Take a Break and Watch this: the Greatest Fan Film of all Time (Fanmade)

The Greatest Fan Film of All Time
by Bullcrank

Tutorial on the Most Difficult Videogame Ever

OMG this is funny. It is a bit long, but it is funny because most strategies for games sound just like this unless you've played the game before. After you watch through it the first time, watch it again but pay attention to the chat going on in the little window ala W.o.W. This video is funny. *video below*

A Helpful Tutorial on The Most Difficult Video Game Ever -- powered by Cracked.com

NASA to fire a Big Exploding Rocket at the Moon

Courtesy of Silicon Valley via Geekologie

Now this sounds fun: NASA has plans to fire a rocket into the moon to create a six-mile high explosion. Why? To see if there's any water there that we might be able to use if we ever colonize our largest satellite.

Seriously, how awesome will this be? I can't wait to see the photos and videos of a six-mile high explosion taking place on the surface of the moon. Sure, the first moonwalk was great and all, but this is what man was destined to do on the moon. Blow stuff up.

Olivia Munn in Iron Man 2

Olivia Munn will have an unspecified appearance in Iron Man 2.

MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers Preview Video

I know that the game comes out in mere hours, but I thought that this video (which shows how the game plays) would be nice to watch just to get a preview of what to expect from the game. It sucks that they are severely limiting what you are able to do and from what I gather deck construction will be severely limited as well to the point where it will not be a major part of the game. :( Sucks. You can read more details here in a GameSpot forum thread. Anywayz, here is the video. *video below*

Futuristic Movie Timeline

This is cool. A Futuristic Movie Timeline to help you see how far into the future the movie took place compared to other movies. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

New Indiana Jones Movie in the Works

courtesy of ComicBookMovie

Actor Shia LaBeouf is currently out promoting his latest film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, gave an interview with BBC News where he mentions that we could be seeing the next Indiana Jones film in the near future:



"Steven (Spielberg) just said that he cracked the story on it before I left, and, uh, I think they're gearing that up."

LaBeouf also mentioned his involvement in the sequel to Wall Street:

"Money Never Sleeps, I think is the official title now. Um, and, Oliver Stone is just a different filmmaker than I've experienced. Uh, he's just a bit more rebellious than Steven (Spielberg) and has a different edge than Mike (Bay)."

Marvel is bringing back Captain America

Title says it all. Marvel is resurrecting Captain America in a new series title Captain America Reborn set to release on July 1, 2009.

Scribblenauts is the Best Game of E3?

My friends and I don't play many handheld games, so even though Scribblenauts looks original and fun I didn't feel it was worth mentioning. BUT, considering some of the big dogs of the video game world (GameSpot, IGN, and GameSpy) have unanimously chosen this small, portable GameBoy DS game as the Best of E3 (!?!?), I guess I might as well write something about it.

It appears to be a typical side-scrolling game (ala Super Mario Bros.) which some neat twists thrown in. As stated by Wikipedia:

"Scribblenauts is an exclusively side-scrolling game controlled entirely with the Nintendo DS stylus. The player controls a character called Maxwell, who must collect objects called "Starites". Maxwell is guided by tapping the touchscreen, or if the player taps an object, Maxwell will pick it up."

The most amusing feature of the game is the ability to "summon" a vast array of objects to use. For instance, if a player sees a gap in the terrain ahead, he can type in "bridge" and a bridge appears that allows the player to place it over the gap and cross safely. You may assume that the number of objects is limited, but that was the appeal and attraction of the game at E3. People were constantly trying to find words that the game would not recognize, but were amazed at the extensive vocabulary packed into this little handheld game. *video below*




Not impressed? Well, the guys who called this the "Best of E3" have a pretty good track record. Here is a list of their previously announced "Best of E3".

IGN Best of E3 Winners
2009: Scribblenauts
2008: Fallout 3
2007: Fallout 3
2006: BioShock
2005: Spore
2004: Halo 2
2003: Half-Life 2
2002: Metroid Prime
2001: Star Wars Galaxies
2000: Metal Gear Solid 2

Gamespot Best of E3 Winners
2009: Scribblenauts
2008: Fable II
2007: Little Big Planet
2006: BioShock
2005: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2004: Splinter Cell 3

Gamespy Best of E3 Winners
2009: Scribblenauts
2008: Spore
2007: BioShock
2006: BioShock
2005: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2004: Half-Life 2

Fantastic Four Reboot and Lone Ranger in the Works

When word like this comes around, you know that there must be a nerd god somewhere. The Fantastic Four movie series, while not a complete failure, sure did leave a bad taste in your mouth a few days after seeing it. I can remember getting so hyped up to go see it and afterwards, just being... well, let down. Hopefully they do it right this time and not use a freakin dark-haired, dark-eyed looking girl again. Everyone knows that Susan Storm has blonde hair and blue eyes. Come on Marvel! Work with me here. (Yea, I know they dyed her hair and used contacts, but for me it just wasn't believable.) Anywayz, It'll be cool if they can successfully reboot the franchise and get some good storylines going. That what a great comic book deserves!

In other news, some moron is planning on making a Lone Ranger movie. Yippee... *rolls eyes*

Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers on Xbox Live June 17!!!

courtesy of pixelatedgeek

Wizard of the Coast released a Press Release yesterday for the XBLA exclusive game, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers. Here’s what they had to say after the break.

New and Existing Magic Players Will Rule on Xbox LIVE® Arcade

Wizards of the Coast Launches Duels of the Planeswalkers for Xbox LIVE Arcade

June 3, 2009, Renton, Wash. — Wizards of the Coast today announced that Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers, an extension of the worldwide Magic: The Gathering franchise for Xbox LIVE Arcade, will be available June 17, 2009.

“We’re thrilled to introduce the Magic game experience to the Xbox LIVE community,” said Greg Leeds, President of Wizards of the Coast. “Duels of the Planeswalkers will allow both new and experienced players to develop and test their skills in the ultimate battle of wits.”



In June, fans can challenge game developers and famous Magic: The Gathering trading card game players in a Duels of the Planeswalkers tournament through Microsoft’s online Game with Fame and Game with Developer events. Game with Fame will take place June 20 and Game with Developer will follow on June 27.

Developed by Stainless Games, Ltd., Duels of the Planeswalkers, rated T-Teen, lets players simulate the Magic: The Gathering trading card game through lush interactive 3-D environments. The arcade-style game takes players on a journey through a vast Multiverse of unique worlds where they are deemed Planeswalkers, powerful mages who battle others for glory, knowledge and conquest.



Players can choose to battle against the computer or compete online against real-life opponents using Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Arcade. With numerous game play scenarios, including multiplayer game mode, Duels of the Planeswalkers offers an unrivaled depth in which each game is different from the last. Wizards of the Coast is supporting this release with an exclusive promotional card, which includes brand new artwork, making Duels of the Planeswalkers a game that both new and existing Magic players will enjoy.

Introduced in 1993, Magic: The Gathering is the first and most widely played trading card game. With more than 10,000 different cards available, Magic offers an unrivaled depth of game play with several choices and customizations available for its players.




For additional information on Duels of the Planeswalkers, please visit: www.duelsoftheplaneswalkers.com

About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games (TCGs) and their method of play and produces the premier trading card game, Magic: The Gathering®, among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons®, and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

Take a Break and Watch This: Another Green Lantern Trailer (Fan-made)

This is a second Green Lantern fan-made, movie trailer I came across. First one can be found here. I guess a lot of comic book fans want a Green Lantern movie :p . It was made by Jaron Pitts a video editor from Dallas. He made the (fake) Green Lantern trailer using clips from various movies. It looks really cool. *video below*

Website Tells You which Movies have Extras after the Credits

MovieStinger.com is a cool site that lets you determine if it is worth it to stay behind the crowd and watch the credits in movies. About time someone made a site like this instead of us having to guess or stumble upon it in a random news article.

This Rifle is Ridiculous!

This is the 557 T-Rex Rifle. It is made by the company A-Squared Rifles. They call it a last resort rifle, meaning that it should only be used if an elephant or rhino is charging you and other weapons don't work. Or something like that. If you interested in more info, look here.

Comparison of Top 3 Smart Phones Currently Available

In case you're on the fence, or if you're just curious what the difference is between the leading cell-phones, here is a comparison chart. Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Project Natal may actually be Microsoft's Next Console

There is a rumor going around because of a statement made by Shane Kim (Microsoft's head of long-term Xbox 360 strategy). The rumor is that Project Natal may actually be Xbox 720 (aka Xbox 3).

Shane Kim said, "Conceptually, the launch of Natal will be like the launch of Xbox 360. It's going to be that big. We're not just going to ship it when the hardware and software are ready. We have to make sure that there are enough content experiences that are really good. That's similar to how you would think of the launch of a new console. It's got to have a great launch line-up. That's the same thing here."

The bottom line... sounds like people may be making a big deal out of nothing, but considering the recent statements made by big name, third-party developers stating that they've "maxed out" the 360 but not the PS3, it may not be too far-fetched to see Microsoft trying to release another console soon. On a side note, Nintendo bombed with the GameCube so they decided to repackage it with an enhanced controller. Yea, that's right. Nintendo's Wii is essentially nothing more than a tuned up GameCube with a new, interactive controller that was successfully "relaunched". Will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Dragon Age: Origins to be Shown at Several Conventions throughout the Summer

BioWare (creator's of Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Mass Effect) will be revealing hands-on demo's of Dragon Age: Origins at several conventions this summer. I wrote a summary of the game in a previous post and will just paste it here to remind you.


On a side note, another soon-to-be-released (Q3/Q4 2009) game from BioWare is Dragon Age: Origins. It is described as a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate series, but not set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Though Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player game, it will include a toolset that will allow for user-created content.

People who assume that Dragon Age: Origins will just be Mass Effect with a medieval setting will be sorely mistaken. What race and class you pick will determine which 1 of 6 paths you take from beginning till end and also what options and quests will be available within the game. Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled for a Q3/Q4 2009 release.




It sounds very good. I personally can not wait to playtest it. The Conventions that BioWare is showing the game at is:

July 22-26, San Diego Comic-Con (San Diego, California)
Aug 13-16, Gen-Con (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Aug 19-23, GamesCon (Cologne, Germany)
Aug 28-30, Fan Expo Canada(Toronto, Canada)
Sept 4-6, Penny Arcade Expo Seattle (Seattle, Washington)




So we basically have 2 ways to catch it. Another thing I want to point out is I know at Gen-Con there are "some" video game demonstrations, booths, etc, but it's mostly for board games. Seeing that BioWare intends to show-off Dragon Age: Origins at Gen-Con means that we can "mix-up" our Gen-Con days a little bit.

Tetris as a Sport ?!?!

Alexey Pajitnov (the creator of Tetris) is mighty proud of his work. He has every right to be considering how eternal the game is.

1. Tetris is played to this day (unlike say Doom or MS Flight Simulator)
2. Tetris makes up ten percent of all games sold on mobile phones
3. Tetris always ranks within the top 10 of the "Top XXX Video Games of All Time" lists published by various magazines and websites.

That may seem crazy, but it can be proven how good it is. Pick up Tetris and play it. One hour can go by easily before you realize you're playing a game that is over 20 years old. It's just that good. Well, the ol' Alexey thinks that it should be a sport.

As stated by Henk Rogers President of Tetris Company (a company co-founded by Alexey Pajitnov to market Tetris), "We are going to turn Tetris into the first real virtual sport," Rogers said. "Sports like baseball and football were created at a time when our future was a lifetime of physical activities and physical fitness. But now that's not as important, it's more about mental fitness today."

Interesting, but not far-fetched. In South Korea, video games have become so popular that StarCraft is a televised sport. It would be interesting to see something like that happen in the U.S., but in all likelihood, even considering that more and more people are playing video games today, it would be a long, hard road.

E3 '09 Surpirse: Just Cause 2 Looks Amazing!

The first game (Just Cause) was good, but not all that popular. It's sequel was a low-profile title that looks to be one of the best kept secrets of E3. The following video is kind of long, but even if you watch just the first 30 seconds, you will see how freakin awesome it looks. *video below*

Dungeons & Dragons Online will be Free Starting this Summer

courtesy of gamespot

When Turbine Inc. announced the start of the beta for Dungeons & Dragons Online's newest major upgrade, Eberron Unlimited, the developer also dropped a bombshell: The massively multiplayer online game will receive a free-to-play option for all its current and future players.

The upgrade, slated for this summer, will allow players to download and play the game free of charge, with revenue coming from microtransactions. Current subscribers will automatically be enrolled in its VIP program, which includes exclusive access to additional races, adventure packs, locales, and the upcoming Monk class.

Moreover, current subscribers will get "priority access" in the closed Beta of the new DDO Unlimited upgrade, which began today.

Players who choose the free-to-play plan are encouraged to buy additional content, such as potions, equipment, and adventure packs via the new DDO Store which coincides with the release of the Eberron Unlimited upgrade. VIP customers will accrue Turbine Points each month which can be used at the store to purchase virtual goods.

DDO Unlimited will offer over 100 updates, skills, quests, feats, and enhancements. It will also raise the level cap to 20, introduce the Monk class, and add more than a dozen new dungeons.

iPhone 3G S is announced!

The Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) began today and everyone was expecting Apple to announce the release of it's next iteration of the iPhone. Well, everyone was right. Earlier today Apple announced the iPhone 3G S. It is basically an iPhone 3G but with a faster CPU (2x faster), a camera that can take video, and a magnetometer (compass) among some of it's features.

This is really bad news for Palm. Palm released their Palm Pre aka "iPhone Killer" on June 6. And it looks like Apple responded with just enough in order to quell the Palm Pre hype. Only time will tell who reigns supreme. In the meantime, I'm just going to sit back and watch.



New Prices for iPhones

iPhone 3G 8GB
$99

iPhone 3G S 16GB
$199

iPhone 3G S 32GB
$299


New iPhone 3G S features compared to (iPhone 3G):

*3.0 megapixel camera (2.0 megapixel camera)
*2x faster processor
*Voice Control (Not Available on 3G)
*Compass (Not Available on 3G)
*Cut, Copy, and Paste (Not Available on 3G)
*MMS support aka sending pictures and video in text messages (Not Available on 3G)
*Internet Tethering (Not Available on 3G)

The Bottom Line... there isn't really "update" Apple is offering to write home about. All the stuff announced for the iPhone 3G S is slight upgrades of current features (3MP cam), or practically useless features (compass), or features that should already be available on the damn phone already (cut & paste, anyone?). It will be interesting how the iPhone/Palm Pre War pans out. Personally, I like the Palm Pre. Palm Pre's multi-tasking should prove to be superior over iPhone's inability to do so But the consumers are always the determining factor, and the Palm Pre has a very long way to go.

StarCraft Korean 2005 Final

This is a pretty entertaining match.

Korean StarCraft Tournament

StarCraft is stupid popular in South Korea. Just look at all the spectators watching! This is redonkulous. *video below*

Conan's New Backdrop looks like Super Mario Bros

Conan has taken over Jay Leno's Tonight Show, and many people are saying that his new backdrop looks alot like Super Mario Bros. What do you think? *video below*

E3 Preview: PS3 Exclusive M.A.G.(Massive Action Game)

I almost forgot to mention this game from E3. M.A.G. is a PS3 exclusive. It's name stands for Massive Action Game and instead of supporting a typical 16 player game (ala Halo 3), it will support 256 players. That is not a typo. There will be 256 players (128 per team) fighting for one objective. Surprisingly it looks very good and at E3 the creators of the game showcased some of the features of the game. *video below*

M.A.G. E3 '09 Gameplay Footage

"

Video Games | MAG | E3 09: Conference Gameplay Footage

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3 '09 Spotlight: BioWare reveals Knights of the Old Republic (online game)

Title says it all. This is BioWare making a Star Wars game. And an online Star Wars game in the same vein as WoW. Which translates into Gaming-Awesomeness. The video below does not show gameplay footage, but the video is freakin awesome looking regardless. People are saying this cinematic is better than Episodes I - III combined.

"

Video Games | Star Wars: The Old Republic | E3 09: Jedi vs Sith Cinematic HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3 '09 Spotlight: Sony Press Conference (Motion Sensing Controller)

Sony's Press Conference for E3 wasn't much better than Nintendo's, but there was this interesting peripheral that Sony is going to be promoting. It actually looks very cool, but demo's always do.

Sony Motion Sensor Eye Toy Peripheral

E3 '09 Spotlight: Nintendo Press Conference (New Super Mario Bros. for Wii)

Despite Nintendo showing off the WiiMotionPlus (they also showcased it last E3),this is the best thing (in my opinion) that Nintendo had to offer. Which doesn't say much about the future of the Wii.

"

Video Games | New Super Mario Bros. | E3 09: Conference Footage

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Misc)

Rundown of other misc announcements:


Radio Stations on Xbox live courtesy of Last.fm

Netflix Upgrade (can browse Netflix on Xbox Live and select movies to watch without having to go to Netflix.com with your computer)

Facebook on Xbox 360

Twitter on Xbox 360

Metal Gear Solid: Rising on Xbox 360!

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach)

Here is a video showing gameplay from Halo: ODST and towards the end of the video is a sneak peek of Halo 4 aka Halo: Reach.

FYI: Halo 3: ODST is a stand-alone expansion for Halo 3. It will use the same levels as Halo 3 for multiplayer but will play slightly different since you won't be playing a Master Chief. Wikipedia does a good job of describing the game here.

Halo: ODST (Gameplay) and Halo: Reach (Trailer) Video

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Splinter Cell: Conviction)

This game will be awesome! If you try to tell me it is just the same old Splinter Cell, then you didn't watch the video. *video below*

Splinter Cell: Conviction Gameplay Video

E3 '09 Spotlight: Microsoft Press Conference (Project Natal)

Microsoft is worried about sales figures of the Wii. Wonder why?

Systems sales worldwide (as of June 1, 2009):

Wii = ~50 million (released Winter 2006)
360 = ~30 million (released Winter 2005)
PS3 = ~22 million (released Winter 2006)

Microsoft unveiled their answer to Nintendo Wii's success at E3 '09 during their press conference. Introducing "Project Natal". *Video below*


Project Natal Promo Video




Project Natal Demonstration



Hate to say it, but Tony Hawk's new "skateboard-controller" (shown during E3 right before Project Natal was revealed) is not as impressive. *video below*

Tony Hawk Ride Promo Video