Achtung Baby!

Under the Sea, Under the Sea....Bioshock: The Film

+ Verbinski to Direct BioShock Film

Gore Verbinski's next film will take us back to Davy Jones' locker -- but this time, into the undersea world of BioShock.

Variety reports that the Pirates of the Carribean director has been tapped to direct and produce a film based on the critically acclaimed world of the Xbox 360 game for Universal.

+ Gore Verbinski talks about directing the Bioshock movie

Gore Verbsinski: Of all the games out there, I think "Bioshock" is the one that's the most engaging. I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that's cleverly unveiled to players is brimming with cinematic potential.

+ BIOSHOCK: BREAKING THE MOLD PDF Art Book

The God of Loneliness

The New Yorker: The God of Loneliness by Philip Schultz [via]

I’m one of eight men waiting
for the doors of Toys R Us to open
in a mall on the eastern tip of Long Island.
We’ve come for the Japanese electronic game
that’s so hard to find. Last week, I waited
three hours for a store in Manhattan
to disappoint me. The first today, bundled
in six layers, I stood shivering in the dawn light
reading the new Aeneid translation, which I hid
when the others came, stamping boots
and rubbing gloveless hands, joking about
sacrificing sleep for ungrateful sons. “My boy broke
two front teeth playing hockey,” a man wearing
shorts laughs. “This is his reward.” My sons
will leap into my arms, remember this morning
all their lives. “The game is for my oldest boy,
just back from Iraq,” a man in overalls says
from the back of the line. “He plays these games
in his room all day. I’m not worried, he’ll snap out of it,
he’s earned his rest.” These men fix leaks, lay
foundations for other men’s dreams without complaint.

+ Naruto - Loneliness
+ Review: Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life / Another Take

New York City last week, Liberty City this week

from Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice

I'm suffering from a bit of "too many games out" syndrome. It seems that March/April is the new September/October when it comes to releasing video games. But really, when it comes down to it....

+ 1UP Show: Grand Theft Auto IV Special
- Now the star count goes up to six.
- Oh shit! That's when they send in the Battlestar Galatica to come get you"
+ 'Grand Theft Auto IV' Music Man Explains How Those 214 Songs Made The Soundtrack
+ GTAIV’s Art Director Aaron Garbut on Copycat Games and the Public Bathrooms of Liberty City
+ The history of New York City in video games (via)
+ Grand Theft Auto IV Comparisons
+ Conan O'Brien Shows "Toned Down" GTA IV
+ Boom Blox Theatrical Trailer: Spielberg's Wii Game comes out next week.
+ Speaking of Spielberg: LEGO Indiana Jones Dangerous Times Trailer
+ ScrewAttack: X-Men (Genesis)

Now You're Playing With Power.

- Bigger

+ Obama Monotonously Bangs Game Drum
+ Stephen King: Videogame Lunacy

 

Warcraft+Star Trek+Star Craft

"I'm guessing this is to get me back for making him watch Enterprise in bed. He hasn't forgiven me yet but this is also the same dude that's trying to get me re-hooked on WoW so I can heal him while he tanks, so he's one to talk. If you understood anything about that last sentence, I'm very, very sorry." - Anonymous
+ VIDEO: William Shatner Featured in World of Warcraft Commercial

"Thus my decision to swear off "World of Warcraft." But here's what bothers me: The people who play the game — people all around me — are developing shared cultural reference points. For perspective, imagine the degree to which "Star Trek" references dot the shared mental landscape of 25- to 60-year-olds. Even if you have kept "Star Trek" at arm's length, try to imagine not getting it when someone says, "Beam me up, Scotty."
+ Austin Statesman: 'World of Warcraft': I'm swearing it off

+ Happy (belated) 10th birthday to StarCraft
+ StarCraft's 10-Year Anniversary: A Retrospective

/a tuesday miscellany/

/ J. Wood: The Constant & Non-Local Brain Games (icon via)

/ Are Lost's New Time-Travel Physics Junk Science? Maybe Not..

/ The Constant is now DarkUFO readers` favorite episode..

/ SXSW 2008 filtered by your taste: the SXSW Group page @ Last.fm

/ There's a SXSW Baby iphone version. I'm looking for anything SXSW & iphone related. Share a link, please.

/ Austin Stateman's SXSW 2008 page

/ SXSW Breakout App of 2008: What Will it Be?

/ FABLES: 1,001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL comes out in paperback this week.

/ Members of Arcade Fire performing "A Change Is Gonna Come" at a Barrack Obama Rally in Ohio

/ Going global with Mario Kart Wii

/ Super Smash Bros. Brawl  -  Opening Cinematic

/ Heroes Video Podcast Series

/ Lego Batman Trailer

/ Kirby: King of Comics!

/ JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER SPECIAL comes out tomorrow. JL: New Frontier (Dafna's review), Comics Worth Reading Review ( "There must be crazier things to do than trying to adapt a critically acclaimed — as well as beloved — 400+ page graphic novel into a 75-minute animated film, but I can’t think of any. But that’s exactly what has been done with  Justice League: The New Frontier.." )

/ Unitard Meditations/American Apparel

/ DC Comics is proud to present 30 Essential Graphic Novels

/ Dave McKean Graveyard Book cover sketches in - above, the one liked

/ Roy Orbison - She's a Mystery to Me

/ Elbow - Grounds For Divorce on Jonathan Ross

/a monday miscellany/

Dear Battlestar Galactica Season 4. Get here already!
/ A complete 'Battlestar' refresher

/ This song reminds me of Kate Austen: Kathleen Edwards - "In State"

/ The man above? Michael Emerson: The best actor working in American television today, that's who.

/ Additions to my Burnout soundtrack: Gnarls Barkley's "Run" & "Paper Planes" via this trailer's use of it.

/ Justice League: The New Frontier comes out tomorrow. Here's a review and here's another.

/ The art of Chip Kidd’s new book.

/ Inchworm: Bob Sabiston, creator of the rotoscoping software behind A Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly wanted to draw and animate on his DS...

/ The Dishwasher: I played it over the weekend and became a believer in XNA if games like this are going to  come out of it.

/ If it wasn't for afrojacks, I wouldn't know there's a badass "new" of live VU song out there.

/ Musica! HEAD OF FEMUR: Isn't It A Shame, Delorentos: basis of everything, Great Northern: Telling Lies,  Oren Lavie: Her Morning Elegance.  

/ SXSW is fast approaching, a trip down memory lane: Amy Winehouse live during one of the SXSW daytime parties.

Videogames vs Comic Books

+ Is the Cultural Trajectory of Videogames Doomed to Parallel That of Comic Books?

Level 5's Professor Layton

There are two types of games that I would have never considered playing yet Level-5 got me right into them. The first type was Strategy RPG via Jeanne d’Arc last year and now they've suckered me into a charming little puzzle game called "Professor Layton and the Curious Village". Check out the demo on their website and videos here.

+ Professor Layton Screens And Art
+ Downloadable Layton puzzle already available
+ Professor Layton Sequel Confirmed For U.S. // Trailers
+ Jeanne d’Arc Official Page

Travis Touchdown wants to beam katana your ass

[ Masafumi Takada: N. M. H ]

Dear Ubisoft: You are fucking up. Way to go in promoting this game. Dopes, you have published one of the best Wii games around and have sent it out to die. So sad. The first Wii Cult Classic is here.

+ No More Heroes: Game Intro
+ "Suda 51 is the Quentin Tarantino of game design."
+ 'No More Heroes' is a Wii game for grown-ups
+ NMH G4 review
+ Critical Reception: Ubisoft/Grasshopper's No More Heroes

Japanese Print Ad

LOST: Via Domus ( The Road Home )

+ GT: "Check out this Frag Dolls UK interview covering the highly anticipated hit TV show inspired video game!"

+ NY Daily News - 'Lost' fans show their Initiative: Some people play Sudoku, others work on the crosswords. However, a growing number of fans have turned to an entirely different sort of pastime: the "Lost" theory.

+ Sky One - "Utterly Lost"

Burnout Paradise custom soundtrack

EA Games ships games with crummy soundtracks. The new “Burnout Paradise” Soundtrack is no exception. Well, around 88% of it sucks (IMHO). This is my custom soundtrack when I play:

+ Radiohead - Killer Cars
+ Bjork - Army Of Me
+ The Rapture - Get Myself Into It
+ The White Stripes - Conquest
+ Timbaland - Bounce
+ Foo Fighters - The Pretender
+ U2 - Discotheque
+ Depeche Mode - Suffer Well
+ Kanye West - Good Life
+ Thom Yorke  The Clock
+ Garbage - Push It
+ U2 - MOFO
+ the white stripes - icky thump
+ Coldplay - Speed of Sound
+ Madonna - Sorry
+ Miley Cyrus - See You Again
+ Phil Collins - Another day in paradise

Kristen Bell + Assasin's Creed

+ Kristen Bell at the Maxim party for Assassin's Creed
+ Kristen Bell gets digitized for Assassin's Creed
+ GT Review: Assassin's Creed
+ Top Ten Hottest Girl Gamers (who are actually gamers)

Gun

[ U2 - Happiness Is A Warm Gun ]

+ "Halo 3" Registers Biggest Day in US Entertainment History
+ Sci-Fi, Serendipity Spawn Halo 3's New Weapons
+ Bono Receives Liberty Medal

Hail to the Master Chief

+ Halo 3 Private Preview
+ GameTrailers: Halo 3 Launch Center
+ Halo 3 ad: "Two Soldiers Reminisce"
+ Master Chief and Your Girlfriend
+ Studio 360: This Spartan Life
+ Halo: The Future of Gaming

\ \ \ National Videogames Day \ \ \

+ It's National Video Games Day Apparently

Strong Recommendations from me: Jeanne D' Arc ( G4 Review & IGN Review ) & Bioshock ( the all-time top ranked Xbox 360 title on Metacritic )

+ Wired: Celebrate National Videogames Day
+ from the BioShock EP: "God Bless the Child" (original by Billie Holiday) Stream
+ New Halo 3 ad: "Museum"

Space Cowgirl Samus is Back

Metroid:: See you next mission by ~chalcara

[ Metroid Prime 3 ]...so worth the wait.....

+ Jarvis Cocker - Space Oddity (live)
I think my spaceship knows which way to go

+ Tori Amos - Space Dog (live)
Your feet are just on the ground girl

+ Metroid Blowout - "The release of a Metroid title is always a wonderful occasion."

Howard Roark would approve of Bioshock

+ Wired: First-Person Shooter BioShock Owes More to Ayn Rand Than Doom

The architecture is all Albert Speer does art deco (A), but the world, called Rapture, is beginning to crumble and let in water. You're soon beset by deranged flappers and dandies, like Jay Gatsby's party guests gone feral (B). And, as in any first-person shooter, you reach for your gun...

Or do you?

+ 2K Games Announces The BioShock EP Featuring Period Songs Remixed by Moby and Oscar The Punk

Moby - "Wilde Little Sisters"

+ Bioshock And Ayn Rand
+ Creative Director Ken Levine on BioShock
+ Bioshock Videos
+ Review & screens
+ BioShock Art Book Now Available For Download
+ Gary Cooper as Howard Roark

Heavenly Goof

[ a follow up to this ]

+ The Escapist - Zero Punctuation: Heavenly Sword

+ Sony: Heavenly Sword

Xbox 360 Underwear

Achievement Locked underwear design @ © SplitReason.com

+ Column: Why gamers are better at handling life

Clash of the Killer Titans

vs

Beowulf                                        Conan the Barbarian

Where's Red Sonja in all this?  Heavenly Sword doesn't count.

Lucas is Loco for Lego

Photo by: Comics Oughta Be Fun

+ Lego Indiana Jones announced
+ Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga

Amused by...A Miscellany

// Eisley - Invasion Video

// Tales of Earthsea

+ Trailer

[ Tamiya Terashima - Ihen ~ Ryuu - from Gedo Senki (Tales From Earthsea) Original Soundtrack ]

I was a little disappointed because the film is a little slow and there weren't enough dragons and magic to my liking. Still, even a disappointing Studio Ghibli film is better than half the stuff out there.

 "Licensing problems are in the way of a North American release of Gedo Senki, with the Sci-Fi Channel, which released the miniseries Legend of Earthsea in 2004, currently holding the rights to the property. Under the current situation, the film cannot be released earlier than 2009, when Sci-Fi's rights expire" { source }

// Broken English

+ Trailer
+ 'Broken English' Unscripted - Parker Posey and Drea De Matteo

I'm going to see this next week.

[ Tegan & Sara vs. Mylo - Walking with a Ghost in Paris ]

// Ninja Gaiden Sigma

+ Trailer
Chapter 2 is visually stunning.

// Xbox 360 Achievements

"Wait around at the beginning of the game on the couch with Jenny. After you make out and wait a few seconds, the achievement will unlock, you can then get up and leave." /via

"Teabagger achievement" This is a viral achievement. You must kill and tea-bag someone who already has this achievement. Tea-bagging is standing on their face and pressing the left-thumbstick(crouch) thus making the ball-to-face connection. Repeat as desired for massive damage to the teabagged player's ego. Try not to get killed whilst teabagging as this will invetably lead to a fierce teabagging retaliation. The devs started with this achievement, so that's how the fever got started. /via

// Comics

+ All-Star Batgirl

+ BATMAN #666, "Numbers of the Beast."

+ Rumor: Heroes Game To Be Unveiled at Comic-Con

+ Bring It Home

+  BIG-SCREEN WATCHMEN's FIRST CASTINGS
+  ‘Stardust’ Sword-Fighting Clip
+  First Look: ‘Beowulf’

07 / best fall season in gaming / parte tres / Microsoft

Halo 3 / Mass Effect / Bioshock

+ "Essential Facts About The Computer And Video Game Industry"

• 67% of American heads of households play computer or video games
• The average game player age is: 33
• In 2007, 24% of gamers were over the age of 50
• 38% of game players are female
• 55% of parents believe games are a positive part of their childrens' lives
• 47% of online game players are female

07 / best fall season in gaming / parte dos / Nintendo

/source/

Metroid Prime 3 /SSBB / Super Mario Galaxy / Contra 4

+  Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck DS

 

07 / best fall season in gaming / parte uno / PS3

Warhawk / Lair / UT III / Little Big Planet / Singstar

+ Your SingStar Questions Answered!

Shooting through the ages

Gotcha! The Sport! ( 1987 )

GoldenEye 007 ( 1997 )

Grand Theft Auto IV ( 2007)
+ Rockstar Drops New GTA IV Trailer
+ Dissecting The New GTA IV Trailer

Xbox = No Sex

[ ghost on the highway ]

+ Mazzy Star - Ghost on the Highway (live) @ Music is Art

+ GRAW 2 Video Preview

[ bruce lee]

[ Underworld - Bruce Lee ]

+ Kung-Fu Master is the undisputed grandfather of the Beat 'em up genre

[ killer cars ]

[ Radiohead - Killer Cars (live) ]

+ Killer Cars (Mogodan Version)
+ Metacritic: Burnout Revenge

wii wanted it, wii got it

+  Waiting to buy the Wii last night: I took the picture so I'm not in it. That's Natalie in the middle looking at the camera. She was my loyal co-pilot in this Wii overnight stay at Best Buy endeavor. Most popular DS game being played: ELITE BEAT AGENTS

Rayman Raving Rabbids Rules!

+  Legend of Zelda: A New Leaf
+  Wii for All Commercial
+   The Wii Interface is Sexy

+ Previously [ My Portable Gaming History ]

said

Grant Morrison, obviously Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's Happier Twin

"I'd like to have them all released as a boxed set of issues that you can shuffle around and also as individual miniseries plus bookends in a sumptuous Absolute collection printed using the finest intelligent inks from Mars and Venus on paper so smooth and so sexy that one touch is like fortnight's worth of non-stop latex sex."
said Mr.Grant Morrison on the subject of his Seven Soldiers series.

"The King is basically Michael Myers with a big plastic head."
said Chepo on the subject of the Burger King Sneak King game ( Already reviewed by IGN with the headline “Sneak King Review: Call off the restraining order, I’m loving it.” )

"If Luna Darko plays 4 days every week, I will be one happy Xbox."
said my Xbox 360 on the subject of my playing habits.

Crime Wave

According to the video game industry, October is Life of Crime Simulation month.

Speaking of crime,The Departed comes out this month as well. The hell with that movie, just rent Infernal Affairs.

Street Fighter 2 Strategy

In celebration of the release of  Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting for XBOX LIVE, here's an old SNES guide from GamePro.

Kid Icarus - Don't Call It a Come Back

IGNcube: Will you make Kid Icarus for Revolution?

Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, I'm actually working really closely right now with the director of the [original] game. Now, whether or not when we get the Revolution all set up and everything is finalized, well who knows? That might be one of those characters where everybody says, "Hey, with the way our console is designed, that would be a perfect match." My question to you is, if we made this game would you buy it?

IGNcube: Absolutely.

Shigeru Miyamoto: Well, we obviously can't ignore that. Okay, we'll get the Eggplant Wizard coming back.

While not quite a new Kid Icarus game yet, Pit will make an apperance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

+ Kid Icarus: My generation's timeless classics

Chappelle loves World of Warcraft, Bitch

+ Dave Chappelle loves World of Warcraft

"You know what I've been playing a lot of?" the comedian reportedly asked the crowd. "World of Warcraft!" When a few cheers broke out, he reportedly responded, "I knew I had some geek brothers and sisters up in here!" Chappelle also was said to have expressed his amusement seeing WoW characters with names referring to his most famous sketches, including a rogue with a name inspired by the famous "I'm Rick James, B****" sketch.

+ World of Warcraft Secrets

BRUCE CAMPBELL TRIBUTE: In Dun Mo-rogh, just south of Kharanos,   there’s a small camp where a group of dwarves are taking target practice.   Hang around long enough and you’ll hear one of the dwarves scream out:   “This is my boomstick!”

FIGHT CLUB: Further into the Undercity, in the War Quarter,   there’s an honest to God Fight Club where you’ll find two NPC fighters   named Edward and Tyler.

Time + Xbox360

Click cover for.......
Xbox 360, Shot by Shot - A slide show with audio
Press Start to Begin - A history of video game consoles
Let the Battle Begin - The major video game console makers continue the struggle to win dominance in the marketplace
Who is Playing—and Why - Inside the 21st Century gamer
Video Game Evolution - Three decades after video games invaded our space, it's finally hip to be square
+ Xbox 360 High-Def Footage

Hunter S. Thompson + Duck Hunt

+ 8-bit art show yields some good stuff

PSPmiscellany

+ Confessions of a PSP licker: I'm the chick who shamelessly licked her PSP
+ 29Guide - PSP Downloads
+ RIDINGTHECLUTCH.COM PSP PORTAL
+ Convert DVD Movies for your Sony PSP
+ PSPcasting
+ Coming soon: PSPAIM
+ Pac-Man for PSP 
+ Lumines creator blog

movies for your psp

alt.binaries.sony.psp has been born. PSP hacks roundup

My Portable Gaming History

I never did own a GameBoy. I went straight from my 1980's Burger Time portable to a new sexy PSP.

+ 1UP PSP Center
+ Live from Sony’s PlayStation Portable Launch Party
+ Girl-on-PSP Action 

take something old and make it new again

Lego Star Wars Game Trailer + Lego Screening Room

Gauntlet 1985 // Gauntlet 2005 

games plus 10

MechWarrior 2 (1995) vs  MechAssault 2 (2005) : I like advacements in technology but it makes me so curious to what the hell it will look like ten yeas from now.

+ It never crossed my mind that Hellblazer should be a videogame. A book for possible new readers is out.
+ Interesting approach: Winning Souls to Christ in The World of Warcraft
+ Superman: The Animated Series Volume One comes out this week.

/ Halo 2 / Magazine Scan

Entertainment Weekly Halo 2 article:

katamari damacy

"katamari" means "cluster" or "bundle" in Japanese, and "Damacy" roughly means "spirit"
Or others say "ball of souls"
Or "Soul of a Clump"
I call it a relaxing, fun and Weird game.
+ Where is Katamari Damacy?
+Screenshots/Review
+Interview with the game designer

Red vs Blue Folks Turn To Sims

doom 3 damn it

I've been playing this game and it has scared me more than once.

+ Photo from Sluggo's Blog From Hell

+ Time Magazine: The Age of Doom