Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Batman! October has finally arrived, bringing with it a delicious buffet of tasty new releases including, but by no means limited to, the long-anticipated Batman: Arkham Origins. We wiped the drool from our keyboards and put together this quick list of what’s hitting consoles and computers in the coming weeks.
Release Date: 3rd October 2013 Platforms: iPad, iPhone
Obviously, Double Fine’s utterly brilliant platformer The Cave has been around for a while, but this month it has finally hit iPad and iPhone. Now Apple gamers can get in on the gloriously cartoony, delightfully dark action. For more information, check out our review of The Cave.
Release Date: 4th October 2013Platforms: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Do you enjoy travelling at ludicrous speeds in a car which looks as though it wouldn’t withstand a 10mph collision with a blancmange? Then have we got a treat for you! F1 2013, the latest installment in the ever popular F1 franchise is out now. Featuring nineteen circuits and all twenty-two drivers from the current season and their respective teams, this is a must have title for racing fans.
Zelda, the series which separates real gamers from those who say “Wait, so the little Peter Pan looking guy ISN’T Zelda? What the hell?”. Wind Waker is one of the most popular entries in the series, thrilling Zelda fans the world over when it first came to Gamecube back in 2002. Now, Wii U owners can relive the magic with the eShop release of The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD.
Boasting lovingly updated 1080p HD graphics, new gameplay features and all the sword-swingin’, pot-smashin’, rupee-collectin’ action of the original, we’re willing to bet that this will be one of the most popular of the recent horde of HD remakes.
Montague’s Mount has been described as “a first-person rollercoaster ride through isolation, desolation and one man’s tortured mind”. The brainchild of Matt Clifton, the man behind Polypusher Studios, Montague’s Mount is the dark tale of an amnesiac who wakes up on a remote Irish beach, surrounded by corpses and then has to piece together what happened. Sounds like the morning after our Eurogamer bash…
Winner of StickTwiddlers’ “Best RPG Game” at Eurogamer Expo 2013, Beyond: Two Souls is arguably one of the most anticipated titles of 2013. Featuring a stellar cast, stunning graphics and a deeply complex and spiritual storyline, the latest offering from Quantic Dream is a must-play title, unless you don’t own a PS3. Damn it.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney -Dual Destinies
Release Date: 24th October 2013 Platforms: 3DS
The hugely popular Japanese action series returns with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies. An eShop only release, Ace Attorney 5 takes place one year after the events of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney and sees the return of the titular Phoenix as the game’s main protagonist, though Apollo will feature as a playable character. With all the hallmark legal action that you expect from the Ace series, Dual Destinies is sure to fly off the shelves later this month.
Release Date: 25th October 2013 Platforms: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U
It took every ounce of professionalism and restraint that I have not to make this section just one massive “SQUEEEEE!”, but I managed it. Batman: Arkham Origins is the highly anticipated third installment in the epic Arkham series. A prequel, Origins takes place five years previous to Arkham Asylum, when a younger, less beaten-to-hell Bruce Wayne is just finding his way in the wicked world of super-heroism. If this isn’t already in your pre-order basket, we’re guessing you just don’t like awesomeness.
Release date: 29th October 2013 Platforms: Xbox 360 and PS3
Whatcha gonna do, brother? Well, I’ll tell you what you’re gonna do. If you’re a wrestling fan, you’re going to head out on October 29th and pick up WWE 2K14. 2K14 is the first WWE title to come from 2K, following Take-Two’s acquisition of the franchise after THQ folded last year. Promising major updates across the board, including revamped movements, improved reversal systems and the very exciting “30 Years Of Wrestlemania Mode”, 2K14 is bound to wow wrestling fans across the world and that’s the bottom line, because StickTwiddlers said so.
Release date: 31st October 2013 Platforms: PC and Mac
The latest installment of Sports Interactive’s Football Manager series is nearly here and across the country, football fans are limbering up their clicking fingers and plumping up those couch cushions in eager anticipation of the latest virtual footy season.
Football Manager 14 promises a massive range of improvements, including integration with Steam Workshop for custom content sharing, cloud-saves to allow career progress from any computer, enhanced AI, more realistic transfers and more. Enough screaming at the television that you could do a better job of managing your favourite team, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.
In the last few weeks, it really seems like every other Nerd site in the world is seemingly required by law to make a list of actors who should play the next Batman – and for the record, I think it’s way too soon to be recasting the Dark Knight and I am also pissed that even though Man of Steel was a great origin story, the sequel might be less of a Superman movie and instead may just be a shameless excuse to reboot Batman. Come on DC. Sure, we’ve all figured out that the JLA movie probably won’t happen, but Superman is like your one other character who actually doesn’t need Batman in his movie to make it successful!
And now it seems that the wait is over. We have a new Batman and it is… Ben Affleck. Hmmm, the fact that I wish the new Batman was directing the movie rather than starring in it kinda makes me think that Warner Brothers. may have missed a trick here.
Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah. So rather than make hypothetical predications about a Batman I didn’t even want to see in the future, I thought I’d look at the different actors who have played the Batman of the past, in order to determine who was the best Batman of all time. The mature way to do this would be to look at their acting skills, the pros and cons of their performances and the quality of their films, However, that sounded boring so instead, I’ve imagined what the ultimate Bat-actor showdown would look like…
Note: I’d written this before Affleck was cast but have updated it accordingly. And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m away to hide in a bomb shelter for a week… I’ve a feeling things are about to get pretty rough on the Internet for the next few days.
FIGHT!!!
Note: Though I actually like all of these actors (even if I think one in particular didn’t make a great Batman… I think you can guess which one), they will all be getting a fair amount of good natured abuse. Also, I will be referring to each actor by name because otherwise this would happen…
Batman threw a batarang at Batman. Batman dodged the batarang and punched Batman. Suddenly another Batman appeared and started punching Batman. A batmoblie pulls up, batman jumps out and is immediately kicked in the head by Batman.
So I think you’ll agree that it’s for the best.
Batman surveys the streets of Gotham. He knows he’s the hero they need, not the hero they want….or need….or even like…..and if anything is only making things worse for these people…….but he’s there anyway and what are you going to do about it? Nothing! That’s what, because he’s a muscular millionaire genius!
He hears something behind him and with a suitable dramatic “swoosh” of his cape he turns. The sight that confronts him is too much, it’s another Batman, only in a slightly different suit.
“You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moon night?” asks Michael Keaton.
“Wha?” Bale mumbles (*what?)
“Doesn’t matter, just something the Joker said once… my Joker was better than yours by the way”, he says with a sly wink.
Bale yells as he launches himself at this imposter.
The two start to fight on the rooftop, Bale starts to get the upper hand when he realises that Keaton’s suit won’t allow him to turn his head so attacks from the sides again and again.
All seems lost for Keaton until they hear a thunderous noise and are suddenly blinded by what looks like a flashing disco-ball. A grappling hook appears on the wall beside them and they hear engine noises getting louder until the flashiest and least inconspicuous Batmobile they’ve ever seen lands on the roof.
Seriously, what were they thinking?
Shielding their eyes they wait for a few seconds, Keaton turns to Bale and says “Wouldn’t it have been easier to use the Batwing? Do you even have a Batwing?”
Bale shrugs and mutters “Soto. Untoanubluitop”. (*Sort of… until a nuke blew it up!)
Lo and behold, another Batman jumps out.
“I’ve just been to the drive-thru” Val Kilmer says and waits for the audience to laugh….
No-one does.
Bale and Keaton immediately turn on the newcomer. He tries to put up a fight but the two overpower him.
“Dammit, who’d have thought my experience of fighting an old Two Face and a mincing Riddler would leave me with little to no fighting abilities. Help me Robin”, Kilmer exclaims.
Chris O’Donnell is no-where to be seen, and rightfully so considering playing Robin nearly tanked his promising career.
From out of the shadows, Joseph Gordon-Levitt appears in an ill fitting Batman outfit.
“Do you mean me? My name is Robin but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be Batman… or Robin… or Red Robin… or Red Hood… or Nightwing. Am I Batman now?”
“NO” All three scream at once and Gordon-Levitt, with a resigned look on his face, walks back into the shadows… tripping on his over-long cape.
Bale, Kilmer and Keaton all look at each other, waiting to see who will make the first move.
Suddenly a shadow flashes above them and a fourth Batman drops down from the sky.
“Room for one more?” George Clooney asks charmingly, with a charming grin on his charming face.
The three stare at this newcomer, his cocksure smile starts to falter.
Bale points “A tho banipis” (*Are those Bat nipples?)
Suddenly self concious, Clooney tries to cover up his chest but the other three are already laughing.
“Stop it, don’t look at me”
Clooney pulls his cape over his face so they can’t see him cry and starts to run away. Unfortunately he can’t see which way he’s going and he runs right off the side of the building and lands on a bulky military vehicle painted black, you know, the one that Bale tries to pretend is a cool looking Batmobile.
Dying, a smile plays across his face, “Finally, an end to the Bat nipple jokes”
Sorry George, there will never be an end to the Bat nipple jokes.
Dazed, the three remaining Batmen look at each other before starting their fight again. Keaton starts to lose ground as the two attack from the side and once again really regrets not making the neck of his suit less rigid.
He manages to reach the edge of the building and opens his cape, revealing batwings. He launches himself into the night.
Bale growls something incoherent and also flings himself after his prey.
Kilmer tries to do the same but forgets which button makes his wings extend and so instead, turns it into that shiney cape thingy that stops fire (for some reason) and falls to land beside Clooney.
He turns to Clooney, the darkness overcomes them both, using the last of his strength he reaches out and whispers.
“I wasn’t great, but you really sucked”
Meanwhile…
Keaton continues to glide through the city of Gotham closely followed by Bale. As Bale watches the City go by, he can’t help but think to himself “This is my City, I’m the Hero they need……. not the hero they want…….or like…….or respect………..I’m Batm…..”
His monologue is interrupted when he smacks head first into a wall. Dazed, he tries to figure out why there was such an exaggerated noise and flashing “Bam” when he hit the wall. His questions are answered when another Batman emerges from the night.
Adam West walks over to Bale and looks down with disgust “This is what it’s come to? Dark, gritty realism, you make me sick”.
Bale looks up with bleary eyes “Wa da id loo lie yu hab chalb aybrus on you mass” (*Why does it look like you have chalk eyebrows drawn on your mask)
Is it so he can constantly look surprised?
Enraged, West starts to beat Bale. Each hit being accompanied by a whimsical sound effect and a nonsensical word like “Zang” or “Swot”.
He is so engrossed in this that he doesn’t notice Keaton sneaking up behind him. He lifts West off Bale, “He’s mine old man” and starts to mercilessly beat West.
Gone are the light hearted sound effects and words to be replaced with agonised screaming and words like “Break”, “Maim”,“Sqeeslh”
Bale looks on in horror as he fights to get back on his feet. Keaton, dripping with blood, moves over to him. Bale, finally standing, says “Batum dosen kel” (*Batman Doesn’t kill)
Keaton laughs, “This Batman does” and points at Bale’s stomach.
Bale sees a comical bomb strapped to the front of his suit.
As Keaton starts to laugh, Bale launches himself at him.
The two struggle but Keaton can’t break away from Bale’s iron grip. Bale looks into Keaton’s frightened eyes and mumbles. “Blah” (*To the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee).
Come on, anything less than a nuke and you just wouldn’t believe it could take out one Batman, let alone two.
Ben Affleck arrives just as the mushroom cloud starts to dissapate, wearing a Daredevil outfit that has been crudely painted black and has a Bat logo superglued unto it. ‘So, I’m here to direct Man of Steel 2. I’m so glad I’m finally getting the chance to shine as a great director rather than as an average actor. Hello?’
He looks down at the memo he just recieved from Warner Brothers.
‘Oh wait, I’m not directing, I’m starring as Batman… Jesus, this isn’t going to end well.‘
Epilogue:
The explosion rocks the city. In Wayne Manor, Alfred Pennyworth loses his balance and clutches a table for support. Something terrible has happened… five times!
“Looks like I’ll be dispatching my own brand of vigilante justice from now on…Sir.”
5 minutes later:
Henry Cavill looks down at the broken bodies of Kilmar, Clooney and West. He’s managed to collect as much of Keaton and Bale as possible and their remains sit close by.
“But why? Surely there’s enough room in the world for all of them to be Batman? Why did they have to fight to prove just who was the best? That’s what rabid internet fan boys (who write such articles as the one you’re reading) are here for”.
He smiles sadly as he looks into the sky. Suddenly something flashes across the moon. Brandon Routh arrives.
The two eye each other warily. “You had your chance Routh, I’m Superman now”.
“Yeah, a Superman who kills people and causes massive amounts of collateral damage, you disgust me”.
Cavill exaggeratedly puts his hand to his ear “I’m sorry, did you say something, I couldn’t hear you on account of how boring you are”.
The two start slap fighting like small girls until a shadow passes over above.
Christopher Reeve lands beside them “I’m sorry, I’m here to pay my respects to my friend Batman, I’m Superman”.
Routh gives him a disgusted look, “Maybe you were old man but I think you’ll find I’m Superman”.
Cavill chimes in with “No you’re not, I am”. Turning to Reeves, he says, “And I have bone to pick with you old man, people keep comparing me to you… what’s the deal? And how come you got away with murdering Zod in cold blood… which no-one seems to remember”
A voice booms from above “None of you are Superman in the eyes of a generation of 90′s Television watchers”.
They look up to see Dean Cain’s smug features looking at them.
“Well, I think, to the newest generation at least, I’m the real Superman” proclaims Tom Welling as he steps out of an alley.
Routh holds up his hands to Welling, “Hold on, these three have a good claim, but come on, did you even wear the suit in that show”.
Embarrassed Welling mutters “Kinda… in the last episode… though there were copyright difficulties”.
Cavill shakes his head, “Well, I guess there’s only one way to figure this out once and for all”.
The five stare at each other. And then all Hell breaks loose…
But that’s another story…
Shock Twist Ending!!!
From a building overlooking the alley. A lone figure watches. Both upset yet elated at what has happened in the last few hours. He once again wonders if he did the right thing engineering a showdown between the different Batmen and setting off this tragic series of events.
But he had too, didn’t he?
Otherwise he’d never get his chance to shine.
Isn’t it his turn to take the spotlight after all these years?
Nightwing turns away from the carnage with a smile on his face… and wonders who will play him in “Nightwing: The Movie”.
In 2012, DreamWorks Animationacquired the library ofClassic Media, a company that owns the rights to many pop culture brands. Some examples are Masters of the Universe, Voltron, Rocky and Bulwinkle, Lassie, Mr. Magoo and Where’s Waldo, but the company owns even more than that. As far as the public knows, nothing has really happened with the purchase yet but, the CEO of the company revealed the plans are big.
Jeffrey Katzenberg believes the Classic Media library is to DreamWorks what the Marvel library is to Disney. And, in the future, the company plans to “reinvent” these franchises.
The Wrap reported on these quotes, which came from the same Keynote where Katzenberg talked about wanting to spend $75 million for more Breaking Bad episodes. He talks about that at 33:50, but for the Classic Media stuff, you’ll want to go to 28:50.
Here’s the most important quote:
It’s not, ‘What are we going to do with those 6,100 episodes we have’ … although we’ll get value out of those … the real opportunity is to take every one of those franchises and reinvent them. And that’s what we will set out to do.
You can look at the entire Classic Media library at that link. Click on “Portfolio.” It’s impressive to say the least. It also includes a lot of properties that we’ve already seen movies for at other studios – Mr. Magoo, Lone Ranger, Transformers Godzilla, Lassie, Dick Tracy and others. So I’m not quite sure how those work out. I’m also not quite sure how the long in-development live action films for Voltron and Masters of the Universewill be affected by this. But – the main take away is, a few years down the road, we might get DreamWorks Animated films based on Voltron, He-Man, Lassie and more. And that’s something to look forward to.
Konami’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection is something that many people will be excited about, and it’s coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation on November 8th.
The package includes Lords of Shadow, with the Reverie and Resurrection DLC, a demo of Lords of Shadow 2, and most excitingly (for me, anyway) Mirror of Fate in HD. Yes, that’s the 3DS title, in HD, on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3!
You can check out the packshots for both versions, below. Do let us know if you’re going to grab this collection in the comments, and why! For me, I can’t wait to play Mirror of Fate in HD, as I really enjoyed the 3DS version.
Mad Catz have announced that the M.O.J.O, their micro Android console, will launch on December 10th for $249.99 (or £219.99 for us Brits).
The console might seem a smidge on the pricey side, but it does come with a lovely looking controller.
Confirmed specifications for M.O.J.Oinclude an NVIDIA® Tegra®4 T40S 1.8GHz Processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, HDMI out capabilities with full 1080p resolution, Bluetooth, microSD™ Flash Slot with support for SDXC™ Cards up to 128GB, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and the Android 4.2.2 operating system.
So why choose M.O.J.O over competitors like Ouya? Well for one, Mad Catz extended peripheral range goes hand in hand with the machine, giving you access to mice and headsets out the gate, which is a nice deal sweetener.
Something that offers this many methods of control, from a company as reputable as Mad Catz, could help Android gaming break the living room. The only off-putting thing right now, for me, is the price.
That said the controller looks mighty fine, and that’s the main thing that devices like the Ouya and Gamestick have got wrong thus far. Well, that and operating systems. And stability. Hopefully for more than two hundred pounds, Mad Catz will have all of that under control.
The moment "Star Wars" fans have been waiting for might finally be here: Lightsabers are no longer just a figment of George Lucas' imagination. They could soon be more than a plastic Hollywood prop or a Halloween accessory.
In the Sept. 25 edition of the journal Nature, a team of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) physicists explain that they've discovered a molecule that behaves exactly like the weapon made famous by Luke Skywalker.
They haven't actually created a real-life lightsaber, but understanding the physics is the first step to that ever happening.
"It's not an in-apt analogy to compare this to lightsabers," Harvard physics professor Mikhail Lukin said in a statement. "When these photons interact with each other, they're pushing against and deflect each other. The physics of what's happening in these molecules is similar to what we see in the movies."
The researchers didn't set out to discover the physics behind a real-life lightsaber. Rather, they were developing photons to be used in a quantum supercomputer. The process involved using a laser to blast the photons through a cloud of cooled rubidium atoms.
When the researchers sent more than one photon through at a time, the principle of the Rydberg blockade caused the photons to clump together. The Rydberg blockade states that an excited photon cannot excite nearby atoms. In the cloud, the photons were forced to help each other through.
"Most of the properties of light we know about originate from the fact that photons are massless and do not interact," Lukin said. "What we have done is create a special type of medium in which photons interact with each other so strongly that they act as though they have mass, and bind together to form molecules."
The report gives no indication that the scientists will be using the discovery to create real-life lightsabers.
But with Disney already working on a new trilogy of "Star Wars" films set for release in 2015, 2017 and 2019, perhaps they'll make the perfect debut-party souvenir.
It's a dream come true for anyone who has ever spent an evening at the Renaissance Faire wishing that they could wear the pretty dresses AND the awesome armor. We utterly love this fashion spread from designer Pinkabsinthe.
Whether you're a Society for Creative Anachronism crafter or a Game of Thrones fan, these outfits are simply knockouts. You can see more of Pinkabsinthe's work on Deviant Art, and buy her gorgeous, handcrafted armor in her Etsy store.
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