the dark knight
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Rumor: Dark Knight to prowl GTA-style city
In the category of things that are not surprising, you're certain to find the existence of a video game based on a stunningly successful superhero film. You'll also find Kotaku's report on the alleged first details of said game, which see the titular Dark Knight roaming the GTA-style streets of Gotham City, racing about in the Batmobile and swinging through the urban jungle on the hunt for society's less reputable elements. But it's the game's unusual failure to release -- or even be officially acknowledged by anyone other than Commissioner Gordon -- that you might file in the less crowded category of surprising things. The report attributes Batman's no-show to the developer's continued struggle against a dodgy camera system and repetitive combat, the latter of which is no doubt a challenging side effect of film director Christoper Nolan slamming our hero's cape in the door of reality. There's hope for a successful outcome (Vigilante's Creed, anyone?) within such a vaporous release schedule, but we're already concerned by the game's supposed adoption of the now-standard "Superhero + GTA = Video Game" formula. EA, we know you ignored us when we pleaded with you to put the Tumbler into Burnout Paradise as an unlockable, but listen to us this one time: People want to be Batman -- all of him. We want to be a billionaire playboy, the world's greatest detective and Gotham's Dark Knight. Don't make us beat up petty thugs in generic alleys all game long, okay?
Way too expensive Dark Knight 360s flood eBay
With box office numbers soaring past the $440 million mark, The Dark Knight is one hot, hot, hot brand. This is exactly why lucky promotion winners are willing to put their rare The Dark Knight themed Xbox 360s on eBay, to capitalize on the hype and make a fist full of cash.Winners of the Dominos Pizza's "The Cards Tell the Tale" Sweepstakes were awarded one of 110 The Dark Knight Xbox 360s (20GB models, no less) and now they're flooding eBay with some very high price tags. If you want one (and really, who wouldn't want a 360 plastered with the Joker on its side?) expect to pay two to three times the value of a Pro console itself. Heck, even "legit" auctions with sixteen plus bids have exceeded the $800 mark, which we expect to only climb. We wish we weren't so seriously jealous right now ...[Via Gamertell]
The Dark Knight Blu-ray to kick off social BD-Live features for Warner?
Batman and Sleeping Beauty might have something in common pretty soon, as DVDTown reports Warner Bros. is considering making The Dark Knight its first release with BD-Live features. If they're planning on testing for synchronized watching among groups with chat running alongside the movie, the summer's biggest flick (and w/ IMAX sequences already coming home) seems like a good place to start. All we can hope is that it comes out sooner rather than later, apparently some people have too much time on their hands.[Via MovieWeb]
The Dark Knight Xbox 360 spotted in the wild
As you've surely heard (and hopefully confirmed for yourself) by now, The Dark Knight is a runaway hit. So much so, in fact, that a number of manufacturers have figured it prudent to crank our hardware with the iconic Batman logo front and center. Next in line for admission on the bandwagon seems to be Microsoft, which apparently showed off a "limited edition" (read: likely one of a kind) Dark Knight Xbox 360 over in Taiwan. We know, you want the details -- eventual release dates, a price, the works. Unfortunately for us all, we're stuck with just that image above and hope for the future. Hey, at least you can let your imagination run wild.[Via IGN]
Watch as Oldman spills The Dark Knight game details
Like a Batarang, this story didn't come back – it stuck. We're talking about our original report on G4's interview with actor Gary Oldman, in which he specifically speaks about an upcoming game based on the smash hit movie The Dark Knight. G4 had pulled the video, but, like a boomerang, it's back.Oldman, who plays the role of Gotham City police lieutenant Jim Gordon in the film, reveals during the interview that he's "seen a tiny little piece of [the game]" and that its developer (rumored to be the now EA-owned Pandemic) is focusing a lot of effort on realistic, seamless gliding sequences. Meanwhile, his interviewer looks more uncomfortable and confused than enthused about the fact that she's sitting across from a film legend. Why so serious?
Oldman confirms Dark Knight game, G4 pulls video
[Update: Now with video (thanks, VVP)! Watch Gary Oldman spill the beans after the break. And hey, G4 – you guys totally got that story fair and square, so why pull the video?]Far be it from us to tell Electronic Arts how to run its business, but one would think that announcing a long-since-leaked game based on a hugely anticipated movie which just so happened to premier the very same week of the industry's largest press event would be – what we in the video game blogging business call – "a no-brainer." But, then again, we're not Electronic Arts so, despite being first rumored and then leaked by IGN over a year ago, Pandemic's totally secret adaptation of The Dark Knight did not make its debut during the serendipitous collision of E3 and Batman-mania last week. As if EA's counter-intuitive marketing plan wasn't funny enough, an interview on G4 with Commissioner Gordon himself, Gary Oldman, revealed – surprise! – that a game was indeed in development. Oldman stopped short of naming developer Pandemic or EA, but we all know the score; in response, G4 had the video removed from YouTube as well as their own site. Our favorite part from the interview teaser reel? When Oldman says, "It's hard to make a movie like this under the radar." You know what, we were just thinking the same thing about games ...Source – IGN forumsSource – YouTube video (since pulled by g4 Media, Inc.)
Nokia's XpressMedia 5800 "Tube" makes cameo in The Dark Knight
So apparently a healthy exchange of cash and a captive audience glued to one of the biggest flicks of the year are all it takes to land early dibs on Nokia's elusive Tube. The Tube -- which will likely be branded either XpressMusic or XpressMedia and carry model number 5800 -- represents Nokia's first serious foray into the wide world of touchscreen smartphones (don't even try to pull the Series 90 card, people), so there's quite a bit of buzz building around it. Just like there's lots of buzz aroudn this new Batman joint. Coincidence? We think not!
Screen Grabs: Nokia's XpressMedia 5800 "Tube" plays big role in The Dark Knight
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. Even for gadget freaks, it was tough to take one's attention away from the outstanding action that filled The Dark Knight from beginning to end, but when Morgan Freeman had to hand over his Nokia XpressMedia 5800 (or Tube, as it were) at a stop in Hong Kong, we had to take a moment and gush. Nokia's still-not-official handset had a few critical scenes where it was highlighted, though we'd wager it was only viewable for 4 to 5 seconds in total. Beyond that, Nokia's peculiarly designed 6630 (circa 2004) was Gordon's handset of choice, which we risked an MPAA thug kneecapping in order to also snag and host up below. It's not really important that you go see it for a live shot of the Tube (though the incentive is nice), just make sure you go. Soon.[Thanks to everyone who kept us on the lookout!] %Gallery-28089%
Expect The Dark Knight's IMAX sequences on Blu-ray
Enjoying the small clip of IMAX The Dark Knight footage featured on the recent Batman Begins Blu-ray release? Even before the next flick hits theaters, director Christopher Nolan has already revealed plans to convert all the scenes shot for IMAX screens for use on the Blu-ray copy, whenever it hits shelves. Some cropping will be done to make everything fit but we'll still enjoy the extra detail in 1080p.
Hands-on with Verizon's Nokia 6205 "The Dark Knight" edition
Sure, you might be the biggest Christian Bale fan in the world right now, but what about this time next year when The Dark Knight DVDs are already collecting dust on bookshelves around the globe? That was the million-dollar question on our minds when we heard that Verizon was commemorating the launch of its Nokia 6205 and the latest Batman flick with a tied-in version of the low end flip. Turns out it's all good, though -- a look through the custom packaging revealed a grand total of two battery covers, one with the Batman logo and one without, so it should be pretty easy to avoid those embarrassing "what's with the batphone?" queries in a few months' time. Otherwise, there's very little to say about the phone -- it truly is a minimalist flip -- though we're definitely excited to see Nokia's apparently renewed commitment to working not just with CDMA, but with CDMA carriers in North America.%Gallery-27528%
Order a pizza, win a Dark Knight themed Xbox 360
Way, way, way back in March we informed you about Microsoft creating a few special The Dark Knight themed Xbox 360's for a Summer promotion. Seeing that it's Summer and perfect promotional weather, we now know what they look like AND how to win them. A process that includes ordering delicious pizza.Beginning July 7th, Domino's pizza and The Dark Knight have teamed up to offer a special Gotham City Pizza where, once ordered, you'll gain access into The Dark Knight Vault which is full of exclusive clips, downloads and the chance to win all kinds of prizes. Prizes like $10,000, autographed goods and most importantly, a Dark Knight Xbox 360 Elite. Only 110 consoles exists, so prepare to order LOTS of pizza come July.
Support the Bat w/free Dark Knight XBLM goods
Preparing for this Summer's sure to be mega hit blockbuster The Dark Knight , the marketing powers that be have just released some free movie themed downloads to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Though, sadly, these are only available to U.S. Live subscribers (frowny face).Downloadable is a The Dark Night theme featuring some rather sexy promo shots from the film as well as a gamer picture pack including five pictures to choose from. All very Batman-like and all very delicious! And yes, this very, very, very obsessed blogger (obsessiveness proved by my Dark Knight inspired Facebook profile image) is sporting some Joker gamer picture love. You should do the same ... at least until July 18th.
Nokia 6205 flip official for Verizon
Nokia's got a new no-frills handset coming to Verizon on June 15th, the Nokia 6205. Specs like a 1.3 megapixel camera, 58MB of memory and the Verizon UI -- no thank you -- won't have us in a hurry to turn in our N95, but the real news here is that the phone was designed by Nokia itself, and they're promising even more phones for Verizon in the future -- though S60 might not be in the cards. The 6205 has a 2-inch 176 x 220 screen on the inside, and a 1.28-inch 128 x 128 LCD on the back, there's a microSD slot, plenty of audio codec support, Bluetooth and a paltry 4 hours of talk time due to the EV-DO connection this thing wastes on a WAP 2.0 browser. It comes in the standard blue version, available in July, or you can pick up "The Dark Knight" edition we heard about (pictured), complete with movie-based ringtones and a pre-loaded trailer, on June 15th. Both will retail for $119 with contract.In need of some hands-on of this phone? That's weird. Check it out at Engadget Mobile.%Gallery-25004%
Nokia 6205 "The Dark Knight Edition" is funnier than Verizon probably intended
Don't get us wrong, there's nothing wrong with Batman, nor is there anything wrong with this phone (that we know of, anyway) -- we're just having a hard time saying the full name of it with a straight face. The rumored Nokia flip is getting really close to release, it seems, and Verizon's getting the party started with "The Dark Knight Edition" which will come loaded with some "exclusive" content related to the latest Gotham City thriller. With a 1.3 megapixel cam, GPS, Bluetooth, and EV-DO, it's not likely to set Verizon's retail stores ablaze with sales -- but more importantly, it marks a renewed interest on Nokia's part in bringing decent equipment to the CDMA side of the fence. Look for it to be available on June 15 for $119.99 on a two-year contract before rebate.%Gallery-24655%
IGN says Pandemic making Batman 'for sure,' then pulls story
Last night, eagle-eyed members of NeoGAF spotted a story on IGN about developer Pandemic working on a new Batman game, moments before the story was then pulled. We're betting it was an exclusive let slip a bit too early, but that's just a guess. If you'll remember, this partnership of Bat and studio was rumored all the way back in May.IGN didn't have details on the game but we're inclined to agree with the assumption that it's a Dark Knight tie-in meant to drop alongside the movie in July. As for the choice of Pandemic, best known for Destroy All Humans and Mercenaries, we're amiable enough. They're at least qualified to hurdle over the bar set by previous devs, so low as to be in danger of being melted by the Earth's molten core.
Upcoming MMO movies (and why they'll suck)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Upcoming_MMO_movies_and_why_they_ll_suck'; Dorothy Parker once said "The only 'ism' Hollywood believes in is plagiarism." While not technically plagiarism, the practice of mining popular properties of other media is a time-honored mainstay of Hollywood's. Why invent a new franchise when you can adapt one that already exists? Well, if we're talking about translating videogames to cinema, there are at least 3 reasons against that we can think of right away: Street Fighter: The Movie, Double Dragon, and Doom. Oh, and the entire body of work of Uwe Boll.With such a history of failure, why does Hollywood keep banking on videogames as good sources of material? Because it's always desperate for the next big hit, and adaptation is seen as being easier than originality, even though by now it's apparent that it's not quite as simple as it seems. An even better question is: why exactly don't these translations work? What is it about games that makes for poor films? Let's see if we can answer this question and assess the potential success/failure of some upcoming MMO movies.
Summer promo brings The Dark Knight themed 360s
The marketing peeps over at Brandweek are reporting that this Summer's sure to be a hit blockbuster movie, The Dark Knight, will see a massive marketing campaign with companies signing on to do cross-promotional tie-ins including our own Xbox 360. Sometime this Summer, Microsoft will be holding a giveaway where they'll be handing out The Dark Knight themed Xbox 360s in both Batman and Joker flavors. Just think how twisted-crazy a Joker themed 360 would be. Details regarding the promotion are slim, but come July we'll be informed and on a Dark Knight 360 mission. We guess our limited edition Mass Effect Xbox 360 will have to tide us over for now.[Thanks, L1B3RATION]
RUMOR: Pandemic signed on to develop next Batman game?
While it's just a rumor at this point, the studio behind the sleeper hits Mercenaries and Destroy All Humans!, Pandemic, is apparently working on the next Batman game, based off of the sequel to the film Batman Begins. While Pandemic is developing it, it seems the rights belong to Elevation Partners and the publishing will likely be done by everybody's favorite software distributor: Electronic Arts.The rumor stems from the idea that Pandemic has been working on a project known as "Project B" for a long time. With the above list of people coordinating on the project, it seems likely that the B does indeed stand for Batman. Even though the first game, Batman Begins, was welcomed by mediocre reviews and a strange kid-friendly style of stealth. Well, if this turns out to be true or false, we'll keep you posted. Maybe it'll turn out decent? Wishful thinking for a movie-game ...
