My markdom for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon continues with this sweet clip of The Doors performing the theme song from Reading Rainbow. The phrase, “Butterfly in the sky. I can go twice as high,” has an entirely different meaning when Jim Morrison (portrayed by Fallon) sings it. I think it’s an awesome performance, but don’t take my word for it….
Man of Steel (Superman) Teaser Trailer
Here’s the teaser trailer for Man of Steel, the upcoming Superman movie starring Henry Cavill. The film is being directed by Zach Snyder, with writing chores being handled by David S. Goyer. The trailer has a somber tone, but ends on a note that could take your breath away. I love how the air ripples and tracks are left when Snyder’s Superman is flying. I was never happy with how Supes’ power level was portrayed in the previous movies. In my mind, his fights against super-powered baddies should be like Neo vs. Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions. When Superman throws a punch, gusts of wind should form and windows should shatter. I have a feeling that this movie will deliver in that regard.
Anyway, check out the clip and share your thoughts in the comments section (please!).
London Olympics 2012 Kicks Off With Bond, Queen, and Bean
The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London started with a video featuring James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Queen Elizabeth II. It climaxed with Britain’s top spy and QE2 jumping out of a helicopter and into the arena. Millions of women around the world go gaga over Bond, but my favorite part of the opening ceremony featured Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as Mr. Bean. The opening theme from Chariots of Fire + Mr. Bean = Awesome.
Personally, I would have preferred it if Mr. Bean was featured in the entire ceremony. Check out the clips below and let me know what you think (please!).
[Update 11:32PM PT]: Meh. The International Olympic Committee doesn’t understand the Internet and is reporting all embedded YouTube clips. That makes me less likely to watch Olympic events. Here are direct links to the James Bond and Mr. Bean clips.]
Powerfox & Ponymane Beatles Mashup
This has been a stressful week for a variety of reasons. Thankfully, it’s Friday! Let’s try to kick off the weekend with shiny happy feelings. You know what always makes me happy? Listening to Powerfox & Ponymane! Watch and listen to these lovely ladies mash up a pair of songs by The Beatles. Hopefully it puts a smile on your face. Happy Friday!
New Characters Revealed For Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition
Overhaul Games has listed new features and a new adventure for the highly anticipate Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition. The big surprise was a trio of new characters (more on them in a sec). The company claims that it will implement more than 400 improvements, including new cinematics, gameplay features from Baldur’s Gate 2 (class kits!), improved multiplayer, and more. The new adventure is called “The Black Pits” and revolves around the machinations of a mad drow named Baeloth. (Aside from Drizzt Do’Urden, are there any drow that aren’t mad? Perhaps they all need more fiber.)
As for the new characters, here are excerpts from their descriptions:
Rasaad yn Bashir
Rasaad is a Calishite Monk demonstrating his monastic arts to the people of Nashkel. His quest ultimately leads into the highest reaches of the Cloud Peaks, where he must face an unexpected nemesis. Add him to your Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition experience to unleash the Monk’s extraordinary power.Neera the Wild Mage
Neera is a half-elf wild mage slowly coming to terms with her enormous magical potential. Add her to your Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition experience and ignite your wild side.Dorn Il-Khan
Dorn is a half-orc Blackguard whose otherworldly patron grants him terrible powers in the form of his black sword and unholy spells. Add him to your Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and inflict evil to the last corpse.
I highly recommend heading over to the Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition web site for the full descriptions of these three characters and more details on the improvements mentioned above. The game will be available in September for Windows PC, Mac OS, and iOS, with an Android version coming at a later date.
As a huge Baldur’s Gate mark (played the game through 18 times!), I am so amped for enhanced version. I’m probably going to pick up both the OS X and iOS versions. This is one of my favorites games of all time and the only one I know of that prominently features a miniature giant space hamster. Hopefully these new characters understand the proper way to treat miniature giant space hamsters.
Any of you psyched for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition? Any of the new characters catch your eye?
Coffee Talk #504: Your Favorite Olympic Videogames
The 2012 Olympics begins today! Most of you have been feverishly anticipating the dramatic showdowns in the synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics competitions. Please put those thoughts aside to talk about your favorite Olympic videogames! Whether you’re talking about the summer games vs. winter games or simulation vs. Mario and Sonic, there have been loads of Olympic videogames released over the years. What are some of your favorites?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, your favorite summer alcoholic beverage, curtains vs. blinds, or if Tebow-mania will be better or worse now that he’s a bench player in NY, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The 2012 Olympics begins today! Most of you have been feverishly anticipating the dramatic showdowns in the synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics competitions. Please put those thoughts aside to talk about your favorite Olympic videogames! Whether you’re talking about the summer games vs. winter games or simulation vs. Mario and Sonic, there have been loads of Olympic videogames released over the years. What are some of your favorites?
As for me, I’m going to take it back to the Commodore 64 era. I have fond memories of playing Epyx’s Summer Games and Winter Games with my friends. Back then, multiplayer consisted of passing around the joystick or taking turns on the keyboard. Between the multiplayer fun and the wide variety of events, I’ll never forget playing Epyx’s awesome Olympic games.
How about you? What are some of your favorite Olympic games?
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
The parts I need to fix my television haven’t arrived yet, so it’s possible that I won’t be able to use my consoles this weekend. That sucks since there are a bunch of games I want to play. The good news is that my iPad is serving me well for television and gaming. Between the HBO Go and Time Warner Cable apps, I haven’t really missed any of the shows I usually watch. As always, I’m playing a ton of Civilization Revolution. That’s been joined by several rounds of Skylanders Cloud Patrol. If the parts for my TV don’t arrive this weekend, I’ll be perfectly content playing several iPad games and watching videos through apps.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
Symphony: A Cool PC Shooter That Uses Your Music
Empty Clip Studios has announced that its upcoming PC game Symphony will be available on August 6, 2012 for $9.99. The game is a trippy bullet-hell shooter with a twist: it uses the music on your PC. Customary features include funky visuals, ship upgrades, and a variety of weapons to blow up random objects with. Levels are randomly generated depending on the song you select. Here’s more from the press release:
Melodies, beats and emotion drive everything in Symphony, one of the most intense music-based games to date. In this vertical-shooter, players select music from their own collections, with each song creating a unique battlefield. Making their way through their own custom-created playlists, players customize their ship, discover and upgrade items to defeat bosses and ultimately, liberate the “Symphony of Souls” from a mysterious entity and reclaim their music.
After being enchanted by Dyad for the last couple of weeks, I’m totally down with more shooters with psychedelic graphics. I’m especially looking forward to changing things up by mixing an eclectic mix of artists. My initial plan is to start with A Tribe Called Quest, move onto Simon and Garfunkel, and wrap up my first gameplay session with Metallica.
Check out the gameplay clip below and please let me know if you’re interested in Symphony. What songs and artists in your music collection would you like to mash up in the game?
Coffee Talk #503: What’s Geeky and Nerdy in 2012???
While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Cersei Lannister getting a divorce, Safari 6, or your favorite BBQ sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?
About a decade ago, my dear friend Rannie got swept up in the knitting craze that was blowing through San Francisco. I made fun of her for joining a knitting circle, but stopped the jokes after she made me a cool camouflage scarf. A few game writers I know enjoy LARPing (live action role-playing), which was portrayed as a nerd hobby in the movie Role Models. Some of my New York friends have taken their love of sports to a geeky level with their love of advanced stats. I distinctly remember trying to enjoy peanuts and a baseball game while two of my friends were arguing about the value of WAR (wins above replacement).
All that said, I’m not really sure how geeky or nerdy any of those things are. Considering that my life usually revolves around videogames, comic books, and mobile tech, I’m not in any sort of position to label anything as such. How about you? What do you think is geeky and nerdy in 2012?
Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake: History of Rap
I just spent an hour watching “The History of Rap” clips from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. I love it when Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake team up. “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” is one of my favorite SNL sketches of all time. When these guys get together, they produce a lovely combination of music and comedy. Besides, it’s just cool hearing medleys that include music from some of the best hip-hop artists from the last few decades…and also Vanilla Ice. Also, I love watching Questlove play drums; in my head I imagine that Dr. Cornel West is the drummer for The Roots.
Anyway, enjoy these two clips and let me know what you think (please!).