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Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, February 04, 2008 3:59 PM
Do you have any idea what's on television tonight? The premiere of Duty Free TV, that's what.
G4 collected a million frequent flyer miles traveling all over to bring you crazy-go-nuts television from the furthest corners of this baffling world. It's TV that won't make sense in the most awesome way possible! Check out the clip below to see what we mean.
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, February 04, 2008 3:12 PM
When the NY Giants came from behind in the final minute of Super Bowl XLII for a thrilling victory that people will remember for years to come, we at G4 were forced to come to terms with the fact that we had failed.
You see, our ultra-saavy football predicting supercomputer, Madden NFL 08 for the Xbox 360, failed us and we, in turn, failed you.
Last week, we had predicted a 20-10 New England victory. Madden had assured us that Eli Manning would return to form and lead his mighy Giants to a 10 shortcoming in the big game. Sadly, it was not to be.
For those who don't remember, here was the original prediction according to our Madden NFL 08 Thinking Football Machine:
Nothing was as we expected, especially Eli Manning's incredible poise in the face of adverse odds as he led the Giants on a 83-yard scoring drive to win the game.
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, February 04, 2008 2:57 PM
On tonight's episode of X-Play, Adam and Morgan get some time with Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. This is the never-before-seen, full-blown American version of the game and, well, we've got the footage early. You want to see it, don't you? Well, here it is in all it's Super Smashing glory.
Posted by Patrick Roche-Sowa - Monday, February 04, 2008 2:45 PM
Thanks to some sleuthing by action-figure.com, we now know that Hasbro has plants to release a new series of Star Wars action figures to go along with the premier of the Clone Wars animated series in September. Also the sky is blue. And your parents had sex at least once.
That's really all the information they could squeeze out, since we all know Lucasfilm likes to keep everything they do under high security protection. While this is just a rumor, it's fairly obvious that this is a no-brainer. Hasbro handeled the last series of Star Wars figures with the Special Edition releases back in the late 90s, so even if it wasn't coming from them, you know we'd be getting those brightly colored pieces of plastic from somewhere.
So clear some space on your book shelves and you cubical walls, you will soon have even more useless pieces of plastic that warn members of the opposite sex not to talk to you.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, February 04, 2008 2:40 PM
People of Earth: Prepare for the invasion of your puny world by hostile alien forces.
For today is the 40th anniversary of The Beatles "Across The Universe," and (presumably mad) NASA scientist are celebrating by beaming the song via satellite transmitter to Polaris, The North Star.
Sure, it sounds like a good idea to transmit the tune to our interstellar brother and sisters... until the aliens answer us.
See, the invaders (as I call them) won't be answering with a restless wind inside a letterbox or a heartfelt "ja-ka-oo-ray-ooohm!" They'll be responding with blow-up-your-face lasers and whips. It'll be our fault, too. I mean, you don't just broadcast your location to face-eating giant spiders from Solaris, even if you are super-into the Beatles. It's scary shizz, man, and it's happening today.
Thankfully, the message won't reach the North Star for more than 400 years, so we have time to prepare. Trust us; we'll need it.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, February 04, 2008 2:19 PM
Legendary rapper Chuck "Public Enemy" D. and super-producer Just Blaze will both have "prominent roles" in NBA Ballers: Chosen One.
Chuck D will serve as announcer and studio-host for the Chosen One tournament, and also provide play-by-play commentary throughout the game. We can only hope he'll deliver his play-by-play with the passion and intensity he employed on the radical politics espoused on Public Enemy's second album, It Takes ANation of Millions To Hold Us Back.
Blaze is producing Ballers' score. So the beats are likely to be off the heezy. For sheezy. The idea is that, unlike a traditional videogame soundtrack, Chosen One's music will be context-sensitive, giving it the feeling of a movie score.
"The talents of Chuck D and Just Blaze will greatly enhance the NBA Ballers: Chosen One experience, as players live the fantasy lifestyle of an NBA Superstar," said George Gomez executive producer, Midway Amusement Games. "Chuck D is one of the most recognizable voices in music history, while Just Blaze has produced multiple chart-topping hits. Together they'll ensure that NBA Ballers: Chosen One will feature a sound to match the game's amazing graphics and gameplay."
NBA Ballers: Chosen One is set to ship in Spring 2008 for the 360 and the PS3.
We know that you've been watching X-Play in the past couple of weeks, and we know that you watched our two-part series on the upcoming first-person shooter Frontlines: Fuel of War.
What we know that you don't is this new concept cinematic trailer inspired by Frontlines. In a world where petroleum fuel has run out and nations are fighting for the last vestiges of resources, warfare is a constant event. It's dark, dystopian, and depressing. But it also makes one hell of a setting for Pendulum Studios' work.
Take a look at the trailer; it's an original creation depicting what combat would be like in the world of Frontlines in 2024. Frontlines: Fuel of War is scheduled to hit stores on February 25.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, February 04, 2008 1:36 PM
Our secret is out: We love Olivia Munn with a burning passion that will never die. And when she sits in a "Hawaii Chair" as she did on Friday's AOTS, we love her even more.
Upcoming GamePro Gears 2 Story More Like Editorial
Posted by Justin Fassino - Monday, February 04, 2008 12:24 PM
Tonight's X-Play Gaming Update will be reporting that the latest cover of GamePro promises details on the sequel to Gears of War.
Not so fast.
It turns out that this lofty, glowing ambrosia may not be so sweet. Reports around the internet from people who have already gotten their copies of the publication indicate that the Gears 2 article is simple speculative in nature and contains no new information or details.
A shame for series fans, but look on the bright side: the Game Developers Conference is a mere two weeks away, and with a huge Microsoft and Epic Games presence, something Gears 2 related may emerge from the event. Stay tuned.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, February 04, 2008 12:00 PM
G4tv.com gets to play around with all the cool new gadgets and tell you what to think about them. Here’s the scoop on the…
Drumshhh Rock Band Drum Pads Available: Now Price: $8.99 - $29.99 + Shipping
It’s no secret that the G4tv.com staff loves us some Rock Band. Our neighbors… not so much. The drums make a lot of noise when we’re really jamming away and the thin walls of our tiny apartments don’t do much to help. Drumshhh Accessories has an easy-to-use aftermarket mod that aims to cut down on noise and increase the rock!
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, February 04, 2008 11:57 AM
Would you pay $80,000 for a car that could only go 200 miles in one trip? The answer to that should be no, which is why Tesla, the company fronted by spaceman Elon Musk, is going to be introducing an REV (range extended vehicle) at a lower MSRP to compliment their pricey roadster.
Telsa was originally going to target the all electric auto model but as our dependence on gas and the combustion it provides becomes more apparent, the economy of a company that only sells battery powereds that don't go very far looks grim.
So, its ok to sell out your ideals if your ideals might screw your company into nothing. Still, the Whitestar is pretty dopalicious and TheFeed will be purchasing one for each of its writers after work today.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, February 04, 2008 11:51 AM
You're probably not a fan of M. Night Shyamalan. His last couple flicks have been... disappointing. But seriously, check out the trailer for The Happening.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, February 04, 2008 11:35 AM
If you were disappointed with Venom in Spider-Man 3, you might be happy to learn that progress is being made on a spin-off Venom film.
IESB.net has learned that "the studio" has been taking meetings with "A-List writers" about the project and thinks that Marvel may have the rights to Venom, not Sony.
This is based on the fact Marvel has made an agreement with the WGA and progress wouldn't be possible if it was one of the major studios working on it.
The big question is if Spider-Man would appear in the Venom movie. If he does, let's hope he's bottled up his emo-ness and gets his act together.
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, February 04, 2008 11:28 AM
Sid Meier is considering doing an MMO. We can assume that one of the great PC designers of all time has about a billion ideas for games and just doesn't have the time and crew to pull them all off. But he's saying there might be some massive multiplayer action in his future. There's other games he wants to do now that Civilization Revolution is rolled out, but we are excited to think about what he might come up with.
He already makes gigantic, epic games; just imagine what could happen. We might end up with a playable and consistently fun MMO.
Posted by Patrick Roche-Sowa - Monday, February 04, 2008 11:26 AM
For the late night Warcraft nerd, Harcos Inc. has created the ultimate energy drink; Mana Potion.
With lots of vitamins, caffeine, and no sugar, Mana Energy Potion claims to offer you long-term energy for those late nights and early mornings with no crash, as it's sugar free.
Now, let's be honest here. All these energy drinks are pretty much the same, and you usually pick one out of the fridge at 7-11 based on the taste, or sometimes the look of the can. So, as long as they keep the price reasonable and the taste a step above sewage water, we'll probably buy these. In fact, I know we'll buy these, and proceed to run around all day telling people we were running a bit low, but drank a +160 Mana Potion so we can battle the evil leader of the Human Resources department and save the enslaved people of Corporate City from a life of servitude.
Also, just look at the bottle. you know you want one. Now go order a case, or check to see if there are stores near you that sell them. Mana Energy Potion for the win.
Exclusive: Interview with Claytronics Project Lead
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, February 04, 2008 11:20 AM
Photo by Alan Adams.
You may have seen some recent news about Claytronics, an ongoing research project at Carnegie Mellon University in collaboration with Intel and the US Air Force Research Lab. The project “combines modular robotics, systems nanotechnology and computer science to create the dynamic, 3-Dimensional display of electronic information known as Claytronics.”
Here is a video which outlines the project as well as shows off a conceptual application of the project:
We are extremely interested in this project and the possible breakthroughs it could lead to in the future.
Professor Seth Goldstein, a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor, leads the project and was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
G4tv.com: How did you and your researchers come up with the idea? Are there any solid points of inspiration is it a natural evolution from previous research?
Seth Goldstein: It was a little bit of both. Before working on Claytronics I was doing research in the area of molecular computing, which is how to build computers out of molecules. Essentially, in molecular electronics we are using the change in the shape of molecules to influence a computation. When the molecules take a different shape they have different electrical properties and you get a different circuit.
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, February 04, 2008 10:53 AM
They freaking love Super Smash Bros. Brawl in Japan. According to numbers leaked from Japanese videogame magazine Famitsu, SSBB sold 500,000 copies in Japan. That's 80% sell-through of initial stock, and that number is amazing.
We think SSBB will be a huge hit when it comes out in March, but will its sales be as through-the-roof here as they are in Japan? What do you think?
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, February 04, 2008 10:33 AM
Yahoo! Music will be shutting down its subscription-based, unlimited music program and sending its users a-packin' to Rhapsody.
The movie should happen in the "first half of 2008". Users will find themselves subject to higher-prices at Rhapsody, but thankfully, Rhapsody is a "PlaysForSure" service, which means most users with devices that they threw their Yahoo! tracks on will be able to do the same with Rhapsody tracks.
Sorry, Yahoo! Maybe if Microsoft buys you they can bring it back with Zune support!
Thanks to some sleuthing by 
Sid Meier is considering doing an MMO. We can assume that one of the great PC designers of all time has about a billion ideas for games and just doesn't have the time and crew to pull them all off. But he's saying there might be some massive multiplayer action in his future. There's other games he wants to do now that Civilization Revolution is rolled out, but we are excited to think about what he might come up with.
For the late night Warcraft nerd, Harcos Inc. has created the ultimate energy drink; 
The DLC Fairy is going to bless Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare soon, with new maps officially in development for the mega-popular shooter.
Yahoo! Music will be shutting down its subscription-based, unlimited music program and sending its users a-packin' to Rhapsody.