News

As denizens of Blockbuster Video will be able to attest, the mid-1990s to early 2000s saw a massive glut of animated straight-to-video sequels and prequels to many of Disney's known animated features. There were sequels to "The Fox and the Hound," "Bambi," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," "Lady and the Tramp," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "The Emperor's New Groove," "Mulan," "Pocahontas," "Tarzan," "The Jungle Book," and even "Brother Bear." The sequels all came when there was a change of leadership at Disney, and the studio tripled-down on the mandate to make as much money as possible. 

The only people who watched these movies were nostalgic Disney-obsessed adults who viewed them as a scientific curiosity, and sought to use them as talking points in long-form online articles. Very occasionally, the films were rented from Blockbuster by anyone who happened to be seven years old when the sequel in question was released.

When Tim Miller's superhero film "Deadpool" was released in 2016, it felt like a breath of fresh air. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was still standing astride the Earth like a mighty colossus, releasing gigantic hit films every few months. The MCU dominated the conversation like no other series of blockbusters before, generating so much online discourse that entire subgenres of journalism sprung up it its shadow. And the McU's fans were passionately defensive, often accusing any naysayers or critics of hating fun and being ignorant to what great cinema looked like.

When "Deadpool" came out, the MCU was coming off "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Ant-Man," and was gearing up for "Captain America: Civil War." The MCU was in its stride. "Deadpool" sought to stick out his foot and trip the genre, hoping to cause a stumble. "Deadpool" was a crass, ultra-violent, obscenity-laced R-rated comedy which featured scenes of the...

Now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be winding down in earnest (films like "The Marvels" and shows like "Secret Invasion" aren't nearly as successful as their forbears), perhaps audiences may finally be able to speak about the series as it if weren't an inevitability. The MCU indeed stood like a mighty colossus over the entire film industry for the better part of 15 years, but there was nothing beyond our uncreative assumptions to indicate that it had to happen or that it would last forever.

Perhaps with that attitude gone, audiences will be able to see films like "Blade" as a stylish action/horror flick unto itself, and not a dry run for something better down the line. Perhaps the 1996 pilot for "Generation X" can be accepted merely as a low-budget, MTV-inflected take on the X-Men. And perhaps TV movies like David Goyer's 1998 actioner "Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D....

Before "The Tick," and before "The Tick," but after "The Tick," there was "The Tick," the short-lived animated series that ran on Fox from 1994 to 1996. 

The Tick was a parody superhero character originally created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986. The character was a massive pile of muscles wrapped in a skin-tight blue bodysuit, and sporting a tiny pair of tick antennae on his head. He was incredibly strong, incredibly noble, and not at all bright. The Tick was just as in love with the iconography of superherodom as he was with committing acts of justice. He would frequently narrate his own adventures. Ironically, his powers and outfit had absolutely nothing to do with pesky, blood-sucking arachnids. When a thug points out to the Tick that most ticks have eight legs, he confidently retorts "How do you know I don't?"

In the 1994 "The Tick" animated series, the title hero was voiced by Townsend Coleman,...

While the Nintendo Switch’s online collection of retro games never seems to grow as fast as anyone would like, the subscription service currently includes a pretty impressive overall collection of retro hits and obscure curiosities. Even better, the latest update to that service finally brings one of the most underrated Sega Genesis games to a wider audience.

Actually, the most recent Nintendo Switch Online update is entirely focused on Sega Genesis games. While that does mean that you’ll need to subscribe to Switch Online’s Expansion Pack service to access these recently added games, it’s nice to see Nintendo give the Genesis library some love given the once heated hardware battles between Sega and Nintendo.

Obviously, Earthworm Jim is the “headliner” of this particular update. Not only is that game still beloved by many for its strange humor and fascinating level design, but it’s nice to...

It feels fair to say that graphical improvements between console generations in recent years have been relatively gradual. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are obviously more powerful than their predecessors, but the differences sometimes come down to framerate and fidelity. By comparison, the graphical leap from Nes to Snes was massive.

For the first time, the color palettes of games were held back by relatively few limitations. Most sprites actually looked like they were meant to represent. Backgrounds were heavily detailed and properly animated, while an industry-wide embrace of the entire pixel art concept inspired new visions that remain beautiful to this day.

That was just the beginning of what the Snes was capable of, though. With a little creativity and enhancement chips that unlocked increased power, developers were even able to squeeze some early 3D effects out of Nintendo’s 16-bit console and produce some truly impressive visuals that still hold up.

A new “Earthworm Jim” animated TV series is in development, Variety has learned exclusively.

The project hails from Interplay Entertainment Corp., which owns the rights to the “Earthworm Jim” games. Interplay has partnered with APA to bring the project to television.

Like the games, the series would follow the adventures of the titular Jim, a worm in a futuristic robotic suit who fights evildoers. The series will also bring in new characters as they navigate the galaxy, where each planet is home to a race of anthropomorphic animals. Jim’s ultimate quest is to find his true home among the stars: a near-mythical planet called Earth.

A first-look at the potential series can be found below.

The “Earthworm Jim” news comes as Interplay is looking to develop new TV and film projects based on their video game properties via their newly formed TV and film studio division. Michel K. Parandi...

The Evercade retro gaming system is growing with the announcement of the Evercade Vs, a new home gaming console from Blaze Entertainment.

Following the successful launch of the Evercade Handheld gaming system in 2020, which became the go-to officially licensed option for many retro game players, the Evercade Vs builds on this by bringing the handheld experience to multiple players. Evoking the nostalgia for retro gaming with its physical only game distribution, the Evercade Vs goes one step further in allowing people to play together. The new console has support for up to four players simultaneously via either the proprietary Evercade Vs Usb Controller provided in the pack (or available to purchase separately for additional controllers). This follows the same levels of comfort that many praised the Evercade handheld for, with ergonomically designed controllers that suit all retro games. Evercade games already come with multiplayer support so the existing library with...

We live our lives in the present, but can easily go back to the past in order to have a better future. Gaming in the past used to be very simple, much simpler than we will ever have again. It was a straightforward process where you purchase your console, buy the games, relax in your home and enjoy the games.

Over the years gaming has transformed into a global industry where there are now gaming leagues, allowing people to play their favorite competitive games for real money prizes. Games like Valve’s Cs:go even have an ingame currency known as “skins” which can be equipped in-game, used across Csgo skin gambling sites and even traded for currency which can be used on the Steam platform.

When you consider the fact that these consoles came with no patches to mess with the gameplay or flow, that there were no guides to...

I have some fond memories of playing Earthworm Jim with my brothers on the Sega Genesis back in the 90s. That game was a blast! If you were also a fan of the game, you’ll be happy to learn that there’s a new game currently in development that is being created by the original team of the original game!

The game will be released exclusively for Intellivision’s new gaming console that is called the Intellivision Amico. This new console is scheduled to launch on October 10th, 2020. The announcement comes as Earthworm Jim celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Intellivision Entertainment’s CEO and president Tommy Tallarico who was the composer for the original 2 Earthworm Jim games, revealed the first details on the new game telling Variety:

“We have been talking about this moment for many years, it’s a dream come true to finally get the entire team back together.

Matthew Byrd May 1, 2019

There's a new Earthworm Jim game on the way, but it comes with some pretty big catches.

The good news is that the creators of the Earthworm Jim series are teaming up once more to develop a new entry in the franchise. The bad news is that you'll need to buy the upcoming Intellivision Amico in order to play it. 

Let's start with the (somewhat) good news. It sounds like many of the principal members of the Earthworm Jim development team are returning to work on this project. That possibly includes creator Doug TenNapel and composer Tommy Tallarico. That last name is quite significant in this instance as Tallarico is also the current boss of Intellivision. That first name is significant not just because he created Earthworm Jim, but because of TenNapel has attracted quite a bit of controversy in recent years over his radical political views and articles written for Breitbart.

Set to launch on September 19th, it’s safe to say anticipation is Very high for the Sega Mega Drive Mini – especially considering it comes from M2, who are handling the porting process. They’ve previously worked on Sega Ages and Sega 3D Classics Collection, with a fantastic reputation based on the quality of their emulation projects and their faithfully recreated ports.

The Mega Drive Mini is set to come complete with 40 games, 10 of which have already been revealed – however Sega have just released the next ten games to come bundle on the system, including: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Thunder Force III, Super Fantasy Zone, Shinobi III, Streets of Rage 2, Earthworm Jim, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Contra: Hard Corps, and Landstalker.

The Mega Drive Mini, priced at £69.99, comes with two replica three-button Usb Mega Drive controllers (or two six-button controllers...

Gavin Jasper Dec 24, 2018

Sometimes you have to give the Santas and Frostys a rest and celebrate the holiday folks who don't get the spotlight.

It’s holiday time and that means celebrating all the big guns of the Christmas season. The likes of Jesus, Santa, Frosty, Rudolph, Krampus, the Grinch, Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey, and – depending on how much time you spend at Hot Topic – Jack Skellington. But there are so many Christmas-themed characters who don’t get the same red carpet treatment.

Let’s take a second to give a little extra love to the yuletide heroes and villains who hang out on the second or third tier of Christmas cheer.

Bad Mister Frosty

I’ve spoken at length about the history of ClayFighter before. The stop-motion, comedic fighting game featured only three installments (plus upgrades) and one of the two characters to appear in every game is Bad Mr.

From the moment Bodied opens with a promotional advert for the Killafornia Battle League (in which we’re *immediately* told to “suck a dick!”) to the very last insert-rap-lyric-here outro line, director Joseph Kahn and co-writer Alex Larsen assassinate political correctness with pop-culture lyricisms and heat-seeking regard. Ninjas of the rapped word in their ranks, racial appropriation and misrepresented social justice tenacity in their crosshairs. We no longer can share a single thought without offending someone, somewhere, who wants to score uncashable “woke points” – and Kahn wants to make their fragile little minds explode. This is two straight hours of offensive battle rap bars, non-stop hilarity, layered introspection and the most stylized, take-no-prisoners commentary on what a black-and-white minefield our behavioral ethics have become.

That, and it’s the most motherflippin’ fun you’ll have in a theater of any kind this year, the next, and probably many to come.

The New Xbox One Experience will be with us on November 12, and with it comes the highly-anticipated backwards compatibility update. Come the service’s release, 104 games from the Xbox 360’s vast back catalogue will be available to play on the Xbox One, says Mike Ybarra, Director Of Program Management for Xbox.

Today, I’m happy to unveil to you the first 104 Xbox One Backward Compatibility games. Some of my favorites are included, like the complete “Gears of War” catalog, “Assassin’s Creed II,” “Fallout 3,” “Borderlands,” and “Castle Crashers.” The full list of the first 104 games is below and can also be found on Xbox.com/BackCompat. And, as I shared at Gamescom, going forward, all Xbox 360 games available through Games with Gold after Nov. 12 will be playable on Xbox One.

You can peruse the full list of games to be available on day 1 below:

A Kingdom for Keflings

Lode Runner...

Blue Suede Goo, Ickybod Clay, and others are returning to our screens as Interplay is remastering Clayfighter...

When Mortal Kombat first arrived on the scene a new breed of fighters emerged. Unlike the fluid, combo-heavy stable of games spearheaded by Street Fighter II, there was a number of slower, clunkier fighters that featured digitised visuals and various unique elements, such as the gore and fatalities of Midway's flagship release.

One of the most unique Mk-style fighters to emerge had to be Interplay's Clayfighter. Developed using real claymation characters and animations, digitized and slapped into the game, Clayfighter was an oddball fighter packed with strange characters and colourful locations.

The cast of characters included the likes of Bad Mr Frosty, Taffy, Helga, Blue Suede Goo, and my own personal favourite, Blob. Each character was themed on various topics, such as Blue Suede Goo's Elvis, Opera singer, Helga, crazy clown, Bonker, and so on.

Avatar 2, 3, 4

James Cameron has confirmed which writers worked on which scripts for all three back-to-back "Avatar" sequels. After much work, the first screenplay is expected to be ready within weeks.

"Avatar 2" was written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, "Avatar 3" was written by Josh Friedman, "Avatar 4" was written by Shane Salerno. James Cameron will score a co-writing credit on all three. Writer Steven Gould has also been involved with the process and has been tasked with writing the novelizations for each movie. [Source: The New York Times]

Idolmaker

MGM has hired Sascha Penn to pen the latest version of "The Idolmaker" remake which has Craig Brewer attached to direct and Justin Timberlake circling to star.

The original 1980 film followed the life of rock promoter/producer Bob Marcucci, who discovered the likes of Frankie Avalon and Fabian. [Source: Deadline]

Cardboard

Joe Ballarini ("Dance of the Dead") has been tapped to pen Fox Animation's upcoming...

Exclusive: Fox Animation is moving again on animated adaptation Cardboard. I’m hearing Dance of the Dead‘s Joe Ballarini has been tapped to adapt the graphic novel written by Earthworm Jim creator Doug TenNapel, which the studio optioned in 2012 with Epic‘s Chris Wedge attached to direct. Story tracks a young boy and his father who must battle cardboard monsters that magically come to life. Gotham Group and Tobey Maguire’s Material Pictures are producing. Ballarini previously scripted Atlantis 7 for Walden Media, Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps, and Gotham Group. He also sold spec Lockdown at Franklin High to Sony with Michael […]...

Actor-turned-filmmaker Tom McCarthy had one of the greatest directorial debuts of the modern age with 2003.s solid comedic drama The Station Agent, and though he only has two other films under his belt since (with one on the way), he.s a storyteller whose work is impossible to get enough of. His next project looks like it will take all the heart and emotion of his earlier works and will scale it up a bit by adding a huge dinosaur. McCarthy has signed on to write Universal.s long-gestating big screen adaptation of Tommysaurus Rex, the 2004 graphic novel from Earthworm Jim creator Doug TenNapel. McCarthy is crafting this story with John Bland while also considering taking over directorial duties, which would make this movie about as credible as it could get. Published by Image Comics, Tommysaurus Rex follows Ely, a young boy who goes to his grandfather.s house for...

Aaron Birch Mar 31, 2017

Here's our pick of the top 50 underappreciated PlayStation One games for the console that changed home gaming as we know it...

Sony's original PlayStation was launched in Japan in 1994, hitting the rest of the world in 1995, and it proceeded to revolutionise the console market. It took a pastime that was seen as exclusive to geeks and children, and turned it into a true mainstream phenomenon. PlayStation made gaming 'cool', and it brought with it a huge catalogue of games, introducing us to all-time classics like Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Wipeout, Resident Evil and many, many more.

However, for all the critically and publicly acclaimed titles the unit had, it also had a whole selection of underappreciated releases. Some of these are titles that may not be for everybody, but still offer superb entertainment to many, and others are simply great, but failed to shine due...

Long before The ABCs of Death came around, the late Edward Gorey told 26 short tales of alphabet-related deaths with the book The Gashlycrumb Tinies, originally published way back in 1963.  The morbid book, which is a part of my personal collection, features black and white drawings that depict the demises of 26 different children, along with short rhymes that tell the stories of how they met their end.  'E is for Ernest, who choked on a peach,' reads one page.  'F is for Fanny, sucked dry by a leech,' reads the next.

Over on the website Brental Floss, Gorey's unique style was recently used as the inspiration for a pretty awesome art project, comprised of 26 illustrations that depict the deaths of popular video game characters.  The Gorey-style drawings show the demises of beloved characters like Mario, Zelda and Earthworm Jim, and putting them all together creates a video game-themed version of The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

Xbox Live and Playstation Network have become home to a bit of a revival for retro games. Recently both Ducktales and Castle of Illusion were remastered and released in HD for gamers on modern consoles to enjoy. Both games are considered classic platformers on their respective consoles and worthy adaptations of their Disney source material.

But Disney games aren’t the only ones receiving attention years after their release. They also join a respectable list of games that have already enjoyed a resurgence like Earthworm Jim, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men Arcade and more. These games however were re released as direct ports rather than being massively re-done like Castle of Illusion was recently.

In this article I will be taking a look back at some other classic games based on popular animations that I consider worthy of a HD remake. I understand that legal problems and licensing issues would...

In some cases, a soundtrack can take a game from being good to great. That's not only the case with modern games either, as the days of yore were able to provide memorable tunes that continue to stick with gamers today. We're digging into the past to un-earth and re-experience five Snes musical masterpieces that stand out from the crowd.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

The enchanting soundtrack for Donkey Kong Country 2 was composed by David Wise. No stranger to simian-symphonies, David also created the music for DKC2's predecessor Donkey Kong Country, and went on to score a hat trick by composing for the third installment of the series (Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble).

The three games did battle to make it onto this list, copious bananas were thrown and many monkey tantrums were had. It is undoubtable that all three soundtracks have...

Feature Ryan Lambie 30 Aug 2013 - 06:56

This week's selection of crowdfunding projects includes an extended cut of Ghostbusters 2, and a great-looking anime art magazine...

In the brave new world of crowdfunding, a great  pitch is one of the keys to success. After all, if you really want people to open their wallets and support your dream project, you have to not only get them onside, but also give them a clear idea of what it is you're attempting to do.

This week's collection of projects all do this in their own individual ways. Some of them may be asking for a lot of money, but in return, they've explained exactly what it is they want to achieve in a way that's clear and, in many cases, quite entertaining. On the flip side of this, take a look at the Kickstarter pitch recently put up by infamous film director Uwe Boll.

All too often video games take the world by storm, only to die out and disappear. With some it’s understandable, others it’s just a shame.

There are countless video games from the Snes, SMS, N64, PS1, PS2 consoles that should definitely be brought back. That being said it’s very unlikely any of them will. For the most part it isn’t a big deal and when we play those classics on Psn or Xbla we realise they maybe weren’t so great after all. Despite that I think some franchises are definitely worth a new title or even a reboot.

Of course there are way too many games that deserve another run, some like Streets of Rage, MediEvil, Road Rash and Star Fox didn’t make the cut for my list but there are two honourable mentions, plus you can share your opinions in the comments section!

In a recent set of warmups JimboBox, known in real life as James Ghio and an artist for Udon Entertainment, took on fan favorite Earthworm Jim with stellar results. He also recently posted an oldie but goodie Sonic piece, and let's just get this out in the open right now: I wish I had that kind of art just "lying around" on my desktop. That said, it also gave me an excuse to post his wonderful take on Samus that has been in my favorites queue for quite a while. His colors and highlight work always stand out to me, and if you like what you see, make sure to head over to his DeviantArt Page or his Blog to check out more.

Feature Ryan Lambie 7 Jun 2013 - 06:10

Superheroes! Books! Games! A giant head! Here's another batch of worthy, geek-friendly crowdfunding projects for your perusal...

We're now into our second month of these weekly crowdfunding posts, and trundling around the internet has become a really fun weekly ritual. From compelling new ideas to bizarre, 'what were they thinking?' schemes, each trawl through the web's crowdfunding sites turns up a fresh surprise at every turn.

Although some of the things we've stumbled on our downright cheeky - unless we read it incorrectly, one person appeared to have set up a project to fund their overseas holiday - many are perfectly worthy. This makes the task of choosing just three or four projects each week extremely tricky - particularly as we always try to pick lots of varied things, rather than focusing exclusively on, say, movies or games or books.

To this end,...

by Joseph Leray

Details were always light on "Whore of the Orient," a new  game project by Sydney, Australia-based film studio Kmm led by ex-"L.A. Noire" devs Team Bondi: one image, a snippet of exposition, a few job postings here and there. Last month, the internal team at Kmm reportedly stopped development as some staff were laid off.

Enter Intuitive Game Studios, founded by "L.A. Noire" design lead Alex Carlyle and storyboard artist Kelly Baigent, rising like a phoenix from Team Bondi's ashes. According to the company's Facebook page, Intuitive Games "is an independent game developer with big ambitions" that with a focus on "quality and content to proudly produce exactly the kind of games we would want to play ourselves."

"I really do want to stay in Australia and try and overcome the drive which is leading everyone to Canada or the like," Carlyle told McV Pacific.

Doug TenNapel, creator of "Earthworm Jim" and "The Neverhood," has once again partnered with Pencil Test Studios, this time to launch a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of funding a new stop-motion animated game. Dubbed "Armikrog," the PC and Mac title would be a point-and-click adventure following the story of stranded space travelers/drinking buddies Tommynaut and Beak-Beak. Listen to the official pitch in the video above!

The Kickstarter campaign, which began today, is seeking $900,000 to get "Armikrog" made. At the time of writing, the project had already secured over $51,000 from nearly 1,000 backers, and received the support of Double Fine Productions president and CEO Tim Schafer.

"How is that clay moving? Is it witchcraft? Are there bugs inside? I'm frightened! But I have to admit, it looks pretty cool," said Schafer. "I'm going to back this Kickstarter just to make sure I don't make it angry!"

Terry S. Taylor, the award-winning...

Video Gaming began in 1972 with the introduction of the instant classic Pong. Since then, the popularity and quality of video games has sky-rocketed. 40 years on and we can all but create reality. Gameplay, graphics and the entire production of games is better than ever. This is why the question stands - is this the Golden Age of video games?

Most people have their own opinion on what this age was and really it comes down to what age you are. A gamer’s age depicts which generations they have played through, and subsequently the games. Almost every gamer would believe it is the generation they played the most, be that 80’s, 90’s, 00’s or whenever, that is the best. The 80’s was a very distinct age for gaming. In 1983, Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System (Nes) and virtually spawned the gaming world as we know it. The 80’s saw classic games like Super Mario Bros.,...

Water levels have become the staple of video games, much to the chagrin of those who play them. Developers seem to enjoy utilizing them as an ego brushing device; being the most efficient way of showing off their cutting edge physics engine and impressive graphics.

Conceptually, the water level is sound. As human beings we are inherently afraid of the unknown, and what better a way to explore this idea than in the vast, unforgiving depths of Poseidon’s dominion. Gigantic sea monsters, strange natural phenomena and mysterious relics hidden under the surface, are pervasive throughout our collective culture; and can translate well to video games.

Unfortunately, the number of genuinely fun or effective water sections can be counted on one hand. For every Treasure Trove Cove there’s five Atlanticas. The water section in Amnesia is one of the most frightening experiences in gaming, as is Earthworm Jim’s...

Game protagonists are a big part of any gaming experience. Our heroes often determine how well we remember certain games, and how easily we forget them. This edition of Remembering a Hero looks to Earthworm Jim and his outrageous quest into 2 dimensional platforming.

The early 90s was a strange time to be in or around the UK. Rave music dominated the increasingly popular club scene, recreational drugs flooded the mainstream, and life whizzed by in one relentless, whistle-blowing, glow stick toting, ecstasy-driven fluorescent blur. Or at least so I’m told; I was too young to really remember it and certainly too young to experience any of the above. Alas, I digress.

But i digress for a reason. Because as a youngster growing up in the 90s, I often admired the many great protagonists of which my esteemed 8 and 16-bit game collection comprised; but I also pondered where the inspiration...

Ah, the Snes. One of the most successful consoles ever made, boasting an incredible games catalogue with classics such as Super Mario All Stars, Donkey Kong Country, Mario Kart, Pilotwings, Starfox, Kirby’s Dream Land, F-Zero, Earthworm Jim, Mortal Kombat, Yoshi’s Island and Super Metroid (to name just a few). It was also home to the Golden Age of roleplaying games (RPGs), with classic after classic being released every year – so why not join us for a stroll down memory lane with a list of 10 Snes RPG series you must play before you die?

Maybe you’ll rescue a maiden or fight a goblin or two along the way…

10. Breath of Fire

Dragons tend to get a pretty poor deal in the fantasy genre. Almost always classed as the villain for the simple fact of hunting food, claiming princesses and gathering gold (which is the modus operandi of every...

When I was a kid, we didn’t have any actual videogame consoles in my house, which meant that my early years were spent playing floppy-disk games on our aging Macintosh computer. Most of these games reeked of stealth education: the math-inducing Number Munchers, the undersea non-adventure Odell Lake, the surreal fairy-tale romp Mixed-Up Mother Goose. (The lone exception to all the edutainment was Sid Meier’s Pirates, a very proto proto-Grand Theft Auto which still has the coolest videogame cover art ever.) At some point, my parents broke down and got me a Game Boy, and I spent almost...

David Perry, the founder of Earthworm Jim creator Shiny Entertainment, recently told Eurogamer that discussions about a revival of the 16-bit era classic happen all the time, and it’s only a matter of “when”.

Perry, who is now heading up Sony’s recently acquired cloud gaming company Gaikai, said:

“Our problem is that the team is all doing well in whatever they’re doing right now. It’s just a bunch of guys who all have their own thing. Everyone has their own company. So, to get them to stop what they’re doing and work on a game is very difficult, but it’s something they all want to do… It’s one of those things that, no one’s got the time right now. I’m sure it’s going to happen, I just can’t tell you exactly when.”

Earthworm Jim’s last all new console adventure,...

Nothing puts a smile on my face more than a Harley Quinn doing a bend and snap from Legally Blonde (above). I got in the hotel elevator with a guy who had a huge moving gatling gun slung over his shoulder. After maneuvering around for awhile, I asked him if he had a weight belt to help redistribute the load. He said "no" it was all being borne by a shoulder strap and his back was killing him. Two hours later, I was among a group of people taking his picture in the Gaslamp District. He's doing permanent damage to his back so we can get enjoyment out if it. Fandom, I love you. Highlights from day 2: Female slasher villains, smoking Gambit, a Fandango bag that almost got trampled, Earthworm Jim, a dog dressed as a biker on a tiny remote control motorcycle, an awesome Wolverine, an Axe Cop family,...

As the world prepares for San Diego Comic Con (July 12th-15th) Mezco Toyz adds to the excitement by revealing their 2012 Summer Exclusive lineup:

Dark Knight Mez-itz Mega Scale Batman

Perhaps the greatest summer exclusive in the universe, Mezco proudly presents the Mega Scale Dark Knight Batman Mez-Itz. This Mega Batman Mez-Itz (300% the size of standard Mex-Itz) is based on Batman’s look from the award-winning blockbuster trio of films from Christopher Nolan.

He measures 20 inches from the tip of his ears to the soles of his boots, and features a real cloth black cape. Just like the standard Mez-Itz, he features 5 points of articulation and 1000 points of fun. Mez-Itz Mega Scale Batman is securely packed in a sturdy full color box. This is a non-numbered limited edition item. Edition size Tbd. 6″ Metallic Wonder Woman Mez-itz

Mez-Itz Wonder Woman is the first female character in the DC Universe lineup and...

On TV this Monday: The Bachelorette skips across the pond, Eureka has a sinking feeling, the boss returns to Raw, Conan blows through the Windy City and more. Here are 10 programs to keep on your radar.

Preview | Secret Life of the American Teenager‘s Shailene Woodley Previews Wedding, Big Twist and Glee-ful Fun (But No Clooney Cameo)

8 pm The Bachelorette (ABC) | Emily and the men travel to London; the bachelors perform scenes from “Romeo and Juliet” during the group date; a disrespectful comment about Emily’s daughter sparks drama.

8 pm Top 100 Video Games of All Time (G4) | In this five-part series,...

Game Art!

Hey arty people, video games are coming to a gallery near you (If you live in or are visiting the Us anytime soon)! It’s true, the art-form that is gaming is about to make it into a real gallery space thanks to the forward thinking people at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The last Art Perspective focused on the subtle inclusion of Apple’s iPads in David Hockney’s work, but this week we see gaming fully embraced by the gallery world with the forthcoming exhibition The Art of Video Games.

The exhibition title might suggest that there is a focus on cutting edge arty games or the obscure indy market, but this is not the case. The games are all fairly mainstream and popular titles, showing that the whole gaming medium is worthy of praise, whether it is a modern Fps or a classic 8-bit adventure.

“I’ve got a great story and I’ve been looking for, it’s a ‑‑ it’s a great story and it needs to be a graphic novel and a graphic novel TV show. And I’ve been looking for the right person to write it.” – Glenn Beck on Frank Miller, 2011.

Being a ‘fan’ means many things to many people. To a troublingly large section of the population, it apparently means dressing as Knuckles the Echidna and sobbing alone in front of a mirror, while to others it simply means an interest that goes slightly beyond the causal. One thing common to all fans, from those who carve “Qt Rox U3 Sux” into the side of a burning dog before throwing it through a friend’s window, to those who just happen to know slightly more about Batman than most, is the willingness to let their interest – at least partially – define who they are.

With Hollywood turning more of its attention to the world of graphic novels for inspiration, I'll cast the spotlight on a new comic book each week that has the potential to pack a theater or keep you glued to your television screens. At the end of some "Adapt This" columns, you'll also find thoughts from the industry's top comic creators about the books they'd like to see make the jump from page to screen.

This Week's Book: Creature Tech by Doug TenNapel

The Premise: After brilliant scientist and former preacher Michael Ong is named head researcher at a strange government facility, his life takes a turn for the weird when an alien being attaches itself to his body in a symbiotic relationship that gives him strange new powers. Ong barely has time to register his condition before he finds himself battling slug monsters, demonic cat-beasts, and a mad scientist intent...

Welcome back to our weekly look at the new podcasts available at our “partners in podcast crime” the GeekCast Radio Network. Each week we bring you the highlights from Gcrn, with descriptions and links to each and every episode. But first a word from Gcrn’s TFG1MIke:

TFG1Mike checking in with the Blogomatic3000 fans. We have a Brand Spankin’ New site design! The GeekCast Radio Network Version 3.0 launched September 1, 2011. The site has a brand new layout while retaining the old color scheme. We also have streamlined content. Say you are looking for podcasts on cartoons well there is a tab for just that. Head on over to GeekCast Radio Network v3.0 to leave your thoughts on the new site and see what Steve/Megatron has to say about it. Any and all comments are appreciated. We also announced 2 new podcast projects for 2012 see what they are below.

Attf v2.0 – Episode 13 – Brainiac!

All games need a story, an irreverent quest to right wrongs or find untold secrets. This then leads to the creation of a Hero, someone who inspires awe and plays on many gamers imaginations giving them someone they can aspire to be in their dream world.

However a hero is nothing without a damn good villain to battle wits and brauwn with. Video game villains definitely lack respect, considering how much they bring to the gaming table so at WhatCulture! we have decided to bring you all a list of the top 50 video gaming villains…. to celebrate those delicious band of scum and villainy!

50. Combine Soldiers (Half-Life 2)

They may look like your standard soldiers (albeit with a bit of the s&m look about them) But make no mistake the combine are a hideously powerful force. After the death of Nihilanth, Portals to the border world of Xen began opening up,...

Depending on who you believe, time’s are either hard, or looking-up for the British gaming industry – while not too many of the biggest award winners at our own British Academy Video Games Awards actually came from our own fair Isles, aside from F1 2010, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Kinect Sports and Peter Molyneux. But really none of those awards really meant that much in the upper echelons of the gaming industry – the big shakers last year, and indeed this year are the sprawling Fps releases, fighting among themselves for the biggest sales purse come the end of the year.

And in amongst them, there will be will little British influence at all.

For the third largest games industry in the world to have such a small representation of the biggest selling games developed or published within its shores is a travesty, that is only compounded by the fact that...

Comic-Con International has unleashed the full schedule for Wednesday and Thursday for the San Diego Comic-Con 2011, and there is going to be a ton of stuff to keep you incredibly busy and entertained.

Like I've been saying it's never to early to start planning, and there is a ton of stuff here that we are looking forward to checking out. I've gone through the list and put exclamation points next to all of the events that we are looking forward to attending. What panels and events are you looking forward to?

We will be at Comic-Con in full force this year, bringing you everything you need and want to know about. We will also be having a GeekTyrant meet-up this year, which we announce soon.

See you at the con!

Wednesday July 20th

!!! 6:00-9:00 Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings: Alcatraz, Person of Interest, The Secret Circle, and Supernatural...

The Skinny: The Smithsonian gathered votes for its upcoming Art of Video Games and this week, I detail what I threw my weight behind. Part one is here. Part two is here. Today, I talk about my picks from the Sega Genesis System/Super Nintendo Entertainment System era.

Era 3: Bit Wars!

The thing about console video games is that you have to choose a machine. That choice defines you in some way and some effed-up part of human nature demands that you vilify who make a different decision. Current-day fan rage over the Xbox pwning the PS3 owes its roots to this kind of tension, which reached a flashpoint when the Genesis and Snes were duking it out for parental dollars. A lot of the marketing jargon tropes were the same: the games you want only come out for this system, our technology is way betterthan their little baby technology,...

Tmp tracks down the current status of 10 of the most anticipated video game adaptations.

With all the recent news that has flooded our inboxes regarding the future of the David O. Russell directed Uncharted movie, we had to ask: What about all those other awesome films-based-on-video-games we’ve heard about? Well, we demanded answers so we went hunting for the current details on ten adaptations we hope will see release in our lifetimes.

Halo

The blockbuster video game franchise birthed by the combined efforts of Bungie and Microsoft has dominated the video game market for the better part of 10 years and the film adaptation has dominated the rumor mill almost as long. Current information has it that a release date of sometime in 2012 is presumed utilizing a screenplay by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine, The Beach) and revised by D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones). There is currently no slated producer,...

This interview first appeared on Steel Bananas.

Nerdventures: Familiar Songs From Distant Worlds

When I went to summer camp, the oldest boy’s dorm — and focus point of younger male’s uncool envy — would always get up to antics which their disciples could only aspire to. One of their common flare ups would take place in the mess hall. During any too-dull-to-stand moments or amid any too-hyped-to-ignore cheer offs, they would take it upon themselves to stand on their chairs and in an uncoordinated harmony of vocoded ‘doots’ and ‘deets’ the good old boys would give their try at impersonating the instantly recognizable Super Mario theme. Between the three Game Boy Colours that circulated my padawan dorm, it became clear that this could actually be the second oldest/third youngest crew on camp’s chance to shine, and so it was suggested to my counsellor that perhaps we’d ‘back...

Graphic novelist Doug TenNapel (Earthworm Jim, Iron West, Ghostopolis), inspired by Ethan Nicolle’s Axe Cop, has launched his first webcomic, Ratfist.

“It’s been a while since I goofed around with the dorky hero genre of Earthworm Jim,” says TenNapel of Ratfist, “ and I wanted to return to that world and those fans to give them a modern take on absurdist humour.”

The first page, which shows our hero contemplates proposing marriage to his girl while dressing to go out on patrol, may now be consumed. Enjoy!

Here’s the rundown of the latest games, add-ons and avatar items available on Xbox Live this month.

Halo: Reach Noble Map Pack Available Now!

Downloadable only on Xbox Live, the Halo Reach: Noble Map Pack introduces three new explosive environments to the online multiplayer battlefield, each designed to reinforce all of “Halo: Reach’s” vital warfronts, from small scale engagements to massive Invasion battlegrounds. The Noble Map Pack includes all new Achievements and is available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points.

Are you a loyal Xbox Live member and then claim your prize!

Through the newly launched Xbox Live Rewards Programme, earn Microsoft Points and get cool rewards, including quarterly promotions and sweepstakes for renewing your Xbox Live Gold membership and trying new features – doing what you love on Xbox Live! You could win a home entertainment system upgrade or prizes such as 1,600 Microsoft Points, an HD movie on Zune, an Xbox Live game,...