Archive for the 'Video Games' Category

Gay gaming site knocked off line

08/6/07

According to Kotaku, gay-themed gaming site GayGamer has been knocked offline by a hate-crime spammer.

Flynn De Marco, the site’s owner and Kotaku weekend editor, said small waves of denial of service attacks started Wednesday morning, causing occasional timeouts on the site. By Friday the site, working with their host, was able to block the IPs where the DOS attacks seemed to be coming from. Then Friday evening someone began flooding the site’s forums and chat room with hate speech, including some death threats, and over-sized images meant to bog down the site, De Marco said. The flood of messages and images all originated from the same IP in Philidelphia, he added.


Frankly, that sucks.

If you liked LEGO Star Wars…

07/31/07

You’ll probably like LEGO Indiana Jones.

See the trailer here.

Posted by Mark Coale

What’s up with Cloverfield?

07/26/07

Now that Harry Potter is passed, what’s the next thing for Nerd Nation over which to obsess over? How about CLOVERFIELD aka 1-18-08, the new film project headed up by ALIAS/LOST maestro J.J. Abrams?

You’ve already seen the trailer. You’ve been to the website. What’s next?

Well, this week’s “Entertainment Weekly” (Harry Potter cover) has the first look at the movie’s one-sheet, but it seems to raise just as many questions as it might answer.

Cloverfield poster

And in today’s “Washington Post,” there’s a story about the project and how it relates to Alternate Reality Games.

Abrams was supposed to be a late afternoon panel today at Comic-Con possibly revealing more about the movie. If word does filter out, we’ll throw the details in here.

Edit: At the panel, JJ said that it’s not called “Monstrous” and that he always wanted to make a monster movie.

Posted by Mark Coale

SD07: Curt Schillling (#2601)

07/24/07


38 Studios (www.38studios.com), a pioneering entertainment force delivering a broad spectrum of immersive products, today announced its participation in the annual San Diego Comic-Con 2007. The company is comprised of luminaries from multiple industries including Boston Red Sox pitcher and game visionary Curt Schilling, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, New York Times best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, and video game industry leader Brett Close. 38 Studios will be introducing the company, senior staff, and artistic and storytelling visionaries McFarlane and Salvatore at this year’s event, July 25-29, 2007, at the San Diego Convention Center, Hall C, Booth #2601.



(more…)

DC to publish WORLD OF WARCRAFT comic

07/23/07

DC had to WoW license for toys, so this isn’t much of a stretch, but it is a potentially very popular franchise.

DC Comics, the world’s largest English language comic book publisher and home to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman announced plans today to publish a new comic book series based on World of Warcraft®, Blizzard Entertainment®’s popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Preview art from the series will debut at Comic-Con International, held in San Diego, CA from July 26–29. The World of Warcraft comic book will be published through DC’s WildStorm imprint and debut this fall.

The ongoing monthly series will be written by industry veteran Walter Simonson (Thor, Orion) and feature art by Ludo Lullabi and inker Sandra Hope. The first six issues of the World of Warcraft comic series will each feature two covers, one by superstar comic book artist Jim Lee and a second by Blizzard Entertainment Senior Art Director Samwise Didier.

The Warcraft® series has been a pillar of gaming culture for over a decade, with multiple #1-selling titles. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft MMORPG allows thousands of players to explore the rich, war-torn setting of the franchise together, and has attracted more than 8.5 million subscribers worldwide. The Burning Crusade, the first expansion to World of Warcraft, recently shattered PC game sales records by selling more than 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours of release and approximately 3.5 million in its first month.

The first storyline of the new ongoing series begins when a human is found unconscious on the shores of Kalimdor, with no memory of who he is or how he arrived there. Enslaved by an orc shaman, the man must fight for survival against members of both the Alliance and the Horde. He strikes uneasy relationships with other races in his quest to find the secrets of his past.

John Layman Cryptic, funny

07/18/07

We know what you’ve been asking yourselves all this time. What is REALLY GOING ON with John Layman’s career? Well, for one thing, he’s joined Cryptic Studios to work on the Marvel MMO:

(more…)

What video games would Kevin Huizenga play?

07/12/07

Apparently this:

“Eternal Sonata of the Spotless Mind [for the Xbox 360] follows the adventures of famed composer Frederic Chopin as he travels through his own dream world filled with colorful characters and stunning locales. In a land where music influences both combat and exploration, Chopin sets out on a journey not only of self-discovery, but also one of redemption.”


More.

E3 on the d-lo

07/12/07

Did you know E3 the yearly gaming confab is going on? It is, but it’s vewy vewy quiet. Unlike past AV extravaganzas, which made San Diego seam like a Seurat painting, E3 has been downsized to a series of media presentations in a large hangar in Santa Monica. Joystiq has all the news. We don’t follow the gaming industry closely enough to know what’s the big scoop, but this kinder gentler E3 is an interesting model — if it works, as we’ve speculated before, maybe someday movie studios will go back to a quieter ShoWest-like presentation for their movies, instead of the public spectacle of San Diego. Frankly, that and the hotel room shortage are the only things that can possibly bring Comic-Con back into Earth’s orbit.

Notable Quotables

07/6/07

§ Dave Astor has several reports from the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists’s 50th Anniversary convention:
Can editorial cartoons survive?

Before audience members came up with the suggestions, the problem was described by editorial cartoonist Paul Fell — one of the session leaders. “Part of the reason the AAEC was founded was a concern about the dimimishing number of editorial cartoon positions in the U.S.,” said Fell, a Nebraska-based creator syndicated by Artizans. “Here we are 50 years later and we’re facing the same problem — only now there’s roughly 25% of the staff positions [about 80]compared to 1957.”


Plus: Tooners on blogging
Comments from Beat hero Helen Thomas.
3 cartoonists honored
Various issues regarding the Mohammed Cartoons.

§ Phil Yeh talks literacy: as always.

Troubled by the fact that so many Americans were functionally illiterate, he organized a group called Cartoonists Across America to encourage kids to dive into books. Beginning with a cross country tour to 34 states and two Canadian provinces, Yeh (pronounced, “Yay”) and his cohorts appeared at schools, shopping malls, and other public spots to paint murals, enlist literacy tutors, and give away original comic books with a reading-is-fun theme.


§ Minnie Driver is the new Lara Croft in Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider, a new animated series from GameTap, Turner Broadcasting’s video-game-themed broadband network.

§ Jack Black, ‘tooner.

“I’ve been a big fan of cartoons, and I actually got in there and did some animating when I was in high school,” he says. “I won a prize. I won a Rocky & Bullwinkle for my don’t-drink-and-drive cartoon.”

SAM & MAX back to print!

06/28/07

SurfinhighwayThe Wired blog reports that Telltale Games is reprinting Surfin’ The Highway: The Collected Sam & Max. The book includes both the priceless originals and more recent bonus material.

The original printing is super-rare these days, fetching between $150-200 through Amazon used book sellers. Pretty pricey for a trade paperback!

Telltale is also prepping a two-disc Sam and Max Episode 1 soundtrack release, which of course everyone is excited about. Everyone.


Telltale has been producing Sam & Max videogames of late, and you can see a whole line of fine products at their website, which promise, “The Summer of Sam & Max.”

If you’ve ever read Purcell’s unique madness, you know how good this is. If you haven’t, well you’re in for a treat. Or you can read the Eisner-nominated webcomic here, but be forwarned it’s in some kind of lofi animation so you have to hold your cursor over the panels to read the dialog.

More info.

Morning Briefing: IRON MAN, FOUNDATION, LOST SQUAD, etc.

06/27/07

Ironmancastjpg
§ Over at his MySpace blog, director Jon Favreau reports on the completion of photography for Iron Man:

Principal photography ended with a huge bang as we filmed the final scenes of Iron Man in Caesar’s Palace. As many of you already know, gambling is a casino’s top priority. A production can not interfere with their cash cow. As a result, movies must shoot during the dead hours, no matter if it’s Swingers or Rain Man. We were given a window of midnight to one the next afternoon to do all of our work. Part of our strategy to prepare for these ungodly hours was to stay up as late as possible the night before and sleep as late as possible. I did half the plan. The wrong half. I stayed out until 7AM and then woke up four hours later. After motoring through the delerium of a sleepless shooting marathon, I am proud to report that we have handily completed our movie on time and on budget. What a great way to end.


Above is a cast photo: Terence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges.

§ Paramount has optioned FOUNDATION by John Rozum and Kody Chamberlain, which is published by BOOM Studios:

Andrew Cosby and Ross Richie, founders and owners of Boom, are producing the adaptation for Par. Boom publishes comicbooks and graphic novels.

“Foundation,” a five-issue miniseries created by Kody Chamberlain, revolves around efforts to stop the unpublished prophecies of Nostradamus from coming to pass.

Boom title is the third to which Cosby and Richie have sold the film rights; rights to “Talent” and “Tag” went to Universal. Boom was launched 18 months ago.

Cosby also co-created the series “Eureka” on the Sci Fi Channel.


Is Boom winning the comics-are-cheap-IP derby in Hollywood?

§ Meanwhile, Rogue Pictures is prepping LOST SQUAD, based on Chris Kirby’s comic for Devil’s Due.


Rogue Pictures’ “Lost Squad” has found its writer and director in Stephen St. Leger and James Mather.

The Irish duo, best known for directing commercials as the team of Saint and Mather, will tackle the bigscreen adaptation of Chris Kirby’s comicbook, published by Devil’s Due.

Project revolves around the adventures of a ragtag unit of Allied soldiers who fight Hitler’s occult agents and other supernatural threats during World War II.

Idea is to overstylize the action in the vein of Warner’s recent graphic novel-based hit “300.”


Danial Alter and josh Blaylock also have production credits of various types.

§ The Darkness Video Game is out for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

Set in the dark and seedy underbelly of New York City and the ethereal realm of The Darkness, players assume the role of mafia hitman Jackie Estacado, heir to “The Darkness,” an ancient power that awakens within him on his 21st birthday.

Jackie must use traditional weapons as well as learn to command his terrible new powers to seek revenge on his own crime family. The Darkness is based on the best-selling comic book series of the same name, published by Top Cow Productions and created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl. “The Darkness” comic book launched in 1996 and is currently published in 19 different languages around the world.

Art: “Into the Pixel”

06/22/07

Img462Fdb14Deb7E
Into the Pixel is a display of concept art for video games. The other day we were railing against work for hire, but as many people pointed out, there is a time and place for it, such as paying very talented people decent sums of money to sit down and imagine. The result is sometimes what you see here, some very evocative and impressive art. Click on the link for the complete gallery of the jury selections.

The Into the Pixel exhibit will feature 16 exemplary works of video game art, selected by a panel of jurors from a field of submissions gleaned from artists around the world. The exhibition offers an opportunity for published video and computer game artists to be reviewed and recognized by the public and by their peers in both the art and video game milieu.

[snip] The 2007 Into the Pixel Art Exhibition will premiere at Creative Artists Agency in June. The framed art will be unveiled in July at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, California. The Exhibition will open to the public at the new E for All Expo at the LA Convention Center, October 18-21, 2007.


[Above, part of “City 17″ by Jeremy Bennett for Half-Life 2 Episode 2]

McFarlane designs Halo 3 controllers

06/14/07

200706140338Speaking of Todd McFarlane, he has designed Halo 3-themed controllers for GamStop:

Halo 3 is poised as potentially the biggest Xbox 360 game of 2007, and Microsoft is making sure that everyone will join in on the craze once the game hits on September 25. Currently, the Xbox 360 controllers come in the conservative shades of black and white, but the peripheral will be getting an extreme makeover a few weeks before Halo 3’s release.

Spotted on GameStop’s online store for preorder are two wireless controllers and a headset in Halo 3 motif. The two wireless controllers come in either MasterChief or Covenant themes with artwork by Spawn comic book master Todd McFarlane (pictured above). The controllers will also come with an exclusive Halo 3 figurine from McFarlane Toys. To Halo 3 wireless controllers are priced at $59.99, representing a $10 premium over the more pedestrian black and white controllers.

Sin City video game on the way

05/24/07


Red Mile Entertainment, Inc. (OTCBB: RDML), a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, today announced it has entered into a multi-year, worldwide license agreement to develop and to publish video games based on the Sin City series of graphic novels by writer/artist and film director Frank Miller. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The winner of multiple awards in its original comic-book and graphic-novel forms, the Sin City property achieved even greater public awareness with the 2005 release of the successful Frank Miller’s Sin City live-action theatrical feature film.

“Sin City enjoys a broad and devoted following. Its crime noir settings, richly detailed characters, hyper-real action sequences, and engaging stories provide an outstanding groundwork for video games,” said Chester Aldridge, CEO of Red Mile Entertainment. “Red Mile is enthusiastic about working with Frank Miller to create a franchise that is worthy of this great property.”


(more…)

Well, speak of the devil!

05/17/07

Lara22
Go to the jump for the names of all the coics folk who are re-envisioning Lara.

GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), announced today the launch of a new GameTap Retrospective series and a new original animated series, “Re\Visioned,” that pays homage to one of the game industry’s top franchises of all time – Tomb Raider.

“10 Years of Tomb Raider – A GameTap Retrospective” profiles the creators, the games, the live-action models, and the fans who have collectively made Tomb Raider a pop culture phenomenon. The documentary will be available for free for all fans to view at www.gametap.com/tombraider and new segments will be added each week through June 7th.


(more…)

Let’s Play ‘Panty Explosion’

05/11/07

200705110113Did you ever want to be a Japanese schoolgirl? Well now you can in a new RPG called Panty Explosion!

In Atarashi Games’ Panty Explosion ($20) players take on the roles of psychic Japanese schoolgirls and battle nightmarish demons, ghosts, government agents and even each other. Like the typical “magical girl” manga or anime, Panty Explosion mixes the mundane and the macabre, the petty trials and tribulations of high school life and the life or death struggle against supernatural monsters. The rules encourage teamwork and creativity while focusing on friendship and storytelling. Anime and manga fans with an interest in immersive role-playing will be able to bring the experiences they have gained watching and reading their favorite magical girl sagas to this game.


Atarashi’s second gave is called Classroom Death Match, and ICv2 reports they also have a yaoi RPG in the works. You can go here and download a DEMO of Panty Explosion, which seemingly contains magic and monsters instead of crying in the bathroom, worries over monthly bloat, and shopping for knee high white socks.

You can also sing “Let’s play Panty Explosion” to the tune of “Master and Servant” by DMode!

order carisoprodolbuy detoxdetoxorder xanaxxanaxorder lamisillamisilbuy indocinindocinbuy elavilelavilorder effexoreffexorbuy diflucandiflucanorder clomidclomidpropecia discount pricesorder propeciabuy zyvoxorder zyvoxorder levaquinbuy vantincheap keftabdiscount stromectolcheap stromectolprograf 5 mgprograf onlinediscount omnicefcheap omnicefnoroxinmaxaquinbuy lincocinlincocinerythromycinorder biaxinbiaxingeneric ceftinceftinzyloprimtramadol hcltramadol shippingcheap carafateorder carafateorder zantaccheap bentylorder protonixaciphex 20 mgcheap aciphexbuy reglannicotinell onlineorder nicotinellbuy nirdoshwellbutrin prescriptionwellbutrin onlinediscount zybanbuy zybanzetia onlinecheap cordaronecheap avaprobuy aceoncheap cozaarcheap lopidcheap micardispravachol onlinecheap trandateonline mexitilorder coumadincheap zestoreticcheap avalidearava onlinearava prescriptioncheap relafenrobaxin onlinecheap urispasurispas prescriptionskelaxin onlineskelaxin prescriptioncheap lioresalpurchase lioresalbrand tramadol namefioricet migrainetreatment for fioricet addictionfioricet withdrawal planpurchase fioricet discount pharmacyorder fioricet free shippingorder cheap fioricet onlinegeneric fioricet onlinefioricet side effects and usesfioricet overnight shippingfioricet online orderfioricet information butalbitalfioricet low costfioricet addiction advicefioricet pricecheap fioricet tabletbuy cheap fioricet onlinebuy fioricet free shippingfioricet onlinebutalbital fioricet codeinebuy lariambuy mysolinebuy purinetholbuy sustivabuy topamaxbuy oxytrolbuy kytrilbuy lamictalbuy antabusebuy exelonbuy differinbuy dilantinorder abanabuy abanaorder clarinabuy clarinaorder styplonbuy styplonorder herbolaxbuy herbolaxorder pletalbuy pletalorder mentatbuy mentatorder gerifortebuy geriforteorder purimbuy purimorder diarexbuy diarexorder zoviraxbuy zovirax bactroban prescriptionbuy bactrobanorder famvirbuy famvir neurontin prescription cheap neurontin

Game news: Marvel, Bone

04/26/07

Sega and Marvel have signed a big pact (although Marvel has been working closely with Activision recently) and GameDaily BIZ talks to Sega about the deal:

BIZ: Did you have to compete with other publishers to get the rights to these other Marvel characters? Obviously Activision has produced a number of games for Marvel, so I would think they would have been interested as well.

SS: Yeah, that’s a great question. If you look back these past couple years, EA’s had a few dances with DC [Comics] with Batman and Superman, and Activision definitely did well with Spidey, and they’ve done X-Men and Fantastic Four, and Vivendi had Hulk, so there’s no doubt that these are competitive negotiations. I can’t speak to who else was at the table; oftentimes, in most cases we have no idea.

We don’t really know who they’re talking to, don’t really know whether Activision says, “Hey we’ve got two already; we’re not really sure if we want more,” or if THQ wants to get into it. I can’t really speak to that with authority, but I do know that these [deals] are always competitive because we’ve been in negotiations with other studios and have not come up with the goods on occasion. Clearly, the industry continues to look at big movies and big licenses, and comic books in particular, as a high target category, but in this instance Sega came out on top.

Bone2

MEANWHILE< Telltale Games talks about more Bone games:

Developer Telltale Games has been in the press a lot for its revival of the Sam & Max series, but before that it developed an episodic adventure series based on the hugely successful Bone comic books by Jeff Smith. However, with all efforts focussing on Sam & Max you’d be forgiven for thinking Telltale had given up on Bone - but that’s not the case. “We’ve been really focused on Sam & Max and nailing the episodic model. This has helped the company better understand digital distribution, and we’re in a great position to take advantage of the Bone license, but our teams are very busy right now. As the company grows we will revisit Bone”, the developer told 1UP.


naked free men moviesxxx online movies freemovie free post pornporno trailers free moviepornography free moviesdownload sex free moviesfree movies full length free sextits free movie Map

Grant, we hardly knew ye

04/4/07

It seems that Grant Morrison is taking more steps in his transition to Hollywood script-guy with a story Variety likes to call Comicbook author to write ‘Area 51′:

Paramount Pictures has hired comicbook author Grant Morrison to pen the feature adaptation of vidgame franchise “Area 51.”Christine Peters will produce through her Par-based CFP Prods. with Penn Station’s Dean Georgaris and Michael Aguilar, along with Stan Winston.

[snip] Set in the U.S. government’s most top-secret military facility, storyline revolves around a hazardous materials specialist who is called in to investigate a viral outbreak that could be extra-terrestrial in nature.


Yep, sounds like that’s in Morrison’s comfort zone. the story notes that Morrison’s Arkham Asylum has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, and mentions that his WE3 screenplay is still in development at New Line.

Shocker: Naruto game sells well!

04/3/07

Boxart Us Naruto-Clash-Of-The-Ninja-2Via press release:

TOMY Corporation and D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) today announced that NARUTO™: Clash of Ninja 2 for Nintendo GameCube™ has qualified as a Player’s Choice title, which is reserved for the best-selling games available for the Nintendo GameCube. Based on VIZ Media’s hit anime series SHONEN JUMP™ NARUTO and first released in September 2006, NARUTO: Clash of Ninja 2 is now available at a new low price of $19.95 MSRP. According to the NPD Group, NARUTO: Clash of Ninja 2 has been in the top 5 best-selling Nintendo GameCube games by month five out of six months since its release.

“The NARUTO brand has been a hit in North America since the TV series first debuted in September of 2005 and with the momentum increasing, our expectation is that 2007 will be a banner year for NARUTO on Nintendo platforms,” said Laura Yoshioka, senior marketing manager, TOMY Corporation. “Not only will NARUTO: Ninja Council 3 be the first NARUTO game for the Nintendo DS™, but in the fall of 2007 TOMY and D3PA will be releasing the first ever NARUTO game for Nintendo’s Wii video game system – NARUTO: Clash of Ninja MVZ.”

“We have been very pleased with the continued success of NARUTO on the Nintendo GameCube,” said Kim Motika, vice president of worldwide sales and operations, D3PA. “With the new pricing at $19.95, NARUTO: Clash of Ninja 2 for Nintendo GameCube™ will find an even larger audience.”

All time greatest team-up?

04/2/07

Teaser Final

But will it be as good as…Hide The Fart?

LEGO Batman — it’s real!

03/28/07

LegobatmanAs long rumored, Lego is following up its highly successful Star Wars Lego video game franchise with the Caped LegoBrick Crusader himself!

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games will bring LEGO® BATMAN™: THE VIDEOGAME to next-generation and current generation platforms and the PC in 2008 with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment serving as the game’s North American publisher, including all sales and distribution functions.

In LEGO BATMAN: THE VIDEOGAME, TT Games brings the world of DC Comics’ Caped Crusader to life in an entirely new way. Players can explore a richly interactive LEGO Gotham City as Batman and Robin, capturing infamous villains – and even take control of the villains themselves.

“Batman spans several generations as one of the most popular DC Super Heroes, and LEGO BATMAN will appeal to several generations of gamers who grew up idolizing the Dark Knight and playing with LEGO toys,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Working with TT Games, we are confident they will continue their LEGO games’ success with this title, and we will expand our publishing endeavors with the introduction of the LEGO BATMAN franchise.”

“We’re sure our fans will be excited to know that we have the same fantastic team at Traveller’s Tales responsible for LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars II working on LEGO BATMAN,” said Tom Stone, Director of TT Games Publishing.

“There’s a special magic to the LEGO incarnation of Batman that makes him accessible to a younger generation of his fans,” said Paul Levitz, President, DC Comics. “We look forward to the videogame version extending this fantasy.”

The LEGO BATMAN: THE VIDEOGAME story unfolds with Batman’s greatest foes escaping from Arkham Asylum and creating mayhem throughout Gotham City. Tracking criminals, including The Joker and The Penguin, players will utilize Batman’s gadgets as well as build and operate fantastic vehicles in one or two player cooperative gameplay.

Kibbles ‘n’ Bits

03/19/07

§ BAD GIRL leads China down Japan’s ‘toon path:

Time was when Chinese cartoons were childish retellings of traditional tales or propaganda images peopled by rosy-cheeked peasant women, muscle-bound ironworkers and strong-jawed soldiers celebrating the Communist ethos.

Little P, the hero of Song Yang’s Bad Girl comic book, is more likely to be celebrating her new low-slung jeans, complaining about her tough mother, or her latest mobile phone.

Reflecting China’s changing social realities, particularly in cities, Little P wants to be China’s first successful cartoon icon. Bad Girl is playing a lead role in transforming Chinese cartoons from poor-quality kids’ stuff or dull propaganda to something far hipper, as the country competes with Japanese manga and Korean manhwa.


 42688969 Starwarsbox 203300Ap§ Meanwhile, in America, mailboxes shaped like R2-D2 are on their way:

Post boxes across the US are to be dressed up as Star Wars robot R2-D2 to celebrate 30 years since the release of the sci-fi series’ first outing. Some 400 boxes will get the new look, including outside Hollywood’s Grauman Chinese Theatre, one of first cinemas to screen the film in 1977. The makeover is part of a post office campaign for the announcement of a surprise stamp on 28 March. The public have been urged not to tamper with the droid mail collectors.


§ This story is a kind of confusing following up to the story of the Red Sox pitcher whostarted his own video game development company with Todd McFarlane and others. The main idea is that by changing the name of his company from GREEN MONSTER GAMES to 38 STUDIOS, pitching ace Curt Schilling might be indicating that he someday won’t be a Red Sox, which would probably be quite upsetting if you were a Boston fan. We don’t know, we just think the idea of a pro athlete starting a video game development company is funny.

Green Monster Games looked at one time to be the perfect name for Schilling’s game development firm. But Close said Schilling and company hope to be much more than a game development company. So, for a name, “we needed something that reflects a larger vision as an entertainment company. We reserve the right to be more than just a game company.” Indeed, Schilling’s endeavor has attracted some big names. R.A. Salvatore, a Leominster native and science fiction novelist, is the company’s “creator of worlds,” or creative director. Todd McFarlane, the creator of the Spawn comic book series, also works for 38 Studios.


§ Jerry Beck didn’t much care for the AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE movie:

AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE (COLON): MOVIE FILM FOR THEATRES is, without question, the worst animated film of the year. It may be the worst film (of any type) I’ve ever seen. A text book example of an unfunny comedy, with poor production values; no craft, no art, no laughs, period. I’ve only seen one episode of the TV series, so I’m clearly not the intended audience for this. But who is? High School drop-outs on pot? I suspect there may be 7 year old out there who may think this is the funniest film they’ve ever seen. If so, I’d be worried about that 7-year-old.

Gerry: I will never look like this again.

03/19/07

300 Video1 09
AAAAAAAND, one last 300 note: At last week’s Second Life 300 press conference, we managed to ask star Gerard Butler if he would ever get into the kind of shape he did for 300 again. The answer was not unexpected, but saddening all the same:
300 Video1 21
“I wasn’t in that kind of shape in the first place. I hate to say this, I’d love to say something inspiring, but I actually don’t think I could get into that kind of shape again. It was great for that moment, but I actually over did it and was in a lot of pain for a few months.”

Women all over the world may mourn this news, but at least we go on with the certain knowledge that for one shining moment, one man rose to the highest level his body could achieve, and even if this man truly gave his all, through the miracles of slo-mo, pause buttons and screen captures, the legend of dear, dear Gerard Butler and his 300 muscle groups will live on forever.

Speaking of Second Life, you can visit the 300 area at Silverscreen and look at books, see photos or kick peopleinto a pit while shouting “This is SPARTA!” Internet marketing man Neville Hobson talks about the event here and via comments, you can see how the custom avatars were made by Adam’n'Eve here.

Linkie winkins from all over

03/13/07

§ The AP is running a nice profile of the webcomics collective Act-i-vate:

Artists in the year-old, invitation-only collective upload a new comic or installment to their graphic novels each week, making the content on the daily anthology highly diverse. ACT-I-VATE members draw upon a host of influences including Japanese comic book artists, music, film, literature and their own psyches.

The elaborately rendered comics cover a broad swath of genres ranging from horror and post-punk, to cliffhanging romance and extreme adventure. The stories are irreverent and hysterical, a blend of the tragic and pathological. They range from dark (take Nikki Cook’s “Sack of Puppies,” which is about “pretty nasty evil things and mean little kids”) to surrealistic (there’s Pedro Camargo’s “Glam,” which chronicles a “grungy cyberpunk trash universe that’s almost like Candyland with little stuffed animals running around.”)


§ An elite gang of academics have justified their time spent with Gameboys by naming “The Ten Most Important Video Games” :


“Creating this list is an assertion that digital games have a cultural significance and a historical significance,” Mr. Lowood said in an interview. And if that is acknowledged, he said, “maybe we should do something about preserving them.”

Mr. Lowood and the four members of his committee — the game designers Warren Spector and Steve Meretzky; Matteo Bittanti, an academic researcher; and Christopher Grant, a game journalist — announced their list of the 10 most important video games of all time: Spacewar! (1962), Star Raiders (1979), Zork (1980), Tetris (1985), SimCity (1989), Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990), Civilization I/II (1991), Doom (1993), Warcraft series (beginning 1994) and Sensible World of Soccer (1994).


Click on the link to find out which game is “one of the most important art works of the 20th century”!

§ The New York Comic-Con site is putting up various Audio Podcasts of panels, including “Review and Outlook 2007 for Comics Publishing”. Virtual confab!

The Red Star for PS2 finally appears

03/6/07

Redstar AcclaimWe’re not quite sure if this is news or not. You may recall that when Acclaim went under, they eft a few games in nearly finished stage, including one based on Christian Gossett’s THE RED STAR. Now it appears that it is coming out from Take-Two:

Based on the same-tilted graphic novels, which serve as a retelling of Russian history in a science fiction and fantasy world, The Red Star video game was originally intended to release on a number of consoles when the project suddenly fell off the map, due to the bankruptcy of the original Acclaim. However, it seems the project has not been entirely forgotten, and the part beat-‘em-up, part shooter has finally found a home on the PlayStation 2 courtesy of Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two. At this time, the press release (which we’ve included below, as always) only specifically states a European release – set for April 6th – but we can’t imagine a North American release of The Red Star would be too far behind. However, we will continue to follow this story