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RECENT VIDEOGAME NEWSBYTES/RUMORS
PRINCE OF PERSIA ADAPTATION REVEALED…Disney is currently shooting an adaptation of the video game Prince of Persia that stars Zodiac’s Jake Gyllenhaal but we will get a hint of what the movie will be like in a prequel anthology. The anthology will have a cover from Todd McFarlane and interior art from Cameron Stewart, Bernard Chang, Niko Henrichon, David Lopez and Tommy Lee Edwards. The book will ship in April, well before the release of the film on Memorial Day weekend. The GN will have five chapters and each will be set in the world of the movie. Cameron Stewart’s chapter will deal directly with the Prince; Chang’s will tell the tale of Dastan; Edwards tale involves Tamina, the Princess who follows the lead character; Henrichon’s story features the villains and Lopez tale showcases the ones who assist the Prince. Each story will have the characters in front of a judge and explaining their crimes from their perspective. The OGN will be 120 pages, with both HC and paperback editions at a price point of $9.99.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Comic Book Resources		 Posted: 111009
FRACTION WRITING IRON MAN 2 VIDEO GAME…Invincible Iron Man’s Matt Fraction will write the upcoming Iron Man 2 video game. He got the assignment because the folks at Sega are fans of the book. He had done consulting for the sequel and they asked of he would try his hand at writing a video game. Fraction says the game will not adapt the film but compliment the film and parallel the film’s events. The game will use villains and characters from the film but also introduce the Crimson Dynamo and some other new characters. Fraction did want to do an ‘in the helmet’ level where you see what Tony Stark sees, and a first-person level but that didn’t happen because that wasn’t the game the development team had set up. He started working on the game in the spring and will polish the dialogue when the game is near completion. Iron Man 2: The Game will ship in April 2010 a month before the film does.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Newsarama		 Posted: 110909
WOLFMAN GOES TO WAR…Sony and DC/Wildstorm Comics will eventually do a six-issue limited series based on the God of War videogame. The limited series will finish about the same time of the launch of God of War III for the Playstation 3 and the storyline will focus on lead character Kratos' dark past. Marv Wolfman will write the book and Kevin Sharpe will do the interior art while Andy Park does the covers. Wolfman is a big fan of the game so when he heard a rumor that DC/Wildstorm might be doing God of War he asked to be considered and bugged them for the job. He has played the first two versions a lot and has always been a fan of Greek mythology. After he got the job Sony sent him copies of the scripts for all the God of War games so that the book would be as accurate as possible. Wolfman says the limited series will operate within two timelines. The present day story is firmly set between God of War 1 and 2. The flashback story shows Kratos when he was 7 and his entry into the Spartan army, the time that Spartan children were enlisted. We will see him mature and get married then go on a mission to save the life of Calliope, his daughter. We will not see Kratos' nightmares but the fact that he has them pushed the present day tale. We will also see the Barbarian King and learn why Kratos has pledged his allegiance to Ares. Wolfman couldn’t say if the limited series will hint at and give fans clues to the plot and events in God of War 3 but it is likely that it will. He did say that we will see some creatures that have been seen before and introduce some brand new monsters that are all based on Greek myths.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: IGN Comics		 Posted: 110709
GEARS, WARCRAFT FILMS COMING…Director Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) and writer Chris Morgan (Wanted) will team to adapt the Epic Games videogame Gears of War. Right now the film is in the planning stages so both denied the rumor that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was going to play the lead. In fact Wiseman said, "A Doom connection would not be smart for us. The way to find the right person to play the lead role of Marcus Fenix is not to throw a bunch of strongmen into the ring and see who comes out victorious… I'm looking for an actor for the role and then I'll put him into shape. I'm always thinking who could play the best Marcus. You want to get hooked into the character first and then all the amazing spectacle." He did say that he may ask his wife Kate Beckinsale to play the character Maria. The film will show Emergence Day, the day when the enemy Locusts rose from underground but will not be made just to appease gamers since that limits the audience for the film. One thing we may see in the film will be female Gears since they would open up the story and audience. Wiseman says that "There's so much opinion out there about what this movie should be and shouldn't be, it falls on a very small group of people… and I'm one of those people. Are you going to respect the game? Of course I am. It is a different experience from watching a movie, but it's my job of translating it into the best cinematic story possible." Right after the Gears film was announced Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced that Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) has signed on to direct the upcoming feature film based on the World of Warcraft franchise.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 110609
SMACKDOWN VS. RAW GAME ROSTER…The complete playable roster for the upcoming WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 video game was announced and the 57 wrestlers in the game are: Batista, Big Show, Carlito, Chavo Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Christian, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Edge, Evan Bourne, Ezekiel Jackson, Festus, Finlay, Goldust, Jack Swagger, Jeff Hardy, Jesse, John Bradshaw Layfield, John Cena, John Morrison, JTG, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, Mike Knox, Montel Vontavious Porter, Mr. Kennedy (even though he is gone), Primo, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, Santino Marella, Shad, Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, Ted DiBiase, The Brian Kendrick (also gone), The Great Khali, The Miz, Tommy Dreamer, Triple H, Umaga (yep, gone),Vladimir Kozlov, Beth Phoenix, Brie Bella, Eve, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, Maria, Maryse, Melina, Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Natalya and Nikki Bella. WWE talent not in the game (and not getting any residuals for being in it) include: Abraham Washington, Alicia Fox, Charlie Haas, Chris Masters, Courtney Taylor, Curt Hawkins, David Hart Smith, DJ Gabriel, Hurricane Helms, Jamie Noble, Jillian Hall, Jimmy Wang Yang, Katie Lea Burchill, Kung Fu Naki, Layla, Paul Burchill, Rosa Mendes, Sheamus, Tiffany, Tyler Reks, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu and Zack Ryder.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 110509
RAIDING THE TOMB AGAIN…In January we learned that Dan Lin will produce a reboot of the Tomb Raider movie franchise for Warner Bros. Lin has updated fans on the film since then, "We're rebooting Lara Croft, it's a great origin story we're going to tell, very character orientated." He also revealed that the film will be more "realistic" than the first two films and will involve a younger Lara Croft. There were rumors that Transformers’ Megan Fox would play the role but she has already turned down the part of Croft and Wonder Woman as well. In an interview with the Times Online Fox told them, "Wonder Woman is a lame superhero. She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don't get it. Somebody has a big challenge on their hands whoever takes that role but I don't want to do it." .
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 110409
WISEMAN GOES OFF TO WAR…Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) is set to direct an adaptation of the Xbox 360 video game Gears of War for New Line. Chris Morgan (Wanted) has been hired to write the screenplay based on a story treatment he will develop with Wiseman. The film did have a draft written by Collateral’s Stuart Beattie but that has been dropped. The game is set on the planet Sera, the game thrusts players into a battle for survival between humans and a race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet known as the Locust Horde. Players assume identities of soldiers on Delta Squad as they fight to save Sera's inhabitants. A sequel to the game hits stores this Thanksgiving.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Dark Horizions		 Posted: 050409
DCU ONLINE NEWS…Notes on what you can expect from the DC Universe Online game: the team behind the game includes Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman. Wolfman will flesh out Johns’ storylines and write some as well…the game will combine elements from what has been seen in the comics, movies and animated series…Zatanna will wear her top hat but has on slacks instead of fishnet stockings…for the most part the mode will be Player vs. Player…some missions players will be aligned with different factions in the world with each faction having a unique look…factions can pop up all over the world…players will have clear goals to accomplish when playing the game…cross-platform play (between PS3 and PC) has not been announced yet but may happen…the storylines in the game will not be synchronized with current comic storylines…the game is not class-based but players will be able to select a set of abilities that suits their play style…the time period depicted in the game is modern day…the game will be extremely customizable…each city will have a different look…the color scheme of the game will reflect a comic book palette…Aquaman and Green Arrow are part of the game…you cant start the game by playing Superman or Batman…you can add powers and abilities to your character as you move up to another level…no one has figured out just how players will be able to pay to play the game yet.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 042209
WIZARD KILLS ANIME INSIDER…Wizard Entertainment’s monthly anime/videogame magazine Anime Insider has ceased publishing, according to an e-mail from Wizard Editor in Chief Scott Gramling. The shutdown takes effect with issue #67, which is currently on the racks. This leaves Wizard with only two monthly magazines: Wizard and ToyFare. The company ended it’s gaming magazine Inquest 2007 and hasn’t releases a special or Wizard Edge in some time. Wizard also reduced its roster of shows this for 2009, cancelling “Wizardworld Texas” and postponing “Wizard World LA”.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: ICV2		 Posted: 032709
WATCHING THE WATCHMEN GAME…Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is going to publish WATCHMEN, an episodic downloadable game based on the upcoming film for the Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft, the Playstation 3 system and Windows PC in 2009. “We’re bringing the Watchmen universe to gamers in a distinct episodic game revealing action and combat for a great overall experience for fans,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The filmmakers have been extremely helpful in developing the high-quality game story and we are working to match the outstanding visual style of the film.” The videogame will go beyond the film and delve into the characters, rivalries and challenges in a mature action-brawler.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Warner Bros.		 Posted: 110308
BIOSHOCK FILM ON THE WAY…The 2K videogame BioShock is going to be a movie. There were rumors that Guillermo del Toro was going to direct the film but it will instead be directed by Pirates of the Caribbean's Gore Verbinski, in charge. According to Variety, Verbinski has been hired by Universal Pictures to direct and produce the film from a possible script from Sweeney Todd’s John Logan. The game involved an eccentric genius named Andrew Ryan who created an underwater utopia called Rapture, gathering the best and brightest scientists, artists and industrialists of his day and relocating there with them. Decades later Jack, an aircraft crash survivor, arrives in Rapture and learns that Ryan's idealistic vision has devolved into a horrifying remnant of a failed society. The decaying art deco city is now littered with corpses, genetically mutated humans, and bio-mechanical monstrosities. The game was actually inspired by Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. "I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that's cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential," Verbinski told Variety. "Of all the games I've played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative." There's no release date at this time but Verbinski says he plans to start developing the film as soon as the script by Logan is completed and approved.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Variety		 Posted: 101308
A HAPPY MEAL WITH YOUR DEAD ALIEN…So you’re playing Aliens Colonial Marines when suddenly the Alien Queen bursts out of the Hardees’s restraint window to attack you by surprise. Hardees’s? It may happen now that Gearbox and Double Fusion have announced a deal that will allow the studio to incorporate in-game ads into upcoming titles. Games covered by the deal weren't specified, but Gearbox has in development: Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Borderlands, Heat, and Samba de Amigo. Double Fusion will handle both dynamically streaming ads and sponsorship opportunities for games that fall under the agreement. Besides the money received for ad placement it’s felt by developers advertisers will bring value that will enable them to invest even more in creating the best possible video game experiences. Double Fusion has previously signed ad deals with THQ, Take-Two Interactive, Midway, NCsoft, and Eidos.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Gamespot		 Posted: 032508
TOKYOPOP ADAPTS MORE VIDEOGAMES...Tokyopop will release several new manga titles based on videogames this fall and into 2009. The company continues to build on its Warcraft line, by launching a four-volume anthology title with three volumes this fall, in August, October, and December. The series will include stories by Richard Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim, the creators on Tokyopop's original Warcraft series, Mike Wellman, Dan Jolly, Carlos Olivares, Troy Lewter, and Brian Yang. World of Warcraft, the Blizzard online game, recently passing the 10 million paying subscribers. Tokyopop also announced that it will release the first two volumes of a three-shot Starcraft anthology series in August and November. Creators will include Josh Elder and Daniel Cross; Richard Knaak and Naohiro Washio; Paul Benjamin, Dave Shramek, and Nam Kim; and Simon Furman and Jesse Elliot. Additionally, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, a two-volume gothic Dracula series by Kou Sasakura based on the Konami videogame, will be released in September. A Castlevania movie has been in development for some time and was reportedly close to production last year, but is now delayed as a result of the writers strike. The Castlevania videogame has been around for over 20 years, with games available on every platform.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: ICV2		 Posted: 032508

IDW GETS ALL AGES BLUE DREAM…Scott Christian Sava's Blue Dream Studios will become an imprint of IDW Publishing as of an agreement between the two was signed last week. Sava is an animator who has worked in both conventional TV animation (Spider-Man) and on animation for video games before shifting gears and launching a self-publishing comic company specializing in creating all-ages comics.  Sava's The Dreamland Chronicles comic also appears online where it has garnered over 4 million unique readers and has been published as two graphic novel size collections with a third due for publication this year. Other Blue Dream Studios properties include Ed's Terrestrials, Dino Wars, Gary the Pirate, Pet Robots and the forthcoming My Grandparents Are Secret Agents.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: ICV2		 Posted: 032508
COMIC MARV, NOT MOVIE MARV....Red Mile Entertainment (a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software) has announced it has entered into a multi-year, worldwide license agreement to develop and to publish video games based on the Sin City series of graphic novels by writer/artist and film director Frank Miller. Red Mile's Glenn Wong, who previously ran Electronic Arts' major game studio, told The Hollywood Reporter: "We decided that the Sin City graphic novels, with their dark images and nonlinear stories, would work better as the basis for an interactive game. We don't have to track the linear movie screenplay and try to translate it into a game; we prefer to create an original story based on the characters from the books which, we think, will make for a longer, deeper video game experience." The Sin City videogame is already six months into production with Flint Dille (who has written interactive novels with the late Gary Gygax) working as producer, writer and designer on the game. According to Dille Red Mile hopes to have the first Sin City videogame out for the 2009 holiday season with sequel games due out every other year thereafter. Dille promises that the Sin City games will be character-driven with the same sort of violence, sexiness and edgy quality that characterize the Sin City graphic novels. Certainly the Sin City franchise appears to be the ideal sort of property to turn into a videogame, and although Red Mile's games will be based on the graphic novels, the initial Sin City videogame release would certainly get a major boost if the Sin City II movie, which is currently in pre-production, actually gets made in time for its planned 2009 release. The first Sin City movie debuted on April 1st of 2005 and made Sin City the top graphic novel property of the year, but the effect has persisted and the Sin City graphic novels remained strong sellers in 2006 and were selling well above pre-movie levels in 2007. Red Mile Entertainment is headquartered in Sausalito, California.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 031708
WHERE'S YOUR GREEN CARD...The International human rights organization Breakthrough announced at the Game Developers Conference a new game designed to educate players about the US immigration problem as well as entertain. The game is called ICED (I Can End Deportation) and is a play on ICE, the acronym the bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the department charged with apprehending illegal immigrants in the US. ICED lets players pick one of five characters, including Suki, a University student from Japan, and Javier, an undocumented Mexican illegal who has lived invisibly in the US since the age of five. The game then starts with the chosen character, who must avoid ICE agents and reduce their chances of being caught by making decisions as to whether statements on immigration laws are true or false. If the player is caught by an ICE agent, it's off to a detention centre, where they can try to fight their case by doing things like calling their lawyer. ICED is not the first game to tackle the thorny issue of immigration.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Gamespot		 Posted: 022408
GIRLZ TO HUSTLE ON THE STREETZ...Business and entertainment law firm Greenberg Glusker announced that it has secured a $13.2 million judgment in favor of its client, French publisher Ubisoft, in a licensing dispute with MGA Entertainment, maker of the popular Bratz line of toys. Ubisoft published Bratz games for the original PlayStation and Game Boy Advance in 2003, but MGA terminated the license that year and moved it to THQ. According to Greenberg Glusker, MGA dropped the Ubisoft deal without good cause in an attempt to renegotiate a more favorable deal. The two companies wound up suing each other, and an arbitrator sided with the game publisher awarding them a $13.2 million settlement.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Gamespot		 Posted: 022408
CANDYLAND, THE MOTION PICTURE...Hasbro and Universal Pictures have announced a six-year partnership to produce four films based on Hasbro properties such as Monopoly, Magic the Gathering, Candy Land, Clue, Battleship, and Stretch Armstrong. Under the agreement Universal will have exclusive movie rights to Hasbro properties with the notable exceptions of Transformers and G.I. Joe (both of which have already been licensed for the big screen by Paramount). The first movie from this agreement is slated for release in 2010 or 2011, and Universal will release at least one movie a year thereafter. The success of Paramount's live action Transformers was undoubtedly the driving force behind this agreement, which will allow Universal to mine Hasbro’s trademark properties.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Variery		 Posted: 022408
LANA'S GONNA KICK YOUR BUTT...Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Klein, Rick Yune and Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk will all star in Hyde Park Entertainment and Capcom's "Street Fighter," based on the popular Japanese videogame franchise. Kreuk, who plays Lana Lang in the CW's "Smallville," will star as martial artist Chun-Li. Duncan will play Balrog, while Klein is stepping into the role of Nash. Yune is taking on the mystical Gen. Rounding out the cast are Moon Bloodgood, Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas, Singapore's Edmund Chen and Hong Kong film star Cheng Pei Pei. Producers are still casting the film's villain, Bison. Andrzej Bartkowiak ("Romeo Must Die," "Exit Wounds") is directing from a script penned by "Voltron" scribe Justin Marks. Hong Kong fight choreographer Dion Lam ("The Matrix") is handling the extreme fight sequences. This film marks the second attempt at turning the "Street Fighter" game into a viable film franchise after Universal's stinky1994 version, which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia. The plot is as yet unknown but is rumored to focus on the Chun-Li character. Shooting will take place in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Vancouver. Producer’s Hyde Park and Capcom had originally wanted to release the film to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the "Street Fighter" franchise; the first game bowed in arcades in 1987. Guess they missed that one. Production is scheduled to begin in March
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Variery		 Posted: 022408
HE'LL BE BACK IN ALL FORMATS...In 2009, humanity will be only 20 years away from meeting its horrific demise at the hands of artificially intelligent machines that look amazing like Arnold Schwarzenegger! That’s right there’s a Terminator 4 coming to theaters next year and Halcyon Inc. (which purchased the franchise back in May) plans to develop a game based on the upcoming film in-house under its newly formed game-division label. Halcyon has taken this bold step of setting up their own game studio to oversee production of the tie-in for their film. The game version of Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins will launch in tandem with the film for all formats, including next-generation consoles, PC, and mobile versions. Peter Levin will act as interim CEO for Halcyon Games, and Cos Lazouras, former head of product development at Vin Diesel's Tigon Studios, will serve as VP of production. "We don't want the game to be the stepchild to the film," said Halcyon cochairman Derek Anderson. "They're of equal importance, and we want both to be of the same quality and be the same compelling experience." Details on the game and film are still sparse, but it will reportedly follow 30-year-old John Connor as he takes his first steps toward fomenting revolution in anticipation of the future war with machines. Work on the game has been going for several month’s, the game's developers are working closely with the film's production unit to ensure unity across both mediums.  Halcyon has also acquired first-look rights for projects derived from Hugo-award-winning author Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Paycheck). Halcyon plans to create games based on Dick's work beginning in 2010.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 120807
MAGI-NATION WILL NEVER DIE...Interactive Imagination, the company that created the Magi-Nation Duel CCG, is providing input for the design of an online Magi-Nation game. The online Magi-Nation game is being developed by the Canadian company Tribal Nova for Cookie Jar Entertainment, which is co-producing the Magi-Nation animated series that is currently running on the Kids WB. Silviera noted that Interactive Imagination had input on both the animated series and on the online game, Magi-Nation: Battle for the Moonlands, which is going into beta testing in December before going live in 2008. The online game is free to play with a Maplestory like business model in which players can upgrade via modest "microcharges" that represent the game's sole revenue source. When asked about the possibility of a revival of the Magi-Nation Duel CCG, which was one of the few American CCGs to make an impact on the Japanese market, Silviera said it was premature to talk about a new edition of the CCG whose fate is still "to be determined." While the animated series has done well so far, only 26 episodes have been made and Silviera is obviously hoping that the series will be renewed with a second 26-episode season ordered. The original CCG (which combined Magic the Gathering-like mechanics with anime style art)  was intended for the 8-14 year-old demographic.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: ICV2		 Posted: 120807
MARSHMALLOWMAN RETURNS...Sierra Entertainment officially announced Ghostbusters will arrive for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC in fall 2008. Ghostbusters will be a continuation of the original Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel. As with the films, Ghostbusters the game will be written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and take place in New York City circa early 1990. Paranormal activity is once again afoot, and the supernatural scientists hook up their latest recruit--that is, the player--with a proton pack to defeat the threat. Ghostbusters will feature appearances from the original parapsychologists Aykroyd, Ramis, and Bill Murray, as well as the fourth addition to the team, Ernie Hudson. Also reprising their film presence in the game will be Annie Potts, Brian Doyle Murray, and William Atherton. BloodRayne studio Terminal Reality will handle development duties for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, while Mushroom Men creators Red Fly Studios will create the PS2, Wii, and DS versions of the game. Ghostbusters has not yet been rated or priced.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Gamespot		 Posted: 120807
HALO IS BROKEN…Neill Blomkamp had been hired to direct Fox-Universal's film version of the Microsoft videogame Halo but the project fell apart over exactly which studio would finance the bulk of the film and neither trusting a novice director to do the film. The Peter Jackson produced film had a brief possibility of still happening but Blomkamp has nailed that coffin shut, "The film is entirely dead. In the configuration it was in. Whatever happens with that movie, assuming that movie gets made, will be a totally different configuration. It's not so much me as the entire vessel sank. Basically, it was a combination of; there were two studios involved that weren't getting along in the process of making it, Universal and Fox. That kind of stuff happens, it's a fragile industry. So the film collapsed at the end of last year, and it's been dead, ever since then. I'll be curious to see what happens." He did make a trilogy of live-action Halo short films to help promote the release of the Halo 3 game but says that wasn’t to keep the idea of the film alive. He says that if the project is revived he would still be interested. He and Jackson will instead do a science fiction film District 9. The film already has a script and will begin filming in South Africa next spring. There have been no details released on the plot of the film.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: IGN Filmforce		 Posted: 120807
PLAY IT WITH YOUR KIDS...Imagination Entertainment, which has produced a number of DVD-based board games that tie-in with popular mainstream properties such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Let's Make a Deal, is introducing a new game based on the groundbreaking BBC Planet Earth nature series, which aired in the U.S. on the Discovery Channel (and has sold over 1 million DVD sets). In this highly educational game parents and kids answer trivia questions based on the Planet Earth videos in a number of categories that correspond with the environments profiled in the TV series ("pole to pole," deserts/great plains, forest/jungles, etc.). The Planet Earth DVD Board Game (MSRP $24.99) is designed for ages 8 and up. It comes with a DVD of prime scenes culled from the BBC series -- and the DVD plays an integral role in the gameplay. The game will be available at Wal-Mart in December and to all other retailers starting in January.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: ICV2		 Posted: 120807
THIS-IS-EVERQUEST!...According to Variety, 300 writer Michael Gordon has signed on to write a screenplay based on the EverQuest MMORPG (Massively Multi-Player Online Role playing Game). Former Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad is producing the film for Sony/Columbia. The EverQuest movie has been in development at Sony for several years, but this is the first time that a major writer has been attached to the project. Sony Online Entertainment introduced the EverQuest MMORPG in 1999. At its peak (before the onslaught of World of Warcraft), EverQuest had 450,000 subscribers paying 10 dollars a month to participate in the D&D-style online adventure. It was so addictive to some players that it earned the sobriquet "EverCrack." Players form their character by choosing from one of 14 races and then select their character's class (wizard, cleric, ranger, knight etc.) and set off to explore the fantasy world of Norrath. Gordon's task will be creating an EverQuest narrative that won't appear to be another warmed-over D&D pastiche.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: Variety		 Posted: 120807
A-SUCK-A-SUCK-A-SUCK-A--S-S-S-SOCCER...A FAQ on Konami’s web site has addressed some of the problems gamers are having with Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. The issues seem to primarily affect the PlayStation 3 version of the game, and include problems with: online play, game play freezes, and "stuttering." The Konami FAQ advises users that in the case of PS3 game play "stuttering" that the problem is caused by users not playing the game in high definition. The solution is that users who can should switch to an HDTV. Konami also admits, "We have uncovered issues which affect [the] online game play quality of PES 2008. We are working at full strength to find a solution as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologies for this inconvenience." Other issues included the PS3 freezing when playing in Master League mode, and freezing when a match is started. Konami says these problems can be bypassed by deactivating the autos ave function, and not installing the game on the hard disc. A spokesperson for Konami confirmed that the company was working "all out" on getting a patch released to fix these game play issues, but said that it did not yet have a date for when this would be likely.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Gamespot		 Posted: 120807
AND THE JAPANESE LOVE IT!...Media Create announced that the DS system has crossed the twenty million units mark in Japanese sales. While the system still hasn't reached the PlayStation 2 level in overall sells, it most certainly will if Nintendo meets its forecast of twenty-three million by March of 2008. This milestone comes less than three years after the system's Christmas 2004 release. Sales spiked in Japan since the release of the DS Lite, as prior to the redesign's release in February 2006, the platform had just reached the six million mark. According to Media Create, the DS and DS Lite have captured 50.26% of the Japanese hardware market since their release. Software for the platform has accounted for 40% of the entire software market at 83.95 million units. Of that figure, 9.94% was achieved by the two Brain Age games, which have combined for 8.35 million units.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis
Source: Various Sources		 Posted: 120807
WAHLBERG IS IN PAYNE…Shooter’s Mark Wahlberg is about to sign on to play Max Payne in the latest video game to film project. The Rockstar video game is set in New York City's underworld and follows the saga of Max Payne, a DEA operative deep undercover who is caught between avenging the mafia murders of his wife and child and being framed for the murder of a fellow agent. 20th Century Fox will release the film. Beau Thorne has written the script and it will be directed by John (The Omen) Moore.
Submitted by: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Source: IGN Filmforce		 Posted: 120807
ENTERING THE CONTINUUM...Seven Lights is gearing up to launch The Continuum by the end of the year and to get everyone ready for their first on-line game they have already self-published three comic books that provide back story, clues to the game, and hints to future games in development. A fourth issue will be published when the game goes live, and at that time Seven Lights will distribute existing and future comics to comic shops and other outlets. Creator and Seven Lights president Tim Harris feels that by reading the comic in conjunction with playing the game the player can have a more meaningful experience. The online game has a tabletop aesthetic, with a tile-based system of graphics to allow new mapping, and Seven Lights plans to eventually enable players to use the map making tools themselves. The game plays a little like a miniatures game with RPG elements. "Basically everything we're in love with from the hobby standpoint, we've baked together into one product," said Harris. The Website currently houses a forum which launched last summer and gets about 35,000 visitors a month. The Site will house a record of characters, where they have appeared in the comics and what happened to them. Players will have the ability to create and develop hundreds of characters and maintain character pages similar to a MySpace page for them, and will have opportunities to trade characters or seek out specific opponents. The Continuum online game is currently in closed beta testing but will expand testing as it gets closer to going live.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis Posted: 091107
MANHUNT 2 A GO FOR HALLOWEEN...After receiving the death sentence of the AO rating (See 062207's: MANHUNT 2 IS SCREWED-FOR NOW), Manhunt 2 has officially been given a new M for mature rating from the ESRB and will be released this Halloween. Conspiracy theorist say that this was nothing more than a marketing ploy by the good people at Rockstar who have been known to mess with the media and the general public in the past. Looking at the situation the argument is strong on both sides. The theory is that Manhunt 2 was only really getting a buzz from fans of the original and the hardcore gaming crowd. The game “received” the AO rating about a week before the game was to be released so the timing was about right for the rating to come out. To add to the theory, the games release date seems like a planned date. Could the game not have been ready to be released at its original time and this was a masked delay? Possibly. As a result of the delay, the game has been given more buzz and an unedited version of the game will be released in the Netherlands which I’m sure will be imported in mass. This all makes sense if you don’t look at the amount of money that all parties involved lost by the delay. Personally, I don’t buy the theory, but this is one of those things that we’ll never know.
Submitted by: Mike Kurnat Posted: 091107
MORE ROCKING FOR ROCK BAND...The Grateful Dead have been added to Rock Bands growing library of future weekly downloadable content. The pack features songs like “Truckin,” “Touch of Grey,” and “Casey Jones.” The Dead will be joined by The Who’s album “Who’s Next” and a Metallica greatest hits compilation that will all be available some time after the games November release. With the full bundle, game, microphone, guitar and drum kit (AWESOME), costing 200 bones hopefully these downloadable songs won’t break the bank more so on this eagerly anticipated game.
Submitted by: Mike Kurnat Posted: 091107
YET ANOTHER PS3 DELAY…Half-Life 2: Orange Box has been pushed back “several weeks” behind it’s original release date and behind the on time Xbox 360 and PC versions of the title. The Orange Box contains, Half-Life 2, Episode One and Two, Team Fortress and the mind bending puzzle game Portal. The unofficial new release date is November 13 which is more than a month later than the October 3rd release of the other versions.
Submitted by: Mike Kurnat Posted: 091107
GET RAOUL JULIA READY TO-WAIT-OH, NEVER MIND...Variety is reporting that the Street Fighter movie has a director. Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle to the Grave, plus a long career as a cinematographer) and he will  begin shooting the film based on the Capcom videogame early next year. Justin Marks, who's been on a bit of a run lately with scripts for Voltron, Green Arrow, and He-Man is polishing his script.
Submitted by: Tim "Comicbookman" Davis Posted: 091107

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