You have to hand it to Rockstar, they know how to keep folks talking about a game even when it is still a ways off. This week they released new screenshots of Grand Theft Auto 5. If the screens are true gameplay then it loooks like the team developing this has gone way above the bar that GTA 4 set four years ago. Take a look and let us know if the screens get your interest up more or are you waiting on some gameplay videos first.
Blade Runner is undoubtedly one of my favorite films of all time. To me it is almost the perfect representation of what a sci-fi movie should try to be. Even when Ridley Scott could not leave it alone and kept releasing new, slightly tweaked versions I was always there to pick it up. With this year being the 30th anniversary of the movie, I have realized that I will most likely be purchasing a new collection every five years and that is fine with me. Thus is the life of a nerd.
Here is the rundown of features that will be accompanying the Blade Runner 30th Anniversary Collector’s Set. It releases on October 23rd and retails for $64.99
Disc 1:
The Final Cut (2007) Feature (Blu-ray)
Introduction to the Final Cut by director Ridley Scott
Commentary by Director Ridley Scott
Commentary by Executive Producer/Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher, Co-Screenwriter David Peoples, Producer Michael Deeley and Production Executive Katherine Haber
Commentary by Visual Futurist Syd Mead, Production Designer Lawrence G. Paull, Art Director David L. Snyder and Special Photographic Effects Supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer
Disc 2:
3 Theatrical Features
Ridley Scott Introduction to the 1982 Theatrical Cut
Ridley Scott Introduction to the 1982 International Cut
Ridley Scott Introduction to the 1992 Director’s Cut
Disc 3:
Photo Gallery + Dangerous Days, Existing EC + Workprint
“Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner” Documentary (8 parts)
4 Trailers
The Electric Dreamer: Author Philip K. Dick RT: 18:52
Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film RT: 14:57
Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews RT: 27:38
Signs of the Times: Graphic Design
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
Screen Tests: Rachel and Pris
The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth
Deleted and Alternate Scenes with Introduction by director Ridley Scott
1982 Promotional Featurettes
Workprint Feature Version with Introduction by Ridley Scott
Commentary by Future Noir Author Paul M. Sammon
All Our Variant Futures
Disc 4:
Final Cut Feature Disc on DVD
Introduction to the Final Cut by director Ridley Scott
Commentary by Director Ridley Scott
Commentary by Executive Producer/Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher, Co-Screenwriter David Peoples, Producer Michael Deeley and Production Executive Katherine Haber
Commentary by Visual Futurist Syd Mead, Production Designer Lawrence G. Paull, Art Director David L. Snyder and Special Photographic Effects Supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer
[amazon_enhanced asin=”B00845MRKE” /]
It looks like we won’t have to wait very much longer to get some definitive answers on the Wii U’s launch. Nintendo has set up a press preview in New York City on September 13 that will be attended by Reggie Fils-Aime and give people a chance for a hands on with Nintendo’s new console.
One would have to assume that this will be the event where Nintendo will announce a release date, price point and most launch titles. The past few Nintendo consoles have launched in mid-November and on Sundays so my guess would be November 18 for the launch. Which also happens to be my mother’s birthday so what better way of celebrating than by me getting a Wii U….and her a cake.
I’ll leave you with Iwata and some bananas. Top that next month Nintendo.
Sony wants your Playstation 4 (or Orbis, who knows) to look very, very clear. Rumors are circulating that Sony’s next iteration of the Playstation will come ready to support the high resolution televisions. Right now the only way that will happen is if you are worth more than most Sony executives since their own brand of 4K television will be releasing this fall in an 80 inch version for a cool $30,000.
But this is always how Sony operates. They are known for future proofing their systems. The PS2 coming equipped with a DVD drive and the PS3 with a Blu-Ray player were huge reasons why those platforms became a mainstay in homes worldwide so this is just another smart move by Sony to ensure the PS4 has a long shelf life.
I will be taking donations for a new 4K TV soon. Hello Kickstarter.
September 18 is almost here. So if you are on the fence about getting The Indiana Jones collection on Blu-Ray then watch the trailer and try to contain your smile and realization that you really, really, really want this collection. It is priced at $99.99 but can be pre-ordered on Amazon for about 70 bucks.
After almost two years and around 19 million sold, Microsoft has announced that their Kinect will be getting a price reduction from $149.99 to $109.99. Now you can flail around like a mental patient for less. The price drop took effect today.
While the Kinect saw a huge first year, one can only call their sophmore offering sub-par. Big name games like Kinect Star Wars and Steel Battalion were met with almost universal disdain and the peripheral really only has one big release this fall with Fable: The Journey. Maybe this will stimulate a quick sales boost but I’m pretty sure that if someone hasn’t bought a Kinect by now a drop to 109 dollars isn’t going to do much convincing. With the new Xbox on the horizon in the next year and a half or so the Kinect should be seeing a drastic price drop sometime next year. But that’s just my take.
The game formerly known as Class3 now has an official title. Undead Labs has announced that State of Decay will be coming to Xbox LIVE and PC.
I know, I know some of you are thinking that zombies are on overkill right now but at least Undead seems to be trying something new by bringing the zombie apocolypse into an open world game that is completely shaped by your actions. Dead Island found great success last year and I think the market is ripe for State of Decay to do well.
No release date has been announced for State of Decay but one would venture we won’t be seeing it until next year. Until then, here is the first trailer for the game.
THQ may be on hard times right now but one thing we can still be assured of is that we will see the release of WWE 13 this October and they are swinging for the fences with the largest roster in the game’s history. Over 80 wrestlers including a slew of Attitude Era superstars will be appeating in this year’s version. Here is the full roster on one handy video. Enjoy !
Video from IGN.
File this under more childhood memories that are dead. News today has surfaced that Nintendo Power is going the way of the Virtual Boy. Future Publishing said they were going to halt the monthly magazine and that Nintendo showed no interest in picking up the licence again to try and save it. Now granted I didn’t read Nintendo Power on a regular basis anymore but this is sad news still because it was such a huge part of my childhood.
Who didn’t love reading about the awesome new Zelda game that was promised to be out by the end of the year and wasn’t seen for three years more (i.e. every Zelda game) or keeping up with the continuing adventures of Captain N? Memories….light the corners of my mind. Misty, water colored memories. of the way we were.
So let’s all shed a single Indian tear and pour a 40 for our dear departed childhood friend Nintendo Power.
Here’s some old Nintendo Power covers for your time of mourning.
Moral choices in games are not a new thing. We’ve all played games that give us choices that affect the outcome of a game either for the good or the bad. Spec Ops: The Line takes those black and white morality conundrums and smears the line with a new shade of grey where there is no right and wrong, just bad and worse.
You play as Martin Walker, a captain in the Delta Force Squad. You and two strike team officers, Adams and Lugo, drop down into Dubai to search for a missing colonel. But this Dubai is not the sprawling Arabian city that we all know. This Dubai has been decimated by a massive sandstorm that has left the city in shambles and the number of survivors unclear.
As you and your men delve into the city you quickly realize that not everything is as it appears to be. The man you are looking for, Colonel Konrad, who vanished trying to evacuate the city, may be the man that has taken over the city with the remains of his unit, the 33rd. Here is where some of your moral dilemma begins when the 33rd begins attacking you and you and your men are forced to kill American soldiers to stay alive. And believe me when I say that this is an easy decision to make when compared to the actions you are forced to take later on.
That is where this game really sets itself apart. Even with all my playthroughs of the Mass Effect trilogy or Knights of the Old Republic I knew pretty much which direction I was heading in with my decisions. With Spec Ops I was truly sitting there thinking about not just how my decisions affected Walker or his team but also the refugees left in the city. It’s a lot of weight on one’s shoulders….and it’s just a game.
A game this heavy would not be near as good if the writing was not up to snuff and I have no problem in saying that head writer Walt Williams has crafted and solid script that resonates even now that the game is done. I can only imagine how hard it must be to write for a game and try to get players to truly connect with your character hoping that nothing gets lost from the page to the screen.
While the gameplay won’t win any awards for innovation, it is a serviceable cover based shooter. Cover doesn’t feel as tight as Gear of War but it gets the job done. There are instances of taking cover on the wrong side of a corner leaving yourself open for a backside full of enemy ammo or not being able to vault over things when you absolutely need to in the middle of a firefight but none of these things make the game unplayable. It is good, not great. The shooting mechanics feel right and the selection of weapons is a good size without being too much to grasp.
Of course, with almost all games now, there is multiplayer but it is not anything to write home about. You have your basic class and faction selection and weapon loadout. I wish there was more to say about it honestly. It is a bit bug filled and has a few problems. This is a single player game at its heart and I can’t help but feel that multiplayer has been tacked on.
I did have a lot of fun with Spec Ops: The Line. It is a game that kind of snuck up and surprised me in a good way especially with its balls to tell a story that is more about what can go wrong with our decisions, not what goes right.
[amazon_enhanced asin=”B006OV5TFA” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B00320JAWY” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B0085NTITS” /]