alien
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NASA's discovered hundreds of planets where aliens might live
The Kepler spacecraft, which is rooting about outerspace checking for habitable planets has apparently discovered 706 possible candidates by monitoring for subtle changes in brightness. Up next astronomers will run the results through a battery of other tests, identifying the most likely candidates. After that? A reality show featuring seven NASA astronauts in a competition to find the first actual ALF, or Cylon, Yoda or E.T. We're there, dude.
Alien Hominid will be in PSN Castle Crashers
Folks who played the 360 version of Castle Crashers got a nice little bonus if they happened to have another of The Behemoth's XBLA games on their hard drive: a playable character based on the protagonist from Alien Hominid. Unfortunately, that particular game isn't available on the PSN, leading some to fear he/she/it wouldn't reprise its cameo in the PSN version of Crashers. That fear is unwarranted, friends -- a recent post on The Behemoth's blog confirms that the Alien will be an unlockable character in the upcoming port of Castle Crashers, though the requirements for unlocking it are unknown at this point. We're guessing it has something to do with the level where you kill a thousand of his brothers and sisters.
Screen Grabs: Blackberry Storm saves the world in new Doctor Who
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. While the US was busy delivering a certain tablet product yesterday, British sci-fi fans sat comfortably at home for a brand new Doctor Who series. We won't go into too much detail here, but the eleventh Doctor -- played by the charming Matt Smith -- was spotted writing a computer virus and sending pictures on a BBC-debranded Blackberry Storm, minutes before the aliens were to incinerate Planet Earth. Perhaps the freshly-regenerated Time Lord's a fan of the virtual keyboard? As a bonus, the Doctor also borrowed a disguised 15-inch Acer Aspire laptop for some virtual face time with chief brainiacs around the world, and then promptly reminded the owner to "delete your internet history" in reference to, well, something more disturbing that he found on the computer. And who are we to question the orders of a time traveler? Update: Turns out the new Lead Writer Steven Moffat learned of his job offer on a Blackberry back in June 2008. Too bad the Storm wasn't due out for another five months, but a quick trip through the time vortex could turn this into an amusing coincidence.%Gallery-89694%
Cabestan's Nostromo watch is geared for success
You might think, given our recent bout of attentiveness toward wristwear, that we're starting to develop an Enwatchet subsection, but that's not entirely accurate. It's just that when we come across such wild and quirky designs, there's nothing to be done but share them with the world. Case in point: the Cabestan Nostromo watch, inspired by the ship from the Alien movie. In the words of its own designers, the Nostromo combines traditional watchmaking with "retro-futuristic audacity," and when we gaze upon its exposed vertical mechanics, we can't exactly argue otherwise. With a titanium case, Superluminova phosphorescent coating for dusky situations, and side windows (see them after the break), this is as appealing a watch as any geek can dare to imagine. Sure, you could probably buy a sports car for less than the 150,000 Swiss Francs ($141,400 in American currency) asking price, but it's not like you can strap a Porsche to your wrist, now is it?
Aliens vs. Predator Hunter Edition to violently hug your face
It's official -- the new trend for video game special editions is the inclusion of things to put right on your face. For Modern Warfare 2, it was the ever-practical night-vision goggles. For Halo 3, it was a Spartan helmet, which offered cranial protection to the small-of-head. The Aliens vs. Predator Hunter Edition, which was announced for Europe earlier this month but confirmed for a U.S. release earlier today, includes one of the franchise's "facehugger" aliens, which ... well, we bet it serves some utility as well. For instance, say you've had a really large, luxurious beard for most of your life, then for circumstances beyond your control, you have to shave it. Your face will be so cold and lonely -- but not once it knows the fleshy embrace of the facehugger's unrelenting grasp. Oh, there's other stuff in the special edition too, such as a graphic novel, four extra multiplayer maps and a Weyland Yutani sleeve badge -- but can these bonuses comfort your recently shorn visage? No, they cannot. Check past the jump for the full image of the bundle.
UK man builds life-sized Dalek, furthers intergalactic evil
Sci-fi fandom and the DIY ethic go hand in hand -- and for evidence, you need only look at the large number of Star Trek and Star Wars-themed projects we've seen in this space over the years. Still, few of them have achieved the scope of the full-sized Dalek that Rob Bosher built for about £700 (roughly $1,140). Powered by an electric wheelchair and constructed mostly from wood, this guy can be piloted via remote control and even features working lights, a moving eye (a reconstituted magic eight ball) and a voice modulator for the creepy, alien order to "exterminate." When not trying to slowly (very slowly) populate the earth with a robot army bent on universal conquest and destruction, Bosher hopes to use his project to make money for regional charities.
Nvidia CEO loves Apple, possesses mysterious alien device
Talk about burying the lead -- Shufflegazine did a piece on Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Hwang during a visit to Dubai recently, in which he talks about how much he and his family love their Macs, and Apple's machines add value, and in his house it's just "Mac, Mac, Mac," and OH MY GOD, what is that SITTING ON THE TABLE in front of him? OK, it's probably not definitely not an Apple tablet (yet), as there's no clear Apple logo on it, but man that's a nice looking tablet device, and even Engadget says they have no idea what it is. The thing is, this picture just appeared with Shufflegazine's piece, and while Hwang did go on and on about how much he loves Apple stuff (and yes, the two companies have a long history of sharing some hardware), there's not word one about that tablet or anything like it in the piece, no hint of any other hardware or partnership announcement. It could be a prototype, it could be another tablet we're just not recognizing, or yes, Hwang could have just thrown it down on the table during the interview, and Shufflegazine could have just completely missed it. [They didn't. -Ed.] Though if that last one is true, we have no idea how it happened. How do you cover Apple and their gadgets and avoid being drawn to that tablet. It's so... thin and well-designed. We'll be honest, if we were in the room, we might have licked it then and there to claim it as our own. Thanks to Nemanja for the tip.
Earthrise reveals new environmental screens
In the post-apocalyptic world of action MMO Earthrise you'll encounter bone-filled deserts, lush jungles, other-worldly forests and... alien hatcheries full of membrane fauna? Hmm, oh that's right this is a sci-fi game, so that's totally cool. Even still, sweeping vistas and mysterious looking locations are all present here, which is exactly what an exploring player hopes to see in an upcoming MMO.Indeed, many of the new images are deliciously pretty -- just be aware that as you click through them, you're bound to come across that alien hatchery. Of course, if creepy alien hatcheries are what you're all about, then pleased you will certainly be.%Gallery-48760%
Romain Jerome's watch reveals The Truth About Roswell
It's all here: alien remains, the Yucca Flat tracks of a US Air Force collection vehicle, and the exploded gears of an unearthly aircraft. No, this hellish landscape is not some declassified aerial view taken aboard a Janet Airlines flight. Rather, it's the latest watch face from Romain Jerome's Moon Dust-DNA collection. Unfortunately, the price of The Truth About Roswell watch is all very hush-hush as you'd expect from a Swiss-crafted watch limited to a 9 piece run. Now hurry up and check the un-cropped image after the break -- we're expecting the authorities any second. [Via A Blog to Read]Read [Warning: PDF]
Aliens PS3 case mod is staggeringly ugly to non-fans
Adding even more credibility to the whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" mantra is this... masterpiece / abomination. Inspired by the iconic Aliens films, this completely over the top PlayStation 3 case mod is about as ridiculous as it gets. We're not really told how the modder went about crafting this lovely interpretation, but we are given a few more snapshots to gawk at in the read link -- which you won't visit unless you too are an Aliens freak, but hey, that's cool. [Thanks, Jeremiah]
Sigourney Weaver turned down Aliens game, interested in 'high-quality' Ghostbusters
In a recent interview with MTV News, Sigourney Weaver discussed her potential involvement in two upcoming ludological adaptations of hit 80s films in which she starred. Weaver claimed she turned down an offer to work on an Aliens title as she believed the digi-Ripley portrayed in-game was "not true to the character." She also explained that the resumé of the Aliens developer wasn't too impressive -- one of their past titles was a game "called 'Rednecks', where you shoot animals." We, and, more notably, Sega (the publisher of the pair of Aliens titles about which the MTV reporter was inquiring) have absolutely no idea what she's talking about. However, her feelings towards Atari's recently acquired adaptation of Ghostbusters were crystal clear -- she's interested in joining the cast, but only if the title is "high-quality." Oh, and if Atari finally greenlights her idea for a video game based on her "hit" 2001 "comedy", Heartbreakers.
PvP touched on for DC Universe Online
Studio creative director Chris Cao (aka The Biggest Designer in the Building) has tossed up some initial details on PvP in SOE's upcoming DC Universe Online. It sounds like plans are being drawn up to create a varied and worthwhile system for heroes and villains to duke it out within. We're going to be getting some open world PvP, arena-based PvP and even a system allowing heroes and villains to battle over control of the world itself.Basic PvP will be over stuff like protecting cops, or trying to beat them down in the case of baddies. Arenas are going ot be instanced content where both sides struggle over things like downed alien spacecraft --- mmm, alien technology. Finally, control over the world wasn't delved into very much. All we know is that strategic points in the world play a role in who controls how much of what.Chris ends it with a few notes, stressing things like the availability of PvP servers, opt-in PvP and designated zone. He also touches on SOE wanting to make the experience more skill-based in lieu of purely stat-based. So the better fighter should usually win in DC Unvirse Online.
3,000 LEDs used to build glitzy SMS-controlled UFO
Hey France, we've got one more for your sophisticated UFO archive. Dreamed up by artist Peter Coffin and crafted in conjunction with London-based Cinimod Studio, this 7-meter structure was built from aluminum and covered with 3,000 shockingly bright programmable LEDs. Furthermore, there's an on board 6kW generator to provide power, and the overall UFO can be remotely controlled via SMS. There are even assertions that this thing flew along the coast of Sopot, Poland on July 4th (and even a video to "prove it," posted after the jump), but we all know how dubious such proclamations can be. [Via Hack N Mod]
'Aliens: Colonial Marines' is title of Gearbox, Sega FPS
Not much more than a name to go with previous confirmation that Brothers in Arms creator Gearbox is developing an Alien FPS for Sega, as Game Informer announces "Aliens: Colonial Marines" as the cover story in it's new issue. The brief teaser copy confirms that the game will be squad-based, ostensibly following some of the development cues from Gearbox's previous projects. The title alludes to the second film, Aliens, and perhaps specifically to the 'United States Colonial Marines' who accompany Ripley when she returns to LV-426. It's unclear what, if any connection the game will have to that film or others within the series.Sega's Alien license currently covers Colonial Marines and an Obsidian RPG. Aliens: Colonial Marines is slated for a 2009 release on PC and consoles.
Aliens vs Predator screenshots surface
The Magic Box recently stumbled upon new images of the upcoming PSP Aliens vs Predator game. It's coming from Rebellion, the same team behind the PSP-exclusive Star Wars Battlefront. It's hard to discern the quality of the game's visuals from these shots, but it's clear that Rebellion has some kind of love affair with PSP.Supposedly, the game will be ready for for a December release in North America. [Update: Direct-feed screenshots from Sierra have arrived. Check them out in our gallery. And yes, this game is a PSP exclusive. Press release with more details, after the break!]%Gallery-5892%
Former Ubisoft VP helping develop Fox gaming brand
Adam Kline, former VP of business development at Ubisoft, is now the VP of new-media enterprises at 20th Century Fox. His new title is just a fancy way of saying he'll oversee video game projects and develop ways to make cash through e-commerce. He will oversee things like The Simpsons Game over at EA along with the Alien games over at Sega -- and probably a bunch of other Fox related titles we'll see in the near future.So, with Kline's existence having previously been in the gaming space over at Ubisoft, we can hope he won't be the typical suit who'll keep the chain of bad video games based on movies going. We hope Kline just keeps a tight leash on the Alien games being developed by Sega. We need more quality Alien games like Alien vs. Predator and less ... well, almost everything else.
Get your Boogie on, save it for posterity
Boogie just looks like good, clean dancin' fun and we're really excited about giving it a try, particularly after seeing this new video of ... well, video! Specifically, the video-making function in the forthcoming EA title. Looks very easy to use, and the results are pretty spiffy. Seems that impressions from the Nintendo Media Summit were on target -- Boogie is ready to get down. Now if only we could speed ahead to August!
Revolutionary: Alien Language
Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities. In the coming weeks, I'll be detailing the process of writing a GlovePIE script, from concept, through testing, to completion. You will see that it's not so tough to get something running, and I hope you'll also get a better understanding of the mechanics of the hardware inside the Wii Remote and its accessories. This time around, I'll be deconstructing the simplest of the GlovePIE scripts I've written to date, but also one of the most rewarding -- Alien Hominid.
Wii Warm Up: Enter initials
Dude, so we were playing some Alien Crush, and we killed the bonus stage with the dragons over and over again. We totally scored like five billion points and it was so AWESOME that we had to call everyone we knew and tell them about it. Okay, we're embellishing a bit. When we say we "totally scored like five billion points," we mean that we "continue to be awful at Alien Crush despite playing and loving it for eighteen years." But without our humble admission, you'd have no reason to doubt us! And that leads into our discussion.Simply put, we want leaderboards. We aren't going to get online play in VC games any time soon (or ever,) so we'll ask for the next best thing. We want to be able to see the high scores for games that, you know, have scores. We don't need prizes or anything. We'd be motivated enough by the idea that we could put our three-letter tag (mine: JC!) at the top of a nationwide or worldwide list if we were any good, which we aren't.Are high score leaderboards worth doing? Do you see value in friendly competition like this? Or did you always flip right past the high score page in old gaming magazines? Perhaps most importantly, what are your high score initials?
Gearbox to develop Sega's Alien FPS
Sega has revealed that Brothers in Arms creator Gearbox will develop its Alien FPS. The announcement comes padded with a lil' promise, as Sega has declared the shooter "will retain the atmospheric look and feel of the original films" -- we'll interpret this line to be a reference to Alien and Aliens, not the additional sequels (and certainly not AVP).With the game not scheduled for release until 2009, neither Sega or Gearbox is saying much else. Should we assume, given Gearbox's history, that this Alien FPS will be squad-based, with a touch of strategy?See also:Alien games to burst out of Sega's chestObsidian to helm Aliens RPG for Sega
