Is This Anne Hathaway as Catwoman??? (I Hope Not!)

[Updated with second picture at 7:53 PT] RPadholic tokz tweeted me a picture of Anne Hathaway from the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. People are divided on whether this is Hathaway in a Catwoman costume or if she’s portraying Selina Kyle in civilian garb. I think the latter argument is wishful thinking because the costume looks like crap. It certainly doesn’t look like anything a real human (that’s not headed to an S&M club) would wear. I think Anne is the hotness, but this costume makes her look like Trinity’s understudy from The Matrix.

What do you think? Is it Catwoman? Or is it Selina? What do you think of the outfit? What the hell’s up with goggles?!?

[Update: New picture below!]

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Stephen Colbert Addresses Miles Morales Spider-Man

www.colbertnation.com

After our interesting discussion on Miles Morales, the multiracial Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, it was great watching Stephen Colbert attack the issue with faux indignation. Colbert was his typically hilarious self, but especially funny to comic-book nerds. I was thinking about one of our other discussion when he brought up the fact that Superman is an illegal alien. It’s fantastic stuff, but what else do you expect from Colbert?

Thanks to my bud Parisi for posting this!

Friday Housekeeping

– After struggling with my web host on a wide variety of issues, RPad.tv has supposedly been moved to a new data server. Allegedly, performance should be much better. Things appear that way at the moment, but I’ve had so many problems with this web host in 2011 that I fully expect an outage next week.

– Having said that, I need your help beating up the new server. The site will take a few seconds to load the first few times you use it, but after caching is back in order it should be zippy. If you are experiencing any sort of slowness, please leave a comment with the issue, your operating system, and your browser.

– This might be tempting fate, but I’m going to attempt to use a new beta service that should make the site load faster, improve my page ranking, and improve my search result placement. I hope to have everything set up and rolled out this weekend. Let’s see how it goes.

– I’ll be mailing out the Ghost Recon beta keys this weekend.

– I’ll also be randomly picking the winners of the Activision superhero windbreakers.

– Thanks for your patience with the numerous site issues and, as always, thanks for hanging out!

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

My gaming weekend will be disc free. There are three downloadable games that I intend play the hell out of. First up is Groove Coaster on my iPad. This stylish and cool music game is currently on sale and it’s completely awesome. Rez fans should definitely check it out, as well as gamers that are curious to see what tripping out is like without having to take drugs.

Bastion should get a big chunk of my time this weekend too. If you dig action-RPGs and originality then I recommend giving it a whirl.

Last, but not least, is Final Fantasy Tactics for iOS. This version is optimized for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but that probably won’t stop me from playing it on my iPad. And yes, I’ll definitely be picking up the iPad version when that comes out. This is my favorite game of all time, after all.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

AT&T Revoking Unlimited Plans From “Illegal” Tether Users

Are you currently enjoying unlimited data on your AT&T mobile device? Do you also jailbreak or use a third-party program to tether? If so then expect to have your “unlimited” data plan revoked. In addition to throttling customers that use unlimited data the “right way”, AT&T will take away unlimited plans from users not abiding by its terms. According to Boy Genius Report:

AT&T on Thursday confirmed that it will remove grandfathered unlimited data plans from accounts belonging to users who tether or use unsanctioned mobile hotspot apps without a tethering plan, which is expressly prohibited by AT&T according to its terms and conditions.

If you jailbreak your iPhone and tether through unofficial means then your plan will be revoked. If you use a program like EasyTether on your Android phone then your plan will be revoked. On one hand, it’s clearly stated that this is against AT&T’s terms and conditions. On the other hand, AT&T’s definition of unlimited data is getting murkier and murkier.

How do you guys and dolls feel about this issue? Is AT&T just protecting its network (that it doesn’t spend enough money on, despite record-break profits)? Or is this data discrimination?

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Nokia N9 Countdown Clock Points to September Release

Nokia Sweden has launched a countdown site for the upcoming Nokia N9. The phone was rumored for a September release date in several European countries and the countdown clock supports this rumor. There’s no word on a North American launch at this time, but I expect the phone to be available in the U.S. some time this fall.

I’m really excited for this phone. It’s gorgeous. The operating system seems shockingly elegant for Nokia. Admittedly, part of the N9’s charm is that it will be Nokia’s first and last MeeGo-powered phone. Part of me is hoping that the N9 sells so well that it makes Nokia’s decision to go with Windows Phone look stupid. That would be fun to write about. Ha!

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PlayStation Vita Coming to America in 2012

Were you looking forward to buying a PlayStation Vita this holiday season? Unless you want an imported Japanese version, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Sony’s next portable gaming system will not be available in North America and Europe until early 2012. Here’s more from Bloomberg:

The product will initially launch in Japan before the end of December, followed by introductions in the U.S. and Europe early next year, Kazuo Hirai, Chairman Howard Stringer’s top lieutenant, told reporters in Tokyo today. The company had previously said it planned a phased global rollout of the Vita from the end of this year, without providing specifics.

Sony was in a great position to compete with Nintendo’s 3DS handheld, which recently slashed its price due to weaker-than-expected sales. A lot of gamers were looking forward to the Vita and many are surely disappointed that it won’t be out in 2011 as originally expected. That said, the extra time should allow Sony to bolster the Vita’s launch lineup. Having strong games at launch would help Sony avoid one of the 3DS’ problems.

How do you feel about the PlayStation Vita being delayed until 2012? Are you bummed? Or are you hopeful that the extra time will lead to a better launch lineup? Perhaps the whole thing is leaving you with a profound sense of “meh”? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

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Coffee Talk #380: Game Companies That You Miss

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several publishers and developers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss?

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, Klatch’s Hawaiian Ka’u Typica, Time Warner Cable sucking for not allowing HBO Go, or the slow death of WiMax, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Most of you have been playing games for at least a decade. Some of you have been gamers for multiple decades. In the time that you’ve been playing games, several game developers and publishers have come and gone. Are there any game companies that you miss? If you jog your memory, I’m sure you can think of  one you used to love and is no longer around today.

As for me, I’m going with Interplay. (Yes, I know there’s a new version of the company kicking around Beverly Hills, but it’s Interplay by name only.) My history with this developer/publisher goes back to the mid-’80s when I was dazzled by The Bard’s Tale on my Commodore 64. The company owned me from 1999 to 2002 with games like Earthworm Jim 3D, Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Giant’s: Citizen Kabuto, Planescape: Torment, and more. The company entertained me for hundreds of hours and I miss it a ton.

Before I get all weepy, please let me know any developers or publishers that you miss. Any MicroProse fans in the house? How about any Acclaim marks? How awesome was Looking Glass Studios back in the day? Okay, I’m going to stop before I get lost in nostalgia and use Wikipedia to read about game companies that longer exist today.

What Do You Think of Balrog: Behind the Glory?

I strongly suggest watching the Balrog: Behind the Glory faux documentary. It’s an incredibly well done look at Street Fighter’s Balrog (Mike Bison in Japan) that aired during this year’s Evo Championship Series. It’s a little over 12 minutes, but definitely worth watching. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Kindly check it out and let me know what you think.