by Take-Two and 2K, and are back with a brand new multiplayer game: Evolve. Four players act as hunters on one team, and one player gets to be the monster they hunt. There’s a variety of classes and monsters to play as, and it sounds like a great twist on what made Left 4 Dead so much fun. Check out some images below or visit Game Informer’s page for the game that’ll have frequent updates with more details. Read more…
Tags: Evolve, Turtle Rock
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2014 in Videogames 
WayFoward’s take on Double Dragon, Double Dragon Neon, was an awesome beat ’em up game with a rocking 80s soundtrack. Now it’s coming to Steam, with online co-op to boot. For $9.99, you can punch bad guys in the head, which is better than getting hit yourself, as this trailer illustrates with science. It says “coming soon,” so there’s no date, but I’d imagine it won’t take long for it to come out. Now PC gamers can enjoy this old-school game too! Read more…
Tags: Retro Games, Steam
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 9, 2014 in Videogames 
We all know videogame graphics aren’t as important as gameplay, but having some good graphics generally can’t hurt. The Farm 51 is making an FPS called Get Even, and it certainly won’t be out until 2015. But in the meantime, we have a trailer that shows off their use of Thorskan, which allows them to scan an environment directly into the game. The walls and floors look really pretty (or should I say ugly and gritty?), though I noticed the camera quickly flies over the faces on those bodies, so maybe all they’ve got are pretty environments. The studio promises a game that “subtlety [sic] removes the classic division between single-player and multiplayer” and focuses on the memories of the main cast. The trailer doesn’t show any of that, but it does include a few live-action shots, so try not to get too confused when you watch it. Read more…
Tags: Videogames
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2014 in Videogames 
When showing off the PS4, Sony shared its desire to be able to stream PS3 games from their servers to the PS4 since the PS4 couldn’t play PS3 games due to its different chip architecture. The console launched, but the game streaming wasn’t ready yet, as we had been told from the start. But it seems we’ll have game streaming soon, as Sony has announced PlayStation Now. The streaming service will work not just on PS4, but also on PS3. Streaming is also planned for PS Vita, as well as most 2014 US models of BRAVIA TVs, and in the future tablets and smartphones. Sony is using the Gaikai tech they purchased to help stream across multiple devices, even keeping your save progress in the cloud. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, PS3, PS4
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 8, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
The most recent game based on Alien/Aliens was 2013’s Aliens: Colonial Marines, one of the worst games of the year that failed to live up to any of the apparently-false advertising and press demos. Everyone’s rightfully wary of any future games in the franchise, but let’s give Creative Assembly (known for Total War) a shot. They’re making Alien: Isolation, a survival horror game about Amanda Ripley — the daughter mentioned as having died of old age at the beginning of Aliens — exploring a space station to find info on Ellen Ripley and the Nostromo. Instead of hundreds of xenomorph enemies that are treated like cannon fodder, there’s only one, nine-foot-tall, formidable xenomorph that hunts Amanda throughout the game; they’re clearly aiming more for the horror of Alien than the action of Aliens with this game. Read more…
Tags: Alien, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 7, 2014 in Anime, Cinema 
Unlike the Cowboy Bebop and Akira movies that never got off the ground, Hollywood is actually managing to remake an anime into a live-action film — just not one you expect. This is Kite, scheduled for release sometime in 2014. The original Kite (or A Kite in Japan) is an OVA made of 2 30-minute episodes, often edited into one 60-minute film. It’s also extremely violent and somewhat controversial for its scenes of graphic sex and rape, including scenes of the main character Sawa as a young girl; some places even list it as a hentai, though it’s not. It’s been remade as a live-action American film, though it’s almost certainly based on the earlier censored releases that cut out the actual depiction of rape. India Eisley stars as Sawa, while Samuel L. Jackson is the guy who gets top billing. Jackson is actually a fan of Kite, though again, I’d have to imagine he’s thinking of the censored version that most fans have seen. The first trailer is below, and it looks pretty stylish. Read more…
Tags: Samuel L. Jackson
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 7, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Speaking of Legos, check out this purported leaked image of a Simpsons Lego set. With 2523 pieces, you’ve got a lot to work with as you construct the Simpsons’ house and populate it with the entire family (and Flanders). You can even open it up and check out the interior decorations, from the look of it. As this was a leak on Eurobricks, there’s no word on a date or price, but with that many pieces, you can expect it to easily cost you a pretty penny. Read more…
Tags: Lego, The Simpsons, Toys
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2014 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
So, did everyone bust on the LEGOs over Christmas break? Because there are a ton of amazing creations popping up this week. Ok, it doesn’t quite apply here because this was uploaded a little bit ago but it didn’t catch my attention until now. This huge model made by LegoBrickbaron looks impressive in pictures, with its bright colors and insane attention to detail, but it looks even better on video. Why? Because it moves and has a bunch of little mechanical moving parts. Check out the entire video to see Batman battling the Joker, Robin struggling to hang on, and the Penguin unleashing his penguin horde. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Joker, Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 6, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
This is just a great time for mechanical ball machines, isn’t it? First the LEGO ball machine earlier this weekend and now The Works Museum in Minnesota has commissioned an enormous K’nex ball machine that they proclaim is the largest in the world. The machine stands 23.5 feet tall, 40 feet long, and used over 100,000 K’nex pieces. In the video below, you can catch the highlights of the machine, like a 20 foot drop, a 60 foot long pathway, and 2 lifts to transport the balls to the top. Check it out! Read more…
Tags: K'nex
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2014 in Cinema 
Wes Anderson needs no introduction, does he? His latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel looks fantastic so far, and I’m very interested in seeing it. Leading the marketing push, two clips have been uploaded (one via Apple and one via Yahoo), to give you a taste. Ralph Fiennes is just having a blast here, chewing the scenery and devouring every line. And Tony Revolori is fitting perfectly into the role of a boy who is a bit too nervous, but it plays well into the energy the rest of the world has. Check out the two clips below! The film arrives March 7th. Read more…
Tags: Wes Anderson
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 5, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Not the real thing, mind you, that’d be a bit expensive. Instead, you can own the NASA Mars Curiosity Rover… in LEGO form! For $30! That’s a bit more affordable, eh? It features the 6-wheeled suspension system and poseable robotic arms for gather data. The coolest part? It was designed by LEGO fan and Curiosity engineer Stephen Pakbaz. So this dude made both the real rover and the LEGO version — if only I could be half as cool as he is! You can buy the set online here (or in stores) but of this writing it’s currently out of stock and will be back January 17th. Read more…
Tags: Lego, Mars, NASA
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Star Wars
For a bit now we were aware that Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark scribe Lawrence Kasdan would be working on a Star Wars script for spinoff movie in addition to helping JJ Abrams write the new trilogy. What we didn’t know, though, is what that spinoff film would be about. We had our suspicions, and rumors ran rampant about a Yoda film and a Boba Fett film equally. Well, according to Jon Schnepp, who has worked on The Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse and probably has some friends who worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, says that he’s heard that Kasdan is penning a Boba Fett script. Neat! Now, the big question is, can Boba Fett be interesting enough for an entire 2 hours? I’m not sure. Read more…
Tags: Boba Fett, Lawrence Kasdan
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 4, 2014 in Comic Books, Star Wars 
Farewell, Dark Horse! You’ve been a lovely friend for Star Wars all these years — over 20, actually. But given that Disney owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, it was only a matter of time until the comics were brought under the same roof. Marvel will be taking over publishing of all Star Wars comics in 2015. Whether they’ll continue currently running series or halt them remains to be seen. I imagine at the very least they have plenty of plans for comics that’ll support the new films that begin in 2015. What’ll happen next? And what will Dark Horse do to fill the gaps? Read more…
Tags: Dark Horse, Marvel, Star Wars
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 3, 2014 in Hobbies and Collections 
Akiyuky, the intrepid Japanese LEGO mastermind behind several incredible contraptions, is back with another impressive ball contraption, delivering hundreds of balls in a loop through a variety of neat machines. While the scale is always impressive, I’m liking this one a bit more for the extra character involved: those adorable colored animals picking up the balls and throwing them back is great! I hope Akiyuky and his crew of talented builders do more of the that in the future, because it adds some much-needed color to some amazing LEGO gizmos. Watch the blue ball travel through the contraption below! Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jan 3, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Straight from the New Year’s celebration comes this new clip of Amazing Spider-Man 2, featuring shots of Spidey, Electro, and 1.2 seconds of the Rhino. Of course, it’s all set in Times Square. Also, am I alone in noticing how… video game-y this trailer looks? I’m not sure if it’s the over-saturation or the glossy effects, but everyone looks like a CGI model. Rhino also didn’t look great for his brief appearance. At least Spidey is wise-cracking, though! I’m worried about all these villains, still, as I’m not sure Marc Webb can pull it off. Read more…
Tags: The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 2, 2014 in Videogames 
Those lovable Servbots from Mega Man Legends are always getting pushed around, but in this short, at least one of them finally gets a fighting chance. Animator ultimatemaverickx has imagined a scenario in which a Servbot gets a hold of the Model X armor from Mega Man ZX. He transforms, gaining a Mega Buster, and can take on enemies himself! It’s a cute animation, but it reminded me of something: why don’t we have Servbot LEGOs yet? It seems like a no-brainer! Read more…
Tags: Mega Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 2, 2014 in Videogames 
The first bit of “story” DLC in Batman: Arkham Origins wasn’t that impressive, since it was just Bruce Wayne training with ninjas in what are basically just challenge rooms. The next campaign looks more interesting though. We don’t have a name yet, but Warner Brothers is “inviting” gamers to Gotham’s Humanitarian of the Year Awards at Wayne Manor. We’ve got an award statue, a diamond, and a lot of ice, which means Mr. Freeze might be involved. Senior Producer Ben Mattes hints that this DLC “focus on one of the most key relationships in Batman canon,” so maybe it’s Freeze’s relationship with his wife, or his relationship with Batman. Either way, hopefully it’s more interesting than that last DLC. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Origins, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 1, 2014 in Fandom, Videogames 
Pokemon are usually a bit more cuddly thanks to their cartoon style, but I love attempts to show what they’d look like in a realistic-looking world. Sam Yang tried reimagining Mewtwo, already one of the cooler pokemon, if he was actually made by scientists in our world. Not only is he more buff, but it seems that he needs some cybernetic enhancements just to function, as they’re sticking out of him in various places. Maybe he can’t live without the enhancements because the scientists weren’t talented enough to make a fully working clone of Mew? Whatever the reason, this is a version of pokemon I’d love to see in action. Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Jan 1, 2014 in Cinema, Comic Books 
New Year’s Eve means news is light, but Marvel decided to give fans a little present with the first still from Guardians of the Galaxy. You’ve got five characters standing in this line-up: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), and Groot (Vin Diesel). I for one love the fact that Marvel has decided to spend money on hiring someone really big like Diesel to voice a walking tree that only says his name. I’m curious how Chris Pratt does in the role of Peter Quill though, a.k.a. Star-Lord. I keep worrying I’ll just see his character Andy from Parks and Recreation. Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 31, 2013 in Cinema 
Dead Snow was a fun, campy movie about Nazi zombies in Norway. It was never going to win many awards (especially in subtitle-adverse America), but it was certainly worth a watch. Now the sequel is on its way: Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead. It’s not going to be just more of the same, though. One of the survivors lost his arm, and one of the Nazi zombies lost his arm. Apparently the doctor didn’t notice that the Nazi arm was dead, because he reattached it to the survivor, meaning we’ve got that wonderful cliche of the evil hand on a good guy’s body. And from this first teaser trailer, it looks like the good guy can use it to dish out some serious damage. It looks like more campy fun, and I’d definitely like to see the finished product. Read more…
Tags: zombies
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 31, 2013 in Television 
In Parks and Recreation‘s latest season, accountant Ben Wyatt is unemployed for a week between jobs and comes up with a ridiculously complicated board game called The Cones of Dunshire. It was actually produced for the show based on the script by Mayfair Games, who makes The Settlers of Catan, which this game is trying to evoke. I loved the joke because it reminded me of times when I’d have to try and explain other complicated board games like Arkham Horror to neophytes and watching their eyes glaze over — or times when I felt the same way trying to understand someone else’s board game. Apparently the numerous rules have been ironed out somewhat, as the game will be staged at GenCon this summer in Indianapolis. Mayfair notes that it will be “big and festive and probably for charity,” hoping that Adam Scott, the actor who plays Ben, can make it there for “his” game. I’d just like to figure out how the hell it’s actually played, because nothing he said in the episode made sense. Read more…
Tags: Board Games, parks and recreation
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 30, 2013 in Videogames 
After a series of heated votes, a heroine design has been picked for the Mighty No. 9, Keiji Inafune’s wildly successful Kickstarter video game. They had been leaving voting to the community to determine the most popular design for Call, the heroine of the game, and after a heated session, they’ve picked the above design. Granted, she looks pretty similar to Roll from Megaman, but given that this game is a spiritual successor to that series, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Check the second and third place designs below! Read more…
Tags: Kickstarter, Mighty No. 9
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 30, 2013 in Anime 
Space Dandy is finally here on Saturday, January 4th! Aren’t you excited? I know I am. Featuring all the animation talent of the Japanese industry, along with tons of musical artists, and back up by director Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop, it looks like 2014 will start off with a bang. It’ll air on Toonami at 11:30pm and every Saturday after that for 24 episodes! And that’s even before Japan, which gets it the day after! Dubbed or subbed, live on TV or streamed via the internet, pick the way you want to watch it and have fun. It’s a good time to be an anime fan. Watch the trailer right here! Read more…
Tags: BONES, Shinichirō Watanabe, Space Dandy
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