The DC You-niverse

from GeekChicDaily:

In your head, it starts with you getting a nice entry-level gig at Wayne Enterprises. Evenings, after the dayjob is done, you put on a costume and head out to slobberknock your adversaries. Saturday night, maybe you get lucky and chat up a Wonder Twin at a keg party; Sunday is spent icing plasma burns and perusing the late edition of The Daily Planet. The buildings tower above you, even as your legend grows… yes, you live in the DC Universe.

C’mon. We all know you’ve long harbored elaborate fantasies about what you’d do if you could somehow slip inside the DCU. Now’s your chance to fire your therapist and make those dreams a (virtual) reality: DC Universe Online goes live today. The game’s backstory is a bit twisty (think time travel, alien overlords and a dead Superman) but an awesomely-animated cinematic lays it all out. You play as a hero or villain that you create and customize, and every player gets an iconic DC character (like Supes, Batman, Lex Luthor, or the Joker, depending) who sends you on assignments and group missions.

Presumably your super-mentor also answers practical queries like “What’s the best Gotham laundromat for dry cleaning tights?” Alternate gaming options let groups of players square off against each other, and there’s even the ability to throw down as your favorite DC character. Basically the only thing the game doesn’t let you do is spend a quiet afternoon playing fetch with Krypto the Superdog. But hey, this is the first version. One never knows what the future might hold… could the next DC legend be you? DC Universe Online is live now.

J!NX: Up to 40% off IDentity Products

from J!NX:

All IDentity Products On Sale Up to 40% Off
Now through January 14, get all J!NX IDentity products for as much as 40% off.

New Design Arcade Winner: Rocks and Minerals
Ah, geology. It’s a science that is often overlooked in favor of disciplines with more flash and boom about them. Don’t be fooled, though. As long as you know where to dig, geology can yield more wealth, power and fame than you can imagine. Try to avoid the ectoplasm, though. It’s fun at parties, but just leaves a big mess afterwards. Congratulations to Minion Graja for an awesome Design Arcade win!

Classic Favorites on Sale for $10

Factory Entertainment: The Green Hornet in Stock Now

from Factory Entertainment:

We’re only a few days away from the highly anticipated theatrical release of the feature film based on the classic radio and TV show, The Green Hornet. We know how excited everyone is to see this year’s first blockbuster and we have plenty of items in stock now to fulfill all of your Kato and Green Hornet in training dreams! Stock up on items that will assist you in fighting crime in style with our fashionable Green Hornet accessories including cufflinks, money clips, rings and more, available in both movie and TV flavors. Don’t have a real Black Beauty to roll in? Start with our screen accurate movie and TV 1:50 scale die-cast versions. …and if that’s not enough to have you saying, “Let’s Roll Kato!” we suggest our highly detailed Green Hornet and Kato movie action figures. It’s been 75 years ago to the month since the Green Hornet was created, what better way to celebrate?!

Green Hornet Clips!
Check out seven exclusive clips of the new Green Hornet movie coming out on January 14th, starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz and Tom Wilkinson!

Follow us on Facebook, we proudly add to the mostly inane babble but we also throw in more than the occasional gem!

Lace Mamba Global to Publish “DARKSTAR – The Interactive Movie” in 2011

from Parallax Studio:

Lace Mamba Global announces that it will publish DARKSTAR – The Interactive Movie, a Science Fiction adventure game for PC and Mac, developed by J. Allen Williams at Parallax Studio.

“DARKSTAR is an extraordinary adventure game. It has been in development for over ten years, and has finally found its international publishing home. DARKSTAR is a perfect addition to our 2011 line up of independent adventure game productions”, says Jason Codd, European Managing Director at Lace Mamba Global. “DARKSTAR, with its extensive use of Full Motion Video, its famous cast and its eclectic mix of science fiction and dark comedy is a real gem in the adventure game genre. We’re confident that legions of PC and Mac players will truly enjoy this absolutely unique interactive movie experience. By publishing DARKSTAR, we once again prove that Lace Mamba Global is dedicated to the adventure game genre and are keen to bring the most exciting developments to our customers worldwide”, he adds.

J. Allen Williams, Producer, Director and Writer of DARKSTAR recently said “Lace Mamba Global is a perfect fit for a project like ours. Their commitment to bringing unique and cutting-edge entertainment to gamers everywhere while providing an unparalleled classic gaming experience is second to none. Their team knows how to take a release and put it out there with all the value-added extras that players want — they listen to the fans.”

DARKSTAR is set in the post-apocalyptic future in the year 2499. Captain John O’Neil awakens from cryogenic sleep aboard the lost and damaged starship Westwick. The ships’ computer voice informs O’Neil that he has been asleep for over 312 years, such a long time that his memories are gone — a side effect of being in hibernation centuries too long. A breath-taking journey through space and time begins as the player explores the haunted starship searching for answers and clues as to what the true mission is. Backstory cinema is unlocked as areas are unlocked and made accessible, and the epic story unfolds on this drifting and broken starship somewhere on the other side of the Galaxy as it orbits a strange, alien planet. Players must utilize their wits and ingenuity to discover what has happened to the Earth, the starship, and its crew. They must find out what has happened to O’Neil’s partner Ross Perryman, why Pilot Paige Palmer still slumbers in her cryo-chamber and who savagely murdered Navigator Alan Burk during his long session in suspended animation. O’Neil soon discovers that the Earth has been destroyed and the crew of the Westwick are the sole surviving members of the human race… or are they?

DARKSTAR, both an adventure game and an interactive movie, features more than 13 hours of Full Motion Video sequences to tell its amazing story. More animated footage than any other game in history is packed into this adventure with over two-dozen exhilarating alternate endings. The cast of live actors features Clive Robertson starring as Captain John O’Neil (Sunset Beach/StarHunter), as well as the original cast of the American cult television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000, including Trace Beaulieu, Beth “Beez” McKeever, Joel Hodgson, Mary Jo Pehl, Frank Conniff and J. Elvis Weinstein. DARKSTAR is narrated by the late, great Peter Graves (Mission: Impossible/Airplane/A&E’s Biography Series), his final performance.

DARKSTAR combines the best of the adventure game genre with science fiction filmmaking in this ground-breaking production. With elements of dark humor, horror, and classic sci-fi, DARKSTAR introduces you to live-action characters in a pre-rendered, fully animated storytelling tool that allows you to wander, search, discover, and enjoy this refreshing and strange world at your own pace.

Lace Mamba Global will publish DARKSTAR worldwide, starting in the UK in Q2 2011.

Enter the RiffTrax Remix contest and win some dough!

from RiffTrax:

Pull out sound clips from RiffTrax MP3s and create your own remixed video! It can be a movie, TV show, video game cut scene, virtually anything will work! You have until the end of January to upload your clip to YouTube and tag it with “rifftraxremix2011”. (You must use this tag for your video to be eligible!)

There is no minimum length requirement, just make it funny!

Our favorite video will win a prize of $100 cash and $100 credit for purchases at RiffTrax.com! For more info, visit RiffTrax Remix Contest!

Fates Are Sealed in a Final Showdown as Epic Manga Adventure “InuYasha” Concludes

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced the release of the final installment of Rumiko Takahashi’s longtime bestselling manga (graphic novel) series, InuYasha, on January 11th. Fans won’t want to miss even a single page of the action in Volume 56, Curtain of Time, which is rated “T+” for Older Teens and carries an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. InuYasha is published under VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint.

Kagome, a modern-day high school girl, is pulled into Japan’s ancient past! There, her destiny is linked to a dog-eared half demon named InuYasha. Together, they battle evil demons who seek to acquire the shards of the legendary Shikon Jewel and wield its incredible power. But can Kagome and InuYasha stop feuding with each other long enough to save the feudal or modern world — let alone both?

In the climactic showdown, the demon Naraku’s true intentions are finally revealed! Then, Kagome is swallowed up by the Meido. Is she finally beyond her friends’ reach? And will the final battle over the Shikon Jewel draw InuYasha and Kagome together… or pull them apart forever?! Find out in the exciting concluding volume!

The spotlight on manga creator Rumiko Takahashi began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan’s annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another — Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987, Ranma ½ from 1987 to 1996, and InuYasha from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, and One-Pound Gospel. These, as well as her newest manga series, Rin-ne, are also published in North America by VIZ Media.

Also catch InuYasha anime episodes — for free — on VIZAnime.com.

More information on InuYasha, or other Shonen Sunday titles from VIZ Media, is available at ShonenSunday.com.

Star Wars: The Complete Blu-ray Saga

from Lucasfilm:

The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever — the Star Wars Saga — emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas’ epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan:

– Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
– Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
– Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be available for $139.99 US/$179.99 CAN and the Star Wars: Trilogy Sets for $69.99 US/89.99 CAN. Pricing for each set will vary by international territory.

Flanked by a legion of his finest Imperial Stormtroopers, Darth Vader himself joined Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to announce the release, vowing “The forces of the Empire will be at your disposal to assure the success of this endeavor.’’

“The Star Wars Saga is the most anticipated Blu-ray collection since the launch of the high-def format,” Dunn said. “The epic franchise pioneered sound and visual presentation in theaters and is perfectly suited to do it again in the home, with a viewing experience only possible with Blu-ray.”

“With all six episodes available for the first time in one collection, this is a great way for families and home audiences to experience the complete Saga from start to finish,” said Doug Yates, Vice President of Marketing, Online, Distribution, Lucasfilm Ltd. “And with the quality of high-definition, Blu-ray provides the most immersive home experience possible.”

“The Star Wars franchise has been one of the most anticipated Blu-ray releases by Amazon’s customers,” said Bill Carr, Vice President of Music and Video at Amazon. “We think that Star Wars will be incredibly popular with our customers, and we expect pre-orders to be very strong.”

CES 2011: Announcing Batman x MIMOBOT and DC Comics Super Hero Flash Drive Collections!

from Mimoco:

…Announced at CES…

Limited Edition: Vintage Batman X MIMOBOT! Gotham City will never be the same! Get your Limited Edition Vintage Batman MIMOBOT Flash Drive! Shop Now!

Video Premiere! Vintage Batman X MIMOBOT — Check out Vintage Batman X MIMOBOT answer the call in Gotham City! Watch Now!

Batman Wave 1 X MIMOBOT: Mimoco, creator of the MIMOBOT line of designer USB flash drives, and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment, announce their partnership through a license agreement at the 2011 International CES.

*FREE domestic shipping on ALL MIMOBOT orders over $50! (Excludes Hawaii, Alaska)

ThinkGeek snicker-snacks prices! + $10 off

from ThinkGeek:

Happy 2011, geek friends!

We hope your holidays were merry and standards-compliant — you did upgrade the web browsers on your family members’ computers, right? (Web devs everywhere whisper, “Thank you.”)

Timmy’s resolutions: better-than-bacon custom products, more contests involving unicorns (with and without sparkles), snorting more Nixie Tubes, and snicker-snacking on prices with his vorpal blade. In fact, he’s got more than 400 clearance goodies for you before he goes galumphing back into his server closet.

SALE! *snicker-snack*
Timmy’s vorpal blade has cut prices on 400+ items with discounts up to 80.016003%. Yes, he’s that good with a blade.

Take $10 off $40+ orders — Fill in the blanks!
That jolly-yet-naughty elf forgot a few things from your list, did he? Never fear, ThinkGeek is here! With clearance prices and a coupon code, it’s the perfect time to snag the things you really wanted. Use code STUPIDELF for $10 off $40+ orders through 11:59pm ET on Friday 1/7/11.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is BACK – and the explosive re-launch is going to ring in the new year with a BANG!

from StarWars.com:

Troubled by Asajj Ventress’ growing prowess with the dark side of the Force, Darth Sidious commands Count Dooku to eliminate her. But Ventress survives Dooku’s assassination attempt, and the jilted former apprentice vows to take revenge, enlisting the aid of her kinswomen — the mystical Nightsisters of Dathomir — in her sinister scheme. Evil clashes with evil and sparks fly — igniting the fuse for the launch of the explosive second half of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Three. Darkness falls and the end begins with “Nightsisters,” an all-new episode debuting at an ALL-NEW TIME — 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, January 7 on Cartoon Network.

The first of a three-part story arc, “Nightsisters” pulls back the curtain to reveal bitter rivalries, seething resentments, shattered alliances and more — including the revelation of a dark sorcery as mystical and powerful as the Force itself. Wielded by the witches of far-off Dathomir, this sinister magic poses a threat to both the Jedi and the Sith, and a challenge to the delicate balance of the Force.

“We’ve still only seen a small sliver of what’s possible,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “Not only are we seeing stories from different points of view, but we are constantly learning about new perspectives that shift the paradigm entirely.”

One of those new perspectives comes from Ventress herself. Previously represented primarily as Dooku’s grim shadow and an agent of evil, her secret history is revealed when she is forced to re-examine her allegiances. The hunter becomes the hunted, but she is quick to demonstrate that she is no ordinary prey. She strikes back with a vengeance, returning to the offensive as she responds to the insult and injury of her former master’s betrayal.

“Things are changing in The Clone Wars — permanent changes that will affect the whole Star Wars universe,” says Filoni. “We are about to start seeing some significant shifts, starting with the power structure of the Separatists and the Sith. We’re shaking things up for them, and you’ll see that our bad guys are going to react strongly to that. They don’t take it too well. What we’re seeing is the start of a chain reaction. Things are really about to pick up — and this is just the beginning.”