In the old days, people rarely played video games for the music, but thanks to DDR, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it's now front and center, inviting critique and inspiring musicians to find new ways to participate. Video Games Live is just such an endeavor, bringing the sight and sound of classic games like Sonic and Halo into the symphony hall, complete with light show and live gameplay.

If that's too highfalutin' for your tastes, there are always alternatives that pack more punch. The Minibosses have been rocking it old school for longer than many new gamers have even been alive, carrying the music of Mega Man, Castlevania, and many others to new awesome heights. Considering how embarrassingly often I have the original Super Mario theme stuck in my head, I'm grateful to both groups for doing what they can to revolutionize these earworms from my adolescence.

Have you been up all night working on your fan site for Robocop 3 and worrying that only your friends and family will be the only earthlings to ever see it? Are you a science fiction artist, author, filmmaker or blogger who wants to reach a bigger Internet audience? It's time you made contact with Chuck Joslin, creator of the scifi internet directory, ScifiSource.com, and let him bless your site with the "Rocket Rating" it deserves.

Joslin launched ScifiSource.com in 1999. "This site started as fun, since we're long-time science fiction fans," says Joslin, "It's a little rough around the edges, but it's held up well with few modifications in the past several years." The site will be undergoing a re-design this year and will feature new search capabilities.

Continue reading "Site of the Week - ScifiSource.com" »

Marvel had their first quarter conference call yesterday, conveniently timed for the Monday after Iron Man's blockbuster debut, and announced their upcoming slate for the next three years.

What might be of particular interest to those of you who stuck around through the end of Iron Man's credits is the officially announced Avengers movie, hitting theaters in July of 2011. The other self-produced Marvel Studios are:

• Iron Man 2 (April 30, 2010)
• Thor (June 4, 2010)
• The First Avenger: Captain America (May 6, 2011)

This doesn't include non-Marvel Studios fare, like Punisher: War Zone (December 5, 2008), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1, 2009); unscheduled projects like Edgar Wright's Ant-Man; and any non-officially announced sequels like Spider-Man 4, Fantastic Four 3, Young X-Men, and, if the upcoming movie does well, The Incredible Hulk 2.

The conference call also revealed Iron Man 2 will introduce the character of Thor; the Hulk may also make an appearance in Iron Man 2; and the plan is to make The Avengers a rotating team, involving virtually any character in the team's history.

So let's play armchair movie producer for a bit, and take a look at what Marvel has set up:

Continue reading "With Iron Man 2 and The First Avenger, Marvel Books Up Our Summers Through 2011" »

Most of us only fight crime as an excuse to flaunt our figures in latex and body-armor, but unfortunately, that means dressing like dishwater-drab Clark Kents in our everyday lives, right? Think again, says the New York Times. "In case you haven't heard, superhero is the new floral. Faster than a speeding bullet, it has become the fashion industry's springtime obsession."

What does that mean? Lots of webby, clingy garb and utility-themed accessories, in bright colors that exclaim "KAPOW!" and "ZAM!" A look at the accompanying slideshow proves that designers are striving to put secret identities in the spotlight.

Some of these styles look a little retro; in putting superheroes on the cutting edge as fashion, are we opening the door to full-blown kitsch? Try not to think about it -- as The Incredibles' Edna Mode would say, "I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now!"

• io9 points out what happens when music nerds and scifi collides.

• An actual biologist blanches and winces at the terrible marine biology of Cloverfield.

• Great news, Browncoats: you can now pre-order the Firefly Blu-ray set.

• The apocalypse will not feature swearing: Terminator 4 eyes a PG-13 rating.

• All the best giant robots go Ivy League.

Continue reading "Daily Scan: 05.06.08 - Ebert Blogs About Arthur C. Clarke; Bad Marine Biology in Cloverfield" »