Michael Bayhem!

So we all know that there's a Metal Gear Solid movie coming out sooner or later. They have a producer for the movie, however, I don't believe that they have a director yet.

My chip is in for Michael Bay.

Why in God's name do you ask? I'll tell you why. Because he's already directed it before, when it was called, "The Rock."

What are the similarities?

Retired special ops? Check. (Sean Connery & Snake)
Scientist? Check. (Nicholas Cage & Otacon)
Weapons of mass destruction? Check. (Nuclear Weapons & Biological Weapons)
Sneaking mission? Check.
Infiltration by water? Check.
Uprising by former military? Check.
Heroes captured by enemy at one point? Check.
Setting on an island? Check. (Shadow Moses Island & Alcatraz Island)
Threatened to have the island bombed to hell if the mission is a failure? Check.

There's probably a few more similarities, but those are the ones that come off the top of my head. Anyway, I really enjoyed, "The Rock," even if the story wasn't deep or anything like that. It was a good watch.

My question to you is, who do you think would be a good director for the upcoming MGS movie? Hell, who would you cast in it?

Deadites + WoW = ???

No he dident!

Or maybe he did. Sam Raimi, yes Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell, and Spider-Man Raimi, is now officially directing a Warcraft Movie. This is a live action movie interpretation of the Warcraft universe.

I'm a whirlwind of anticpation and fear right now. Having played Warcraft and WoW, the story line has many interesting points, but is also hugely drawn out; think a 20 season TV storyline that just does not want to die. Never the less, it IS Sam Raimi! He has a unique sense of interpretation on the screen that has never failed to delight me. (Well, if you watch Darkman today, it does seem kinda dorkish but it was awesome when I was younger!)

The only question now is what role will Bruce Campbell play? A current day blue collar worker who travels back in time to save Azeroth from the Scourge? I can see it already, Hail to the King Baby.

I never wanted Slime so much!

Nintendo DSs have been moving big numbers around the world and now with the release of Dragon Quest IX, mountains of games and hardware are descending to the Japanese masses. I like my DS, but I get irritated when I play longer than 30 minutes. My wrists and neck start to strain and I end up missing my big screen tv and nice sound system. Now, Hori almost has me covered. Check out the new blue slime companion you can pick up in Japan for your DS Lite/DSi!

Ahh memories of those little punk slimes in Dragon Warrior that constantly ran away. I'll get you eventually!

So what exactly is this?
It's a stand for your DS. Escuse me, a stand for your DS Lite/DSi, Hori states the stand does not fit the first gen DS appropriately. When you're going through hours and hours of hacking and slashing on your new copy of DQIX, no more tired wrists from holding up the system. It's also a set of speakers so you don't get ear aches from using headphones. The speakers are compatible with any device with a standard stereo plug so it will work for all types of multimedia players like an iPod.

There's an added bonus for a stand in Japan as well since the DS can access the 1 Seg digital television broadcasting system for mobile devices. Mobile TV on your phone/DS, someday the rest of the world will catch up. Maybe.

If it was a flash player, you can bet Hulu would crit our slimey friend 999,999 points of corporate stupidity. I miss choppy Hulu on my PS3 :(

It's a neat quirky item, one I would probably pick up if I was about to dive into a huge game like Dragon Quest. Will it come overseas? Who knows, but for about $50 retail price, it would make a great addition to any gaming bookshelf.

Like shooters? You'll LOVE this!

For shooter fans, this just melts my eyes into a gooey jelly of pure want.



First seen on Joystiq

See the official site http://www.insanelytwistedshadowplanet.com/

Left 4 Cash, be back next year with a new update!

From videogamer.com Chet Faliszek said, "It was just like, OK, this is big enough that this isn’t DLC, we’re not going to be able to leak it out. It’s a cohesive, single thing. It’s Left 4 Dead 2."

From Joystiq's hands-on, "As we said during E3, the game plays identically to original. There isn't even a particularly noticeable graphics upgrade, if you ignore the dismemberment improvements. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. A bad game is a bad thing. This is just a good game, made again. With new characters, levels and some new features -- such as melee weapons and special infected."

So Chet's and Valve's idea of something too big for DLC is comprised of an engine tweak for zombie dismemberment, some new characters, and a few game play updates. Wow, that really sounds like it's worth my $60. Actually, no, it does not. I've seen $20-$30 updates that have more content than this. Unless something much bigger, and pretty quickly, is revealed, this looks like nothing more than a cash in. Left 4 Dead, the new Madden?

Command & Conquer: Another One?

Though StarCraft remains infinitely more popular than the Command & Conquer series, I've always had a love-affair with the Command & Conquer series. We probably would not have StarCraft or Warcraft were it not for Command & Conquer. Though I love Blizzard - easily the most successful PC gaming company the world has seen - I've not really been attracted to its comic-book approach to gaming, complete with its exotic stories and hyper-unrealistic characters. Though Command & Conquer isn't all that much better, complete with its cheesy full-motion videos and failed B-list actors and Battlestar Galactica babe-age, I'm fond of it because its first game completely revolutionized the PC gaming industry.

The first game's storyline (developed by the now defunct Westwood Studios) could have probably competed with most motion-pictures in existence for its time - even if the acting probably scared all gaming developers away from using live actors in games. The Kosovo conflict, which occured during the game's release, made the game experience ever so palpable because Kane's temple was located in Sarajevo. And all of this was expressed through state-of-the-art, full-motion video with graphics and sound that made most people's jaws drop. Throw that in with the sci-fi twist of the mysterious element named "Tiberium," which piques everyone's curiosity and interest, and you have a blockbuster, hall of fame game.

But lets face it. Since the first game, Command & Conquer has become a watered-down series. I believe EA has shot itself in the foot by repeatedly releasing Command & Conquer titles, over-saturating the market with RTS games that have not really evolved much since Command & Conquer's original release, aside from some gameplay additions and improved graphics. Westwood's Tiberian Sun, which was not all that bad of a game, failed to meet fans' high expectations and introduced strange science-fiction elements. Still, with each release of a Command & Conquer game, I am instantly reconnected with the experience of the very original, which is why I am somehow able to put up with the game's deficiencies and buy a release time and time again. Unfortunately, this might be the last game in the Command & Conquer series that I am able to say this, as this is the final foray into Kane's universe (though the rumor is that EA probably will introduce Tiberium into future strategy games).

Command & Conquer 4 is exclusive to the PC only. Sadly it will not be making it to consoles, and if I had to wager a guess, probably will not show up on the Mac. This is probably due to lackluster sales for those platforms.

The website is at http://www.commandandconquer.com/cnc4/index.html.

Some Fallout 3 Gooberness

Before I write about the Fallout 3 DLCs - complete with in-game footage - I figured this would tide some of you over: video clips of a bored player and figuring out different ways to blow up an old man with 40 frag mines.

Of course, the Fat Man mini-nuke and bottle-cap mines are thrown in for good measure and variety.