clerks
Latest
Randal from Kevin Smith's Clerks to voice Randal's Monday
Fans of Kevin Smith's 1994 geek-comedy film Clerks (or its raunchy 2006 sequel) might want to take note of Randal's Monday, a point-and-click adventure game from Daedalic Entertainment and Nexus Game Studios coming this fall to PC. Why? Because Randal of Randal's Monday will be voiced by Randal of Clerks, actor Jeff Anderson. "When we first started to design this story in that filthy old garage, we could never have imagined that he would end up being the voice of our Randal," lead producer Enric Costa said in a related press release. "Nobody else in the world could ever interpret Randal better than he does. It's like the icing on the cake for this huge project." According to the press release, Anderson will also help develop the game's script. Randal's Monday is a game that pays homage to nerd culture in more ways than its choice of voice actor; Daedalic and Nexus are populating the game with references and homages a plenty. The game's announcement trailer, for example, combines The Twilight Zone with Freaks and Geeks within the first ten seconds. We'd close this article with a reference and a link to a clip from Clerks or Clerks 2, but let's keep things family-friendly, yeah? [Image: Daedalic Games]
Miramax arrives on Lovefilm to let you relive the golden age of Weinsteins
Miramax has reached a deal with Lovefilm to get its back-catalog of award-winning films available on-demand in the UK and Germany. It's an unsurprising move given the company has similar deals in place with Netflix and Hulu to let you watch classics like Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Trainspotting whenever the urge takes you. While there was no official confirmation of a launch window, a cursory check of our own account reveals that some of the titles (including Kill Bill) are already popping up on the instant service.
Hulu, Miramax deal means Netflix, Hulu Plus both add Pulp Fiction and more starting today
According to a blog post and press release (after the break) Hulu is bringing Miramax films to its free and paid Hulu Plus services. This is also the same day the Miramax deal kicks in for Netflix, so both just added notable movies including Clerks, Swingers, Basquiat, The Crow and Reservoir Dogs. Miramax movies on Hulu Plus are presented ad-free and in HD, just like on Netflix Watch Instantly, and both appear to have the same selection available, although one negative side effect of parity is that neither has optional closed captions on streaming for any of them. The only difference so far? Soon, Hulu will offer a rotation of 15 Miramax movies per month through Hulu.com for ad-supported viewing. While we're sure some will wait for Miramax to work through its Blu-ray release backlog (CEO Mike Lang is on it, although we still don't have a date for Pulp Fiction) it's good to suddenly see a catalog that had been locked away due to the studio's pending sale suddenly become available through so many outlets.
TERA invites the Berserker to visit for tea
When you heard that one of TERA's classes was to be called the "Berserker" and you either thought of either the 80's arcade cabinet classic or an obscure song from the movie Clerks, then we could be fast friends. In any case, TERA's Brian Knox and Scott James Magner sat down with ZAM to talk about this brutal class and why it might appeal to the barbarian in all of us. TERA's Berserker is a two-handed axe wielder who has his weapon constantly in motion. The relatively short range of the class means that Berserkers have to get up close and personal with any foe they're fighting, but the increased risk of such moves are paid off with some of the highest DPS of the game. Because TERA uses both collision and positioning in its combat system, it's essential for the Berserker to hit with the blade and then duck away before getting slammed in return. Get too close, and you'll end up hitting with the hilt and wondering why the monster is laughing at you. You can read the full interview at ZAM and check out a series of screenshots detailing one of the Berserker's key moves. The official TERA site also has an outline of the class, along with a video for your eyes only (it will self-destruct after viewing).
Defying App Store dogma with the Kevin Smith app
The question is this: If an application that simulates flatulence is worth 99 cents, is it reasonable to spend the same amount on an app that delivers a full-force, stun-an-elephant dosage of information about one cult actor/director? We're about to find out: here comes the Kevin Smith app [iTunes link], for everything Kevin Smith and all your Kevin Smith needs. If you're thinking "Who is Kevin Smith and why should I care?" you can tune out now; this app isn't for you. If you quote Chasing Amy, have dressed up as a character from Clerks for Halloween, and voluntarily chose to see Jersey Girl: it's your lucky day. The $0.99 app includes a custom feed of candid Kevin photos, a single-user Twitter client (!) so you can follow Kevin's 140-character bon mots, news feeds from Kevin's site with podcast/media downloads, a "photo with Silent Bob" tool, a Rant soundboard of Kevin quips... even a Kevin ringtone to go with your Kevin wallpaper. I am not making any of this up. In fairness to Kevin and his development team, I don't think they're taking themselves completely seriously here -- and if when Kevin and co. come to Macworld Expo to promote the app, you can bet we will be there to get an in-person demo. To quote the man, the myth, the legend: Yes, it may be the Pet Rock of the 21st century. But be honest: you've spent .99 cents on way dumber crap. If you're remotely into my nonsense, at the very least, this me-centric app will make you smile. At the very most, you'll put a noose around your neck, utter "It's all for you, Official Kevin Smith iPhone App!", and step off a ledge. Let's hope your reaction's somewhere betwixt the two. I'm almost afraid to search the store to see what other single-subject apps have been officially endorsed by their celebrity co-creators. If you had to pick a person that was deserving of his or her own app (aside from Kevin Smith), who would it be and why?
The Silent Bob approach to group management
The world of groups: pugs, raids, arenas, guilds, confederations, servers; all of it means one thing: you have to know how to get along with each other. A big part of getting along with one another in a successful group is knowing how and when to get information across. This communication is often times hard to do, even for the most seasoned communicator. How do you tell someone that their tanking is so awful you'd rather let the hunter's pet be the main tank? What do you say to a healer to get them to understand that healing means more than casting their biggest heal all the time? And what do you do with the DPS who always decides to pull for the group?Recently I've taken up a new way to deal with all these things. I call it the Silent Bob approach to group management.The approach is outlined by three simple steps.
Breakfast Topics: 37! In a row?
Yesterday I was out tromping around Nagrand with my Shaman leveling her up, killing mob after mob. There was a point that when I killed about 10 mobs in a row, and I thought to myself "Killing Spree!" Harking back to the days of yore and Quake 3.This got me thinking. There is one critical achievement that is missing in the game. A killing spree achievement, ideally reached when you kill 37 mobs in a row without stopping. In fact, there's a great title for it featured as the name of this article. Go ahead Blizzard, take this one idea for free. To you, from me; your friend Adam.But oh wait, there's more. I was twittering last night about this, and there were some good suggestions that came across the feed. More after the break!
Wii Warm Up: Your dream mod
This Clerks Wii case mod from serial modder Ramon Stokes came straight out of left field, and its sheer randomness delighted us, even though the Metroid Wii above (also by the same chap) remains this blogger's all-time favorite. Alas, yours truly lacks Ramon's mad skillz (Pritt Stick remains a considerable challenge), meaning I'm limited to daydreaming about how my awesome Pilotwings Wii case mod would look. Reader, in my head, it is majestic.What about you lot, though? If you could modify your Wii's tidy, white exterior in any way you liked, regardless of cost or a lack of talent, how would you want it to look?
Wii casemod makes a quick stop into our hearts
Ramon Stokes is clearly the go-to person when it comes to prettying up the Wii. First, there was this Zelda mod, then this Metroid mod, and after that this really great Rockstar mod. Now, he's at it again, this time with a Wii mod commissioned for Kevin Smith himself. As you can see, the casemod features the four main Clerks characters on the front. The back has a View Askew insignia, and the Nunchucks are labeled "Kevin Smith" and "Silent Bob" (though we're not sure how Smith would manage to play as himself and his movie persona at the same time). This beauty was commissioned as a Christmas gift for Kevin Smith, and took about 60 hours to make. Well done, Ramon; you manage to impress us time and time again.More pictures of this mod can be seen after the jump!
Game store clerks risk all, speak out ... anonymously
Games Radar's "Confessions of a Game Store Clerk" has more info than you would ever want to know about working at a video game store. Way more.The anonymous interview with eight current and former employees includes 17 pages of juicy details on such hot-button issues as who "mistreats" them the worst (hint: the customers) and State of Emergency ("that game sucked so bad"). Kudos to Games Radar for the mysterious neck-down photos of the unnamed clerks. These guys are really putting their asses on the line. If anyone found out they worked at Gamestop ... they might never score a date again.
