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What's coming to Netflix in January: 'Kimmy Schmidt' and Star Wars
Most of us will have a couple of days off at the start of the year before getting back to work after the holidays, and Netflix hopes to keep us occupied with a slew of show and movie additions. January 1st brings the final season of A Series of Unfortunate Events, along with stand-up series Comedians of the World and Tidying Up with Marie Kondo -- perfectly timed to inspire a start-of-year clear out.
Must See HDTV (December 16th - 22nd)
Time is running out on 2013, and as the year comes to a close most of the high-profile TV shows are taking off on their winter break. This week we're looking forward to individual releases of the classic Indiana Jones movies -- due for a return to the big screen in a few years now that Disney/Lucasfilm has the rights -- while another 80s favorite, Predator, returns in 3D-converted form. The process worked out pretty well for Top Gun 3D, but we're thinking jungle foliage and camouflaged aliens may be a little tougher to deal with. Football fans have a slew of lower-tier championships and bowl games to deal with this week while gamers will see Minecraft on the PS3 and the first episode for the second season of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead. Check after the break for our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
All three Indiana Jones movies are finally coming to Blu-ray individually
Last year Paramount and Lucasfilm delivered The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones (minus the TV series) on Blu-ray, bringing Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and Last Crusade home in HD for the first time. Of course, obtaining any of those movies meant buying the pack (including a fourth movie), but this year Indy fans can finally pick and choose, as the three movies will hit shelves individually on December 17th. If you can live without a physical copy, Digital HD versions from the usual assortment of internet movie stores go on sale even earlier on November 19th. Each copy is up for pre-order on Amazon already for about $19, so if you want more than one and/or the extra disc with all the behind the scenes featurettes, the $45 complete set might be the way to go -- even if it means owning that other movie too. Choose wisely, and check after the break to have Raiders of the Lost Ark ruined for you forever.
Must See HDTV (September 17th - 23rd)
Football is officially in swing, and this week we've got a couple of big college matchups with LSU taking on Auburn and Michigan vs. Notre Dame. Thursday is also one to keep an eye out for with Cam Newton taking on the Giants in prime time, NBC rolling out its usual slate of shows and a few season finales from FX. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventure After Star Wars last year, Lucasfilm is back with another restored series in HD, this time Indiana Jones. Consisting of all three movies and another, completely unrelated flick plus lots of extras, it should be quite an experience for the fans. Check out the announce post here for more details on the enhancements, or check out the trailer embedded after the break.. ($65 on Amazon) The Mob Doctor Coming in tonight after the season premiere of Bones, we're not sure if this show will stick around any longer than The Chicago Code did, but we'll give it a shot. Centered around a surgeon who somehow ends up paying off a mob debt with some off the books surgery, we're just happy to see PJ from My Boys back on TV -- if Jim Gaffigan drops by we're in for the duration. (September 17th, Fox, 9PM)
Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray set hits shelves September 18th
Fans of the Indiana Jones series already got the good news in March that the flicks are finally coming to Blu-ray this year, and now we know when. Paramount has set September 18th as the release date, and also finally revealed cover art for the set, seen above... yeah, that's really it. No matter how cartoony it is (or how mind-numbing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was) we're sure some will still be lining up when it ships. For their trouble, they can expect a "meticulously restored" edition of Raiders of the Lost Ark, after a process supervised by director Steven Spielberg and sound designer Ben Burtt. This has included a 4K scan of the original negatives, as well as a revisiting to the original audio mix, with music tracks and sound effects that had previously only been used in mono upgraded to stereo surround for the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. Check after the break for a press release with more details on the restoration and a trailer for the boxed set, or head to Amazon where the price is currently sitting at $90 to preorder.
The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection finally brings the entire set home in HD this fall
It's taken forever to come about, but the first three Indiana Jones movies will be released on Blu-ray for the first time later this year. Paramount announced it will deliver The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection this fall (no exact date yet), without explaining how it could possibly be complete if it lacked The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. This set does however include the three movies everyone wants to see (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) plus the other one (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) which was previously released on Blu-ray. Paramount and Lucasfilm are promising the "highest possible" picture and audio quality plus a collection of the usual behind the scenes featurettes and extras plus some surprises. Judging by the work Lucasfilm and Fox did on the Star Wars Blu-ray discs we should be in for a treat, and fans of other classic Spielberg flicks have a lot to look forward to from Universal's centennial celebration releases which will include Jaws and E.T. While we wait for more details, hardcore Indy fans can already get their preorder on at Amazon where the set is priced at $74.99, or check after the break for the press release and a few throwback trailers.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull coming to Blu-ray in October
File this under one of those announcements that brings more disappointed than anything else. Sure, we can't wait to enjoy the latest installment of the Indiana Jones franchise in HD. But the fact that a DVD box set was also announced, and there's no word on the availability of a Blu-ray box set has us worried. You see the first three movies have a special place in our hearts, and as much as we'd love to buy the forth, the fact that we know there will eventually be a box set that includes all four movies in HD has us in a holding pattern. This is especially true when you consider that some of the recent famous franchisees like The Matrix, aren't available individually. So, just to be on the safe side, you'd better believe we'll just be renting this one.
See Indiana Jones in Lego Star Wars
We don't know about you, but for us, this clip of Indiana Jones in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga raises far too many questions. For one, why is Indy so short? And why is he made of plastic? Why does his whip kill droids? Oh, and why on earth is he in Episode I? (Yuck.) Perhaps most pressing of all though: Why is he dying so much?Regardless, if you don't mind adding enigmas to your coffee along with various creams and honeys, it is kind of a fanboy treat to see a Lego-ized Indy fighting alongside Qui-Gon Jinn. Would we consider ourselves fanboys? Let's put it this way ... we spelled Qui-Gon Jinn from memory.
Indiana Jones coming to the PSP according to the ESRB
Aww, the ESRB -- the reliable source (sometimes) for early leaks on unannounced games. This time around they've spilled the beans a new Indiana Jones game for the PSP. Listed simply as Indiana Jones 2008, the game is rated Teen which, as Kotaku points out, would mean this isn't LEGO Indiana Jones.With the new movie coming out and the next-gen editions (seen above) getting a good amount of press, it seems reasonable to assume that this new PSP game will be tied into one of those properties. Regardless, it seems like we'll be getting a dose of portable Indy whippin' action come next year
Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Ten Unsung Games
Everyone knows about the good Indiana Jones games (because there have only been a couple), but do you remember the unsung games of Indy's yesteryear? Gnomeslair has compiled a list of the ten best unsung Indiana Jones games, and there's a few on there that really bring back memories. Although we'd have to argue and say that the Atari 2600 Raiders of the Lost Ark game wasn't really unsung ... people loved that game. Mostly because it was about the best you could do in 1982, and thankfully it wasn't the E.T. game.Likewise with the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom arcade game that came out in 1985. That was a game that used a voice synthesizer ("Soon Kali Ma will rule the world!") and had that really fun mine cart sequence in it. Sure it got ridiculous, with Indy having to whip flaming hearts out of the air, but so what. It ate our quarters faster than anything.Check out the list and let us know if these should be sung or unsung. It's really made us want to boot up ScummVM and play Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine all over again. Plus we might have to start bugging Nintendo and asking if Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures will be coming over to the Wii via the Virtual Console. And Lucasarts, when is your Indiana Jones game coming out, eh?[Thanks, Konstantinos]
Robotic Indiana Jones set to explore Pyramid of Cheops
Proving once again that Harrison Ford was an idiot to risk death by snake bite, blow dart, and Nazi in order to collect a few historical trinkets, archaeologists in Egypt are preparing to perform their next exploration of the Pyramid of Cheops at Giza from the comfort of an air-conditioned tent. Instead of trying to squeeze volunteer grad students or small children down the pyramid's narrow passageways, researchers from Egypt, Singapore, Britain, and Hong Kong will be using a camera-equipped robot to navigate the country's largest ancient structure when they attempt to unlock its secrets next February. A bulkier bot was employed for this same task during a similar expedition in 2002, and though it was able to drill through walls and identify a previously unknown chamber, multiple impediments prevented it from actually discovering what, if anything, lay within. It's still not clear how the newer robot will succeed where its predecessor failed -- after all, chances are slim that the pharaohs had robotic doggy doors built into their innermost sanctums -- but apparently the international team is confident that the upcoming mission has a better shot at solving this mystery. Experts are still torn over what will likely be found in the supposed resting place of Cheops himself, but after having watched a documentary on this very subject featuring Brendan Fraser, it seems pretty clear that our tomb raiding bot can expect numerous encounters with The Rock and/or killer mummies.[Via The Raw Feed]
Indiana Jones Das Spiel
This German language Indiana Jones GC 06 trailer (showcasing ILM's "Euphoria" physics) is so charmingly retro it makes me want to spend 7 years shooting a shot for shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark in my backyard. Oh right, some kid already did that.
Joyswag: Be crafty, win DS and GBA games
Free games. You want them. There's no point in deluging you with our usual witty banter, remarkable observations or faultless modesty this time. Know only that this is an easy competition and that your prize is one of the following games: Sudoku Gridmaster (DS) Magnetica (DS) Tales of Phantasia (GBA) Drilldozer (GBA) Four of you will become winners by following our simple instructions and dazzling us with humor and visual mockery: Take the above image (click on it for a slightly larger version), shove it through some sort of picture alteration software and create something astonishing. Send the legends to a dimension made of nothing but congealed cheese, replace arms with spaghetti or have them recite Monty Python quotes -- let inspiration and the desire to triumph over the other pathetic entries guide you.Send the images in .jpeg format to joyswag [dot] submissions [at] gmail [dot] com. If you manage to send us into a state of hysterical laughter or stunned awe, we'll randomly select one of the four games and send it to you via an obsolete, physical delivery system. Oh, and you have until today, 11:59PM EST. Go![Original image here.]
Lucasfilm combines animation, movie and game assets
To say that the Lucasfilm group has a finger in every pie completely fails to capture how entrenched they are in several key areas in the entertainment industry. Revising the expression to include a ravenous ball of thumbs rolling through a quaint bakery might be more effective, if somewhat indicative of a strange and broken imagination. With film, game, animation and special effects divisions (amongst others) to keep track of, George Lucas and friends have decided to implement a single, software-driven database to manage all of their digital assets, essentially linking together the imaginations of the 2,000 or so people currently employed across the world. Lori Gianino, director of information systems at Lucasfilm, completely fails to make any of this sound even vaguely interesting by saying it lets them "eliminate data entry by pulling information from other systems."What she really should be saying is something along the lines of, "This universal database will give those working on our next-gen games a considerable advantage, as they'll have direct access to all the assets from our various productions. That's really awesome and stuff." Once the system is fully implemented, it is expected to house just about every piece of every puzzle, including live-action frames, motion capture data and even in-progress special effects shots. The forthcoming Indiana Jones game, for instance, can only hope to gain from an increased synergy with those involved with the fourth movie in the action archeology series. Even original titles that aim to be cinematic in nature can look to benefit from sharing assets with Lucasfilm's stable of, err, films.The unified data management system also provides scheduling and reporting tools which could certainly prove to be useful in an industry where game release dates often get pushed back and development costs get pushed higher and higher. Better management of time and budget will become all the more important in the next-generation of gaming, perhaps even skipping right past "important" and going straight to "essential." Large companies like EA and Microsoft are sure to have investigated or already implemented similar sharing strategies amongst their many developers.
Indy returns in indie adventure game, Fountain of Youth
Alright adventure gamers: while we're busy waiting for LucasArts-leftovers, Sam & Max, to make their triumphant return to the small screen, check out the demo for the fanmade Indiana Jones adventure, Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth. Built using Adventure Game Studio, the screenshots look remarkably SCUMM-y; the artwork, animation, sound, and writing, all recall the golden age of LucasArts excellent point-and-click adventure games. What makes us nervous: LucasArts team of highly-trained ninja lawyers who only get paid if they send x amount of cease and desist letters to obsessively loyal fans of their various properties. C'mon, look at their URL! Barnettcollege.com ... brilliant. (Note: Mac users can download a beta of the AGS game engine here)See also: Use your BRAINS in zombified adventure game[Via digg]
God of War's Jaffe inspired by Britney vs. Christina
Sure you knew that God of War was inspired by Clash of the Titans and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but did you know that Christina Aguilera influenced its development as well?In an interview conducted by Lorne Lanning for a session at GDC last week, David Jaffe revealed that thinking of (the workplace tension between him and) his lead programmer during a Christina Aguilera song about Britney Spears helped him get the game to work.So identifying with the arguably lesser end of the Christina-Britney rivalry helped Kratos make it out of development hell? Sounds like a surefire way to create a hit game! We also take it then that the song in question wasn't "Genie in a Bottle," 'cause that would've made for one interesting unlockable costume for our marked man. Cameo in the sequel, perhaps?[Britney 'n' Christina pic found via an old BBC MTV VMA story found here]See also: David Jaffe, blogger extraordinaire, WRU?!? God of War 2 GDC video leaked online Budget power from the Gods, under the hood
