Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 6:00 PM
Here's everything important that happened today in the world of videogames, popular culture and technology:
- Ubisoft announced that Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, for the Xbox 360, will have the voices by the official Naruto Japanese cast available post-launch as free downloadable content on Xbox Live Marketplace.
- PlayStation 3 title Metal Gear Solid 4 has been delayed until the second quarter of 2008, that's April, May and June.
- Nintendo told The Wall Street Journal that they plan on rolling out new, non-gaming functions on the Nintendo DS.
- James Vanderbilt, the man responsible for the script for David Fincher's Zodiac, has been hired to write the script for Spider-Man 4.
- PC World has done a new set of benchmarks and they have concluded that the MacBook Pro is the fastest Windows Vista laptop available.
- Heavy metal legends Megadeth, Peavey Guitars and Signatures Network are teaming to offer an exclusive design for a limited edition ArtGuitar RiffMaster Guitar Controller.
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is being released early. One day earlier than previously announced.
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Tags: Daily Wrap-Up
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 4:39 PM
 Remember whysoserious.com? We reported about it during Comic-Con 2007, when The Joker was giving out instructions to his ground team to get them to do things in exchange for seeing The Dark Knight teaser trailer. Well, he's at it again, folks, but this time it's much more complicated than before.
When you go to the home page, roll over any letter in the note, and it will show instructions on what people in major cities across the country were to do to make a note. Now that it's done, look for a way to burn the page for a special picture we think you're going to like.
Why So Serious.com
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Tags: Comics, Movies
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 4:26 PM
We've got a little change of pace this week. Adam's not yelling at anyone. He's not ranting about something so enfuriating that he runs the risk of popping the vein in his forehead. No, no. In this week's Sessler's Soapbox, Adam plays nice, praises Perrin Kaplan, who has just announced that she is stepping down as a Vice-President at Nintendo. As always, please let us know what you think below or share your thoughts in our forums.
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Tags: G4 Web Exclusive, Sessler's Soapbox, Videogames
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 4:18 PM
 TheFeed doesn't normally talk about celebrity couples, but we couldn't resist when we read that Ashley Olsen (otherwise known as the Olsen Twin who's not on Weeds) was hanging out and making out with Tour De France legend Lance Armstrong.
Yep. Seems like the hero athlete has decided to skew a little younger than previous flames, such as Sheryl Crow. Of course, he might just not have been able to stand her music one moment longer. Who can tell?
Good going, Lancelot! We approve, especially since you're functionally retired and still drawing the kind of tail TheFeed can only dream of. And we have...except Mary Kate was involved at the same time. Now, if you can hook that up, we feel you should be appointed President of Life...permanently.
New York Post: SHE LIKES LANCE
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Tags: Sports
Posted by Mike D'Alonzo - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 4:11 PM
 Iron Man is not only one of the most hotly-anticipated films of the upcoming year, but there's also a videogame to go along with it that's going to be similarly anticipated. Well, our friends over at Crave Online have a couple of early screenshots of said game to make your mouth water and help you imagine what it will be like to inhabit Tony Stark's mech suit.
Why not go over there and check them out? What you'll notice right off the bat is that the graphics are good, and that the suit is the classic rust-and-gold combo that fans really love. But, don't take our word for it. Why not jet over to Crave Online and see?
Crave Online: First Look: Sega's Iron Man game
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Tags: Comics, Movies, Videogames
Posted by Ty Colfax - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:03 PM
Game ain’t even out yet, and already they’ve released a new feature. As you know by now, Tabula Rasa is set to breech the MMORPG realm with a November 2 release date. If it wasn’t enough that Lord British is behind the title and that it involves an alien race bent on destroying the universe, then you can bask in this pretty sweet new feature: It uses a Player vs. Player ranking system and puts them into a slick package on their web site so everyone can see which clan and which individual players are fighting the best good fight.
So, pick a good name for your clan cuz it might be around for a while for everyone to see. Might we suggest Tabula Suck It, or Frontline Dandies, or maybe Defenders of Mirth. Or, you know, something really hardcore like that.
Tabula Rasa Site
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Tags: PC Gaming, Videogames
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 2:09 PM
Japanese TV is pretty fun, but it's also educational and answers important questions like:
Will the world's fastest race-walker begin to run if a bunch of Samurais who murdered some poliemen chase him?
Formulate your own answer, then watch:
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Tags: Nuggets From The Nets
Posted by Ty Colfax - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 1:51 PM
There are now 2 reasons to see Beowulf. 1) It’s a badass epic story directed by the guy who gave us Back to the Future and 2) We’ll get a new trailer and a title for the 1-18-08 project which, from the teaser we saw before Transformers this summer, is going to be seriously good.
As it is prone, TheFeed wonders if that everyman-with-a-camera-accidently falling-into-a-documentary-about-a monster-attack-in-Manhattan style of filming is going to be used for the whole movie or just for the preliminary teaser trailer. We hope it’s the former cuz that would be an awesome, bold take on what’s essentially a tired, old genre.
Our opinion on what the title should be? 1-18-08. Especially if it does follow this Rob character in that neo-verite cheap digital camera style for the night in question.
If you missed it, you've gotta watch the trailer.
comingsoon.net: "1-18-08" to Get New Trailer... and a Title!
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Tags: Movies
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 1:43 PM
 Sure, Halo is best known as a series of videogames (and maybe, in the future, a movie...maybe) but the Halo novels are sitting on a shelf at your local bookstore right now, waiting for you to pick them up and read them. The four Halo best-sellers (Halo: The Fall of Reach, Halo: The Flood, Halo: First Strike, and Halo: Ghosts of Onyx) were joined yesterday by a fifth novel set in the Halo universe: Joseph Staten's Halo: Contact Harvest.
We know you can't stick a grenade on words, but the latest Halo novel is very, very cool and manages to capture the immediacy and excitement of Bungie's videogame saga in sentences, as well as providing a interesting subtext for the mayhem. Contact Harvest is set before the first Halo game, and tells the story of humanity's (and Avery Johnson's) first violent run-in with The Covenant.
TheFeed talked to Contact Harvest's author Joseph Staten about all things Halo, and the connection between videogames and Literature, with a capitol "L."
TheFeed: Without giving too much away, Contact Harvest details the first, bloody encounters between humans and The Covenant. We realize it wouldn't make a particularly entertaining videogame or novel, but maybe the two sides could have compromised in some way? Do you think a diplomatic solution could have been arrived at?
Joseph Staten: That's a great question, and I thought a lot about this very issue when I was writing. But unfortunately, no. At least not as far as the Covenant leadership is concerned. When folks read the book, they'll realize just how dangerous humanity's existence is from the Prophets' point-of-view. The beef the Covenant have with us isn't something that can be solved by diplomatic discussion.
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Tags: Halo 3, Videogames
Posted by Brian Leahy - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 1:07 PM
 Robots put the "fun" in "functional"! iRobot's Create Challenge offered up a prize for a user-created robot to help around the house.
"The winning entry, titled 'Personal Home Robot,' was designed to make life around the house more convenient and entertaining. It can water plants, control lights and appliances, play music and remind owners to take medication. The robot’s creator, Danh Trinh, 35, of Towson, Md., won $5,000."
Reports PHR destroying all humans in its path are currently unconfirmed.
Good job, Danh Trinh... you just doomed humanity.
Engadget: iRobot announces winner of Create Challenge contest
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Tags: Robot Uprising, Tech
Posted by Ty Colfax - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 1:07 PM
 It’s no secret that some of the best comedy comes from the UK. Python, Eddie Izzard, Sacha Baron Cohen, and The Mighty Boosh are just a few examples of how England has been streaking past U.S. comedy for decades.
When The Office was ported over courtesy of and Co-executive produced by its original creators, Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant, the future was somewhat uncertain. The American Office however has proved to be a huge success for NBC and that might indicate why Fox is going to be making an American version of Spaced.
But here’s the kicker; No one from the Spaced camp is going to be involved in the remake. Neither writer/creator Edgar Wright nor Simon Pegg (of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead fame) have been contacted about it. And here’s the bigger kicker; They’re saying that FOX doesn’t have to ask them to remake it. Huh?
Consider TheFeed confounded.
IF Magazine: U.S. version of Spaced Planned
ps - Pegg is also going to be Scotty; AWESOME
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Tags: TV
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11:48 AM
We're not 100% sure what's going on with all these games being announced as shipping early, but here's another announcement for ya:
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is shipping early. A week early. It'll be in stores on November 13th.
"We’re excited to ship Kane & Lynch: Dead Men earlier than expected and get a jump on the holiday season," said Robert Lindsey, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Eidos Inc. "Kane & Lynch will offer something entirely fresh and unique in terms of narrative depth and character, but also as a next-generation action title."
So pick it up on the PS3, the 360, PCs and even mobile handsets. So many Kane and Lynch options, such a short time on their earth.
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Tags: PlayStation 3, Videogames, Xbox 360
Posted by Frank Meyer - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11:36 AM
 MTV Networks plans to integrate lyrics into its on-air, online, and on-handset programming starting in November.
So now Spankin' New Music Week is goona be called Spankin' New Lyrics Week, and will focus on lyrics and the situations that inspired them. VH1 will integrate song lyrics into its show Boxset, while CMT will air interviews with "heartland viewers" talking about what country song lyrics mean to them. Lyrics will also be available online and via mobile service now as well
MTV, which also owns VH1 and CMT, feels they need to "tap into the emotional rush and sense of discovery that music fans feel when they learn the true lyrics to their favorite songs."
Really?
Let’s sample the lyrics to a coupla current MTV hits, shall we?
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Tags: Internets Culture, Movies, Music
Posted by Brian Leahy - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11:27 AM
 Not to be outdone by Facebook, MySpace, and now Friendster... Google will release an open platform called "OpenSocial" which will allow widgets across multiple social sites.
The tools, which will launch tomorrow, utilize Flash, JavaScript, and HTML instead of a proprietary language like Facebook's platform.
Several social sites have already joined up to support this new API, including LinkedIn, Orkut, Friendster, Salesforce, Ning, Hi5, Plaxo, Viadeo, and Oracle.
The great thing about this platform is that it could unify information across many different services making it much easier for people to stalk you.
ArsTechnica: Google goes after Facebook with new OpenSocial social networking API
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