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Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 24, 2013 in Tech, Videogames 
The first of Valve’s three big announcements is here: SteamOS, a full operating system based on Linux. SteamOS will be downloadable for free and is intended for use on PCs in the living room. This isn’t Valve’s first attempt at moving from desktop PCs to the living room, having introduced Big Picture Mode that tailors PC games to an HDTV. The OS itself seems tuned to improve game performance, from audio improvements to input latency reductions. Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 23, 2013 in Television 
Given the middling success of Pacific Rim domestically, and the actual success internationally, I wasn’t expecting to see much kaiju-related media pop up following the trend here in the US. But, here’s X-Men director Bryan Singer working on a kaiju TV series for Syfy! He’s producing it via his Bat Hat Harry production house and will be creating a 90-minute pilot that’ll focus on the aftermath of a kaiju attack on a small town in northern California. It seems there won’t be many giant robots and monsters clashing (because of MONEY), but will instead try to feature the human side of such an attack. It could be a very interesting take on the genre! Hopefully this show will take shape soon. Read more…
Tags: Kaiju, Syfy
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 23, 2013 in Videogames 
Perhaps you’ve already heard it. The echoing cries across the internet. SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT. It’s the cry of the recent indie game made for 7dfps that is, unsurprisingly, called SUPERHOT. In it, you play a first person shooter and you must take out everyone in the room. Seems simple, right? But here’s the twist: time moves only when you do. Suddenly, dodging bullets becomes an intricate puzzle and each bullet of your limited ammo is carefully plotted as you plan. The best part? You can play the game right now in your browser with Unity. Right here. Try it! Read more…
Tags: Indie Games
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 22, 2013 in Videogames 
Valve’s mighty leader, Gabe Newell, recently mentioned at Linuxcon that they’d reveal more details about Linux support and the Steambox. And this time Valve time didn’t kick in! Valve has placed a page on Steam teasing three announcements regarding the future of Steam, the Steambox, and presumably, given Gabe’s comments, Linux support. Will the Steambox run Linux? Has Valve figured out a way to convince devs to develop for Linux? Will we see Source 2 at all (or any new games for that matter)? Whatever happens, the first big announcement will hit Monday. Intense! Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 22, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
By “finished” we mean that he put the final brick in it. LEGO had been putting together a large scale model of the UN Headquarters, and wanted to go out with a bang — so else better to ask than the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon? LEGO actually has a smaller version of the UN HQ coming October 1st as part of their Architecture line, so there’s a hint of self-promotion here, but it’s cool that Ban Ki-moon had enough time to check it out. The LEGO Foundation does these kinds of projects, as well as school outreach, to help promote creativity and learning. It’s some pretty neat stuff! Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 21, 2013 in Videogames 
Getting a little desperate, eh? Nintendo announced that they’ll be bringing back Wii Sports, HD-ified for the Wii U. However, this time around it’ll be digital only. On November 7th, Tennis and Bowling will be available via the eShop, with the rest of the sports to follow soon after. You’ll be able to download each sport and try it free for 24 hours, but after that you can either buy a “day pass” that’ll allow another 24 hours for $1.99, or purchase it outright for $9.99 each. This is a bizarrely flexible pricing structure from Nintendo, which surprises me, but I’m glad to see them trying crazy new strategies, even if it just on a HD version of Wii Sports. Read more…
Tags: Wii U
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 21, 2013 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
Talk about cool – Volpin Props, the dude responsible for tons of crazy awesome replicas (which you can see on his site), was commissioned by Tested to make a replica of a Needler from Halo. Of all the guns from Halo, I always found the Needler to be one of the most distinctive weapons, and it looks great in physical form as well. In the video below are roughly 1400 pictures of the process behind making this piece. And if you want to see the in-depth step-by-step blog about it, check out Tested. Now, if only I could make things like this… Read more…
Tags: Halo, volpin props
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 20, 2013 in Anime, Videogames 
In a kind of crazy turn of events, an anime film about Bayonetta has been announced called Bayonetta Bloodyfate (in the tradition of anime spin-off films having bizarre names). The cast is exactly the same from the games, and the film will be animated by Gonzo. If you’re an anime fan, the name Gonzo probably gives you a sense of dread. Granted, it’s a feature length film, so perhaps it’ll have a longer period in the oven, but I’m not too optimistic given Gonzo’s previous output. Still, Bayonetta could work as an anime film, but this trailer isn’t giving me the right vibes. Check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Bayonetta
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 20, 2013 in Videogames 
It’s a great loss for the video game industry: Hiroshi Yamauchi, the former president of Nintendo and the man who transformed it into the gaming giant it is today, has passed away at the age of 85. Taking a traditional card and toy company, Yamauchi spearheaded their efforts into the electronic games market, eventually making Nintendo into the premier force of video gaming and revitalizing the industry after the crash of 1983. His impact on the industry cannot be understated, and video gaming would not be where it is today without him. RIP.
Tags: Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 19, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
The latest issue of SFX magazine has an interview with Alan Taylor, director of several Game of Thrones episodes as well as Thor: The Dark World. He says that when certain scenes just weren’t working in the film, he called in the director of The Avengers, Joss Whedon. Whedon had previously helped fix some of Captain America: The First Avenger, so since he’s in charge of The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the next big team-up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it makes sense that he’d be the one to turn to. Read more…
Tags: Marvel, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 19, 2013 in Fandom, Videogames 
If there’s an electronic device with a display, someone is going to try to get Doom, the landmark 1993 FPS game, running on it. An everyday piano isn’t even electronic, and yet someone has tried to get Doom running on it — with the help of a monitor, of course. The different sets of keys perform different tasks, as labeled above. It doesn’t look easy to control (I’m not sure that I’d be able to finish the first level), but for novelty sake, it’s amusing. And hey, the cacophonous notes seem almost fitting! Read more…
Tags: Doom, Music
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 18, 2013 in Science 
We’ve known for a while now that antibiotics are being used far too often today. What may seem like a no-brainer is sometimes helping to cultivate strains of super-bacteria that have grown resistant to the drugs meant to kill them. According to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the situation is worse than we thought. Each year, over 2 million illnesses (which result in 23,000 deaths) are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi, costing billions of dollars more in healthcare and societal costs. As Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, puts it: “If we are not careful, we will soon be in a post-antibiotic era. And for some patients and for some microbes, we are already there.” Read more…
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 18, 2013 in Videogames 
Shinji Mikami is well known for directing Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4, classics of survival horror (or I guess just horror for that second one). He and his studio Tango Gameworks have teamed up with Bethesda to make The Evil Within, a new horror game for most major platforms. It does look pretty spooky, with the enemies looking like a mixture of science gone wrong and forbidden occult magic. The Evil Within is coming out sometime in 2014, but hopefully it will be playable at this year’s Tokyo Game Show and we can get more enticing details. Read more…
Tags: Horror, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 17, 2013 in Videogames 
Even if you don’t follow the franchise, you probably still associate Pokemon with the phrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” It was a marketing concept that was used in the early days to communicate that you’d need to catch more than your favorites to be a Pokemon Master (and encourage you to buy more and more stuff). Now that there are 649 pokemon and more to come in this fall’s Pokemon X & Y, the idea of literally catching them all seems out of reach for all but the most dedicated pokemon players, hence why the famous phrase hasn’t really been used for years now. (The newer games also allow you to “win” by only catching the 150-200 pokemon in that game’s region.) But now “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” is back, and it’s offering prizes. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 17, 2013 in Dr. Who, Fandom 
In 2011, I began a journey to watch through every episode of Doctor Who, starting with the very first episode in 1963 and even including fan-reconstructions of missing episodes. I still haven’t quite finished it — I just got to the Sixth Doctor! — but I could have saved myself a lot of time by visiting an upcoming show in Sydney, Australia. Comedian Patrick “Doublethreat” Magee has created a show he calls “Every Episode of Doctor Who Ever Live on Stage,” which is pretty self-explanatory. That means he’s condensing 798 episodes into a one-hour show! Read more…
Tags: Doctor Who
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 16, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
Japanese LEGO builder Moko has been on a roll recently with some impressive builds — most recently, Gipsy Danger and Kaname Madoka! I love the pose on Madoka, with her bow outstretched, and Gipsy Danger has that distinctive “ready to go” stance. There’s a lot of little details on these models, so I’ve dropped a few more images below. Also check out Moko’s other neat builds, such as the Evangelion Unit 01 we feature a while ago, Mami Tomoe (also from Madoka Magica), and both Gurren Lagann’s head & the core drill! What an impressive library of models! Read more…
Tags: Lego, Madoka Magica, Pacific Rim
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 16, 2013 in Fandom, Television 
The Mortal Kombat web series is a pretty unique success. Rarely do you seem game-based videos that not only look good but also translate the material well. While nothing is perfect, Mortal Kombat: Legacy was one of the most impressive online shows around. And now, they’re back for season 2. Mortal Kombat: Legacy II will continue the story, but you’ll also get to see it all at once! Taking a page from Netflix, Machinima is releasing all the episodes simultaneously so if you’re a binge viewer, you’re in luck. Check out the trailer below, and get ready for the series debut on September 26th. Read more…
Tags: Mortal Kombat
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 15, 2013 in Videogames 
Yes, you read that right – Child of Light. Ubisoft is letting the leads of Far Cry 3 make a JRPG video game centered around poetry-driven storytelling and a young princess who must save a fantasy realm. It’s about as crazy as you can get – mainly because you don’t expect this kind of crazy experimentation from Ubisoft usually. Granted, they have gotten better, with such titles as Blood Dragon and now this. The game is based on the UbiArt engine, which is the same tech behind the gorgeous Rayman Legends, and it seems to exude the same flowing artistic elements. It looks incredibly pretty and enchanting, so I can’t wait to see more. Watch the initial trailer after the break. Read more…
Tags: Child of Light, Ubisoft
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 15, 2013 in Videogames 
And you won’t have to wait long to play it! The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is one of the highest-regarded games for the Gamecube, and it’s arriving September 20th on Nintendo digital store, the eShop, and in brick-and-mortar shops on October 4th. Now that review copies are showing up on many doorsteps, more videos have popped up giving us a better look at all the visual changes involved. GameXplain has uploaded a video of a side-by-side comparison of the original Gamecube version and the Wii U update. Let’s just say: it looks great. Watch the video below! Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda, Wii U
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 14, 2013 in Videogames 
Nintendo is just rolling out the Pokemon X & Y reveals all over the place! You’d almost think there was a new Pokemon game coming out or something, eh? Despite being leaked early by IGN, Nintendo posted a video featuring the Pokemon announced in CoroCoro, as well as their English names, and new Pokemon too, like Pyroar (which has a male and female version). The short trailer also shows off some action footage of these Pokemon, before briefly showing some of the many customization options for your trainer. Seems like GameFreak is adding a good amount of new features this time around. X & Y arrive October 12th. Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 14, 2013 in Videogames 
Every once in a while, something catches your eyes just via the art. Hyper Light Drifter is a game just like that. A new Kickstarter from Alex Preston, Beau Blyth (Samurai Gunn), Will Wiesenfeld, and Disasterpeace, which combines a Link to the Past and Diablo into one neon-lit fantasy 2D action RPG. They mention Miyazaki as a significant influence, which is always a plus in my book. PC is the primary platform and will be aimed to release in June 2014. At time of this writing, they’ve already double their $27,000 goal, and look to be continuing upward. Check out the trailer below or go here to back the project if it tickles your fancy! Read more…
Tags: Hyper Light Drifter, Kickstarter
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 13, 2013 in Videogames 
Ever wanted to lend your digital games just like your physical discs? While most have gotten used to the fact of digital rights generally being locked to single device, it would be nice to have more freedom. So here’s a little something! Valve announced that Steam will soon have a Family Sharing feature, in which you’ll be able to let other Steam accounts (your close friends and family) play your game library. While you lend your library to your friend, they’ll be able to download and play any game you own (unless the publisher specifically forbids it). If you start up a game though, it’ll start a countdown timer on your friend’s PC, telling them to save and quit or buy the game to continue playing. Sign up to the Steam group here to enter for a chance to get beta access next week! Read more…
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Sep 13, 2013 in Cinema 
Is there still money in the Harry Potter well? Warner Bros. sure thinks so, and they’ve announced that they’re adapting J.K. Rowling’s 2001 book called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for film. The big change? They’re getting Rowling herself to write the script this time around. There doesn’t seem to be a hard timeline yet, but I’m seeing a lot of excited Potter fans today peek their heads out over this news. Hopefully they’ll still be around in a few years when this arrives. And will casual fans want to see a film without Harry and the gang? Despite those concerns, I am still glad they’ve brought Rowling on to script it. Good choice! Read more…
Tags: harry potter, J.K. Rowling
Posted by Bob Muir on Sep 12, 2013 in Videogames 
The latest CoroCoro magazine is out in Japan, and since it’s the last one before the worldwide launch of Pokemon X & Y, it’s got some more information. Perhaps the biggest news in this issue concerns Mewtwo, everyone’s favorite psychic pokemon from the first generation. We knew he was getting a Mega Evolution — a temporary evolution triggered in battle by holding a Mega Stone — but now it seems that he’ll have one of two. Depending on whether you’re playing X or Y, players will find Mewtwonite X or Mewtwonite Y. The previous Mega Evolution was apparently Mega Mewtwo Y, so this new one is Mega Mewtwo X. Maybe there will be other version-exclusive Mega Evolutions? The closest thing Pokemon has had to this in the past was the event legendary pokemon Deoxys, which had a different form exclusive to each Game Boy Advance game, though the forms were more changeable in later generations. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
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