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Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 31, 2013 in Television 
Season 4 of Game of Thrones is shaping up to be very exciting, but it looks like some big changes are happening as well. Daario Naharis, originally played by Ed Skrein, will now have a different actor taking on the role: Michiel Huisman. No word on why Huisman is replacing Skrein, but as it becomes a more important part perhaps they wanted someone else to tackle the growing role. Also, replacing Ian Whyte as The Mountain will be Icelandic strongman Hafþór “Thor” Björnsson, and replacing Callum Wharry as Prince Tommen will be Dean-Charles Chapman. Quite a lot of toss-ups, but it’ll be exciting to see everything fall into place! Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 31, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
The long wait is over, Marvel fans! You now have your voice for Rocket Raccoon: Bradley Cooper. This was the last major part to cast for Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s upcoming sci-fi superhero film. Given that he is such a beloved character, director James Gunn said they wanted to get their “dream guy” for the part. It seems Bradley Cooper is that guy! I wonder how fans will react? Guardians of the Galaxy will arrive about one year from now, on August 1st, 2014. Read more…
Tags: Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 30, 2013 in Videogames 
Grand Theft Auto V is almost here, and it’s one of the biggest releases of the year, despite the upcoming next-gen consoles. I’m normally not a big GTA fan, but these trailers are definitely piquing my interest. So, with the game arriving on September 17th, Rockstar has released one more final trailer for whet your taste buds. I have no doubt this game will sell amazingly well and be super popular, but I think I’ll wait for a PC or GOTY edition release later. Too many games are coming out all at once! Read more…
Tags: Grand Theft Auto
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 30, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Were you expecting this casting? Joss Whedon can certainly make some creative picks for actors! James Spader has been cast as Ultron, in Avengers: Age of Ultron. His name, obviously, is not very synonymous with comic books, but he’s got a long and excellent history in film and TV. Is it a bit of a wild choice? Yes. But given that Ultron will probably be CGI, Spader’s voice acting is probably the main draw here. We still don’t know much about the story or how they’ll be introducing him (we’re assuming they’ll change his origin story from the comics), but I’m very excited to see Spader’s take on the rouge AI. Read more…
Tags: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 29, 2013 in Science 
We know that there might have been life on Mars, but could Mars have been responsible for the beginning of life on Earth, if new evidence is to be believed. Professor Steven Benner, a geochemist at the Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology, has posited that Martian meteorites thrown by volcanoes or impacts may have landed on Earth and acted as “seeds.” He argues that the oxidized mineral form of molybdenum, a building block necessary for life to grow, wasn’t present on Earth due to low oxygen levels three billion years ago. However, it was found on Mars, which had oxygen at one point. Meteorites carrying the element could have crashed on Earth, bringing the ingredient that may have helped tar form, which led to the first organisms. It’s an interesting thought, because if so, we could technically be part-Martian! Read more…
Tags: Mars
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 29, 2013 in Videogames 
I’ll say one thing for Nintendo: you can’t ever safely predict what they’re going to do. Apparently they wanted to offer a cheaper version of the 3DS, targeting kids age 6 and under who shouldn’t be using the system’s 3D visuals but who may want to play the next Pokemon game. So they’ve created the 2DS, a system that plays 3DS (and DS) games with no option to turn on 3D. It’s coming out on October 12, the same day as Pokemon X & Y, for $129.99 in either red or blue. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, Wii U
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 28, 2013 in Animation 
If you love Terry Gilliam this vintage video is a must watch: Read more…
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 28, 2013 in Videogames 
If you haven’t quite reversed your position on the Xbox One yet, here’s a few more reasons to consider buying it at launch. Three exclusive games will have bonus Day One content, provided you buy the Day One Editions or buy a digital copy within the first two weeks. Besides having special packaging (that matches if you buy all three games), Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, and Ryse: Son of Rome will have the following additional content. Read more…
Tags: Xbox One
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 28, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Iron Man 3 ended with lots of explosions and fire, without getting into too many spoilers. But according to artist Federico D’Alessandro’s animatics, a certain character could have had a small part in the climactic battle. Click through to find out and watch. Read more…
Tags: Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 27, 2013 in Videogames 
It’s been over 25 years since Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished came out in Japan, and since then, the somewhat-unknown series has grown, putting out many action-RPG sequels and spin-offs, as well as tons of ports. To celebrate, publisher XSEED is putting out a premium edition of Ys: Memories of Celceta, a loose remake of Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (neither of which came to America) that make the entry fit better into the series canon. The PlayStation Vita game will normally retail for $39.99, but this premium version is $59.99 because of all the extra stuff that comes with it. Read more…
Tags: Playstation Vita, XSEED
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 27, 2013 in Videogames 
When you think of HD game remasters, you generally focus on the visuals. Besides being rerendered in a higher resolution, HD versions sometimes have higher-res textures, framerate fixes, or small bonus touches. You don’t generally consider the audio, which is often the same music the game had before. But since Square Enix is making many more improvements for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD (like creating new models), they’ve also redone more than 60 tracks from Final Fantasy X‘s 91-track soundtrack. That’s pretty cool! Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 26, 2013 in Animation, Cinema 
I love seeing the tricks and effort that go into “movie magic.” Concept art, early animatics, CG tricks, anything that shows how they create the amazing stuff you see on screen. That’s why I was super interested to see on The Awesomer a link to an early animatic for The Avengers, focusing on Iron Man’s introduction. It’s way more exciting and interesting than the one we got, but I can understand why it was ditched: why do we need to be introduced to a villain right away that we’ll never see again? Still, if you’re like me and love seeing this behind-the-scenes work, check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Iron Man, The Avengers
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 26, 2013 in Videogames 
Star Citizen has been an incredible success for a crowdfunding game. Chris Roberts’ game has been getting record support and now, the game is starting to take shape. At an event in Cologne, Roberts and the team reveal the Hanger Module, a download available this Thursday, August 29th, that lets you walk around your hanger and view your ships that you own. Granted, you have to support the game by buying a ship and have backer access to the game, but still: it’s a good first step. I’ve included an embed below of Roberts demoing the hanger and the crowd cheering. At everything. No matter what. Read more…
Tags: Star Citizen
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 25, 2013 in Videogames 
Titanfall has consistently been one of the best-showing games at the past few press conferences. It’s fast-paced, incredibly exciting to watch, and also very vertical. I love shooters that require you to look up and engage on multiple levels, dealing with enemies above and below. Most of all, I love mechs and giant robots. Titanfall looks to combine that with on-foot combat that’s super versatile (double-jumps and wall-running!), while not making either side too overpowered. This new trailer from Gamescom runs through a multiplayer level with plenty going on, and makes me very interested for the game’s release. Check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Titanfall
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 25, 2013 in Videogames
We don’t know when (probably October), and we don’t know how much (probably $350 or so), but Nintendo will be releasing a special edition Wii U system branded with Zelda-inspired designs on the controller. Along with this news we’ve also gotten word of a few upgrades to Wind Waker HD. The Triforce hunt will be shortened, a harder “Hero Mode” will be available right from the start (enemies do more damage and no hearts drop, you must use potions or heart containers to heal), a new sail will make sailing faster, and you can now take selfies with Link’s camera. Yes, the first game ever to feature selfies, and it’s Wind Waker HD. Thanks, Nintendo. Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda, Wii U
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 24, 2013 in Cinema 
We’re just rolling in the cinema-related news here, aren’t we? Paul W. S. Anderson, one of the most… interesting… filmmakers out there, with his wonderful collection of Resident Evil movies featuring Milla Jovovich in every single one, is back. This time he’s making a movie about Pompeii, which feels more than a little Titanic-inspired — but hey! It has Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) in it! And Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland)! And Babydoll (Emily Browning)! Depending on how much interaction Jack Bauer and Snow have, it could be entertaining just watching them mumble and swear at each other. Other than that, call me cynical, but this looks like another poor film from Paul. Maybe it’ll be so bad that it’s good? I hope so. Read more…
Tags: Paul W. S. Anderson
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 24, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
I’m sure most of you have heard the news by now: Ben Affleck will play Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. Henry Cavill will duke it out with Affleck and then presumably become fast friends who fight evil together. Now, a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth has been happening over this choice, and this is the internet, so we need to make an extra big deal out of it. People are crying foul, and most especially, bring up Affleck’s previous comic book endeavor, Daredevil. Yes, Daredevil sucked. It was also made by a completely different team of people at a completely different point in time. Affleck is an acclaimed director now with two Oscars. I’m not saying I have the utmost faith in Zack Snyder (I don’t), but this silly collection of overbearing complaints and petitions to change actors is getting ridiculous. This is just a movie. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Man of Steel
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 23, 2013 in Cinema, Hobbies and Collections 
Yes, the Brotherhood Workshop is at it again! They have LEGO-fied another movie trailer, and it’s more Lord of the Rings. This time it’s the recent trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which they have spent two months making. There’s a great mix of LEGO and visual effects here, but mostly it’s just fun to see little LEGO figures waddle across large landscapes. That, and that LEGO Smaug is pretty freaking awesome. If only the official LEGO model would be so detailed and impressive! Watch the video below and then grab you minifigures and reenact it yourself. Read more…
Tags: Lego, The Hobbit
Posted by Ben Huber on Aug 23, 2013 in Television 
Season three of Game of Thrones had some really impressive digital visual effects work — especially given that it’s a TV show. From the gorgeous vistas to the masses of armies clashing, I was impressed by what they pulled off. SpinVFX has posted a video showing the steps taken behind the effects. It seems they were most proud of their effects for the Wall, as they built a 700 foot wall that was a couple miles length. Now that’s impressive! No wonder that scene came off so well. Obviously, there are many spoilers in these clips (although they avoid anything major) but you probably should see season 3 first to appreciate much of these effects. Check out the video below. Read more…
Tags: Game of Thrones
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 22, 2013 in Videogames 
Dark Souls II is still polishing its ability to smash your will into the ground. The sequel to the notoriously difficult 2011 game is due out on March 14. But before then, Namco Bandai will be holding a closed beta to test the online features, which will improve upon the spotty connectivity of the first game. The beta starts on October 5, but here’s what you need to know before getting too excited. Read more…
Tags: Dark Souls, Namco Bandai
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 22, 2013 in Star Trek, Television 
In an interview about season four of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray, Michael Dorn, famous for playing Worf on both that series and Deep Space Nine, related an interesting bit of news. It seems that CBS and Paramount may be interested in making a new Captain Worf-centric Star Trek series. Dorn says that he has spoken with a couple producers and even got to pitch the show. However, “business things got in the way in terms of [Star Trek Into Darkness] coming out and CBS/Paramount and their relationship with JJ Abrams. [Dorn doesn’t] think they wanted to step on his toes by putting a new series on, but it’s not dead yet.” Read more…
Tags: Star Trek
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 21, 2013 in Comic Books, Videogames 
I’ll admit to being quite nervous about how Batman: Arkham Origins would turn out. It’s not being made by Rocksteady, who made the last two critically-acclaimed games. It’s missing Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (Batman and the Joker). It’s a prequel, not following up on the tantalizing threads left by Arkham City. And it’s adding a multiplayer mode. But the latest trailer is the trailer that made me put down money for a preorder. It looks like a Gotham I want to explore and a story I want to experience. They even took Firefly, one of Batman’s b-list villains, and made him look kind of awesome and menacing! Plus, it helps that not only does Roger Craig Smith sound like a competent young Batman, but Troy Baker is doing an excellent job at emulating Hamill’s Joker, which is no easy task. Read more…
Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Origins, DC Comics, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 21, 2013 in Videogames 
It’s really annoying when console producers are coy about when their new consoles will launch. It’s obvious that they’ll launch shortly before Thanksgiving, yet they dance around like the date is some treasure to be hoarded. At least Sony has finally come clean about when the PlayStation 4 will launch at its Gamescom event. Come November 15, you can buy a PlayStation 4 for $499.99. Europe and other PAL territories will have to wait just a bit longer, as the console will launch there on November 29. Time to start getting in line! Read more…
Tags: PS4, Sony
Posted by Bob Muir on Aug 20, 2013 in Videogames 
When it comes to games, the Wii U is really hurting, so almost anything would help at this point. While people don’t generally buy new systems to play old games, people do generally like Street Fighter. So maybe announcing all three SNES Street Fighter II games might help! Even after current Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono said that it wouldn’t happen, Capcom announced that Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Turbo (which also includes SFII Championship Edition), and Super Street Fighter II will be available on Wii U for $7.99 each. And there’s a deal for the US: if you buy one game, it drops the price of the other two by 50%. If you’re in Europe, if you buy two, you get the third one free. Both deals cost the same if you’re getting all three, so consider reliving the days when you couldn’t patch fighting games and your old version became obsolete! Read more…
Tags: Street Fighter, Wii U
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