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The long awaited second installment of my interview with Igor Hardy aka Hardy Dev, an independent games developer, is finally finished. Igor is currently busy with several projects, hence the delay, but I'm glad he has finally been able to finish the interview we started. Igor's answers are very in-depth and interesting and I thank him for his time. Check out his site, "a hardy developer's journal", after you've finished reading the interview of course.
Second Clash of the Titans Trailer Debuts
After viewing the wickedly awesome Iron Man 2 trailer on Apple you might want to stick around. See the site is also the spot for the official debut of a second, longer Clash of the Titans trailer which you can view here.
Like the first trailer, this trailer uses a hard rock track as its backing and the mixers have to be commended as it really gets your heart pumping and your excitement up as you watch the trailer. It starts off light in the background as some of the key characters try to explain a bit of what's going on. Then as the action in the trailer starts to build up the music gets louder, faster and more intense to reflect this.
I'm pretty sure I saw glimpses of Danny Huston as Poseidon and Ralph Fiennes as Ares, we saw Liam Neeson as Zeus in the first trailer, but they were very quick glances so it was hard to tell. In addition to another look at the Medusa, giant scorpions and winged harpy creatures we saw in the first trailer there was a disfigured giant, a Pegasus (I'm not sure if there was only ever one in Greek mythology but there was a winged horse all the same) and finally, the mother of all crazy ass creatures, a huge ass Kraken monster. This one made the Pirates of the Carribean Kraken look like a baby, it was freaking massive. That will certainly be one epic battle between Perseus and the Kraken and was the highlight of the trailer. At least we know there will be some variety to Perseus's enemies in the film.
A Clash of the Titans and Iron Man 2 trailer in the same day is almost too much awesome for one day. Luckily Apple didn't think so and we can sit back, relax and enjoy two kick ass trailers. Clash of the Titans is in cinemas March 26, 2010.
Iron Man 2 Trailer Online
It seems that footage that Entertainment Tonight had of Iron Man 2 was all from the trailer that will air with Sherlock Holmes when that film is in cinemas. How do I know this? Well the good people over at Apple have a fancy smancy dedicated to Iron Man 2 which has the films trailer on it. Head on over now and check it out.
The trailer runs for 2:28 and it is just jam-packed with awesomeness. Mickey Rourke's Whiplash seems to have a vendetta against Stark for all the wrongs his company has done and I'm thinking there could be some connection between the two characters fathers, both seem to have issues with their fathers who were both famous men of science and industry, who knows? Those whips certainly looked cool in action, the sound was just amazing, and I certainly wouldn't want to make any 'Whip It' jokes when he is around. Stark (Downey Jr) has certainly embraced his public hero role hosting a Stark Expo which he rocketed into in the Iron Man armour but this makes him a very public target for anyone with a grudge, evidenced by Whiplash attacking Stark not Iron Man at a car race. Black Widow and Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel Jackson respectively, appear briefly and give nothing away as to their part in the film. The trailer ends with Iron Man and War Machine going back to back as they take on a slew of robot enemies, possibly minions of Justin Hammer rival business man (?), and War Machine unloads with several mini-guns, that's right several, pure awesome.
All I can say is watch the trailer, get excited and start counting down the days till May 7 2010.
New Alice In Wonderland Trailer and Iron Man 2 Footage
Over night some pretty cool new footage for two highly anticipated films hit the net. Firstly there was some new footage for the Iron Man 2 movie that aired in an Entertainment Tonight TV spot. The footage showed a glimpse of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and we also got to see War Machine in action!! Let me just say that the two of them looked freaking amazing. Favreau promised there would be more action in the sequel and this footage certainly showed a bit more action.
The other trailer that hit was a new trailer for Alice in Wonderland. This trailer, to me, was to serve one purpose and that was to distance this version of Alice in Wonderland from all existing versions. It seemed far more epic and dark than any Alice movie I'd see and resembled more of what I've seen in video game and comic book adaptations than in movies. Also is that war that I see in Wonderland? Man that certainly has me excited.
Gibson+ DiCaprio+ Vikings= Win
Seriously there is no other way that equation can work out. Mel Gibson, the current period epic specialist, and Leonardo DiCaprio, Viking enthusiast and one of the best performing actors of the time (Shutter Island is getting rave reviews as we speak), together on a Viking epic can only work out well for us, the audience.
Early reports from Variety are light on details but they do believe that Gibson will direct DiCaprio in a Viking period drama that will be every bit as unforgiving as Apocalypto and Passion of the Christ were. Departed writer William Monahan is writing the script for the film which is supposed to begin filming next year and Departed producer Graham King is also attached to the project.
Empire aren't so sure Gibson will direct as he is supposedly scouting prison sets at the moment for an unknown movie so Gibson's role could be seen in more of a producing capacity or who knows maybe we'll get lucky and see Gibson and DiCaprio take on the roles of Vikings.
Anyway regardless of whether Gibson directs or not producer Graham King has pretty much promised it will have the same feel as Gibson's other period pieces saying that "This will be an awe-inspiring story, created with some of the industry’s finest cinematic talent, and I am just over the moon to be making this film with Mel, Leo and Bill.”
I've been waiting for Gibson to return to the period epics he seems to excel at. I loved Apocalypto, I thought it was an amazing film with purely awe inspiring imagery and remarkable performances from some unknowns. I feel giddy thinking about Gibson getting to work with another fantastic culture with a penchant for amazing imagery and throw in some actors we actually know and this could be a brilliant film.
I'll keep you posted on any further details like plot or Gibson's actual role with the film.
Spike TV Video Game Award Premieres
The Spike TV Video Game Awards were a popular event but not just for the awards. The event saw a slew of debut trailers for new and existing games which will have gamers excited about the future.
First off there are some trailers for a few new modern warfare games. No I'm not confused and stating there'll be new Call of Duty games (although we all no there will be), I'm just talking about some new games that are set in the modern theater with a Middle Eastern focus. There's EA's long awaited return of the Medal of Honour series which had already been announced earlier but without a trailer. The game is set in Afghanistan and players control members of the Tier 1 Operator group a real life unit, which is literally made up of the best of the best. Unfortunately the trailer made the game seem ridiculously the same as Activision's Call of Duty Modern Warfare yet not as impressive. There was a black and white scene from a gunship, ATVs that you could perform knife kills on, lots of sand, explosions and bad assery except it didn't seem as polished and looked graphically inferior to Activisions popular but in a nice finish which actually sparked my interest the team members booted a hostage out of a window because he was rigged with explosives. It was a nice end to the trailer but EA will have to show something spectacular to distance itself from Modern Warfare.
The other shooter set in the 'modern' period that debuted at the VGAs was Spec Ops The Line. This trailer seemed to blend more actual gameplay in the trailer as well as some cinematics. The game is also a third person shooter which is a change of focus from Call of Duty and Medal of Honour. The game takes place in post apocalyptic Dubai were the remnants of great skyscrapers dot the land and the ever changing sands are just as dangerous as those who are trying to kill you. 2K studios are publishing the game for the 360, PlayStation 3 and PC and the games site describes it as a challenge to "players' morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable situations where unimaginative choices affecting human life must be made."
This trailer really impressed me with its gorgeous graphics, use of Gears of War style cover and destructible environments. This means players will have to be mindful of their surroundings as things can change on the fly, either through destruction or through a shifting in the sands. Given the voice over and the imagery portrayed the game also seems to have an interesting and as they say morally challenging story. Few other details are known but the trailer is certainly worth watching.
A couple of sequels to successful titles were also announced at the show. They were both sequels to games I have purchased, played and loved so I am very happy. The sequels are to Batman: Arkham Asylum and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Arkham Asylum hinted towards a grander scale in the sequel. The Joker has survived the first game and returned, this time he's on the loose in Gotham City. With Harlequin at his side The Joker is seen weary and hooked up to a blood pack and after laughing manically at the carnage his goons are wrecking in Gotham he coughs and splutters. There are also hints that Two Face, aka Harvey Dent, will make an appearance in this game as there are modified Uncle Sam posters in the trailer and on the official website. The grander scale is a nice touch as the Asylum felt a little cramped at times. Managing a bigger backdrop will prove difficult for Rocksteady but will also give them the chance to implement new features like possibly some of Batman's vehicles and give him plenty of new hiding places. I also hope they improve on the fighting system because while it was impressive to watch it was kind of boring to implement. No word on a release date but a game like this will require a long production time which fans are sure to appreciate as it will ensure, to a degree, that the game reaches and possibly excels the success of the first game.
The other sequel, Force Unleashed, did not have as impressive a debut trailer as the original did. It focuses of Starkiller who has somehow managed to survive the incidents of the first game. He is seen walking down a corridor as the voices of Toda and Darth Vader fill the air. They appear to be two sides of an internal struggle which is plaguing Starkiller and obscuring his future. He is then startled at the end by Juno Eclipse's voice and her questioning of whether she'll see him again. He appears to focus after this and then enters a huge gladiatorial arena. He stops in front of a huge, and I mean huge, door where the body of a Rancor is thrown out of. After the Rancor body makes the trademark squeal from Return of the Jedi an even bigger Rancor, possibly 5 or 10 times bigger than a normal one, appears and it is angry. Starkiller then takes off his black robe and charges up his arms and hands with electricity ready to fight. The screen turns black, we hear Yoda again and then Starkiller is seen with dual lightsabers launching himself at the Super Rancor. Like I said it's not as impressive as the original games debut trailer, the guy took down a Star Destroyer just with the force, but it is still an impressive trailer and the promise of dual lightsabers is great. I'm also really interested to find out some story details on this one. The first games story was very good in my opinion, the idea of the Emperor and Vader starting the Rebellion was very cool and unexpected and now it will be in full swing. Meanwhile Starkiller will be seeking out Juno, who as I recall is expecting a baby, and revenge against Vader.
Finally the most anticipated announcement was surely the revealing of a new trailer for Halo Reach. So little was known about the game as the announcement trailer gave away nothing except that it was on the planet Reach and would feature Spartans. The new trailer, which hasn't officially been released, seems to confirm that squad gameplay will be the focus as the lead Spartan says "No more of that lone wolf stuff" and another Spartan asks if this is the "new #6". Looks like you will play a new edition to a squad of Spartans who had acted alone like Master Chief up until now. The trailer also showed off some new armour, Reach is the research planet so there could be a lot of cool new stuff, what is believed to be a Hornet helicopter (the Halo equivalent of a Black Hawk in my opinion) and one bad ass Spartan with a skull decorated helmet ala Army of Two with a freaking huge knife. Could this be a hint at knife based melee combat in Reach? Here's hoping as it is a feature which is surely missing, especially given the fact that knives are visible in the game but unusable. The trailer finished up with a snarling Elite wielding an energy sword and left me wanting more. The graphics did look like an improvement on Halo 3, which is a good sign, and seemed to hint at a change in style from lone wolf to squad based that could revitalise the series.
So there you have it, the best bits from the Spike Video Game Awards and its impressive array of new game footage.













