It would appear since so many movies recently have been based off of comic and gaming heroes such as Spider-Man and the upcoming Iron-Man film, that even the more ambiguous names in the hero world want a piece of the fame.

Tom DeSanto, who produced the Transformers movie slated to release next month, has announced he plans on bringing the multiplayer online RPG City of Heroes into the cinama world that has made so many other heroes blockbuster hits. DeSanto states that he wishes to take advantage of the variety of protaganists that could come from the game’s “mix-n-match” hero creation theme.

“You also haven’t seen a big superheroes vs. aliens movie. I see this as the next big superhero franchise.”

There’s also talk of DeSanto making a TV series based on the game as well. Given the influx of such hero movies as of late, this seems to look like it will either be genius or a complete flop.

It’s a widely known fact that, despite what your personal preferences may be, Final Fantasy 7 was undoubtly the most popular and well known games of the FF series thus far. Since its conception a decade ago, people have been wondering that, since it was so popular, shouldn’t the game be remade on the newest generation of consoles for an even better rendition of the classic tale? Of course this has always been a rumor, but never has there been cold hard facts that it was or wasn’t being considered by the good people at Square-Enix.

Well, looks like we finally got our first batch of “official” news on the topic, and it’s not a good report. Tetsuya Nomura, who was the character designer for the original game, states that overseas rumors are just that.

“My apologies, but we’re absolutely not making [such a game].”

So that’s it? That’s the cold hard truth from the horse’s mouth? Everyone hoping that a 10th Anniversary remake being secretly made are out of luck? Seems kind of hard to believe, given that even Normura himself has proclaimed in contrast, “We of course know ourselves what the fans want so we’d like to continue thinking up a variety of things. As long as there are people who want to make it and people who are waiting for it, we don’t want to proclaim ‘the end.”

It’s not like it’s a crime to report false testaments to media outlets, and considering some supposed PS3 production art for a technical demo that’s been featured on IGN such as [here] and [here], there may still be reason to hold out a bit of hope that the developers at Square-Enix still known what their fans crave.

This week’s Lost Classics and $20 GOTW are dedicated to the casual gamer. You know, your mom, dad, grandparents, or girlfriend. They may like video games, but may not be into them as much as you are, so here is a little something for them. These games may not reinvent the wheel, but they’re guaranteed to be fun for the whole family. So with no further ado, lets get it started with this little RPG/Board Game Hybrid, in which you must defeat the evil dragons and their minions by answering their quizzes. Get it? Quiz and Dragons!
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Capcom isn’t particularly known for puzzle games, but the few they have put out are pretty solid. This is a small collection of 5 puzzle games great for quick bouts of portable gaming. Included in this package are Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo (a Dr. Mario-esque game in which you play as super deformed versions of Street Fighter and Darkstalkers characters), Block Block (a good break out clone that was featured on Capcom Classics Reloaded), and the Buster Brothers Collection (three games where you use a grappling hook to destroy balloons). Even though Puzzle Fighter, which is due to be released on Xbox Live Arcade, is the highlight of this collection, the other 4 games aren’t shabby either. Puzzle games fit excellently on portable gaming systems, and this is no exception. Weather you’re a hardcore Capcom fan or a casual gamer, you can’t go wrong with this.

After Namco accidentally mentioned that a new Soul Calibur game was in the works, we assumed it would be Soul Calibur IV. Last month Namco announced Soul Calibur Legends on Wii, and I let my guard down assuming it might be another few years before another entry in the series.

Well now EGM’s latest issue is teasing a world exclusive look at Soul Calibur IV in their July issue. Thats still a month away, but how exciting! I mean, I guess its exciting. When did we get to the point where game companies start announcing when they’ll make announcements? Bliazzard teased they’d announce a game before actually announcing Starcraft II, GTA IV’s page was a countdown clock to a trailer that still said nothing, and now we’re getting even deeper in the murky depths of marketing hype by buying a magazine saying what will be in the next magazine promoting a game that won’t be out for a while. Why doesn’t Namco just give me a trailer and then shut up about it until its done?

Oh, Soul Calibur, I can’t stay mad at you. Please be multi-platform and hold some kind of online match system!

Hoping to match some of the success of X-Men and Batman Begins, Warners Bros announced today their intentions to bring Teen Titans to theaters.

Hollywood Reporter doesn’t know the lineup yet, but Nightwing will be in there. I wonder if this will take place in the same universe as Batman Begins or Superman Returns? One of the benefits of WB’s ownership of DC is that the rights are all clear for future team-up movies, but if Dick Grayson is already Nightwing, then Batman might as well skip right to Tim Drake… Oh I’m getting ahead of myself here. The point is they have the potential to bring us a really great movie with some characters lesser known outside of the comic world. And if they do keep the tone of Batman and Superman as promised, this could be an amazing movie.

Akiva Goldsman will produce the movie. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for the Ron Howard directer A Beautiful Mind. He also wrote the Joel Schumacher direct posion Batman & Robin AND Batman Forever, and has produced an amazing list of shabby films. OK, so maybe the odds are stacked against us for an “good” movie, but I’ll hold out hope if the right director, script, and cast come up to bat.

Seems Gamestop is having there huge “Summer Sale” early this year. “Game Days”, which started this past Saturday and will run until June 17th (or while supplies last), features 25% – 50% off many video game titles, accessories, and movies. Things like my beloved Castlevania: Curse of Darkness are going for $9.99. (which makes me hurt inside a bit) Also, trade-ins on hardware count for an extra $20 during this time period, as well as getting some extra cash when you trade in multiple used games.

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/gamedays/

So if any of you are in the western NY area, back off because I’ve got that as claimed territory. Otherwise, I’d say get in on this if you feel like saving a few bucks on some titles you may be missing from your library or want to get some extra value on your trade-ins.

Boys #7
written by Garth Ennis, art by Darick Robertson

DON’T FORGET, NEW COMICS ON THURSDAY THIS WEEK.

So anyway, I think I’ve made it clear I’m not a big fan of this series. That said, there are a lot of people out there who ADORE this book, and I definitely don’t begrudge them that. There is, after all, a lot to like about this book. It takes a good hard look at what people do with power, and how people with superpowers might behave. And it thumbs its nose HARD at all such aspects.

What’s worth mentioning is that this book has been on a bit of a hiatus for the last few months because DC dropped it like it was on fire. Apparently they didn’t like the Superman analogue having a gerbil in his butt. Or something to that effect. Regardless, not only has the book begun again, but the trade of the first 6 issues is coming out on the exact same day, letting people get caught up with what’s already been released all in one fell swoop.

It’s a solid book, and honestly, if you can handle graphic violence and the sex, you might want to give this one a good try. You’re not likely to be disappointed.