Tron Legacy

Preview | Due: 2010 | Disney

Good things always come from Comic Con and Tron Legacy is a VERY good thing.

Tron was the film from the early 80's that even though CGI was in its infancy, with a little florescent paint and a lot of vision, made you believe in an artificially created world. One that wouldn't be surpassed until the Matrix upgrade it 17-years later.

Here Legacy takes all the CGI leaps and bounds of the last two decades to upgrade Tron to version 2.0; retaining its unique look and adding a dark edge. With the original Kevin Flynn returning and Bruce Boxleitner rumoured to be following suit, I have high hopes for this.

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Buy Tron @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

The Matrix Runs on Windows

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Take the red pill. Get the blue screen. That possibly explains my laptops erratic behaviour; recreational drug use.

I suspect that if the real Martix wasn't made on Macs this would be eerily similar to the first draft of the script.

The SFX and production are excellent on this, considering it is only a comedy short, as well as the script and performances so make sure you check out the other Geek humour shorts like Web Side Story.

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Buy Matrix @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

Twitter Three

This weeks follow suggestions:

@williamshatner - Needs NO introduction!
@Microsoft_Xbox - News and updates from the Xbox 360 team.
@RockstarGames - New and upadtes from Rockstar Games, makers of Grand Theft Auto.

This week @maycontaingeeks:

#StarTrek DS9 - The Alternate = 2Gs for condescending father figures, Odo the Fun Slime special effects and a suspiciously Dax.

#StarTrek DS9 - Armageddon Game = 3Gs for the start of Julian/Miles bromance, a harsh/logical way to prevent WMDs & coffee in the afternoon.

#StarTrek DS9 - Whispers = 3Gs for 2nd dose of Colm Meaney, suspicious friends and more coffee "Double strong, double sweet".

#StarTrek DS9 - Paradise = 3Gs for the 3rd Chief O'Brien in a row, space Amish and Sisko in the 'hot box'.

#StarTrek TNG - Bloodlines = 3Gs for sons found and lost, those damn Ferengi and "never looking at your hairline the same way again".

#StarTrek TNG - Peemptive Strike = 2 Gs for Ro <3s Picard & old men who have exactly the same history as your dad.

#DoctorWho (9th) - World War Three = 2 Gs for farting aliens, blowing up Downing Street & a promise of a Golden Age that will never come.

#StarTrek TNG - All Good Things (Pt.1) - 5 Gs for Picard back and forth, old friends & the trial that never ended.

#StarTrek TNG - All Good Things (Pt.2) - 5 Gs the future enterprise, for the unknown possibilities of existence and one last game of poker.

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Buy toys and merchandise @ Forbidden Planet

Halo 3: ODST

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Preview | Price: £34.99 | Due: 22/09/09 | Xbox 360 | Bungie/Microsoft

I'm a big fan of Halo 3 now even though I wasn't interested at all at first. I've never been a big fan of FPS games, as I prefer story over shooting, so my first experience was playing four-screen multiplayer on a friends version during our regular Tuesday Geek-night. A couple of games in and I was hooked.

Even then it was only the social play I was interested in. When I bought my own Xbox and copy of the game it was just to play Rocket Ball with my mates. At a loose end one night, I decided to try the single player mission. The next thing I know, I had finished without really understanding half of what had happened.

It's because of that I very glad to hear about Nathan Fillion appearing as Sgt Buck in Halo 3's sequel ODST. Not that I wouldn't be glad to see the Firefly star in anything, but I think this is a sign that narrative in ODST will go above and beyond what we saw in its predecessor. Another good sign is the games broken storyline, with play split between the main, starting character and playable flashbacks as other members of you squad.

Still not sold? What about the news that the game ships with a second disc featuring all the multiplayer maps from Halo 3, including those released as DLCs, plus three brand new ones as well as a standalone version of the multiplayer game.

Get ready to dance in Sep 09.

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Buy Halo @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

Show me the way to San Diego...

San Diego Comic-Con kicks off today. SDCC is one of THE biggest events in the Geek calendar, along with Gen Con and E3 Expo.

Don't let the Comic part of the title, now that we Geeks rule the entertainment world SDCC is were all the big film and TV people go to pimp their new wares.

Don't take my word for it though, let Kevin Clerks' Smith tell you about five his coolest encounters at SDCC: Part 1 and Part 2.

Sadly I won't be there, so I suggest you follow the latest news with me @:

Comic Book Resources News

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Buy toys and merchandise @ Forbidden Planet

Needs and Wants

Tom Endo write about the need for game merchandise in The Escapist:

If you've been a gamer long enough chances are you've stumbled upon or been tempted to purchase some sort of gaming related merchandise. Maybe it was the Halo cat helmet or a Solid Snake statue.

We've all been there; I've spent the last six-couple of months stalking Fallout 3 Bobbleheads on eBay and who hasn't wanted one of those life-sized statues they have in the Game stores?¹

My OCD² has taken many forms over my 30+ years on Sol 3. I've collected stamps, CCGs, marbles, comics, Star Trek videos, RPGs, books and various kinds of multi-coloured figurines. Most of these things serve no practical purpose, even the things with uses like the books and RPGs spend most of their time gathering dust on a shelf or hibernating at the bottom of a box.

Still there is a need to have these objects of desire. Take this for example:



It's a preview of an amazingly detailed Batman figurine due out next year and it's wonderful. What would I do with it? No idea, it's not like I actually play with toys anymore. Do I want it? Oh yes!

You could argue that at least the figurine has aesthetic value and can be used for as a display object, but what about this?



I've been planning on buying the Batman: Arkham Asylum game for the Xbox 360 since I saw the first video play throughs but when I found out that the HMV collectors edition comes with a Batarang my want turned to need. Do I plan on waging a war on crime with this Bat-themed weapon? No. Do I have any use for it? No.

Do I want it? No, but I need it.

¹ - Not that anyone has anywhere practical/socially acceptable to display it.
² - Obsessive Collection Disorder. Write it down!

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Buy Batman @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

Buy Fallout 3 @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

The Keyhole Nebula

Preview | $18 | Sizes: XS-3XL | Threadless


WOW! Now this isn't my usual kind of Tee, it's too bold and reminds me of those cheesy fantasy posters Athena sold in the '80s, but look at the detail! It's like the opening credits of the Twilight Zone. Probably more suited to feminine host but still, WOW!

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40-years from the Moon

That "one small step" landed 40-years ago today. Start the count-down now: 40-years to Mars!

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The Doctors New Clothes

The first look at Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor and his new companion Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan.



Maryann Johanson writes:

Looks like David Tennant’s 10th Doctor geek chic has been exchanged for... what? Nerd chic?

I concur. Smith is dressed like a geography teacher from the '70s but with Doc Martins added. A hidden punk element or couldn't BBC costumes find some brown brogues in his size? And a bow tie? Not even Jimmy Olsen could pull that one off in the 21st Century!¹

This brings up my other concern about new Doctor/series: age². I was very enthusiastic when I heard that Steven Moffat was taking over as show runner, after all he wrote THE BEST single episode since the shows return, but Smith is 26 and Gillan is 21.

Now, I have no doubt about their acting skill, Smith was excellent in Party Animals, but a young lead and an younger assistant aims the show at a younger audience and as one of 30+ viewers I think the family focus of the new seasons have hindered some of the episodes. Taking off that dark edge that made us hide behind the sofa.

Filming has started now, so I guess we'll find out if the clothes and the man make it in 2010.


¹ - Is this look in anyway connected the John Smith circa Human Nature/The Family of Blood story?
² - I know. Discussing age in Doctor Who is a bit of a joke in itself.

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Buy Doctor Who @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com | Forbidden Planet

Is there a Doctor in the Wasteland?

Slobberblood write in his blog:

Ok, it’s almost impossible, I’m trying to be the 15th Doctor, yes I know, don’t say it...
I’m trying to RPG The Doctor in the wasteland, using tons of mods I have access to upgrading my character to a high level, only picking skills that the Doctor would have.

A great idea, I've always characterised the choices my Fallout character have made, but I have to agree with that first sentence. I guess from his use of mods that he is playing the PC version and I don't have a problem with tweeking the costume or adding a follower, but a squad of Scape Marines? That brings me back to the impossible issue.

Slobberbllood says "The true challenge is NOT killing people", surely being followed around by a group of heavily armoured and armed solders defeats the point of being a pacifist? He could limit his offensive actions to using the Mesmetron but still the Wastelend is a very deadly place and probably not even the Doctor could save.

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Buy Fallout 3 @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

Buy Doctor Who @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com | Forbidden Planet

Follow Fight Friday

Movie Line have come up with an novel way of filtering the plethora of celebs you can follow on Twitter; A Twitter Tournament of Champions! Let the battle commence!

This weeks follow suggestions:

@NathanFillion - Actor and star of Firefly/Serenity.
@serafinowicz - Actor, comedian and voice of Darth Maul.
@scottmcloud - Writer, artist and guru of sequential art.

This week @maycontaingeeks:

#StarTrek TNG: Genesis = 2 Gs. Spider Barclay? Neanderthal Riker? Fishy Troy? This is supposed to be season 7!

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Jedi Word Search

Something for the weekend:



Enjoy this Star Wars themed word search over the weekend.

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Buy Star Wars @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

Scarlett Spider

EW.com gives us a first look at Black Widow in Iron Man 2:

Scarlett Johansson a Black Widow

The original Black Widow

I can't argue with the choice of the sexy Miss Johansson to play the spy/hero/femme-fatal but that hair looks a little odd. I hope it's not a sign of the franchise sliding into the artificial look that a lot of the lesser superhero films have adopted.

Did anyone thing Reed's gray sides look real or even the party wig that Storm wears in XM1?

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Buy Iron Man @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com| Forbidden Planet

FPS Disease

Please watch this video message about a very serious disease with could affect any of us with little warning;

Via BoingBoing

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Buy Duke Nukem @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

Well, Twitter Me!

May Contains Geeks has joined the Twitterverse! I'll be posting mini-reviews of my daily Geek intake as well as site updates and general Tweet foolishness.

You can follow me @maycontaingeeks.
If you are new to Twitter and want some help deciding who to follow to maximise your Geek related Tweets, Geek Dad has a handy guide to 100 Geeks You Should Be Following On Twitter.

Plus, as it is #FollowFriday here a could of my suggestions that didn't make the GD list:

@noobde - Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat.
@marcellerby - Marc Ellerby, creator and star of the Ellebrisms web comic.
@wossy - Jonathan Ross, presenter, film critic and comic book Geek.

I'll add some more suggestions next week and for those who fear the social networking side of the interweb like the Solanum virus I will also re-post the mini-reviews here on a weekly basis. Just like this:

Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire = 1 G for being the bastard child of Carry On and Robin Hood, and not he go episodes either.

Torchwood - Children of Earth Day 1 = 3 Gs for giving Jack & Ianto 'some' background, a double cross and killing Jack 3-times?

#Torchwood Children of Earth Day 2 = 3 Gs for the creepy Mr Dekker, decent build in tension and 'containing' Jack.

#Torchwood Children of Earth Day 3 = 3 Gs for A-Team style shopping, dirty politics and The Man.

#Chuck vs Tom Sawyer = 2 Gs for vintage arcade games, Dude Jeff but not enough Casey or Sarah.

#Chuck vs Tom Sawyer = 2 Gs for vintage arcade games, Dude Jeff but not enough Casey or Sarah.

#Torchwood Children of Earth Day 4 = 4 Gs for a chilling debate on school league tables, more deaths and the ominous 456.

1 vs 100 Live! (BETA) (Xbox 360) = 1G - I tried to play for an hour, crashed the box twice and only managed to answer 4 separate questions.

#Torchwood Children of Earth Day 5 = 5Gs for hard decisions & bloody politicians. Why couldn't all TW be have like this?

Fallout 3 LARP

First came the Brotherhood of Steel Armour, now this:



Some 300 über-Geeks staged a Fallout themed LARP event at a disused military base in Russia last month.

Now I'm a B.I.G. Fallout 3 fan and do go fancy dress camping LARPing on occasion but camping in the Wastelands? That, my little cap collectors, would be a little too depressing...

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Buy Fallout 3 @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com

DLC Ups and Downs

Downloadable Content is one of the best features of the Next Gen consoles¹. This is especially true on my platform of choice the Xbox 360, with new content released daily, although PS3 is slowly catching up.



EA have announced two FREE DLCs for their recent and knockout game FIGHT NIGHT Round 4. The first will be a standard content style update featuring: a new gym, sliders, equipment and a Pizza Hut version of Sugar Ray Leonard. No, I'm not sure what that means either.

The second in more intriguing. They are releasing a game patch that will allow players to use the face buttons to punch, as in previous versions of the game. The analogue stick punch control seemed to be a main selling point for the new version so this add on seems both a boon for those players who prefer the old controls and back-pedaling for the games evolution.



Of course, the news can't always be good. It seems that there will be no DLC updates for MK vs DC. Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat co-creator, has announced on his Twitter page that the additional characters will now not be released. Mr Mxyzptlx, Harley Quinn and Quan Qui (above). MK vs DC is one of those average games that is slightly raised above the thrall by the history of the subject material, and in the Geek world few rank higher than MK and DC, so it's a shame that the book has been closed on that little crossing of the Realms.

¹ I am a little tired of the GH3 and Rock Band songs taking up all my screen space though.

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Buy Fight Night @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com
Buy MK vs DC @ Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com