We previously reported that the status of Hellboy 2 was in limbo. No studios had signed on to the film and the previous studio, Revolution, seems to be folding considering their deal with Sony Pictures ran out.

Apparently, Universal Studios has agreed to finance and distribute the flick. The story is said to give Abe Sapien a larger role in the film and explore his relationship with Hellboy more. I really liked the first one and am glad to see the franchise won’t die before its time. They are shooting for a Summer 2008 release.

This game was released the same year as Contra 3 for Super Nintendo.  This is not the Contra you’re used to.  In fact, I have no idea why they even decided to call it a Contra title, if for no other reason than simply to cash in the success of Contra 3.  The only similarity is that you can be killed in one shot.  You don’t fight evil aliens or renegade robots. Instead you take one of 4 playable characters (each with their own special abilities and can be switched at anytime during the game) on a mission to take on a terrorist organization and rescue your kidnapped superior.  You gain weapons just like in Graduis, grabbing a number of backpacks based on the weapon you want then hit select when you gain the acquired number.  Objects can be destroyed, and the music is pretty cool for an NES title.  When you check this game out, don’t expect the original Contra, or even Super C, but it’s still a solid experience on its own merits.  Hopefully this will resurface as a Wii download.  If only Konami had given NES owners a new Castlevania title before the NES ended.

Silent Hill is the only franchise worthy to stand alongside Resident Evil in the survival horror genre.  Some fans may say that is surprasses it in terms of storyline and scares.  In 2004, Konami decided to go in a different direction  for the series’ most recent entry.  You play as Harry Townsend, a resident of an apartment building who finds himself mysteriously trapped inside the room.  With no means to communicate to the outside, the situation is turning worse for him, until he discovers a mysterious portal in his bathroom, which leads directly into the bizzare alternate world of Silent Hill. 

The gameplay is different from pervious Silent Hill entries.  For starters, your room serves as a hub by which you use to explore the different worlds of Silent Hill.  This is the only place in the game you are able to save, and you reach here via special holes that are scattered throughout the various worlds.  You explore the room via a first-person interface, and for a while, it can be used as a safe haven to recover your energy.  Also, this game is more combat oriented than the other games in the series, as you have a power meter that you can use to inflict more damage on an opponent.  You have a limited inventory, so now item management is a must.  Items can be stored in your room, and this actually becomes a basis for some of the game’s puzzles.  Although it can get fustrating (especially in the second half of the game) with unkillable ghost enemies and a partner you are forced to protect, this is a refreshing change of pace for the series.  One can hope that Konami would explore the possibilities of a first person Silent Hill game in the future.

This past week Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting became the fastest selling Xbox Live Arcade game so far, but Street Fighter fans need look no further than this enthusiastic cosplayer who invaded Otakon to celebrate their favorite franchise.

vid courtesy tentopet

Its only a few seconds long, and its only a rough animation, and its less than hi quality source.

But Access Hollywood has posted the first look at any Transformers in motion from the movie.

Watch “Transformers” First Look on their site, and keep an eye out at the very end for the robots.

UPDATE: Michael Bay has posted a downloadable version of the report in much higher resolution. You can get it HERE.

I wasn’t a fan of the TV show. I was hardly looking forward to the movie when it was announced.

But a funny thing happened: The Colbert Report. I began to really get an respect him, and went looking in his history and sure enough, Colbert was on the old Comedy Central series “Exit 57” with Strangers with Candy co-creators Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris. I thought I’d take a look with a more open mind this time.

Now, the movie was getting mixed reviews, so I was still a little skeptical. Even the trailer wasn’t entirely impressive.

Thankfully, I enjoyed myself. In fact, I really loved this movie. I haven’t laughed this hard since Anchorman (and I still giggle like a moron at the mention of Dorothy Mantooth). Strangers With Candy the movie drops the afterschool special conventions the show had, but it gains better pacing as a result. Voiceovers and monologs are gone, instead giving way to more screwball convict talk, racism, and homoeroticism. Its a real family movie.

Now like I said, I wasn’t a fan of the show, so if this is mostly recycled jokes I wouldn’t know. Still I found Sedaris to be positively astounding as Jerri Blank, bouncing between a moronic child to streetwise hustler at the drop of a hat. Colbert and Dinello return as teachers Mr. Noblet and Mr. Jellineck, though their screen time is diminished to more supporting roles. Cameos from famous fans like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Mathew Broderick add little, as their scenes are stolen in every instance by Greg Holliman’s Principal Onyx Blackman.

So I’m going to make this appeal to you, dear reader. If you missed the show the first time around or maybe just didn’t think it was funny, try the movie. It doesn’t quite push the limit like South Park or Chappelle, but the final line of dialouge left my mouth agape in shock and I was laughing well after I’d left the theater.

Of course, this review won’t change your mind now, but maybe you’ll watch it on cable in 6 months anyway.

This was originally posted on Don Murphy’s board here.

I love Capcom. As much as they tend to milk thier successful franchises for every penny, (see Mega Man, Street Fighter, and Resident evil) they make solid games. When they do break from the norm, it’s always a welcome sight (I.e. Viewtful Joe, Rival Schools) even if it dosen’t always work out.

Tech Romancer is one of these games. Capcom took a risk here, and resulted in one of the most underrated fighting games ever. It’s a mech combat fighter. There is less of an emphasis on combos, and more focus on your mech’s special weapons and abilities. The fighters are sort of clunky, but that’s okay, becuase they are giant Mecha and not trained martial artists or mutant superheroes. Even the life bars are different, being placed vertically on the side of the screen and are used to measure damage. Each of the game’s mechs is based on a famous japanese anime, such as Gundamn or Voltron. Towards the end of the second round, you can preform a “final move”, which is akin to a Mortal Kombat fatality, excpet only for mechs. The Dreamcast VMU can be used to unlock minigames and earn points for the game’s hidden features. If you still have your Dreamcast, do yourself a favor and seek this game out.