goonies
Latest
The Perfect Ten: Pirates ahoy!
Fantasy pirates: Love 'em or hate 'em, they're deeply ingrained in geek culture to the point that they're almost impossible to dislodge. This past Monday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, when everyone's inner pirate was encouraged to "Arr!" heartily, look for treasure in long-forgotten places, and embrace the fashion style of bandanas and eyepatches. It seemed like a perfect week, therefore, to look at piratey life in MMOs. From entire games to mere outfits and from the token pirate union that has a chapter in each game to delusional madmen, this list aims to sate the swagger of keyboard swashbucklers. It's a testament to the pirate phenomenon that most developers can't help but include a buccaneer or two, even if the setting isn't always asking for it -- a phenomenon even the U.S. Navy has accepted. Hit the jump to start, and sail straight on 'til morning!
The Road to Mordor: A talk with the crew of The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers
Buzz has been increasing about an intriguing independent film that looks to blend Tolkien love, geek pride, and Lord of the Rings Online fandom into one epic adventure. Called The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers, this movie is about a group of friends who undertake a journey to a convention in order to participate in a LotRO gaming competition (and stick it to some bullies while they're at it). Many blogs, such as LOTRO Reporter and A Casual Stroll to Mordor, have promoted this up-and-coming film, and after seeing the trailer, we too became fascinated with what could be a fun movie that puts MMO gaming front and center. One may not simply walk into Mordor, but with the right connections, one could phone the folks up there. We got on the line with three crew members for The Fellows Hip -- Ron Newcomb (producer, director and writer), Scott Mathais (producer and writer), and Shane McClung (producer) -- to see just what type of lovable insanity would cause a group of people to throw together such a movie.
The Road to Mordor: Dungeon-running with Turbine
As we talked about last month, Turbine's toting around a double-barreled shotgun full of content that it's preparing to unload. While the biggest blast will undoubtedly be Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion, Rise of Isengard, the team is working hard to provide us with plenty to do between now and then. Part of that effort is directed at Update 3, which is currently scheduled to go live on May 23rd in North America and after June 1st for Europe when the LotRO Global Service takes effect and all of the accounts are moved under Turbine's purview. I eagerly sat down with Turbine's Aaron Campbell and Joe Barry for a play-through of Update 3's two new three-player instances, Halls of Night and Inn of the Forsaken. Both of these scalable instances will be available to a wide swath of players, and they feature mechanics and sights never before seen in the game. Also, they're wicked cool. So join me today as I take you on a brief tour of horrors and adventures beyond imagination. Has everyone used the restroom before we go? Are you sure? It's a long article; I don't want you leaving in the middle of it. OK, let's ride!
Through Turbine's palantír: Developers outline LotRO's future
In J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, characters would use magical orbs known as palantírs to see and communicate with far away places. While Massively's own palantír is at the shop, we had access to the next best thing -- a one-on-two chat about Lord of the Rings Online's future with Turbine's Aaron Campbell and Adam Mersky. A lot's been happening since LotRO's free-to-play version went online last fall -- the closest thing to a relaunch that this game is likely to ever see -- and both Campbell and Mersky have one important message for fans: We're just getting started. Even as the Turbine team gears up for LotRO's third expansion, Rise of Isengard, the devs want you to know that they're also dedicated to bringing a good amount of content between now and then. Everything was on the table during this discussion, from this weekend's anniversary celebration to next month's update to the new expansion. Join us after the jump for a look through the palantír to see what information we can pry from the future!
Blu-ray releases on November 2nd 2010
Oh man, now we're talking -- after weeks of nothing much to talk about on Blu-ray home media's holiday season finally gets started. First off is the highest box office grossing animated feature of all time with Toy Story 3 (no word on a 3D release) as well as Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales from the same studio. Next up HBO has its latest epic mini series The Pacific, which is sure to be a must see for any WWII genre fans. There there are a number of classics like The Goonies, The Sound of Music and Highlander. That should be enough to keep you busy for a least a week. Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales (Walt Disney) Centurion (Magnolia) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (MGM) Christmas Cottage (Lionsgate) Dinosaurs Alive! (Image) Fallen (Image) The Goonies (Warner) Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk (Image) Highlander (Lionsgate) Once Fallen (First Look) The Pacific (HBO) The Sound of Music (Fox) Space: 1999: The Complete Season One (A&E) Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Ultimate Toy Box Collection (Walt Disney) V: The Complete First Season (Warner) White Christmas (Paramount) Wild Ocean 3D (Image) The Wiz (Universal)
WoW Moviewatch: The Grasshappa Chronicles
Happy Hallow's End! Today we bring you a fluffy treat from TRiBViDs called The Grasshappa Chronicles. The most recent installment to the series, Episode 4, is linked above. (Previous episodes are 1, 2, and 3.) These movies are all treat, no trick, like the G.N.E.R.D.S. handed out these days by Innkeepers. A tasty, not too filling, but definitely an enjoyable confection featuring two dudes who pay the price for ripping off intellectual properties in previous episodes. The guys are goofy and have amusing songs running through their heads starring Justin Timberlake and Vanessa Carlton. Oh, and there's also a Hello Kitty reference for good measure.I think we all have some guilty pleasures like this in our movie-watching closets. My favorite guilty pleasures contain ram-a-lama ding-dong, Brando singing, and R.O.U.S.'s in them. I know some of you out there are Goonies freaks. Confess! [Via Machinima.com]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
One Shots: Where's a Baby Ruth when you need one
Many people are now in the open pre-launch beta for Warhammer Online and by most accounts we're hearing, having an absolute blast! Of course, in traveling around this strange new land, there's lots of interesting... people... to meet. Today's One Shots comes to us from Oz, who has been in WAR, and sent along this screenshot of his Mage, as he was at the docks preparing to head for Nordland. We're just hoping that Mhurhg and Grug there didn't give Oz too much trouble. (Of course, we wonder if we're the only one having Goonies flashbacks looking at Sloth's twins with a boat as a backdrop.) Have you been playing in the WAR beta? How about Wrath? If you're in a beta with an NDA that's open and would like to show off all your grand adventures, send those screenshots our way at oneshots AT massively.com. We'll be glad to share them with all the Massively readers and give you the credit! %Gallery-9798%
Today's just-add-Wii video: Fan-made Goonies game
Take a glimpse into the easy process of creating a Wii game out of a licensed movie IP: just add gestures. Chris Cantoe follows this spoof-by-numbers approach with amusing results. Yes, this video may be a couple weeks old, but its source material -- The Goonies -- is timeless.See the video after the break.[Via Wii Fanboy]
