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Google's mysterious 'Solve for X' launching today? (video)
Google's X Lab is the search giant's top-secret facility even its own employees didn't know about. It's believed to be working on driverless cars, internet connected appliances and Majel: a Star Trek-inspired rebuttal to Siri. It's also apparently behind the Solve for X website, which hints at a TED-style public-presentation site featuring the great and the good talking about "redefining problems into challenges." The video (embedded below) and the site's background seem to agree, given one of the big box-outs reads "What is a Solve for X talk." Richard DeVaul (a member of the "[X] Rapid Evaluation team") mentioned on his Google+ page that the videos would be launching at some point today. Presumably we can expect to see innovative new solutions on dealing with Climate Change, new Cancer Treatments and awkward silence if anyone mentions a Canadian super-soldier program.
Super Hero Squad Online wishes you a merry X-Men Month
If you're gearing up for Xmas, then why not invite the X-Men over for some casual MMO gaming? Gazillion has declared that December is "X-Men Month" in Super Hero Squad Online, as the title turns its attention to Professor X's extraordinary students and their action-packed outings. Enrollment is open for the School for Gifted Youngsters, and signing up for superhero mayhem are several brand-new heroes for the game. The MMO is also unleashing four new quests -- two for Wolverine and two for Rogue -- to go with its signature card battles. Vice President Jay Minn is (sorry) super-psyched for the theme month: "X-Men month has been a long time coming since the launch of our game. Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Angel, Iceman and Shadowcat have always topped our list of most-requested Marvel heroes. We are very excited that our fans will finally be able to show off and fight evil as the X-Men! Happy holidays everyone and Hero Up!" [Source: Gazillion press release]
Marvel Universe Online shows off some (back)sides of its superheroes
Developer Gazillion and Marvel have been showing off some superheroes for the coming MMO Marvel Universe Online, and with the inclusion of Iron Man, we think it's about time you took a good look at these guys. So far, the MMMSociety has released renders of Deadpool, Wolverine, Cable, Captain America, Thor, Thing and Iron Man, all in fairly traditional spandex and ironclad garb. Iron Man, for example, looks a bit like Robert Downey Jr. under that sleek armor design -- trust us, we would know that rear end anywhere. %Gallery-140990%
Snikt! Wolverine enters the fray of Marvel Universe Online
Shh! Everyone, do you hear that? It sounds an awful lot like something going "snikt!" You know what that means, right? Everyone's favorite Canucklehead with an anger issue is coming to Marvel Universe Online. That's right, players will be able to take on the claws of Weapon X himself in the upcoming superhero MMO. Wolvie joins the roster alongside the Merc-with-a-mouth, Deadpool, bringing the total number of announced playable characters up to two. Who will be next to join the duo in the ranks of MUO? I'm putting my money on Northstar, personally. Why? Because he's fabulous, that's why. (Make it happen, Marvel!)
An animated video diary from the team behind Super Hero Squad Online
Animation is responsible for a lot in an MMO. A lot of the visual personality of the game is conveyed through animations, both the mechanically important ones for special abilities and the ubiquitous flavor emotes such as dancing. So Super Hero Squad Online has both an advantage and disadvantage for the development team -- they're working with characters who have a lot of established personality, but that means there's even more emphasis on getting everything just right. A new video development diary from the team shows off the process of bringing a character to life in the game, with Wolverine getting the starring role. The video moves step-by-step from the initial modeling and texturing process through the skeleton modeling and manipulation, while also showing off several of the animations that Wolverine will (presumably) be sporting in the final game. There's a great deal of attention to detail and the fine points of what makes each character tick, so if you're looking forward to Super Hero Squad Online, click on past the break to see how the team is putting a lot of expression into little movements.
Fight your sense of right and wrong with these 10 odd mash-ups
We realize some people have fantasies and, thanks to the internet, they have an outlet. But some things are so sacred, so untouchable, that they should never be tampered with. We bring this up because this list of ten crazy, unauthorized fighting game mash-ups created with M.U.G.E.N. is just plain disturbing. Never would we have wanted to see Homer and Peter Griffin team up to battle Scorpion and Sub-Zero -- both teams are mortal enemies! Nor would we have wished to see Wolverine take on Mike Tyson or Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders throw down against Ryu and M. Bison. We're all for enemies putting aside their differences and finding friendship, but it's really skewing our sense of right and wrong here, guys!
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 screens are light on the curleh mustaches
Click image to jump into our gallery Capcom has finally released some in-game shots of Marvel vs Capcom 3. The screens are missing HUD elements, but that's fine -- we just wanted to see how the game would "blur the line between 2D and 3D graphics." Frankly, we're surprised it doesn't look more like Super Street Fighter IV. And not a single curleh mustache in sight? How will the fans react? Head into our gallery below to check out the new screens, which feature a Ryu vs Wolverine match-up, Iron Man shooting Morrigan in the face and a trigger-happy Chris Redfield taking on The Hulk. %Gallery-93783%
Raven's Manveer Heir urges industry to address ethnic misrepresentation
If there's one thing that Commander Shepard, Nathan Drake, Agent 47, Marcus Fenix, and ... uhh ... Mega Man all have in common, it's not just that they're all video game characters -- they're also all white dudes. And Raven Software's Manveer Heir takes umbrage with that fact (and, more importantly, the fact that being caucasian is a rather pervasive theme across game characters), telling Develop in a recent interview that "There are a large number of hispanic and black children playing games, percentage-wise more so than white children, but these guys aren't getting into the industry because they are not seeing themselves in the games." Moreover, Heir says it's not just a question of equality, but rather a question of missed market opportunity. "It's not about being fair. It's about bringing something new to the art." The Wolverine/Singularity dev also makes a point of sending out a rally call to the rest of the industry, saying, "I'm sure many people in the game industry are starting work on new IP. If we can ask people to think about it, then they are more apt to say 'hey let's try this.' You just need one game to succeed. The first developer or publisher to do this will enjoy a lot of success." For a much more thorough discussion on the subject, we've embedded a video after the break of a panel from DICE 2010, titled "Games of Color," in which Manveer speaks in far more detail on the subject.
Writers Guild of America announces 2010 game writing nominations
Well folks, we've been here twice before -- it's that very special time of year when the Writers Guild of America announces nominations in the category of "Videogame Writing." As has been the standard for the past two years, the list of games is a dubious mix. We'd certainly point to Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 (our 2009 Game of the Year, lest you forget) and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 as worthy of the title, but ... well, nearly everything else on the list strikes us as either unworthy or straight up misplaced. It reads as follows: Assassin's Creed 2 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Wet X-Men Origins: Wolverine We're just as flummoxed as you are that titles like Wolverine and Modern Warfare 2 showed up -- especially while a litany of other great writing falls by the wayside (we're looking at you, Dragon Age and Professor Layton 2) -- but that might have something to do with the WGA membership requirement for consideration in the nominations. Regardless, we'll find out who's going to take the golden manuscript home when the show takes place simultaneously in both Los Angeles and New York City on February 20. [Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Best of the Rest: Ben's Picks of 2009
Red Faction: Guerrilla Arriving approximately seven months late to the party, I didn't play RFG until earlier this month when I desperately cobbled together 2009's game releases for a massive pre-GOTY playstravaganza. That marathon came to a long pause while I smashed through the many structures of Mars with my trusty sledgehammer, constantly hearing "Space A$&%*#&" playing along the way in my mind. Sure, RFG was a bit rough around the edges, but what it lacked in mechanical prowess was more than made up for by the sheer amount of childlike joy I experienced while demolishing everything in my path.
Europeans, get Wolverine claws in PlayStation Home
Okay, we'll admit that this is one of the cooler items you can wear in PlayStation Home: Wolverine's adamantium claws. Best of all, you can don these shredders for free. Yes, you'll have to suffer through the trailer for X-Men Origins; Wolverine at the Home Theatre -- but once the painful two minutes are over, you'll find these claws waiting for you in the Threads store of the Home Mall.Unfortunately, these are non-functional weapons. We so would've loved to go on a virtual rampage in Home. Also, this is strictly a European affair. Sorry, everyone else.[Via Kotaku]
Wolverine Blu-ray disc includes BD-Live access to IMDB
Looks like Sony isn't the only one ready to take a crack at improving BD-Live, Fox has revealed its "Live Lookup" feature, that will pull info from IMDB.com related to the movie being watched, slated to appear first on the Wolverine Blu-ray. Besides an internet hookup, Wolverine will bring a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack, a digital copy and several Blu-ray exclusive featurettes when it is released September 15. Ready to find out if the performance of Fox's Java applet navigated via remote can beat having a laptop sitting open next to you?Read - Fox Shares X-Men Origins: Wolverine Blu-ray Details and Cover ArtRead - Fox launches BD Live feature with Wolverine
Adorable Marvel superheroes coming to LittleBigPlanet
What does the future of Marvel video games hold? According to the aptly titled "The Next Generation of Marvel Video Games" panel at San Diego Comic Con, the future holds ... LittleBigPlanet costumes! Kotaku nabbed pictures of concept art for three different superheroic costumes that were previewed: Captain America, who is pictured above, and Wolverine and Iron Man, who can be viewed after the jump.Marvel was non-committal about when the costume pack would be released, or even whether these three heroes would be the ones that would receive the DLC treatment. We've contacted Media Molecule to try and discern some concrete details. Personally, we've got our stuffed burlap fingers crossed for an appearance by Howard the Duck.
Wolverine commercial has glaring error
Now that Wolverine is finally available --and pretty decent, as it turns out -- Activision has seen fit to release a new live-action commercial to promote the game. Admittedly, the commercial is actually kind of cool. It reminds us a bit of Neill Blomkamp's Halo 3 shorts, and we particularly dig its first-person grittiness. There is, however, one fatal flaw. Why on earth would Wolverine bash his way out of a cage? We know Wolvy's got some rage issues, but you'd think he'd have the presence of mind to use his claws to cut open the cage instead of ramming it. It would save time, time that could be spent dismembering people. Come on, Activision, details matter.
The best of WoW Insider: April 28 - May 5, 2009
Finding yourself lost in the World of Warcraft? Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider has everything you need to know about the biggest game around, whether you're a grizzled level 80 veteran, a newbie in the Ghostlands, or a former Molten Core raider finding yourself curious about rejoining the game. Here's our most popular posts about what's been going on in Azeroth lately. News Player receives developer item in the mail, one-shots UlduarThe Game Masters accidentally send a killer shirt to a player, who then uses it to drop progression content. The Martin Fury scandal: Karatechop reveals allWe talk with the player who got banned for using a GM item in Ulduar. WoW reference found in Wolverine gameThe creators of the new Wolverine videogame sneak in a WoW reference just for us. Ulduar nerfs and Blizzard's new raid philosophyBlizzard tweaks the newest raid instance, and shows their design cards a little bit. World of Warcraft patch 3.1.2 PTR notesThere's a new patch on the Public Test Realm -- here's what's new. Features The Queue: MercenariesYou ask, we answer. It's that easy. Guildwatch: It wasn't me, manDrama, downed, and recruiting news from guilds around the realms. Val'anyr explainedWhat exactly does the game's newest legendary do for you? We'll tell you right here. Noblegarden: Sexy or sexist?The new Easter ingame holiday has you throwing bunny ears on females level 18 and up. Hot or not? Scattered Shots: Pets for raidingHunters, if you need a pet to take along with you to Ulduar, look no further.
Joystiq Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Uncaged Edition)
One thousand three hundred and fifty five people: murdered. Okay, some of them were unfeeling killer robots, but even after eliminating every piece of scrap metal from the virtual cemetery, you're left with a considerable number of motionless bodies by the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Or at least things that, when reassembled, vaguely resemble bodies. Wolverine is a game that exudes excess and revels in recklessness. The design mirrors that of its protagonist, an unhinged brute who lops off limbs, tears apart helicopters and frequently howls at the camera. Oh, and he apparently has a lot of fun, too. Like God of War and its ilk, Wolverine is at its best when it feels like all limitations have been dissolved, along with any possibility of you succumbing to a mere army of opponents. Even distance becomes an ex-factor, with an always satisfying lunge maneuver planting you in someone's chest before they can do something futile -- like shooting you. %Gallery-44056%
Video: DIY Wolverine could totally take the Star Wars Kid
Maybe it's just us, timid bloggers sent recoiling at the mere touch of particles from what you call the Sun. But we're finding it hard to watch the video of this Wolverine fan without feeling a bit awkward, dangerously awkward. No doubt, the craftsmanship of his Wolverine claws is superb; a flex of the bicep releases the claws with the satisfying metallic shink of Adamantium blades locking into battle mode. Nevertheless, we hope this guy won't be sitting anywhere near us in the theater this weekend. See what we mean after the break.Update: Er, the video has been pulled. Perhaps the cardboard finally won?
Wolverine movie borrowed lines from Wolverine game
Remember how when you saw the Wolverine movie yesterday, and it was at the part where Wolverine was all like "Rawrrgh! I'm going to cut on you!" and you thought that dialogue seemed pretty familiar? You may have heard that exact same line in X-Men Origins: Wolverine: The Game -- in a recent interview with Yahoo, Aussie hunk extraordinaire Hugh Jackman admitted he "was able to bring some of the lines of dialogue from the game script into the movie." Thief! Vagabond! Scoundrel!However, since the general consensus we've heard says the game is better than the flick, perhaps this scurrilous Outbacker's shameless line thievery isn't such a bad thing.[Via GoNintendo]
WoW Moviewatch: Van Helsing Trailer
Wello posted his Van Helsing Trailer over on Myndflame, with some commentary that I found pretty interesting. First, it's his fourth video, and the one he feels best about. More importantly, Wello said that he'd searched far and wide for anyone else who'd already created a Van Helsing trailer. He found none, so immediately made one himself. He considered it his "time to shine."It's easy to forget that the creation of machinima is usually sourced in an author's passion for the subject. Okay, so while Hugh Jackman rocking a crossbow and funny hat might not be humanity's key pathos, it's something for which Wello has a lot of love. (Hell, maybe Hugh Jackman is a strong enough collective obsession, anyway, given what opened this weekend.) Machinimators don't make a bunch of money off their work, it's entirely a labor or love.The video itself is pretty keen. It's just a stylized recreation of the video, using stand-ins from WoW for the various actors. I was a little surprised to see Kate Beckinsale turned into a Blood Elf, but I guess that makes sense in context. I think Wello did a good job of choosing models and scenery, but the characters themselves could use a little more motion. Ultimately, it was a fun video that I enjoyed watching. I look forward to seeing Wello's skills grow.[Via Myndflame]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch
WoW reference found in Wolverine game
X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out in theaters yesterday, to fairly dismal reviews, and like any good summer movie, it has a tie-in video game. Why are we talking about it here? Because the game contains a hidden nod to our own favorite digital pastime, WoW. I'll put specifics (and a screenshot) behind the cut, in case you don't want to be spoiled for the Wolverine game.
