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Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Monday, May 12, 2008 4:54 PM
Guy Ritchie, who made Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as being Mr. Madonna, is rumored to be the director of the upcoming Sgt. Rock movie, based on the comic book about the great American soldier and his platoon of G.I. Joes. Even more exciting is that the rumor is coming from the producer of the film, Joel Silver.
So, Ritchie, who is currently directing RockNRolla, is apparently going to go directly from that project to this one. In unrelated news, Joel Silver once fired an assistant for bringing him the wrong sandwich. So, there's always that to think about.
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Monday, May 12, 2008 4:42 PM
You know your career has hit the skids when you're deemed unfit to play a degenerate murderer. And, yet, that's the state of affairs for one Ms. Lindsay Lohan, who has been drummed out of The Manson Girls, where she had been cast to play Nancy Pittman, a young lady entangled with the Manson family.
The official word is that they couldn't make schedules come together in time for the project to work for Lohan, but there are strong suggestions everywhere that the reason she's no longer involved in the project is that no one wants to work with her. Oh, well. You can still see her on Ugly Betty, if you're into either of those things.
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Monday, May 12, 2008 4:26 PM
Steven Spielberg's one busy fella these days. Whether it be the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or his foray into gaming, Boom Blox, Spielberg is busier than a one-armed hatter these days. And yet, there's always time to think of future projects, which is why it's good to know that Mr. Spielberg will finally begin work on his long-gestating Lincoln project, which is now planned to begin shooting in 2009.
It's high time someone did a biopic about Abraham Lincoln. We're hoping that Spielberg adds his touch but leaves the story a little rough and rugged, as Ol' Abe's life was apparently a tough one. Still, who will play the stovepipe-hatted president? We literally have no idea. You?
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 4:13 PM
The head of Sony Online Entertainment believes that Massively Multiplayer Online games will sell a lot of PlayStation 3 consoles down the line.
Smedley said, "I think MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term — there's going to be some great ones on the PS3. You're not going to find "The Agency" on the 360."
We wouldn't expect to see The Agency on the 360 because it's a Sony game, but the PS3's guaranteed hard drive and keyboard/mouse support could lend itself to a bright future with MMOs.
Have you ever or would you play an MMO on a console?
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 3:48 PM
Earlier today, Microsoft claimed that 40% of new 360 owners got GTA IV. We're still waiting on official NPD numbers, but Gamestop has released their sales figures, which should be a good estimate of the real sales.
Gamestop is reporting that 64% of Grand Theft Auto IV sales were the 360 version, while the remaining 36% were the PS3 version.
That's a performance of 2-to-1 for the 360 version. Level Up, who received the numbers from Gamestop, notes that this might represent an underperformance for the 360 version due to its larger install base.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 3:36 PM
Electronic Arts is reportedly looking into purchasing Rupture, a social network for gamers, from its creators Shawn Fanning and Jon Baudanza (the makers of Napster).
Rupture, as a service, never really launched and doesn't hold a large userbase. Its infrastructure, however, could be extremely valuable to EA in the development of their own gaming social network.
Some papers are still left to be signed, but this deal will probably go through and net Fanning and Baudanza $30 million. They would also become EA employees, presumably working on whatever long-term project EA has in mind for the tech.
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, May 12, 2008 3:17 PM
It seems that just about everyone who has been playing GTA IV the past few weeks has been intrigued by the character that is Niko Bellic. This cynical, sometimes psychotic killer is a welcomed change from the two-dimensional protagonists we're usually treated to in videogames.
Unlike most other videogame characters, Niko posseses a true sense of past. You can feel that he has really done things before the game started, that have made him into who is. Well, kezins.com has strewn together facts from Mr. Bellic's conversations throughout the game to present a biography of sorts on our favorite eastern-European killer.
Be warned! Following the source link will lead to SPOILERS!!! Also, be carfeul reading our comments section, as navigating it without coming across spoilers will something akin to walking through a filled planted with land mines: the might make it, you might lose your leg.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 3:07 PM
Eurogamer has conducted some pretty in-depth tests on the framerates of Grand Theft Auto IV on both the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Overall, they found that the PlayStation 3 averages a few frames per second less than the 360 version, but suffers from no "torn frames". The PS3 average never got about 30 in their tests, but the 360 didn't break 30 by that much.
Of course, my wallet is full of Microsoft's money... so much money!
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:53 PM
Full Spectrum Warrior, after failing in its initial design, seems to be finding a new purpose, by aiding US veterans overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in a new experimental treatment program, named Virtual Iraq.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:45 PM
Why was the PS3 slow to get games? According to PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai, it's because:
"There was some confusion as to what PS3 was initially – some of the third parties didn't understand and they wanted to scale back a little and see how things went before they really put in their resources, but when I re-positioned the PS3 as a videogames console at Tokyo Game Show I think everybody got that message loud and clear."
Seems like Kaz is claiming that the PS3's success as a Blu-Ray and multimedia players actually hurt its initial game development.
We aren't so sure we agree with him. If you say "PlayStation" to us, we think videogames, not movies and photos.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:37 PM
Bigfoot Networks, the makers of the KillerNIC ethernet cards made for gaming, have secured additional financing of $8.75 million for new products.
Bigfoot claims that their cards reduce lag by running off of a dedicated ethernet card instead of on-board the motherboard. We believe, however, that most lag is caused by not having enough bandwidth to go around.
The average connection doesn't even break 10Mbps, which is the max speed of the average ethernet card. We aren't even close to being able to utilize a Gigabit ethernet connection with an ISP.
Bigfoot was able to convince investors, however, and we should expect some new products from them down the line.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:22 PM
Our friends at GoNintendo have listed the amount of blocks you will need for each WiiWare game that was released today.
The Wii uses SD cards for downloadable content like Virtual Console (and now WiiWare) games and space could easily become an issue if the platform takes off.
They also detailed the amount of players that can participate and if the game utilizes the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:18 PM
Assault Heroes 2 will hit Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday for 800 Microsoft Points.
"Assault Heroes 2" reveals that the original enemy in "Assault Heroes" is merely a pawn of a more sinister force, which players must now seek out and destroy. Armed with stronger weaponry and the ability to hi-jack more powerful enemy units, players must prepare to face relentless enemies and outrageous bosses in climactic battles, including an all-out skirmish in outer space.
In the sequel, players can experience the full fury of war outside of the safety of their vehicle with even more intense on-foot gameplay, where increased firepower and the new dodge roll feature are necessary to survive. Players can choose to fight alone or battle with a friend using the enhanced two-player cooperative mode. Either way, players will travel through diverse and interactive environments on land and in space to overcome the newest enemy and save mankind.
Microsoft Claims 40% of New 360 Owners Get 'GTA IV'
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:11 PM
Microsoft is claiming that 40% of consumers that purchased an Xbox 360 during the week of Grand Theft Auto IV's release were sold with a copy of GTA IV.
What does this mean? It means that GTA IV sold Xbox 360's. If Microsoft's data is correct, we could see a huge jump in system sales.
It'll also be interesting to see Sony's numbers. Many analysts were predicting strong sales for the PS3 with the release of GTA IV.
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, May 12, 2008 2:01 PM
Hot on the heels of introducing its first nationwide-format Internet radio station (erockster), Clear Channel is expanding its online presence with a whole slew of new offerings….none of which seem involved porn….bummer…
But I digress…
Among the new stuff are a personalized radio player, lyrics page, and widget strategy, all expected by the end of this summer (the lyrics service is provided by Gracenote and is already in full effect, fyi).
Plus, Billboard is reporting that Clear Channel is negotiating with Pandora to offer the company’s customized radio service across all its Web properties nationwide, though no deal is finalized at this time.
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, May 12, 2008 1:53 PM
Spaced, surely much to the joy of Simon Pegg and Gareth Edwards who opposed its unlicensed remake on Fox, has not been picked up after all. Possibly the outcry from fans of the British version as well as sly hintings of lawsuitown from Pegg and Edwards are what squashed its pickup. We know it wasn't a sudden tinge of artistic integrity.
Posted by Brian Leahy - Monday, May 12, 2008 1:49 PM
Pitfall is coming back for the Wii. The franchise will be revisited on Nintendo's console and utilize the Wiimote "to swing on a vine over blood thirsty crocodiles as retro-cool Pitfall Harry!"
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, May 12, 2008 1:47 PM
Always ones to give fans a raw, wart-and-all inside look at their operation (see the 2004 flick Some Kind Of Monster – yikes!), heavy metal vets Metallica have launched a website to offer fans exclusive content and teasers of new songs.
A preview clip available on the newly launched Mission: Metallica site shows the band recording and horsing around in the studio. Fans who sign up will be eligible to "win backstage passes to every show this summer," among other special offers.
Mission: Metallica also offers a "platinum" level, allowing fans to a copy of the new album delivered on street date, weekly "fly on the wall" video clips, contests to travel to shows and/or Metallica's San Francisco compound, live show downloads, ringtones and more.
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, May 12, 2008 1:28 PM
Folks are jumping the gun out in the internets about what the new Banjo game is going to be, calling it a racer, some with indignation and scorn. But George Kelion, a spokesperson for Rare, the game's developer, says those impressions are incorrect.
He told Kotaku that "it's nice to see that people think the game is quite pretty, but its definitely not a racer, which is what some people think it is… You're better off waiting until tomorrow, when we reveal what is for us the most spectacular feature of the game, which is the gameplay mechanic."
So stay tuned, B-K fans. Unleaked information is coming out tomorrow.
Guy Ritchie, who made Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as being Mr. Madonna, is rumored to be the director of the upcoming Sgt. Rock movie, based on the comic book about the great American soldier and his platoon of G.I. Joes. Even more exciting is that the rumor is coming from the producer of the film, Joel Silver.
Metal Gear Solid 4 has received its first official review from the UK version of the Official PlayStation Magazine.
You know your career has hit the skids when you're deemed unfit to play a degenerate murderer. And, yet, that's the state of affairs for one Ms. Lindsay Lohan, who has been drummed out of The Manson Girls, where she had been cast to play Nancy Pittman, a young lady entangled with the Manson family.
Steven Spielberg's one busy fella these days. Whether it be the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or his foray into gaming, Boom Blox, Spielberg is busier than a one-armed hatter these days. And yet, there's always time to think of future projects, which is why it's good to know that Mr. Spielberg will finally begin work on his long-gestating Lincoln project, which is now planned to begin shooting in 2009.
Earlier today, Microsoft claimed that 40% of new 360 owners got GTA IV. We're still waiting on official NPD numbers, but Gamestop has released their sales figures, which should be a good estimate of the real sales.
It seems that just about everyone who has been playing GTA IV the past few weeks has been intrigued by the character that is Niko Bellic. This cynical, sometimes psychotic killer is a welcomed change from the two-dimensional protagonists we're usually treated to in videogames.
Eurogamer has conducted some pretty in-depth tests on the framerates of Grand Theft Auto IV on both the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Why was the PS3 slow to get games? According to PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai, it's because:
Our friends at 
Microsoft is claiming that 40% of consumers that purchased an Xbox 360 during the week of Grand Theft Auto IV's release were sold with a copy of GTA IV.
Folks are jumping the gun out in the internets about what the new Banjo game is going to be, calling it a racer, some with indignation and scorn. But George Kelion, a spokesperson for Rare, the game's developer, says those impressions are incorrect.