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Macs join the fight in '300'
With a shocking and awesome $70+ million in weekend box office, the film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 has shot (and hacked, and stabbed) its way to the 3rd best R-rated opening and the all-time best March opening in US film history. Way to go, Spartans.As noted on ballergoods.com and also at IMDB, the Mac played a big role in bringing 300 to the screen, with chunks of editing done in Final Cut and 2D graphics created in Shake. In fact, the IMDB article notes that while much of the production was on Avid systems (platform unspecified) and Linux workstations (presumably for Maya and other tools), "the filmmakers prefer Macintosh." Like we always say, there is no substitute.
Metareview: 300
It's the game we so wanted to be good. Too bad you were right, readers: the critics are absolutely bashing this game. Hopefully, the movie will be able to hold up better than this critically blasted game: Gamepro (45/100) hates that nostalgic feeling: "It's essentially a throwback to the days when movie-licensed games were always awful." IGN (57/100) at least enjoyed the cutscenes: "The stylish cinematics are better than any single moment of gameplay and serve as the only reason to bother playing 300: March to Glory to its conclusion." Game Informer (63/100) didn't find the game too bad, as long as you turn off your brain: "It's interesting that they called this 300, because that is about how many times you jam on the X button in the first minute and a half. Then again, there is something mindlessly appealing about beating up endless waves of dudes." The poor reviews for the game won't hinder me from watching the upcoming movie. I mean, can they really mess that one up? I hope not.
Watch 300, win a copy of Crackdown
Warner Bros. upcoming movie 300 and Microsoft's Crackdown are teaming up for a contest. You have a chance at winning 1 of 300 copies of Crackdown, but to enter you must download and watch all five 300 clips. Each clip is roughly 50mbs and is exclusively downloadable from the XBLM. At the end of each clip will be a code, write down each code and enter the contest here. It's that easy and quite entertaining. Even if you don't care about the contest, you have to download and watch Clip #1 "No Prisoners! No Mercy!". The cinematography in that scene is amazing and should get you excited for this movie. And for the record, anytime we get to see a leg being hacked off in a violent manor we are instantly interested in seeing more. [Via Major Nelson]
Saturday PSP background explosion [Update 1]
Saturday is dwindling away, but it can't officially be over until there are new PSP backgrounds to enjoy. Like every week, we make or showcase new backgrounds for you to put on your PSP and make it look as good as you. Assuming you look good. This week we have backgrounds for 300, Crush and Card Captor Sakura. Check out the backgrounds after the jump ... [Update 1: Updated tags and links.]
Why make 300 a PSP exclusive?
It's a question that's always been our minds: why is 300 a PSP exclusive? Certainly, the bigger, badder consoles could do the franchise a bit more justice, no? Well, according to Yahoo!, it simply had to do with time:"We wanted to do Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but everyone has in mind what they want to do with marketing and everything. By the time they get around to pulling the trigger and they want a day and date with the movie, we ended up with the PSP. I'm completely happy with the game we made. I think it's cool."
More questions about 300 answered
The upcoming 300 game is certainly an interesting one. Why? To start, it's based on a pretty interesting-looking film. Then, it seems to be coming to only one platform: the PSP. While I'm not complaining, it certainly is an interesting decision. This interview (after the cut) shows some of the gorier footage from the game, easily marking 300 as one of the most violent handheld games I've seen so far.Of course, the lack of a second analog stick proved to be a challenge. The developers got around this by making a fixed camera, which hopefully will alleviate some of the problems faced by so many PSP games. Will they get it right? We'll find out soon enough.
iPhone to cost only $300-400 with contract?
If the iPhone's prices of $500 and $600 with contract were a little too much for your wallet to stomach, you might take solace in some new info allegedly leaked from a Cingular AT&T consumer survey (Wait: do wallets really have stomachs?). Engadget has the details on the possibility of the iPhone actually costing a full $200 less, putting the price points at $300 and $400 (for the 4GB and 8GB models, respectively) with a contract, meaning that the $500 and $600 prices could ultimately be for out-of-contract purchases.Now take this all with a grain of salt; this info and the accompanying image would be easy to fake, and the designer in me says it could be exactly that. Nevertheless, a romp through iPhone dreamland couldn't hurt, and more realistic prices of $300 and $400 would put a lot of smiles on the faces of iPhone hopefuls. Heck, at the least, it would mean Steve Ballmer has a little less to say about Apple's first mobile phone.
Frank Miller talks 300, unleashes video storm
Frank Miller, the esteemed artist behind classics such as Sin City, Ronin, and the upcoming 300, doesn't really talk too much about games. When GameTrailers posted up new videos showing the legend talking about the upcoming PSP-exclusive, 300: March to Glory, my interest was piqued.Unfortunately, while he doesn't reveal too much, his colleagues do. Check after the cut to see tons of new video, including footage from the game. 300 comes out later this month.
300 website goes live
The excitement factor for The 300 movie is at a fever pitch and hopefully gamers will also have something to get excited about when the game is released in March. For the curious, a website devoted to the 300: March to Glory game has gone live. On the site you can find the trailer, screenshots, game features and weapon profiles. From going to the site, I learned that Wizard Magazine said the 300: March to Glory was "One of the 10 games you'll have to own in 2007 ...or you're better off dead." Strong praise indeed. Let's hope they actually played the game before making those comments. Anyone got this puppy in their "to buy" list? I know I do, but only because I don't want to die. [Via IGN]
300 marching for glory on PSP
Keep an eye out for 300, a PSP exclusive quietly marching under the radar. Based on the upcoming film inspired by Frank Miller's graphic novel (a re-imagining of the historic Battle of Thermopylae), 300: March to Glory seems to be taking a number of cues from its Spartan predecessor God of War, including a fixed camera, blood-showering violence, and d-pad selected powers (or "battle skills"). Fittingly, the odds of 300 succeeding as God of War did are exceedingly slim, in turn, sparking the potential for a surprise hit.300: March to Glory hits retail February 27.[Via PSP Fanboy]
Wii bowling "power throws": Whither the perfect 890?
In a roundtable discussion before the Wii's release, Nintendo designer Takayuki Shimamura declared that "in all of the endless testing which Nintendo has done on [Wii Sports bowling], no one has ever achieved a perfect score!" This factoid didn't last very long -- since the system's release dozens of players have posted YouTube videos of their own perfect games, complete with anti-climactic confetti endings. But while this seemingly impressive feat has now become commonplace, another Wii Sports bowling challenge remains seemingly unachieved and practically unachievable. We're speaking of a perfect score in the "Power Throws" training game, which steadily increases the number of pins at the end of the lane from a base of 10 to a staggering 91 pins in the tenth frame. Their are 445 total pins to knock down, but the game doubles the frame score for each strike, making a score of 890 the perfect ideal. Despite our best efforts, we could not find documented evidence of such a score online. The best we could find on YouTube was an 804, and even this impressive player used the well-known cheat to strike out on the last frame. A couple of players on EliteScores.com have claimed to max out the score, but neither submitted so much as a screenshot as proof. Gaming scoreboard Twin Galaxies doesn't even track the Power Throws minigame yet, probably because no one has bothered to send in a VHS tape of their achievement as per the rules. So we're putting out a challenge to the Joystiq community. Can anyone out there achieve the holy grail of Wii Sports and get a perfect score in this difficult minigame? The first person to submit video evidence of the feat (without cheating!) will get a handsome Joystiq T-shirt and eternal Internet glory as their reward. Entries can be submitted using the tips submission page. Good luck! [Update: The challenge has been met by Joystiq reader el moco, who sent in the below video to confirm the feat. Mr. moco also outlined his methods on the WiiModWii forums. Congratulation el moco, we'll be contacting you about the T-shirt soon.]
Becoming a god of war in 300 [Update 1]
One of our Dream Games was God of War: a mythological beat-em-up that took was rooted in psuedo Greek mythology. Looks like 300 is going to attempt to fill that role for PSP gamers. The game is based on the trials of 300 Spartans that must go against a million Persians. Considering how you'll have to fight to the death, I think it's safe to say that we can expect a lot of killing. As Yahoo! Games explains, "There are showers of red blood and flying body parts."Besides the gore, the game promises to deliver an action experience tailor-made for the PSP. The camera will be automatic, akin to God of War. By using "horde technology," the game will continue to shower you with enemies, although only about six will be on screen at all times. The developers intend to have their battle system have depth as well: "Enemies have conditions to beat and we give you the tools to do it. Then, the player needs to make choices on whom to attack first, what they want to do to the enemy, and then, pile on some other choices regarding health management and your rage. So, very quickly, you find that all your choices are meaningful."300: March to Glory will release February 27th, exclusively for the PSP. Until then, feel free to check out some interesting cinematics from the game.[Update 1: Corrected linkage. Hopefully, the armies of Sparta will spare my life for this error.]
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 3
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesDownload MP4 (7.86MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 300, Fred Claus, Chili Con Carnage (PSP).
LaCie updates their 300 pro series of LCDs, adds 20-incher
If your future as a professional depends upon having those colors show up just right on your LCD, then LaCie is probably on your short list for display manufacturers. They've just updated their pro-line 300 series with some sexy 12-bit gamma correction, allowing for smoother color gradients and photophile bragging rights. They've also added a 20-inch model to their range of displays, the Lacie 319, 320 and 321. Despite the minor size differences, prices range from $879 to $1599, plus another $200 if you want LaCie's blue eye pro colorimeter for calibration. All that display dollar will get you, at least in the 320, a 1600 x 1200 resolution, CRT-grade color gamut, 700:1 contrast ratio, 280 cd/m2 luminance and of course that 12-bit gamma -- 4 times as accurate as the usually pro 10-bit spec. Not shabby at all, if you can swallow the pricetag. All three displays are available for order now from LaCie.[Via MacMinute]
