FANBOY FEASTING

You’ve probably been hiding under a rock if you haven’t seen or heard anything about this week’s big comic movie release (on Christmas). If you’ve seen the trailers (one of which is posted above), you get the idea that you have a bad guy named the Octopus (who apparently has eight of everything), pretty girls (according to b newbie Wes Case ) and a dreamy masked hero known by most as “The Spirit.”

Unfortunate for the franchise, it seems as though most people (including myself, even in all my fanboy glory) only essentially know the limited information revealed in some of the various trailers and teasers. Because of my own ignorance, I went out looking for answers. Read the rest of this entry »

… or does disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich look like an aged My Buddy doll?

They let you poke your friends — on the go! You can find the name of that annoying tune with just a few notes, create your own radio station and practice your poker bluffing skills. Is there anything iPhone’s arsenal of apps can’t do? OK, so they won’t buy you dinner or send Mom flowers, but apps are little nuggets of awesomeness that let you accomplish a heck of a lot with your fingertips Here’s a look at 15 of our favorites, in no particular order. Read the rest of this entry »

home cooking ROUGH START TO ‘HOME’ BETA

“Home,” the social network for PlayStation 3 users, has finally arrived — at least in part. Sony has begun an open beta test for anyone with a PlayStation Network account, so if you have an Internet-connected PS3, you’ve probably been invited to join.

Unfortunately, unlocking “Home” wasn’t easy for a lot of gamers, many of whom got connection error messages when they clicked on the “Home” icon that had materialized on their PS3 toolbar.

So far, the world of “Home” fairly desolate, which is disappointing considering that it’s been under development for three years. Still, this is a beta version — so let’s hope that “Home” lives up to Sony’s lofty promises. {AP}

brutal truths GAMING INDUSTRY NOT-SO BULLETPROOF

Forget everything you’ve heard about the video-game industry being recession-proof. Even the mighty Electronic Arts is hurting, and has announced that disappointing sales this year will lead to cuts in its scheduled releases for 2009.

After delivering that grim news, though, EA turned around and announced something truly wonderful: It has picked up “Brutal Legend,” the Jack Black-starring heavy-metal epic from “Psychonauts” mastermind Tim Schafer. “Brutal Legend” was dumped by Activision earlier this year, but Schafer now says, “I think it’s clear that this game, like metal itself, cannot be killed!” {AP}

black diamond 2008 VIDEO GAME AWARDS RECAP

Speaking of Jack Black, he hosted Spike TV’s Video Game Awards this year. Amid the usual gratuitous female pulchritude, stilted comedy skits and irrelevant musical performances, Spike did manage to anoint a game of the year: Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

The 2008 VGAs were probably more notable for a bevy of new trailers for games like Sony’s “God of War III” and “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.” And Electronic Arts made news with the previously announced “Dante’s Inferno.” The teaser didn’t show much, but we need more games based on 14th century poetry. {AP}

flying alarm clock
So, you’ve probably never thought to get someone an alarm clock for the holidays. Well, think again. This $15 alarm clock actually launches a rotor up in the air, The alarm goes off until you catch the rotor and bring it back to the base. Try hitting snooze on that.

•••• Check it out @ asseenontvguys.com Read the rest of this entry »

AP

Following in the footsteps of John Madden and Tiger Woods, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps wants to start his own video game empire. But curiously enough, swimming might not be the main event.

European publisher 505 Games is hoping its new U.S division can make a splash with games, due in 2010, built around the swimmer and local native. The Olympic hero looks at the deal as “a tremendous opportunity to help continue my quest to raise the profile for the sport of swimming.”

“Swimming will be a part of it, but it won’t be set in an Olympic pool going back and forth,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games, the company releasing the series. “This is a pure action game.”

More details will emerge closer to the first installment’s planned release in spring 2010. The game should be available on consoles and the iPhone. But the lack of specifics hasn’t stopped video game experts from speculating.
{THE BALTIMORE SUN AND AP}

chess as art
I’ve never learned how to play chess, probably because I’d get board with it after about three minutes. Heh. But, chess fans can check out this great new-age board. You turn it 90 degrees and hang it on the wall. Then, you can walk away and leave your masterful chess skills on display as a masterpiece of art. Styles start at $100.

•••• Check it out @ straightupchess.com

heated insoles
If you were at the Ravens game on Sunday, you know how freakin’ cold your feet can get in frigid December temperatures. Check out these $100 rechargeable heated insoles. They have rechargeable batteries that keep your feet warm up to eight hours, even on the coldest winter day. Just don’t ever smell them after use, stinky.

•••• Check it out @ hammacher.com

liquor shooter
Next time you take a shot, do it literally. The days of tipping a bottle to pour your favorite liquor or wine into a glass are over. Attach this $30 pump to your bottle and pull the gun’s trigger to dispense the beverage. You’ll never look at a shot the same way again. And feel free to get drunk. After all, you’re only doing “target practice.” Isn’t it your Second Amendment right, anyway?

•••• Check it out @ budk.com

Matt Simon’s column appears Wednesdays. E-mail him at matt.r.simon@gmail.com

Fanboy Feasting

With the December 5 release of “Punisher: War Zone” quickly approaching, I have to ask myself this question: “Will the new ‘Punisher’ movie blow as hard as the first one?” Read the rest of this entry »

They can let you add Facebook friends, check the weather and let you play word games non-stop.

Yes, iPhone apps.

And we want to hear from you: What are some of your favorite applications? If you could design a perfect app for you, what would it do? And, just so we don’t seem Apple crazy, what are some of the worst apps on the market?

Happy apping.

Fanboy FeastingIt’s good to be the king, er … prince. Or, at least in the case of this year’s holiday gaming season, simply a pre-order holder for Ubisoft’s upcoming Prince of Persia series refresher.The cel-shaded (and subsequently re-imagined) “Prince of Persia” has gone gold from preorders and appears to be on track for the game’s Dec. 2, 2008 release date on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. According to the publisher, gamers that pre-order the game will apparently receive the Limited Edition at no extra cost (Yay!), which includes:

You can check out the rest of the press release below:

PRINCE OF PERSIA GOES GOLDSAN FRANCISCO – November 21, 2008 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Prince of Persia has gone gold for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. The game will ship December 2, 2008 and has an ESRB of “T” for Teen.About Prince of PersiaSet in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, the Prince finds himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness: the God of Light, Ormazd versus his brother Ahriman, the destructive God of Darkness. The Prince arrives just in time to witness the destruction of the legendary Tree of Life – an act which threatens to plunge the entire world into eternal darkness. Manifested in the form of the Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the Prince must partner with Elika, a deadly companion, to heal the world from the evil Corruption.Prince of Persia will be available at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $59.99 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3, and $49.99 for the PC.