Be The Gamer

The Hollywood Reporter said Thursday that after a four-studio bidding war, Universal has won the rights to produce a film based on Atari’s 1979 videogame Asteroids.

The script will be written by Matthew Lopez (Race to Witch Mountain) and the film produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra).

At great personal risk, the staff of Game|Life infiltrated Universal Studios (we accidentally broke into the theme park, first, which was embarrassing) to smuggle out bits of the first draft of the screenplay. We think you’ll agree that this has some serious blockbuster potential.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - DUSK

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF

Mr. President, I’m sorry to interrupt this meeting.

The PRESIDENT puts down his copy of “Maxim.”

PRESIDENT

This had better be good, Johnson.

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF

Your eminence, the planet is in grave danger. From… asteroids.

PRESIDENT

Are they hurtling towards the earth? What if they only took out France? Would that really be a big deal?

WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF

Actually, sir, they’re floating around aimlessly. Very, very slowly.

PRESIDENT

Enough is enough! I want these motherf—-g asteroids out of their motherf—-g geosynchronous orbit!

INT. FARMHOUSE IN INDIANA - NIGHT

WIFE
(shrewishly)

I just don’t see why you’ve gotta go off and shoot them there space rocks. Your life is here. In this farmhouse. In Indiana.

JOE BOB

Dammit, Maggie, that’s exactly what it’s about. Making a better life for you and me. And Joe Bob Jr. A life free of… of asteroids.

WIFE

Those asteroids never hurt anybody! All they do is sit there peaceful-like and float around very slowly!

JOE BOB

Dammit, Maggie, if our President says we have to shoot the rocks, that means we have to shoot the rocks. You don’t want our neighbors reporting us as Communists.

WIFE

We’d never work in Hollywood again.

EXT. OUTER SPACE - NIGHT? DAY? NOT SURE

PEW PEW PEW of lasers firing. Loud BANGS as rocks break apart.

JOE BOB

Dammit, Tully, what did I tell you? Don’t shoot them danged big asteroids until I’ve finished shooting all of the smaller ones that came out of the first big asteroid!

TULLY

Hey, if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen, old man!

PEET

White Squad, we’ve got unidentified bogey in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

JOE BOB

Sweet mother of God. What is that thing?

TULLY

That ain’t no rock.

PEET

Looks like a… flying saucer.

PEW PEW PEW.

TULLY

Incoming fire! Oh my God, it’s right on me! Backup!

PEET

We can’t help you! You’re all the way on the other side of the screen!

JOE BOB turns his ship backwards, and fires a bullet in the opposite direction. PEET and TULLY watch their viewscreens to see the bullet leave one side of the screen, then wrap around and destroy the saucer on the other.

JOE BOB

Looks like this old dog still knows some new tricks.

PEET

Behind you!

A large ASTEROID, played by William H. Macy, bears down on JOE BOB. Eyes widening, he frantically presses the Hyperspace button and disappears.

TULLY

Joe Bob? JOE BOB!

A single tear drips down his cheek.

See Also:

• Pitch Meeting: 5 New Ideas for Tony Hawk Board Controller
  
• How to Defend Earth Against an Asteroid Strike
• Nov. 13, 1982: Teen Sets Asteroids Record in 3-Day Marathon
• Play Asteroids Clone as David Lee Roth

Blizzard has registered a trademark for the word “Cataclysm,” causing speculation across the internet that it could be the name of a brand-new game.

Discovered by Tumblr blog superannuation, the trademark registrations for “Cataclysm” include computer games, online entertainment services and paper-based products.

Blizzard is notorious for its secrecy, so it could be anything. Many have speculated that it could be the name of a new intellectual property, or the company’s upcoming massively multiplayer online game. Perhaps it will never be used (see Starcraft: Ghost).

But most likely, “Cataclysm” could be a name of an expansion for one of its existing franchises, particularly Warcraft.

In you follow Warcraft lore, Cataclysm refers to an historical occurrence called the Great Sundering, which basically split up the game world of Azeroth into several continents. In other words, Cataclysm is a really huge event in Warcraft history and might make for a cool game.

It’s also possible that Cataclysm is referring to another event of that nature, which could be the start of another chapter in Warcraft lore — like Warcraft IV or World of Warcraft II.

So did Blizzard slip up, or are they placing a red herring to throw off fans? What do you think it could be? Do you like “Cataclysm”? And when should we start a petition against the name?

Either way, perhaps we’ll find out more at BlizzCon next month.

[via WoW.com]

See Also:

• Trademark Points To Mobile Phone Integration For Blizzard Games …
• Sony Trademark Stirs Warhawk Sequel Rumors
• Trademark Hints At Metal Gear Solid Sequel

Artists Leverage CINEMA 4D's Power, Performance and Ease-of-Use and Tap its Advanced Render, Thinking Particles, MoGraph and MOCCA Modules to Create Complex, Awe-inspiring Game Cinematic (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/maxon/Front_Mission_Evolved/prweb2602944.htm

goPostal™ personalized postcards takes photo sharing to a whole new level. Using images shot with the iPhone built-in camera, users can generate physical, customized postcards that will be printed and delivered to anyone with a mailing address, regardless of whether they have an iPhone or a computer. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/iphone/applications/prweb2594574.htm

Popular iPhone app review site launches a new marketplace within their site to offer iPhone gadgets and accessories to consumers. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/iphone/accessories/prweb2596074.htm

Azuga, a new online MMORPG is to be launched by PlayOMG, the branch company of Taiwan game company OMG. Combining martial arts, magic, and robotics, Azuga brings you into a world of legends and fantasy. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/onlinegame/mmorpg/prweb2593554.htm

A group of university students set out to bring something new to an overcrowded App Store. Reviewers say they have succeeded with their first game for iPhone and iPod Touch. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/iphone/game/prweb2594594.htm

The online quiz QuizBoom.com has recently started to operate. The game is based on a new concept - people from all over the world compete for money prizes online in the actual time by answering trivia questions. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2599124.htm

GIGANTIC DIGITAL CINEMA (http://www.giganticdigital.com), the first true online exhibition venue for new independent films, will release First Run Features's award-winning drama "Bliss" August 7th nationally online on the same date it opens on screen in New York. Unique in the field of online film, Gigantic's geographically-targeted, ad-free platform will bring high-quality new indies to every broadband household in America, ad-free and in the highest available streaming quality. This is the new company's first deal with a distribution company. (PRWeb Jul 2, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2603054.htm

GPS multimedia tours provide tourists with significantly enhanced tourism experiences in haunted St. Augustine, Florida and the Shivers and Awe bicycle-cab tour allows this experience to be done in an environmentally friendly way (PRWeb Jul 1, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2602914.htm

Promotional artwork from Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden.
Image: Square Enix

Sick of angsty amnesiac twentysomethings with lots of giant zippers on their clothes and haunted pasts getting in the way of your medieval fantasy role-playing games? Then you are the target audience for Square Enix’s latest Final Fantasy.

Another Final Fantasy, you say? On the Nintendo DS, you say? Impossible! And yet it is true: Square Enix has announced Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden via a teaser website and the Japanese comic magazine Shonen Jump. We’re not going to reprint the magazine scans (possible NSFW pop-ups), but there’s a good deal we can glean from Jump’s coverage.

Four Warriors of Light takes Final Fantasy back to the old school. As a 14-year-old boy, you’re tasked by the king of your tiny hamlet to go off and rescue the princess, a classic videogame story if ever there was one. You’ll eventually form a party of two boys and two girls, who will go off and save the world.

The gameplay system is also in the classic turn-based style. The menus seem to have been designed around the DS’ touch screen — each character’s list of possible actions looks like a tabbed browser window, which should make flipping between them quite easy.

The Jump article, stingy with details as it is, notes that there is no “Magic” command in the menu, but there is a “Charge” command. In the status screen, we can see that characters seem to have “AP” instead of magic points, which is represented by a row of yellow dots. Since each action in the menu, including “Fight,” has a yellow dot next to it, the system seems to be that you spend AP whenever you do anything, and you can spend a round charging it up if you need more.

You can equip swords, shields, armor, and accessories, and just like in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, your 3-D character’s outward appearance will change to reflect what you’re packin’.

Speaking of which, while the game seems to use the same 3-D engine that’s already taken Square Enix safely through numerous Final Fantasy adventures on the Nintendo DS, the colors seem a bit more painting-like, maybe a little softer and muted. I think it’s a more pleasing look, a nice contrast to the sharper colors and characters of the other games.

Four Warriors of Light, from what we can see today, is as close as Square Enix has ever gotten to creating a new Final Fantasy in the classic tradition, completely from scratch. I’m quite interested to see how this plays out, since I’m more of a fan of the DS remakes now than I am of the brand new games in the series.

It’s slated for release this fall in Japan. I’m sure the bankable brand name alone is enough to secure it an American release in 2010.

See Also:

• Final Fantasy XIV Online Q&A Sheds Light on New MMORPG
• Review: Echoes of Time Links Wii, DS for Unique Final Fantasy
• Review: Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings Puts You in Command
• Final Fantasy IV DS Impressions: Sexy Dancing Time
• Hands On: Crystal Bearers, the Action-Packed Final Fantasy

Starcraft II fans are petitioning Blizzard to add local network play, but the developer is resistant to the idea.
Image courtesy Blizzard

When Blizzard revealed earlier this week that it would no longer support local area network play in Starcraft II, gamers got upset. And then they did what they usually do when they’re upset with something — they sign a petition.

The petition currently has over 20,000 signatures and asks, rather politely, that Blizzard consider adding LAN to the sequel of the popular real-time strategy franchise.

“We would still like to be able to play in a traditional network where no internet connection is needed. For an internet connection might not always be available,” the petition said.

Instead of going with outright, combative condemnation — like the community of Left 4 Dead fans threatening to boycott the game’s sequel — Starcraft players are trying a more diplomatic, brown-nosing approach:

The new Battle.net sounds absolutely awesome from the sneak peeks you have given us, and people will most likely be using it exclusively, even if they only play single player. However, there is no harm in allowing LAN play as well, and it does bring further depth and life to what will probably become the top RTS of the next decade.

It’s been over a decade since the first Starcraft title was released, so things were bound to change in its sequel. But fans didn’t expect to lose LAN support, a major element of the original game.

When asked by Joystiq about the lack of LAN support, Blizzard rep Bob Colayco responded, “While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.”

Colayco also mentioned that new Battle.net features, such as advanced communication options, achievements and stat-tracking, require players to be connected to the service.

Besides, how often do game petitions work? Last time I checked, Diablo III still had rainbows in it.

[via 1UP]

See Also:

• Diablo III Devs Resist Fan-sourcing
• Gamers Speak Out: The Manhunt 2 Petition

The Lights On Broadway Shine on New Children's Game Site (PRWeb Jul 1, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Planet_Blue/3D_interactive_game/prweb2591294.htm

Built on top of Abacast's industry-leading Live Peer-Assisted Delivery technology, Abacast Live Flash P2P enables delivery of the highest quality video on the Internet using the world's most popular video format. (PRWeb Jul 1, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/07/prweb2597704.htm

HopeLab's CEO Pat Christen Speaks at White House Event as President Inspires Americans to Support Innovation (PRWeb Jun 30, 2009)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2595124.htm

Feeling really good about your gamer skills? Next week’s WiiWare release, Bit.Trip Core, will beat those confident feelings right out of you.

The second in a six-game series of retro-styled challenges that recall the focused gameplay and abstract graphics of the Atari 2600, Core follows directly in the wake of Bit.Trip Beat, which added rhythm-based timing elements to the iconic Pong/Breakout-style paddle-and-balls structure. The idea is to bounce balls with your paddle, but they come in so fast and so furious that you can only succeed with pattern memorization and perfect timing, to the beat of the catchy chiptunes that score each level.

Core is just as difficult, although the game has changed somewhat: Now, instead of bouncing the balls, you have to shoot them, meaning that you’ve got to press the buttons with accurate timing to destroy them as they pass by. Your character is the plus-shaped cursor in the middle of the screen, and all you can do is shoot in the four cardinal directions by holding the D-pad and pressing the 2 button.

Things get hairy almost immediately, progressing from a few small dots that you have to shoot away when they come in alignment with your beam’s line of fire, to a screen full of dots that are, in the beginning, almost impossible to “read” — you know they’re coming in with some kind of timing, but since they’re spiraling in from the outer part of the screen to one of four different directions, your first reaction — certainly my first reaction — is likely to be one of utter confusion.

Pattern memorization is important to success, said the game’s designer Alex Neuse (NOY-see), who was guiding me through the demo Tuesday at Nintendo’s office. Your skills at reading the screen will improve as you play through the levels, yes, but ultimately just remembering how to hit each successive wave of shots seems to be the best strategy. So you’ll need to play levels over and over again, making incremental progress towards the goal. (There are three levels in total.)

Core’s saving grace for players who aren’t up to the challenge could be its two-player mode, which is exactly like the single-player mode except each player has a beam. They can divide up the challenges — you take left and up, I’ll take right and down — or just try to hit all the dots in tandem.

Bit.Trip Core will be available on Monday, as the 100th WiiWare game.