Posts Filed Under: sci-fi

Mike sent me an IM, “You want to go see the new Tron in 3D IMAX on Saturday?” I’m like, “Hell yeah!”

Driving down, we had a suspicion it was just a trailer from all the chatter across the web leading up to the event. Rumors were even flying it was attached to an early screening of the new Alice in Wonderland. That made the most sense, with Tron still being 10 months out, and Alice being just a week. Besides, Disney owns both…

It turned out it was only the new trailer, shown twice. (For some proper journalism on the event, check out Mike’s recount on Kotaku.)

The screening was at THE BRIDGE: Cinema de Lux in The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center — my old stomping grounds in Culver City, CA. Culver City also happens to be the place where the original Flynn’s Arcade stood. Now its a swank restaurant called Akasha.

Both Tron directors were on hand — the original, Steven Lisberger, and the new, Joseph Kosinski. This gave me some hope that the movie may turn out all right. That, and the trailer was pretty stunning. It is going to be a must see in 3D IMAX.

From what I gathered during the 20 minute Q & A session (while the film rewound), Daft Punk was heavily involved and will be in the movie, Disney will be recreating Flynn’s Arcade, and expect a game. Sometimes avoiding questions can say more than any press release.

They finally made it.

Unfortunately, the ‘they’ in the sentence above does not refer to Aperture Science (or the Japanese).  Instead cosplayer “emilyskeith” is the proud owner of one of the finest pieces of simulated technology I have ever seen.

I even believe Chris Cunningham shed a tear in awe when he saw it.

Real Portal Gun Won’t Leave You Tasting Blood [Kotaku]

It looks like things are engaging for Star Trek Online.  Spock has even been recommissioned to speak on the subject during a media event this weekend in Vegas (which you may watch live).

That’s honestly all I want to hear about it.  I have sworn off MMO’s forever.  I don’t want to know players travel through the galaxy by foot, by transporter beam, at impulse power, at warp, and via new transwarp conduits constructed by the Federation during the twenty years that have elapsed since Star Trek: Nemesis. Nor do I care there is both personal and ship-to-ship combat. And I’m not at all interested that over a hundred ships have been recreated in the game, at least 50 of these obtainable by players. None of these things matter to me because they are wrapped up in an MMO, and I will not be assimilated.

I prefer to let my warm ST:TNG memories fade and mutate into hilarious Internet memes.

Wow. After being motivated to look up some clips on Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero, per Scott’s recommendation, I came across this single screen of that Atari Jaguar attempt at… well, who knows what, but it’s Trevor McFur In The Crescent Gallery, a side-scrolling shoot ‘em up that followed in the vein of dozens of 90s “classics.” Render in Video Toaster or some shit, digitize and throw in some lens flare on top of a parallax style 3D scrolling background. I passed on the opportunity to pick up a Jaguar for $50 at some outlet store a few years and have never regretted it.

There are dozens of great screen shots of Trevor McFur on VGmuseum, showing that in the future, our military will be overrun by feline officers who look like humans from the neck down, but are pure kitty from the neck up. Amazing stuff. It would have a more substantial audience of furry fanatics today, now that so many of them are out of the closet and into fur suits.

A metallic cherub wielding a crossbow and sporting Wayfarers? This is the kind of shit that would have me transfixed outside a Babbage’s display window for hours. I find myself needing a Jaguar.

Have you ever seen something so retarded and out of place that it ends up being cool and working? Well, the addition of Yoda and Darth Vader into the Soul Calibur universe may be just that. The nine year old in me flipped out when Namco announced that the two guest-stars will be appearing in the next installment on their respective color-coded gaming systems.

Please tell me Voldo will have an alternate C-3PO costume.

I just got back from the 2 hour theatrical screening of Battlestar Galatica: Razor, presented by Mass Effect, Xbox 360, Sci Fi, and Zune.  What, you don’t watch Battlestar?  Why must you continue to deny yourself the best modern science fiction made?  And to think you call yourself a fan of the genre.  All those hours watching Star Trek: the Next Generation were essentially preparation for this series.  You’re an adult now, and your scifi has grown up as well.

But I digress.  I had a hunch Battlestar would make it to the big screen, I just never expected it to happen so soon.   I am not complaining, though I do have a couple complaints.  Well, maybe that’s too strong of a word.  I have a couple suggestions.  One, the middle of a highly immersive space scifi plot, is not the best time to try to get the audience into your supposedly highly immersive space scifi game plot, Mass Effect.  Microsoft decided to inartfully insert a 60 second plug for Mass Effect smack in the middle of the Battlestar screening (chased by the same Zune commercial we saw right before the start of the show).  How do you expect everyone to switch gears from the intricate, carefully crafted story arch we were just witnessing to the cheese-wiz of a story of a game… all in 60 seconds? Also, no matter how good the graphics are for your game, they are going to look like ass compared to the CG special effects and real actors we were just watching seconds ago.  I felt bad for feeling this way, especially when Mass Effect looks like it shows hot intergalactic lesbian action so much promise.  It just wasn’t the best timing, Microsoft.  But I do thank you for sponsoring the event and picking up the tab, thus making it possible.  I’ll be sure to buy J Allard a drink next time I see him.

While we are on the subject of making things possible, how about bringing the BSG series out on Blu-ray?  Oh, don’t feign being appalled by the mere question.  Does it really need to be played as pawn in your silly format war?  I have a friend who is not going to buy your HD-DVD player attachment, but I really want them to start spending some quality time with one of the best series ever made.