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Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 24, 2012 in Videogames 
Hopefully some of you know of the excellent downloadable game for 3DS, Pushmo. It was developed by Intelligent Systems, the makers of Fire Emblem and Paper, as a puzzle game with a twist, blocks can only move forward and backward, and you must clamber across them to reach the top. Now, Nintendo has released the sequel, Crashmo, which introduces gravity and a whole host of other gameplay ideas into the equation. I’ve only spent a few hours with it, but it’s already been an absolute blast. It also features the return of the level creator, so you can make your own puzzles and share them via QR codes. If you have a 3DS, make sure to check it out! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, crashmo, Nintendo, pushmo
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 24, 2012 in Television 
For everything on the internet, there is a parody version. I’m pretty sure this is basically law now, so I suppose there is no surprise in the title: a Game of Thrones parody of Seinfeld. This might be offensive to some of you, given that the sitcom is the “lowest form of television,” and it’s being combined with some of the best. But joking aside, if you ever wanted to see how Game of Thrones would fare with a laugh track, now you know. Strangely, it feels more like I stepped into an alternate universe rather than a simple edit. Read more…
Tags: Comedy, Game of Thrones
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 23, 2012 in Tech, Videogames 
With how hard Microsoft has been pushing the multimedia content for Xbox 360, perhaps this should come as no surprise to you all: The Verge is reporting they have multiple sources saying that Microsoft is creating a set-top TV box branded with the Xbox name. The concept is to be similar to the Apple TV or Roku, supporting videos and music, as well as apps and games. Granted, it wouldn’t play full-fledged console games (that would still be the next Xbox’s job) but for consumers who use their Xbox mostly for Netflix (you know who you are) this is an excellent move. Will it succeed though? I wonder if the Xbox name is too entrenched in “gaming” but perhaps that’s an unfounded concern. Will this hook people? 2013 will be an exciting year! Read more…
Tags: Xbox, Xbox 360
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 23, 2012 in Anime, Cinema 
Things have been quiet on the Studio Ghibli front, with Up On Poppy Hill out and all. We’ve known that Isao Takahata has been working on an adaption of the folk story The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, but we recently got confirmation of the title via domain name registrations from Ghibli. It’ll be titled Princess Kaguya Story (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari) and should be released sometime next year (summer, if Ghibli’s release schedule holds up). Hayao Miyazaki has also been hard at work, and his film about the man who made the Japanese Zero fighter plane has gotten a name as well: The Wind Rises. Lastly, GKIDS has picked up the distribution rights for Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies and will re-release the film next year, just in time for the 25th anniversary. Exciting times for Ghibli fans! Read more…
Tags: Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 22, 2012 in Cinema, Videogames 
Scribblenauts Unlimited is out, and if you’re unfamiliar with the series, it involves a boy solving simple puzzles by generating objects with his magic notepad. The dictionary includes a ton of nouns, so you can summon pretty much anything. What is new in Unlimited is the ability to create your own objects, and since the series typically avoids anything copyrighted (beyond some cameos like Mario in the Wii U and 3DS versions), gamers can now recreate their favorite characters and creatures in Scribblenauts‘ adorable style, as seen in the Ghostbusters screenshot above. Read more…
Tags: Fan Art, G.I. Joe, Kill Bill, Pokémon, Star Wars, Street Fighter, super meat boy, The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 22, 2012 in Videogames 
2008’s Mirror’s Edge, from Battlefield studio DICE, was an interesting concept that ultimately didn’t perform very well due to insufficient quality and the challenges of being a new IP. The idea of first-person free-running is cool, and the game was very commendable for featuring a bright, shiny aesthetic with splashes of color in a time when brown-and-gray visuals were getting old. In the end though, many players were disappointed, yet still optimistic for a sequel to fix the first game’s problems. That sequel never came, but rumors indicate that Mirror’s Edge 2 may already be in development.
Previous teases indicated that EA and DICE were considering how to fix Mirror’s Edge‘s issues, that they were interested in what fans wanted from a potential sequel, and that any new Mirror’s Edge game would likely run on the Frostbite 2 engine that powers Battlefield 3. Now a tweet has surfaced in response to yesterday’s Eurogamer article about EA wanting to avoid making DICE a Battlefield factory that only churns out more war games.
Ben Cousins is currently the general manager at ngmoco Sweden, but was previously executive producer of Battlefield at DICE. He tweeted that “It is general knowledge in the Stockholm dev scene that Mirror’s Edge 2 is in production at DICE”. It’s far from official confirmation, and there have been many games that were in development yet later canceled, but combined with the other rumors, it certainly seems like good news for those waiting on a sequel. One can only hope that enemies with guns are one of the things up for reconsideration.
Source: Kotaku
Tags: Electronic Arts
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 21, 2012 in Cinema, Star Wars 
We know that Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt is writing Star Wars Episode VII, but it’s never too early to look ahead to VIII and IX. After all, Disney didn’t pay $4 billion for Lucasfilm to half-ass a new Star Wars trilogy. So who is getting scouted by the Mouse? There are two guys the company has in mind, and if you’re holding out hope for these movies, you definitely want one over the other.
Read more…
Tags: Disney, Star Wars
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 21, 2012 in Videogames 
Consider this a public service announcement of impending deals. No, Xbox Live doesn’t have absolutely insane deals like Steam does on PC, but that’s all the more reason to take advantage of times when a large amount of content goes on sale. And with Black Friday coming later this week, that time is now! Read more…
Tags: Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 20, 2012 in Videogames 
With the Wii U out and fully “online” compared to the Wii, you’d think that Nintendo was finally getting the whole “online gaming” thing. Of course, none of their games are online, and while there are cool things about it (notably the Miiverse social network), there are many missing features found in PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. But hey, baby steps! How about releasing some DLC for a recent game like the DS’s Pokemon Black 2 and White 2? Read more…
Tags: Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 20, 2012 in Videogames 
That Legend of Zelda is pretty special. Even with Nintendo’s best efforts to muck up the latest installments with excessive handholding, the series still manages to retain a sense of wonder and nostalgia. It’s why fans clamored so much for an official timeline that Nintendo finally put one out in The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, a companion book covering the entire series (minus the CD-i games, I’d imagine) filled with art and info. The book is coming out on January 16, 2013, and since that’s so close, publisher Dark Horse has released this trailer for the game. A trailer not for a game, but for a book about a game, and not even an adaptation of that game’s story — can you believe it? Read more…
Tags: Legend of Zelda
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 19, 2012 in Design 
Want to look like you just jumped out of 2020? Have a bunch of money to spare? Need something to carry all of your stuff? Then I have found the perfect backpack for you: Solid Gray. It’s a plastic shell backpack, made very thin but highly durable. It’s geometric design and material is supposed to make it stronger and last longer. Plus, that hard shell is great for protecting whatever you keep inside (yes, there is interior padding). While it all looks very cool, the downside is you’ll need to be ready to drop about €139.00 on this bad boy. So, how badly do you want to look like a time-traveller? Read more…
Tags: backpack, Fashion
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 19, 2012 in Comic Books, Hobbies and Collections 
It just didn’t feel right to say “leap into action,” since he’s just standing there, you know? Kotobukiya is continuing their solid New 52 Justice League lineup, and the latest addition is Batman! I must say, while his pose is kind of boring, I actually like the sculpt of Batman himself. He’s a little leaner than the usual Batman figures, making him look more like an agile ninja than a hulking hero in the night. He is, just like the others, very shiny. Whether you like that aspect falls into personal preference, but I’d say he looks good paired up with the rest of the crew. If you’re looking to pick Batman up, pre-order him at AmiAmi, Hobby Search, or HLJ. Read more…
Tags: Batman, figurine, Kotobukiya
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 18, 2012 in Videogames 
Well today is finally the release date of Nintendo’s Wii U, their successor to the incredibly popular Wii. It’ll be exciting to see how well it sells and if Nintendo will be able to keep up with demand. Will it become the hot commodity this Christmas, much like the Wii did? Or will it end up being a bit more on the Gamecube side of things? Only time will tell, but at the very least, the launch lineup seems solid. If you’re picking one up, the day one update is out, so be sure to grab that to activate all the online features. Going to go digital? A full list of retail games available digitally is below! Read more…
Tags: Nintendo, Wii U
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 18, 2012 in Videogames 
Team Fortress 2’s annual fan-made video contest, the Saxxy Awards, have started up for their second year. You can now vote on the best Source Filmmaker video and best replay, as well as their individual categories. Comedy, drama, and all the variety and entertainment of a real awards show, without all the pomp and fancy dresses (except for maybe that Magical Heavy Fairy video). The voting period goes until November 27th, and the winners will be announced on November 30th… aside from Best Overall. That one will be shown live on Spike TV’s Video Game Awards pre-show and aired on TV. Now that’s pretty sweet!
Tags: Team Fortress, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 17, 2012 in Videogames 
The Wii U arrives tomorrow, November 18th, and I’m sure many of you are getting one. It looks to be a fun system and I like the direction Nintendo is taking with it, although I’m unsure how mainstream audiences will react to it. One of the biggest selling points for casual audiences (and perhaps gamers too) is using the Wii U Gamepad as, essentially, the best and biggest universal remote ever. You’ll be able to control your TV via the pad, including input switching and all the basic features. Combined with TVii, Nintendo’s app that will unify many streaming services (like you cable, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video) it could do wonders for streamlining the living room experience. But bad news: it won’t arrive until December. Read more…
Tags: Nintendo, Wii U
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 17, 2012 in Anime 
It hurts so bad, not being able to see the latest Evangelion film yet. Eva 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo seems to be a little bit a remake, a little bit sequel, or maybe neither. Whichever it is, I need it in my veins now, but I’ll have to wait for now. To make matters worse, the first six minutes of the film have been released online, featuring Asuka and Mari attempting to rescue Shinji and Rei, still trapped inside Unit 01 14 years after Evangelion 2.0 takes place. Major timeskip! Also in Eva-related news, Utada Hikaru has randomly returned to record a new song for the credits – and it’s fantastic. Hear the song and watch the first 6 minutes of 3.0 below the jump! Read more…
Tags: Evangelion
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 16, 2012 in Hobbies and Collections 
The Bottleneck Gallery is relatively new to the gallery world, but already they’ve done an incredible job of collecting fantastic artists from all over in one place. Their latest show, The Gang is all Here, starts today, November 16th, in Brooklyn, New York. The theme is all about your favorite posse, team, or group! The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and more are just some of the fandoms covered at the show. Can’t make it to the show? You’ll be able to purchase prints online on the 17th! Full disclosure: I’m part of the show too! See if you can find my work hidden between all the amazing artists and other great prints. Read more…
Tags: Bottleneck Gallery, Fan Art, Prints
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 16, 2012 in Cinema 
Interested in hearing the final song that’ll play over the credits for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey? It’s better than you might expect, as it’s spun off of the dwarves’ song from the beginning of film. And, it’s done by New Zealand artist (surprise!) Neil Finn. Perhaps songs based off movies are a bit passé now, but something like this is always welcome in my book. If you want to take a listen, you’ll have to visit Rolling Stone’s site and use their music player. Take a moment and check it out!
Tags: Music, The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 15, 2012 in Cinema, Star Trek 
It’s been done before with The Dark Knight and I Am Legend, and again with The Dark Knight Rises and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. So since it worked out so well for those films, it’s being done yet again with Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. What is it they’re doing, you ask? Giving a little preview of a movie when you see the other one in IMAX! Read more…
Tags: Star Trek, The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 15, 2012 in Videogames 
Square Enix has been putting out practically every other main Dragon Quest game on DS, so it seems natural that they’d work on a new version of Dragon Quest VII for 3DS. The game was originally released in America as Dragon Warrior VII for PS1, all the way back in 2000, where it was met with only moderate attention, possibly due to an overly lengthy quest and sprite graphics. If it isn’t obvious from these new screenshots, the sprites are gone, replaced with full 3D graphics. Read more…
Tags: Dragon Quest
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 14, 2012 in Videogames 
The best way to get me to buy a major game at launch is to include a fancy, well-made statue with it. I’ve moved past being okay with dinky little figurines that barely look like the character; it has to be big and detailed so I can show it off with pride, space be damned. That’s why even though I just recently got a nice figure of Assassin’s Creed III‘s Connor when that game released, I’m salivating at this Songbird statue that is being included with the BioShock Infinite Ultimate Songbird Edition. Read more…
Tags: BioShock: Infinite
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 14, 2012 in Videogames 
Has it really been over two years since StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty came out? I’ll be honest, despite my interest, I haven’t even had a chance to play it yet. So I feel really behind now that Blizzard has actually given out a release date for their upcoming expansion, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. It’s too soon for a gamer like me who is constantly behind, but for those who have been playing since Wings of Liberty‘s release. Read more…
Tags: Blizzard, StarCraft 2
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 13, 2012 in Videogames 
You can’t have a new AAA game come out anymore without offering a collector’s edition or limited edition of some sort with additional goodies that only hardcore fans care about. (Considering that even new IPs come out with collector’s editions, targeting fans who haven’t played the game yet seems odd.) The new Tomb Raider reboot is no exception, with a collector’s edition being made in limited quantities. Read more…
Tags: square enix, Tomb Raider
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 13, 2012 in Cinema, Star Wars 
I’ve been mostly optimistic about Disney taking control of Star Wars. It’s not like they could screw it up worse than the prequels, right? Those movies focused on expanding Darth Vader’s life in a way that didn’t need to be explained. The concept of a fallen, yet still honorable knight that finally finds redemption is a powerful one that doesn’t require pointless insight into how he fell. So with Darth Vader dead and Force-ghost-ed, we should be in the clear for Disney and Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt to tell new stories, right? Or not. Read more…
Tags: Darth Vader
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