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Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 19, 2013 in Videogames 
It seems Nintendo is taking inspiration from the fan-game Super Mario Crossover with their latest digital Wii U game. NES Remix offers short challenges based on classic NES games; it’s sort of like a longer, more expanded version of the retro segments of the WarioWare series. But besides regular challenges, they’re mixing it up with weird versions of the games, like Super Mario Bros. in silhouette, or playing as Link from The Legend of Zelda in the first level of Donkey Kong. It’s available now, right after it’s announcement, on the Wii U eShop. NES Remix will set you back $15, which seems a little steep for what is basically a series of creative ROM hacks, but knowing Nintendo, they probably put enough content in there to justify the cost. At least, I hope! Read more…
Tags: NES, Nintendo, Wii U
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 18, 2013 in Videogames 
It’s a shame that Lab Zero’s Skullgirls has had so many problems. Being an indie fighting game designed by fighting game players already seemed risky, since it’s hard to launch new fighting games from unknown companies and get a community going. But of course, there are more and more problems. The latest one stems from co-publisher Konami, who Lab Zero dropped to only be published by Autumn Games because Konami was dragging their heels on additional DLC characters funded by fans on IndieGoGo. Because they’re no longer the publisher, they arranged to have it delisted from Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network by December 31 because their name is on it. But there’s still some good news. Read more…
Tags: PS3, Skullgirls, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 18, 2013 in Cinema 
“You shall not pass” is a great line from The Fellowship of the Ring that’s perhaps been used a bit too much over the years. It’s still not too old yet, though. Some Norwegians decided to stop a tram, complete with a fully-dressed Gandalf. But what’s cooler is what happens afterwards, as some other people are told to “fly, you fools.” If I was on that tram, I’d be laughing my ass off, no matter how late I was to work. I’d be slightly less enthused if I saw a Gollum cosplayer run across the tracks shortly after. That’s just creepy. Read more…
Tags: Lord of the Rings
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 17, 2013 in Videogames 
I’ve only had my PS4 copy of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag for a month, so it’s easy to forget that the game was out a bit earlier for last-gen systems. In that context, I suppose it’s not too strange that it’s getting its first story-based DLC today, after some previous multiplayer content. The DLC is called Freedom Cry, and it follows first mate Adewale in his quest to free slaves 15 years after the main game’s events. There are nine missions, and as a reminder, you get them for “free” if you purchased the Season Pass. The game is getting a great reception, so more content is good, but I’m more curious if they’ll make a sequel to this game, perhaps even separate from the Assassin’s Creed series proper. Read more…
Tags: Assassin's Creed, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 17, 2013 in Dr. Who, Television 
Humanity can fly with planes, helicopters, jetpacks, and more. But can we make a TARDIS fly? Flyonix is trying to make that happen. They made a styrofoam TARDIS, and it actually flew a bit! Sure, it’s not flying on its own, but let’s consider the 12 rotors to be TARDIS “training wheels.” It’s obviously not ready for human (or Time Lord) passengers, since I’m sure part of the reason it’s flying is because it’s light. But hey, maybe they can keep working on it, get it to support heavier loads, and then put a person inside! And then maybe work on the whole “bigger on the inside” bit so more people can fit in. And then get it to travel through time and relative dimensions in space… Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who, Tardis
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 16, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
Frozen just came out, and Disney’s next animated film is Big Hero 6 in November 2014. But what everyone really wants to know is what’s planned for 2018? For those who are interested, Disney has announced what the movie is going to be: Moana. Disney is returning to the Pacific area they last explored in Lilo & Stich, though this time they’re venturing away from Hawaii and straight to Polynesia. But what will the film be about? Read more…
Tags: Disney
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 16, 2013 in Comic Books, Videogames 
People keep asking me why I prefer physical media in an increasingly digital world. Today, I get to give another reason why. Though they didn’t give a specific reason, Capcom has announced that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will soon be delisted from Xbox Live and PSN, along with all related DLC. You won’t be able to purchase them digitally after December 17 (North American PSN), December 19 (European PSN), or December 26 (global Xbox Live). Anyone who has previously purchased the games and DLC will still be able to redownload the games from their download history if need be. While there are still physical copies of UMvC3 out there, there will be no way to buy any extra characters or costumes for it, while the HD version of MvC2 will disappear completely.
And this is the reason why I not only prefer having physical copies of games, but also am wary of DLC and digital-only games. I recognize the boon digital releases have been for indie developers or smaller games from big-budget publishers, because many of those games might never be made and released at all if they needed a physical release. But the idea of this content becoming inaccessible in the future due to whatever reason — I’d imagine that Capcom can’t justify the cost of renewing Marvel’s license — just plain sucks for consumers who may want to purchase these games in the future after hearing about them from a friend.
And even if you have already purchased the content and downloaded it to your hard drive, what happens down the road when this iteration of Xbox Live and PSN are taken offline? After Microsoft shut down Xbox Live for original Xbox consoles, any DLC for those games became forever lost and no longer available to redownload. What happens when your hard drive inevitably fails in the future and you need to redownload unlicensed content from a service that is no longer running?
Many gamers probably won’t care and might put down money for a future rerelease, such as the soon-unavailable HD version of MvC2, which made the game affordable and accessible to those who couldn’t acquire a copy of the original releases from 2000 to 2003. But for those who care about the preservation of these works for future generations to enjoy, the whole thing is nothing but a headache.
Source: Kotaku
Tags: Capcom, Marvel, PS3, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 15, 2013 in Cinema 
If you’re a geek, chances are you’ve seen Leonard Nimoy singing “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.” Feeling that it needed an update, IGN has persuaded the cast of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to perform a dramatic reading of those silly lyrics. Everyone seems to take it with a good sense of humor, though as usual, Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice steals the show. It’s always good to see modern adaptations embrace the silliness of past adaptations. Read more…
Tags: The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 15, 2013 in Cinema 
Director Christopher Nolan is known for keeping details of his movies private, so we still don’t know a lot about Interstellar, his sci-fi film set for release November 7, 2014. Going by this first teaser trailer, we at least know something of the film’s tone. The teaser focuses on the great advancements humanity has made over the past century in terms of space travel, then hints at where we can go from here. Essentially, the teaser is reestablishing that space is the final frontier, and there’s a refreshing sense of optimism about exploring it. I think we’ve had enough grim realism in our sci-fi films and could use more optimism now that NASA is struggling to still inspire wonder about our universe. Read more…
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Interstellar
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 14, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Keen eyes may have noted two interesting hints in the recent trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. At one point, you can see suits in the background that look like they might be intended for Vulture and Doctor Octopus. And with Electro being one of the main villains in the next movie, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where some other villains join these three to form the Sinister Six, perhaps even the Green Goblin/Hobgoblin and Rhino that are appearing in next May’s movie. Well, Sony just confirmed that they’ll be producing two spin-off movies: The Sinister Six and Venom, the latter of which has been rumored for years. Read more…
Tags: Sony, The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 14, 2013 in Dr. Who, Fandom, Television 
Steven Moffat is in charge of both Doctor Who and Sherlock, two of the BBC’s biggest current exports (along with Downton Abbey). Unsurprisingly, there are many fans of both who have been dying for a crossover — Wholock, if you will. While Moffat thinks such a move would ruin Sherlock‘s setting (and I’m inclined to agree), that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be awesome to see. That’s why this fanmade crossover is so great. There are minor flaws here and there, but for the most part, the two series mesh pretty well thanks to some clever compositing. it’s pretty cool to see Sherlock enter the TARDIS after years of searching for information on the mysterious Doctor and go off on an adventure. It’s just a shame that in becoming a companion, Sherlock is leaving behind his own companion. Read more…
Tags: BBC, Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 13, 2013 in Videogames 
Microsoft never really did much themselves with HD remakes on the Xbox 360, despite the efforts shown by Sony and various third-party publishers. The only one they put out was Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which gave the original Halo a new coat of paint and some other bonuses. While the core game was the same (meaning that level design was pretty mediocre — that’s right, I’m one of the few who didn’t enjoy it), the gorgeous graphical overhaul and reorchestrated music went a long way towards making the game feel modern (and even alleviating level design issues). Now Microsoft is releasing its second HD remake: Fable: Anniversary, and it’s dated for February 4, 2014. Read more…
Tags: Fable, Microsoft, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 13, 2013 in Videogames 
Next-gen consoles like PS4 and Xbox One may be considered “current-gen” now that they’ve released, but as with the PS2, it will be a while before developers fully abandon the PS3 and Xbox 360. Case in point: Namco Bandai has announced that Tales of Zestria, a game marking the 20th anniversary of the Tales series, will be released on PS3, presumably sometime in 2014. The announcement was a worldwide announcement, confirming the game’s release in North and South America, in addition to the usual Japanese release. Other statements seem to imply a European release as well. Read more…
Tags: Namco Bandai, PS3, RPG, Tales
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 12, 2013 in Videogames 
While there are plenty of Christmas movies, there aren’t a ton of Christmas videogames, even counting the ones that include a winter holiday level. (My personal pick is Freezezy Peak in Banjo-Kazooie.) Saints Row IV is doing its part to fix that with a new DLC mission pack called “How the Saints Save Christmas.” For $6.99 (or free if you purchased the season pass), you can help restore the Boss’s Christmas spirit to go deal with what appears to be an evil antlered Santa Claus. Yep, this is Saints Row. I fully support more games offering holiday levels in the vein of this DLC or Christmas Nights (on the Sega Saturn). Read more…
Tags: DLC, Saints Row IV
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 12, 2013 in Dr. Who, Television 
The time has come to say goodbye to Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor. But before Peter Capaldi takes over as the Twelfth Doctor, Eleven has one more chance to go out with a bang. It’s “The Time of the Doctor,” the Doctor Who Christmas special, and BBC America has a nice little trailer. Watch as The Doctor takes on, like, all the enemies ever. Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, the Silence, it almost seems like overkill. I’m sure it will be cool, but can any regeneration ever top The Caves of Androzani, Peter Davison’s last serial as the Fifth Doctor? I’d argue no. Read more…
Tags: BBC, BBC America, Doctor Who, Twelfth Doctor
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 11, 2013 in Videogames 
In Grand Theft Auto V, there’s an area in the game called North Yankton that is only used for the prologue. Once the main game begins, it’s inaccessible and not on the island with the rest of Los Santos and its northern wilderness. There is, however, a way to get to it again, thanks to a glitch discovered by CVG. Basically, you start a new game and play to a certain spot, at which point a friend invites you into Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer component. Once there, you fly a helicopter to the southeast section of the map, where you’ll see floating mountains in the distance. Fly to those mountains, and you can land and explore North Yankton to your heart’s content. You can even get other people up there to play with you! Read more…
Tags: Grand Theft Auto
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 11, 2013 in Cinema 
I always thought Godzilla was big, but going by the posters for Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla reboot, he’s gotten an even bigger makeover. The teaser sells it even more, and suddenly I’m very interested in the movie. Obviously the giant lizard is all CG, but at least going by this trailer, it’s only possible to catch glimpses of it. Godzilla is shrouded in clouds, mist, and dust for the most part. I have no doubt that the movie will probably show the whole model at some point, but if they’re wise, they’ll go the Cloverfield route and avoid direct shots of it for most of the movie, not only to avoid showing too much of the CG, but also to build the mysterious force-of-nature elements of the monster. But admittedly, I’ve never seen a Godzilla film. All I’d want out of a Godzilla reboot is that Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla” loudly plays every time Godzilla appears. Meanwhile, the actors and actresses have to shout over the song, and they’re frankly more annoyed at how loud it is than whatever Godzilla is up to. This is all played straight, and this is why I wouldn’t be allowed to produce any Godzilla movies. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 10, 2013 in Cinema 
I said my peace about how awesome Cookie Monster skits are, even as an adult, a few weeks ago with this Catching Fire parody. Now that we’re on the same page, here’s Cookie Monster as “Gobble” in The Lord of the Crumbs. While I might wonder why they don’t feel like parodying The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, it doesn’t really matter. Watch as Cookie Monster argues with himself, tries to get past a wizard, and comments on the special effects. Part of me is looking forward to having kids down the road just to watch these sort of things with them. Read more…
Tags: Lord of the Rings, Muppets, parody
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 10, 2013 in Cinema 
If there’s a really good adaptation of something, it’s often hard to do any other adaptations because of the way the earlier adaptation sticks in the public mind. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining may have made notable changes in his adaptation of Stephen King’s original book, but regardless of how much King prefers the TV miniseries, it’s unlikely that people will think of that version over Kubrick’s. Thus, this trailer for a live-action adaptation of Kiki’s Delivery Service is already facing an uphill battle, despite purporting to be closer to the original Japanese novels. Studio Ghibli’s adaptation, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is an absolute classic, after all. But this trailer makes me not want to even bother seeing the live-action film. Besides the lackluster art direction, everything looks cheap, like it was a low-budget made-for-TV movie. And the weak flying effects pale in comparison to those in Miyazaki’s film; Miyazaki is known for his love of flight, and this version just doesn’t capture that joy. It could still be a good film, but I’m fairly skeptical that anyone will be watching this years down the road. Read more…
Tags: Kiki's Delivery Service
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 9, 2013 in Videogames 
Also at the VGX Awards, Tim Schafer showed up and braved the dark world of Joel McHale and demoed Broken Age. The Kickstarter game has become quite the project now, and also has a star cast of Jack Black, Wil Wheaton, and Pendleton Ward. The big announcement for the VGXs? Elijah Wood will be voicing one of the two main characters, Shay. Rather than being the “big Hollywood actor” though, he actually fits the role perfectly and definitely brings something to the part. Check out the trailer below and then watch the demo footage here (part 1 & part 2). Read more…
Tags: Broken Age, double fine
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 9, 2013 in Videogames 
The other day, the VGX awards were pretty lame. That said, there were a few bright spots, and No Man’s Sky was one of those. HelloGames, developers of games like Joe Danger, have begun work on an insanely ambitious sci-fi exploration game where everything is procedurally generated. You can hop in your ship and take off into space and then fly to another planet — all seamlessly and without any loading screens. And it’s online. It seems like a huge project for a team of four people to tackle, but given how cool this first trailer looked, I have high hopes! Read more…
Tags: HelloGames, No Man's Sky
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 8, 2013 in Videogames 
Cross another game off your spring release list! Destiny, Bungie’s upcoming massive online shooter, was originally scheduled for spring of 2014. Now, they’ve announced the official release date, but it’s a bit further back than you might’ve expected: September 9th, 2014. The beta that was supposed to start soon has also been pushed back. It sounds like Bungie wanted more time to work on the game, and given that they’re Bungie, Activision was perfectly willing to make changes. The wait might be a bit longer, but at least you’ll have plenty of other games to keep you preoccupied in the meantime! Read more…
Tags: Bungie, Destiny
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 8, 2013 in Cinema 
All hail the mighty corporate conglomerate, Disney! On their way to own everything, Disney took a quick stop and snatched up Indiana Jones yesterday. Now, they already technically got ownership rights when it bought Lucasfilm, but now with their agreement with Paramount they’ve gained distribution and marketing rights for all future films. Paramount will continue to handle distribution of the previous four films, so Disney won’t be involved there. The thing is, this news basically means Disney is saying “we want to make another one of these.” So brace yourselves for the inevitable! The biggest thing I’m wondering is how they’ll handle Jones himself. Will Harrison Ford really come back? Or will we have a James Bond situation in which different actors could take on the role? Read more…
Tags: Disney, Indiana Jones
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 7, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
If you have the cash, that is. An auction is currently going on in which you can bid on the original blaster used by Harrison Ford during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Granted, the starting bid is $200,000, so this probably relegates it to the realm of hardcore and wealthy fans, but it is still an impressive piece of movie history to see. The auction description notes that this was probably the blaster used in the scene in which Vader force-pulls Solo’s blaster out of his hand, due to it being the lighter resin model and not the heavier live-fire gun used for close-ups. It’s got signs of wear from being used heavily in filming, but isn’t the lived-in aesthetic that made things feel much more real in the original trilogy, anyway? Check out the auction here and the images below. Read more…
Tags: Han Solo, Star Wars
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