GamersCircle

DC Universe Online Interview

andy — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:33:33 +0000

‘DC Universe Online’ MMO Writer Geoff Johns Talks Parallel Earths, Secret Identities on MTV Multiplayer offers some brief responses from comic writer Geoff Johns to questions about DC Universe Online, the upcoming superhero MMORPG.

According to Johns, he thinks the game is about a year off, and it sounds like he has already completed most of his role in the project: “It launches I think in early 2010, it could be late 2009.

I’ve written the overall story and the path that gets you into the game and the areas of the universe and how to explore them, but not every line of dialogue. That’s a fulltime job, it’s too frigging big, too intense to write every line of an MMO. I’d probably jump off a building.”

Xbox Marketplace Holiday Deal of the Week

andy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:25:13 +0000

Microsoft is running a new little program called the Marketplace Holiday Deal of the Week. This program will run through December and provide Xbox360 users some hot deals from Xbox Live Marketplace. Starting tomorrow, people will be able to purchase the Halo 3 Legendary Pack for 200 points off (400 instead of 600).

Comic Books - A Solid Investment?

andy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:53:44 +0000

Saw this article about Rick Whitelock, a comic book investor/buisnessman who retired at the age of 40 by buying and selling comic books. The article is about how comics are still a solid investment in this time of stock prices rising and falling. Rick has been buying and selling comics for years, and knows the ins and outs of the business.

If I’m not mistaken, this is the same Whitelock who is on the Overstreet board of advisers. I think this goes to show you that there is a strong reason why Whitelock has done so well - he is passionate and knowledgeable about the comic book market. Jumping into investing in comic books is tantamount to buying stocks at random, which is to say not a good idea. Be sure to do your research and not buy comics on whims or just because it is “old.” If you’re not careful, you could lose a lot of money.

Planet Of The Apes returns

andy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:51:18 +0000

A fresh attempt to reboot the Apes – and it already has a director attached…

We can’t be alone in the thinking that the recent ‘reimagining’ of the Planet Of The Apes franchise, with Tim Burton at the helm, had all but killed off any chance of any further entries in the series. Fox apparently had high hopes for a rebooted series, but Burton’s movie – while bringing in the dollars – got such a horrible reaction that it seemed to scare everyone away.

But nothing stays dead in Hollywood for long, it seems, and now Fox has put a prequel into the early stages of production. In fact, even more than that, it seems that a director has been signed up too.

According to a report at Cinema Blend this morning, the man in the chair is Scott Frank, who directed a film we confess to not seeing, The Lookout, in 2007. We’re assured it’s some piece of work, though.

The new film will look at how the apes took over the planet, and while no release date has thus far been mooted, it seems that this is a project that’s really in quite an advanced state already. Production Weekly lists the plot outline as “The origins of how the Apes took over Earth. A hyper-intelligent chimp raised by humans incites a worldwide ape revolution and causes the downfall of mankind”.

Black Friday Up

andy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:44:28 +0000

Three surveys reported different views of the retail sales picture for Black Friday, and although sales were up, the underlying trends point to a tough holiday season ahead.

Shopper Trak RCT Corp., which tracks retail sales at over 50,000 stores, reported that sales on Friday were up 3% over last year.

Tracking firm comScore reported that Web sales were up 1% on Friday, and up 2% for Thursday-Friday. November Web sales to date are down 4% vs. 2007.

The National Retail Federation reported results of its shopper survey, in which shoppers surveyed reported spending 7.2% more over the course of the weekend than the year ago period. But the same survey reported that a higher percentage of shoppers are now done with their holiday shopping, indicating that sales will soften more than usual. The NRF also pointed out that many sales were of heavily discounted items, with little margin for retailers. The organization expects holiday spending to rise 2.2% over the 2007 season.

As if the margin pressure weren’t enough, others point out the tens of thousands of jobs that companies are shedding make increases unlikely, as unemployment increases going into the holidays.

Our take on it is that the American consumer is an incredible beast, and it’s tough to bring down. If final numbers actually produce an increase over 2007 for the weekend, despite how it was achieved, it shows there’s life in the old beast yet. And as long as money’s being spent, the season becomes a battle for share of that money in which the consumer’s new concern for value and pursuit of diversion favors the products sold in pop culture stores.

My Name Is Bruce Is Headed For DVD

andy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:32:41 +0000

I was really hoping Bruce Campbell’s self-parodying comedy My Name Is Bruce would have a bigger impact in theaters. Sadly it seems like the limited run its had will be all it gets, especially since the DVD has officially been announced for the movie. On February 10th you can see the Army of Darkness star’s lastest comedic-action picture, also directed by Campbell.

The DVD and Blu-ray release will feature a commentary track from Campbell, which is sure to be a crowd pleaser. After all, the guy is entertaining enough in commentary tracks where he only acted - having him talk about calling the shots should be really good. There are also a few featurettes, photo galleries, trailers, as well as a 24 page comic book.

My Name is Bruce stars Bruce Campbell as Bruce Campbell, who is mistaken for his fictional movie counterpart when a real monster invasion occurs in a small town. He’s not really a zombie killer - he’s just an actor, but that doesn’t make the invasion any less real.

Fan Made: Godzilla Meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

andy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:04:20 +0000

I got a “pal” that is a hug G-Fan, check out this fan-created image mash-up featuring the gang from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory flick and Godzilla. I’m not sure where in the world the thought came from to mash these two fantastical properties together, but there you have it. One less sequel you have to dream up. Apparently the image was created for Kaiju Monster Invasion, Miami Beach Fine Art Show, which takes place December 3rd through January 4th. Here’s their MySpace page.

Source

New Comics for the week of 12/3/2008

andy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:49:35 +0000

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #579
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #10
AUTHORITY #5
BATMAN #682
BLACK KNIGHT STATUE
BOYS #25 (MR)
CABLE #9
CROSSED #2 (OF 9) (MR)
ETERNALS #6
GI JOE COMBAT HEROES AF ASST 200901
HAUNTED TANK #1 COVER A (OF 5) (MR)
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #20
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #21
LOONEY TUNES #169
LOST OFFICIAL MAGAZINE #20
MARVEL SPOTLIGHT SECRET INVASION AFTERMATH
MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD 2-PK AF ASST 200803
MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 #3 (OF 4)
MOUSE GUARD WINTER 1152 #4 (OF 6)
NEW AVENGERS #47 SI
NEW EXILES #15
NYX NO WAY HOME #4 (OF 6)
SCRYE #128 JAN 2009
SECRET INVASION #8 (OF 8 ) SI
SECRET INVASION FRONT LINE #5 (OF 5) SI
SGT ROCK THE LOST BATTALION #2 (OF 6)
SUPERMAN BATMAN VENGEANCE TP
SWORD #13 (MR)
TERRA #3 (OF 4)
TERROR TITANS #3 (OF 6)
TOMARTS ACTION FIGURE DIGEST #172
TRINITY #27
WACKY PACKAGES FLASHBACK 2 STICKER T/C BOX
WHAT IF HOUSE OF M
WOLVERINE MANIFEST DESTINY #2 (OF 4) MD
WONDER WOMAN #26
WORLD OF WARCRAFT SER 3
X-INFERNUS #1 (OF 4)
X-MEN MANIFEST DESTINY #4 (OF 5) MD
X-MEN NOIR #1 (OF 4)

Black Friday brings down online retailers

andy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:56:01 +0000

Amazon, like many other online retailers were brought down yesterday from eager users trying to get their hands on some limited offers from the sites. Sears.com, Saksfifthavenue.com, lowes.com, victoriassecret.com, amazon.com and many others were overwhelmed with internet traffic from users that the sites experienced down time due to too many users trying to get cheap black Friday deals. Much like last year, Amazon.com was hit the hardest again, offering electronics, video games, and personal media from 10% - 70% off some items, making Amazon.com a hot spot for online shoppers. Last year, Amazon.com was brought down due to black Friday shoppers trying to access the web site to save on things like Xbox360, and many other things.

Dungeons and Dragons Online offers another Hireling weekend for the Holiday

andy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:26:00 +0000

After the success of the first Dungeons and Dragons Online hireling preview, the folks at Turbine have opened the doors on their newest game mechanic for yet another trial. The second hireling preview began on Wednesday of this week, and will be going all throughout the weekend into Monday morning. The announcement of the program at the official forums includes a number of changes to the system as they hope to roll it out on live servers. This preview weekend still features limited functionality, and the newest changes aren’t available over the course of this sneak peek.

Is Buffy Slaying Her Way Back to the Big Screen?

andy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:33:40 +0000

When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended its run in 2003, it didn’t just fade away. Sunnydale might have been obliterated, but the Joss Whedon universe was buzzing with the possibility of other spinoffs, television films, and big screen appearances. Over the last five years, that has become increasingly less likely, especially in the wake of the popular comic continuation. So I am sharing the following only in the interest of keeping up on rumors, not because I believe it.

According to Moviehole, the Herald-Sun Newspaper had a small blurb on Buffy, which said: “Rumours are circulating in Hollywood that Whedon has a feature-film script based on his hit TV series ready to roll as soon as a studio is prepared to commit.” While it’s entirely likely that he does have some Buffy scripts floating around, I’d be wonderfully surprised to hear that one is all ready. Besides his busyness with the new television show, there’s the comics, and more specifically — a storyline that has continued beyond the show.

Source

Star Trek Online: New "Ask Cryptic" & Screenshots

andy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:40:39 +0000

In the latest Ask Cryptic feature, Star Trek Online developers answer questions about power management, exploration and small ship tactics:

Can you provide us with any new information regarding shield/weapons systems? For example, will both shields and weapons drain power from the main power supply, and if so, will the main power supply “recharge” gradually over time, or will it be a more instantaneous recharge?

We’re not using anything like a traditional MMO “mana bar” for energy. Your ship’s Warp Core provides power, and you allocate this power to individual systems - shields, weapons, propulsion, etc. But you won’t “run out” of energy and have to wait to fire phasers. That’s not fun. The more power you allocate to weapons, the more effective your phasers become.

Will diverting power to various systems such as shields detract from the ships offensive capability, or reduce the ships handling/speed characteristics, i.e. unable to attain maximum impulse?

You will be able to divert power to different systems, and that will affect how effective those systems are - diverting power to weapons, for example, means that you can fire phasers longer and do more damage. Increasing power to shields makes them stronger. But to get those boosts, you’ll have to reduce power to another system, which will decrease its effectiveness. It’s up to you to balance those systems throughout combat - you’ll never be able to have both shields and engines at maximum power, but you may increase shields to absorb a hard hit, and then boost your engines so you can maneuver quickly for the best counterattack.

Will there be unique items and equipment to find in the galaxy?

Yes! There will be new items to find during your adventures as well as the ability to create new items or improve existing ones. Sometimes you will need to unlock skills to be able to use a piece of technology you have found. Or if you acquire a new kind of alien technology you may need to study it before you can use it. But if you’re asking about super-secret, super-special items of which there is only one in the entire universe, if we have items like that they will be revealed during play.

When one player charted a previously unexplored system, will it be instantly updated in other players’ star maps?

Although we’re still working out the details, we’re expecting that players will have to explicitly share their discovered locations.

Will a gang of smaller ships, say, several Bird-of-Preys, be able to take out something like a Warbird using superior tactics and numbers?

Yes. Since we’re not using a traditional level-based system, smaller ships with good tactics and teamwork can take on bigger ships with a solid chance of success.

Black Friday Deals

andy — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:29:40 +0000

On Eve of ‘Black Friday,’ Survey Suggests a Mixed Forecast for Consumer Technology and Media Sales.
Black Friday sale at GoGamer.com. Including almost a dozen games for under five dollars.
Xbox LIVE Marketplace Black Friday Sale.

New Details on Star Trek Online’s Starship Gameplay

andy — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:18:16 +0000

There hasn’t been much new about Star Trek Online since Cryptic Studio’s big reveal back in August, after they took over the plagued project from Perpetual Entertainment. But in a new interview with Skewed and Reviewed (sknr.net), executive producer Craig Zinkievich spilled tons of new info, including more details on how the game will handle letting players command their own starships, and engage in ship vs. ship combat.

“About fifty percent of your time will be spent in space,” Zinkievich explained, with players getting to fly their first ships as early as the game’s tutorial. “Players will start with a basic starship, and as they progress through the game they will have the opportunity to upgrade to another ship or improve the abilities of the one they have. Some ships are more general purpose and some are more specialized. Your ship and the equipment you outfit it with help define the role you play in combat.”

In Star Trek Online, each player is the commander of their own ship, meaning you won’t have to rely on anyone else on board. “You have customizable bridge crew pets to help you, and you can increase the skills of those crew members during play. But as far as the direct flying and commanding of your ship goes, it’s in your hands,” Zinkievich said. As for combat, while battling on-foot sounds like it’ll be similar to most other MMORPGs, Zinkievich explained that ship vs. ship battles will be slower paced and more strategic. “You’ll have to think about positioning, transferring power to boost weapons or shields, and how to best exploit your opponent’s weaknesses,” he said.

Source

TiVo on the go

andy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:39:06 +0000

It seems like TiVo is really out to make customers happy this holiday season. First they allow their users to order pizza from their couch, then they made a killer bundle deal withBestBuy and now they launch a new website that allows users to remotely search and record shows from their mobile phone for free. The service was announced yesterday, November 25, in the form of a press release. TiVo informed the masses that they had launched a new site (http://m.tivo.com) which can be used by anybody to search for show times and will also allow TiVo subscribers to schedule any selected program by providing their account information.

GamersCircle

DC Universe Online Interview

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