New Games |
- Hollywood perplexed by Ubisoft control over AssCreed film
- Modern Warfare 3 shows a noob how it's done
- Holy crap, Mortal Kombat: The Album was TERRIBLE!!!
- Contest: Win Modern Warfare 3 & MW3 Gunnars tonight
- Review: Beat Hazard Ultra
- New, original Zelda game being prepped for 3DS
- Comments of the Week: For the discerning panda
- Hey Microsoft, no means no!
| Hollywood perplexed by Ubisoft control over AssCreed film Posted: 06 Nov 2011 09:45 AM PST Sony Pictures recently signed a deal with Ubisoft to put Assassin's Creed on the silver screen and some Hollywood insiders are astounded by the amount of control Ubisoft will retain over the project. Apparently Sony had to yield control over the budget, principal cast, script and the release date to the rightful owner of the IP. According to NYMag one Hollywood insider said, "As a director, even Steven Spielberg cannot get this kind of deal." As another "talent agent who represents a smaller video game publisher" pitched in, "The whole Ubisoft/Sony deal is a waste of ink, paper and time. The level of control Sony gave up means, effectively, that Assassin's Creed will never -- and I mean never -- get made." Fighting words! NYMag points out that DreamWorks was the first studio to pass on the film project, so yeah, Spielberg did not get that kind of deal. Universal and Warner Bros. were also in the race to acquire the film rights to Assassin's Creed and insiders have told NYMag that both were turned off by the publisher's demands. As one studio chief who dropped out of the bidding race put it, "They want to be able to pull the plug on the whole movie’s development if they decide to. It’s ridiculous." Yet another studio executive noted, "It's [Ubisoft's] billion-dollar brand, so I get that they're protective. But they're not moviemakers, and the only way to make sure it's a bad movie is to undervalue what movie studios do -- and this is a deal that totally undervalues what movie studios do." What's that? Prince of Persia was a studio movie that was only good for fans of Jake Gyllenhaal's glistering Adonis chest? Ubisoft apparently agrees and is said to believe the deal with Sony will solve this "Prince of Persia problem," one that the publisher thinks turned their Persian platformer into a mediocre movie at best because it didn't have enough control over the project. Sony didn't want to comment on the issue to NYMag, but a source told them that Ubisoft secured additional creative control because it is spending a lot of its own money on the project. Supposedly Sony, in turn, is investing "only a fraction of what a studio typically would spend to option or develop a script." You know what? I'm am totally ok with this. If it ends up becoming too much of an overhead for the Assassin's Creed film series to ever get off the ground, so be it. At least we won't get some Hollywood hottie being cast as Desmond, Altaïr, and/or Ezio when there is another actor who is much better tailored for the role (i.e., Prince of Persia's casting disaster) and Ubisoft has proven to be pretty serious about the franchise's story and universe -- even if it has shown itself to be overzealous with milking Ezio's arc in the series so far. Moreover, whether you like Assassin's Creed or not it's one of the (sadly) few remaining AAA properties these days that doesn't shy away from social commentary and satire about current events. From the contemporary look on the usage of religion as a means to power throughout history, to the silly but fantastic depiction of Supreme Court justices as Templars, or biting remarks on the state of the U.S. healthcare system, Ubisoft already provided a lot of freedom in a big budget game of the kind you wouldn't easily see in a mass-marketed Hollywood movie. Sure, the game itself is not primarily about any of these things you see in the Subject 16 puzzles or the snappy remarks you find in the Animus database, but ever since Assassin's Creed II the series has used historical backdrops for the action that no studio head would ever greenlight in its original form to market to a largely Christian and Western audience. Do you think anyone in Hollywood would fund tens of millions of dollars to just put a The Borgias movie in production? No, and that's why it's on TV. Plus the AssCreed story is an excellent mix of violent history mixed with just enough ridiculous Stargate science fiction, both of which are awesome. Don't mess with that, even though I still have no idea what is going on exactly. So hell yes I'm down with Ubisoft retaining a lot of creative control. There's no guarantee it will be good because of it, or if we'll ever even see it, but as someone who has seen pretty much every one of these videogame film adaptions -- and they have only ever offered campy entertainment at best -- there's no way it can end up worse than giving some studio free reign to mess it up. The major downsides, besides a bloated production and too much back-and-forth between the publisher and studio? Patrice Désilets, the brain behind the series, left Ubisoft once his creative input for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was done. Assassin's Creed: Revelations has yet to prove if it can match or surpass Brotherhood, which was better than Assassin's Creed II in terms of gameplay but lacked the scope of its predecessor, so we don't even know if the current creative leads behind the franchise will be up to the task of stepping in Désilets' shoes for a full game, let alone guide a film project to be true to the IP. The biggest downside if the movies happen: Assassin's Creed: The Movie: The Video Game. You know it. Why a Killer Deal to Turn the Hit Video Game Assassin’s Creed Into a Movie Has Shocked Hollywood [NYMag via Game Informer] |
| Modern Warfare 3 shows a noob how it's done Posted: 06 Nov 2011 07:00 AM PST
A new trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 went up this weekend, and it details the exploits of the Vet and the Noob. It's quite well done and should amuse a few of you. It's got that Jonah Hill guy in it, and he does some Jonah Hill things. Also, explosions. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out this Tuesday, and we're aiming to have our review up by launch. I can't wait to see what happens to Captain Price's mustache in this latest chapter of its story. Because Modern Warfare is totally the story of Captain Price's mustache. |
| Holy crap, Mortal Kombat: The Album was TERRIBLE!!! Posted: 06 Nov 2011 06:00 AM PST There was a practice back in the 90s of companion albums' accompanying the release of certain videogames. These weren't official soundtracks but rather those dreaded "inspired by" collections whose sole purpose was to push substandard music by associating it with a hot property. Such was the case of Mortal Kombat: The Album, a 10-track CD released in 1994 to capitalize on the home console release of the brutal fighting game (not to be confused with the movie soundtrack). I knew the album existed but never actually heard any of the songs save for "Techno Syndrome" -- ya know, that one. After finally listening to the full album dump on YouTube, I can confirm that the reason "Techno Syndrome" is the only MK song anyone remembers is because the rest are SH*T! All the songs were composed by The Immortals, an electronica band consisting of members of Lords of Acid. The group's idea of paying tribute to Mortal Kombat was making a song for Sub-Zero called "Chinese Ninja Warrior," posted above. If you enjoy that little number, you'll love this jam sung from the point of view of Sonya Blade. Then there's this song about Raiden with such brilliant lyrics like "Mystical fighter, he's got no eyes! He's tall and fast 'cause he flies!" Happy Sunday, maggots. |
| Contest: Win Modern Warfare 3 & MW3 Gunnars tonight Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:15 AM PST Update: This contest ends tonight! Good luck! We have two brand-new licensed Modern Warfare 3 GUNNAR gaming eyewear to give way (valued at $99, includes a MW3-branded pouch and carrying case) and we're also giving away the full game (any region, any platform) to give away to some lucky readers. They're slick-looking and have a really nice weight/feel to them, and I bet they can take a beating. I own a pair of GUNNAR Anime and I've dropped them at least 10 times and they still look like they belong to someone that isn't an uncoordinated butterfingers. Anyway, these can be yours! Pry them from my cold dead hands, people! To enter the contest just click here to tweet @GunnarOptiks with the hash tag #MW3GUNNARS and you're entered to win. Feel free to personalize your tweet, just keep the hashtags intact. You can be as voracious as you'd like, as winners will be selected at random on midnight November 6th, and two winners will be announced. Win yours before the game comes out! All countries are eligible, so get on it! Check them out at GUNNAR's web site: Our fully-loaded Call of Duty MW3 Gaming Eyewear packs every advanced feature of our eSport eyewear into a future-warrior inspired design. Spring hinges, precision engineered into a magnesium / aluminum body, provide a custom fit. Wide coverage lenses give an ultra sharp view into the furthest ranges of your peripheral vision. Adjustable nose pads accommodate a wide range of facial features. With venting details inspired by the latest technology in military machinery, the entire frame is covered with a brushed battle-scar finish. Stay focused, play longer, and protect your eyes. Includes the Limited-edition eyewear, branded pouch, and branded carrying case. |
| Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:00 AM PST Say what you will about twin-stick shooters, but their popularity doesn't seem to be waning anytime soon. From arcade classics like Smash TV to more current fare such as Geometry Wars, people seem to like shooting at things is any direction, and the shmups that spawn from that desire are as popular as ever. At least, that's what indie developer Cold Beam Games is hoping. Manned by a single programmer in his bedroom, the maker of Beat Hazard Ultra wants to give the familiar ground laid by Geometry Wars and its ilk a unique spin by way of allowing players to use their own music collection. We're not talking mere customizable soundtracks, though. With Beat Hazard Ultra, the music also dictates how the game unfolds. Beat Hazard Ultra (Mac, PC, PlayStation Network [reviewed]) Beat Hazard Ultra owes a lot to Geometry Wars. Gameplay is similar, with one analog stick for movement and the other for directional shooting, except that the geometric shapes are replaced by actual enemy ships. There's the same kind of frenetic spray of bullets and enemies on screen, only now, the chaos is controlled by the music. The game acts like a visualizer of your favorite PC music program, jumping and shining brightly as the music thumps and pulsates. Here, bullets and enemies are generated by the natural ebb and flow of the music you've chosen. The original Beat Hazard was available on Xbox Live Indie Games for 400 MSP almost a year ago, and this title serves as an expansion on Steam and also as a brand new, standalone title on PSN. The game comes with a standard selection of indie rock and pseudo-techno tracks, all beat-heavy and bass-tastic. As the music builds, more ships are generated, and your tiny craft pumps out an amazing array of firepower. As enemies are destroyed, they often leave behind power-ups which increase your multiplier (which increase your firepower output), raise the volume of the song, and so on. You collect monetary icons to purchase perks that grant you new weapons, lives, and more. Every time you pass a milestone in your cumulative score, you get to unlock another perk, which can then be purchased (and occasionally upgraded) from the Manage Perks screen. In addition to your stock shooter and smart bombs (mapped to the right trigger), you will unlock weapons such as the Ultra beam -- a quick, powerful blast that can decimate anything in its path -- or a shield to reflect enemy fire. The mini missiles are also formidable weapons, each mapped to one of the shoulder buttons or triggers. All this may sound like standard fare, but what really makes Beat Hazard Ultra unique is how it is affected by your collection of tunes. Popping in a track by the Beatles is just as satisfying as a track by the Ramones, and dance-heavy garbage like Ke$ha and the Black Eyed Peas can generate a huge amount of enemies and fire power, making for frenetic and catchy gameplay. The way the music rises and builds is taken into account -- enemies and even boss ships are generated based on how the music flows. This means that replaying the same song will generate the same ships, though the direction they fly in from might change. So if you see a giant snake boss when playing a track, chances are you'll see it again when you replay that track. You'll want a wide variety of tunes to mix up the action. Visually, the game is decently detailed, though not necessarily spectacular. The ships vary in size and all look like some sort of of HD Galaga wannabes. However, this game is an epileptic's nightmare -- if ever a strobe warning were necessary for a game, Beat Hazard Ultra would be the one. Still, I guess it comes with the territory for a game that thrives on the rhythm of user-supplied audio. There are four gameplay modes. There's Standard mode, where one song equals one game. Next is Survival mode, where a track list loops endlessly and you try to see how many waves of foes you can clear before falling. Boss Rush and Chill Out round out the set, the latter being a mode where you have unlimited lives and weapons to battle through an endless list of tunes (or at least as many as you have on your hard drive). Then there are selectable difficulty levels (for adding even more to the seizure-inducing visuals) as well as online multiplayer and leaderboards. For a game made by one guy in his bedroom over the summer, Beat Hazard Ultra is an interesting treat. The controls are tight, the weapons are unique and varied, and the novelty of using your own songs gives you an endless library of levels and enemy variety. For shooter fans, it's a fun and unique entry in the catalog, perfect for quick sessions (one song length!) and marathon survival runs alike. |
| New, original Zelda game being prepped for 3DS Posted: 06 Nov 2011 04:00 AM PST Those Zelda games are pretty hot stuff. So hot, in fact, that Nintendo is planning on making another one. Imagine that! Speaking with Portuguese game site My Games, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma said:
Oh? Could this be the fruits of Operation Moonfall, the movement to have Majora's Mask remade on the 3DS? Although Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto have considered the idea, neither think it's right to jump onto another remake so soon. This new game will be an original adventure, and it sounds like it will be stylistically different from the Zelda games on DS. Aaaaaand that's all for now. Get to speculating! Entrevista com Eiji Aonuma e Koji Kondo [My Games via Nintendo Everything] |
| Comments of the Week: For the discerning panda Posted: 06 Nov 2011 03:00 AM PST A better breed of bear.
From Skyrim can go and suck it.
That's all we have for today. Next week will see a return of contributions from the Commentoid crew! Do join us next week, won't you? JOIN US. |
| Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:00 AM PDT Dear Microsoft, Have you ever heard the word "no" before? When somebody says that word, it usually means they don't want something or would like an ongoing activity to stop. So for instance, when you notify me via Xbox Live that my subscription is about expire, then ask me if I want to auto-renew, my saying "no" to that means I don't want to auto-renew. What it doesn't mean is that I would like an email the very next day telling me that you are going to auto-renew. What it does mean is that I would not like a repeat of last year, where you tried to charge a dead credit card because you won't let me add a new one since you've not allowed me to change region (and thus add a new card) after I moved to the United States. Do you even remember what happened last year? When I had a UK Xbox Live Gold code to renew my subscription but you claimed I owed you money and wouldn't accept it because you tried to charge money to a card that expired years ago? A card I am still unable to remove -- even after talking to customer support -- because you've so deeply ingrained that shit into your system? You might think it's a good business practice to force yourself onto your customers like a drunken fratboy with an ill-gotten boner, but ordinary human beings don't appreciate it. It's galling enough that you charge money for a service others provide for free, but to then try and ensure that nobody can stop paying when they've had enough takes us beyond grotesque and into the realm of unfathomably sleazy. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to pull some strings and try to get myself a new UK Points Card while attempting to stop you from charging a years-dead credit card. A-fucking-gain. Sincerely, Jim Sterling. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Destructoid To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
