Star Wars: The Old Republic Going Free-to-Play

Yes you read that correctly! Bioware’s MMORPG SWTOR is going free-to-play sometime this fall. This is big news for the Texas based studio as they recently let go of some members of their team. Those affected by the series of terminations were given other opportunities at different Bioware locations or simply left out in the rain. However that is the price one must pay for a game that costs a hefty fifteen dollars to play monthly. In short, this move by Bioware could be effective for them as Guild Wars 2 arrives toward the end of August and will be free-to-play. For the SWTOR players that have been subscribed to the service will still receive a few perks for their dedicated time with the game. New players to the SWTOR galaxy will be able to reach level 50. Expect to hear some more news about this as the months progress. The MMO genre has began to change with the times and it is with hope that free-to-play games will be all around. Another important aspect to ponder is the release of Blizzard’s Mists of Pandoria expansion for World of Warcraft. Currently, two major MMO’s that cost a few are SWTOR and WoW. What is next for Blizzard? Will their groundbreaking MMO go free-to-play as well? Only time will tell.

Man of Steel Teaser Trailer

Next summers Superman film titled Man of Steel has surfaced with its first teaser trailer. The tone of the new trailer opens a whole new perspective on the origins of Superman. Two trailers have been released with different narrators. Give it a watch, you might just be surprised.

One of the first Man of Steel released images

Torchlight II: Bigger Than Ever

The team at Runic Games have just released an image containing a few facts about the new Torchlight II game. The picture explains how many more items, mobs, and bosses. With that being said, the overall size of Torchlight II to its first games is 87 percent bigger. The biggest change to the game is the unique areas for the entire game totaling in 44 different places. Player skills have doubled in number and most importantly, the game will still be sold for twenty dollars just like the original. With change in size and a brand new game, Torchlight II should catch the attention of players who are not familiar with the series. The release date has yet to be announced, but expect it before the summer ends.

Man kills 12 at midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises

A masked gunman opened fire at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora Colorado. Twelve people were confirmed diseased while fifty-nine wounded. The police however announced later that fourteen people had been murdered. Witnesses say the man entered the theatre dressed in body army carrying a canister that released gas and began shooting. The majority of the audience did not realize what was happening as they thought the sounds were coming from the movie. The youngest victim was a six-year-old who received medical attention at Children’s Hospital Colorado where ten others were taken as well.

Warner Bros. issued this statement on the tragedy: “Warner Bros. is deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time.”

Even the president commented on the tragedy,
President Obama released the following statement on the shooting: “Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come.ople of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors.”

Wreck It Ralph: Video Games on the Movie Screen

The video game scene has a bad reputation when it comes to movies. Back in the day movies like Super Mario Bro’s and Street Fighter graced fans with what would be a total catastrophe. Of course, there are some movies that have redeemed video games–Resident Evil perhaps? For every good video game movie (however rare that may occur), there seems to be multiple bad ones. This is where Disney’s Wreck It Ralph comes into focus. Instead of taking one game entirely, Disney approached their project delicately, by choosing characters from different games and making their protagonist revolve around his own internal problems. Ralph, the main character of the movie has been an 8 Bit villain for thirty years. He has to face the harsh reality that his entire existence and purpose is to be the bad guy. He then decides to abandon his game with the hope of finding something better in the (literal) gaming world. Prior to his departure, Ralph goes to a Bad-Anon a villain anonymous meeting to discuss his feelings, it is here that the viewer meets other game villains such as Bowser from Super Mario Bro’s, Doctor Eggman (Sonic), Zangief, Chun Li, Cammy from Street Fighter and an entire line up of characters from other popular games.

The crucial aspect of this movie is that it does not revolve around the actual video game, but rather it takes a closer look at the characters within the games to the point of essentially personifying a fictional character. Ralph seeks to find who he truly is, perhaps video games that are going to be turned into movies should do the same. Reflect, deeply on the characters and revolve the story around their characterization and not the mere fact that the games industry has become a money machine. Hopefully Wreck It Ralph can have a say in what is to become a video game movie. The story is in itself an important aspect of any film, for the sake of video game fans, I hope future movies can recreate the same sense of discovery we have when we play those games.

Check out the trailer for Wreck It Ralph and be sure to see the movie when it comes out November 2nd!

Marvel: Thor, Cap, Ant Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy!

Comic Con has been blowing San Diego out of the water this weekend. Marvel announced what their calling the “phase 2″ movie lineup. It’s going to consist of Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant Man was discussed by its director/ writer Edgar Wright who showed off some film concept footage. The Guardians of the Galaxy were given some concept art and it was shown to the Hall H crowd.

Check out the pictures below:

Guardians of the Galaxy

Deadpool: Video Game Announced

Ladies and Gentlemen it has just been confirmed at Comic-Con that Deadpool will have his own game! The fourth-wall breaking assassin has been featured in other games, but has not received one of his own. The team behind the game are Full Moon Studios, which just released Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Expect the Deadpool game to arrive sometime in 2013.

Check out the game trailer below: