New Patrick Rothfuss Novella: The Slow Regard of Silent Things- Due Nov. 4th, 2014 (Kingkiller Chronicles)

     Most of my friends have had to put up with me constantly raving about Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles.  Next to Neal Asher, Terry Pratchett, and Joe Abercrombie, Rothfuss has been seated as on of my favorites. When I first read The Name of the Wind I was blown away at the depth and breadth of the world building.  Then I was horribly disappointed because the next book was so far off.  Then The Wise Man's Fear arrived and I went through the same thing.  Now we wait for the third installment Doors of Stone, which has no release date in sight.  

    Instead of a picture, I decided to put this Google Talk with Rothfuss up for interested readers.

     Well, he has a few things announced recently, and because I procrastinated long enough I can now group them into a singular post.  In the time we have to wait for the finale of The Kingkiller Chronicles we will get a few nice treats... two novellas and a novel.

     The first is addressed in this post's title- The Slow Regard of Silent Things.  It is a new novella focussed on, in my opinion, one of the best characters from the first two books- Auri.

     "The Slow Regard of Silent Things is set at The University, where the brightest minds work to unravel the mysteries of enlightened sciences, such as artificing and alchemy. Auri, a former student (and a secondary but influential character from Rothfuss’s earlier novels) now lives alone beneath the sprawling campus in a maze of ancient and abandoned passageways. There in The Underthing, she feels her powers and learns to see the truths that science—and her former classmates—have overlooked."

     The second item is a novella about Kvothe's protege Bast.  It is titled The Lightning Tree and will be available June 17th in the Rogues Anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.  The book will also feature a ton of other wonderful authors such as the previously mentioned Joe Abercrombie.

     The third item is a novel about Laniel Young-Again.  I couldn't find an estimated release date for that, sorry.

     On a side note- from Rothfuss' Reddit AMA back in January (?) - someone asked something that I've been curious about since I first read the book. "Can a person learn their own true name? If so could they command it?"  If I recall correctly, he doesn't answer, but I've speculated on here and on Twitter that Kvothe has done exactly that.  I believe he may have locked a part of himself in his thrice-locked chest to prevent more harm than what he's already done, and subsequently locked himself out (possibly by locking the part of him that knew how to open the chest in).
     If memory serves me right, I believe Elodin reacted harshly when Kvothe asked if it was possible for someone to change their name- which Kvothe has already outwardly done.  So it makes sense that he would've learned his own name, and then locked it away, thus restricting his powers- and thwarting future disaster from occurring.
     Then again, maybe he locked another person or a god away in it...

     Source [ Tor ]

Dark Souls 2: MORE Lembas Bread (Cracked Blue Eye Orb) Meme

     This was all I could think about while I farmed through Heide's Tower.  Seriously, it's all the knights dropped and I now have like 60 of them in my inventory.  I just had to make this to share how I felt.

Batman: Arkham Knight Villain Reveal Pic

     Today we get a good look at the title character from the next Rocksteady Batman game-Arkham Knight.  Previously all we saw were vague and shadowy outlines, but now we get a full picture reveal of the villain's suit.  As seen, it's a very militaristic suit quite like Batman's, and it seems to have some good tech around the eyes.

     I really like the deliberate Batman-esque design.  It makes me think it might be someone out to sully the good Bat's name.  Someone with enough money or connections to create a suit to go toe-to-toe with the Dark Knight himself.


     For larger images of the character, check out the source: [ GameInformer ]

Bay & Liebesman's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles First Trailer

     We are finally able to see the long awaited and very controversial Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot trailer has finally arrived.  I have to admit, it's nowhere near as awful as I was expecting, but it's also not nearly as good as it could be.



     Not too far from now we'll be inundated in TMNT paraphernalia and that at least will be a great thing.  For the time being I'll stick with the always amazing Nickelodeon cartoon.

     For more Turtles posts click here [ TMNT ]

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Part 2: Launch Trailer

     Look at this wonderful launch trailer for Irrational Games' wonderful Bioshock Infinite's last DLC add-on.

     "See the world through the eyes of Elizabeth, as she continues her journey through Rapture in a film noir-style story that provides players with a different perspective on the BioShock universe."

     I know what I'll be playing tonight...

     Burial at Sea Part 2 is available now.

X-Men: Days of Future Past New 2nd Trailer

    This new trailer is fully loaded with footage and hints.  There was Shadowcat crying over might be a dead Iceman (after his fight scenes?), and I even saw a nice bit where Shadowcat uses her power with Bishop to run through a bunch of stuff.
     I wonder if maybe Taylor Kitsch will be a surprise cameo as Gambit (The Witness) of Bishop's era?  Since we already know that the next film is set to be the Age of Apocalypse, there's a decent chance- as the Witness was an important character to Bishop, well, at least highly influencial.

     There's a good chance Bryan Singer can make X-men a viable series again.  He has the chance to make this amazing, and it looks to be on the right path.  (Although with Mangold already listed to helm the next Wolverine film- I am a bit skeptical.  Look what butchery he did to the last film.)



     X-Men: Days of Future Past arrives in theaters May 23.

Dumblr: A Dumb and Dumber To Site and Release Date

     The long-awaited and much anticipated Dumb and Dumber To get and official website called Dumblr and a release date.  The film is set to arrive in theaters on November 4th, 2014.

     I have much higher hopes for the Farrelly Brothers with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels than the Anchorman 2 team.  I've never been disappointed by a Farrelly film, and Carrey and Daniels taking so long to agree to it means the standards have been kept.  Anchorman 2 felt far too long.  They should've just cut the whole (SPOILER WARNING) Ron goes blind scene out.  That would've tightened the film up by 30 minutes.  (END SPOILER)

    I'm going to try and preorder tickets right now.

     UPDATE: Apparently- according to a very confused AMC theater worker, this isn't a movie, "and even if it was, it won't be out for a long time" so I can't preorder tickets yet.
     That's lame.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Beowulf Translation and Commentary Being Published

     For years I've read about Tolkien's take on the old epic poem Beowulf and now we'll finally get the commentary and his own translation on it.  In addition we'll be getting a series of lectures Tolkien gave at Oxford about the poem.

     Tolkien said the story was, "laden with history, leading back into the dark heathen ages beyond the memory of song, but not beyond the reach of imagination."  I am quite eager to read more of his thoughts on the epic.

     It was evident in both The Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings trilogy that he was heavily influenced by old stories, and being a Professor of Old English- Beowulf undoubtedly left a mark on his own work.

     The book will be available on May 22.

     The image is a screen cap from the excellent Neil Gaiman penned, Zemeckis Beowulf film.

     Source [ The Guardian ]

The Incredibles 2 Officially Announced

     After a mere decade since the original film, Brad Bird has begun penning the sequel.  And all of us fans are peeing in our pantaloons.

     

It’s official: we’re currently working on new films featuring your favorite characters from The Incredibles and Cars! pic.twitter.com/HzdvF0rvpA
— Disney•Pixar (@DisneyPixar) March 18, 2014

     It's about time Pixar and Disney got to this film...

      Source [ Variety ]

Explorers Getting a Remake (And No One Knows Why)

     One of my top 5 favorite movies of all time is getting a remake.  It's a seminal classic from the 1980's young sci-fi called Explorers about 3 boys that receive dream communications from aliens and build a spaceship.  This film shaped my life a ton and I am a little worried about what will happen to the integrity of the original film.  Really, this feels a oddly unnecessary, because the original is so good- it features early Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, as well as Jason Presson, and was written by Eric Luke and directed by Joe Dante of Gremlins fame (he also directed the wonderful cult classic Tom Hanks film The 'Burbs).

     Remaking this would be along the same lines as remaking The Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator, or Goonies.  They are still tremendous and shouldn't be redone.  However, if done correctly they could be good in the right hands.

     Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec (writers of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) will be producing the project and writers Geoff Moore and Dave Posamentier are set to script the film for Paramount's Insurge label.  It could be in worse hands.  We could end up something like the Star Trek reboots or another Prometheus- all I ask for is to treat the original with the utmost respect.  And maybe have the original writer and director look it over before release.

     They better not mess with Wolfgang's pet mouse Heinlein's amazing quotes.

"I... would like... Cheese..." and "...Go... to...  hell..."

     For some Joe Dante thoughts about the film [ Movie Geeks United Interview ]

     Source [ The Hollywood Reporter ]

The Last Guardian Update: Still Absolutely Being Made

     Since it was first revealed at the 2009 E3 by Team Ico, The Last Guardian has been one of the most highly anticipated games ever.  Due to many delays including team founder Fumito Ueda leaving (but maintaining creative direction of a sort).  

     Now IGN has gotten at another small answer in an interview with Scott Rohde of Sony:

     When asked whether it was still a PlayStation 3 game or if it’s migrated to PlayStation 4, Rohde said that he’s “not going to announce what platform it’s coming on, who’s working on it, who’s involved. But that is still a title that’s absolutely in the mix at Worldwide Studios. That’s the most you’re gonna get.”   

     So- we are getting the most minimal information possible.  Essentially it's something that's already been confirmed by Ueda himself as well as Sony's Shuhei Yoshida saying it was making progress, and we already heard Sony was waiting to to "reintroduce" the game.  But, hey, at least we know it's still on the way.  The likely thing is as many have thought is that the game is being ported to PS4.

     Source [ IGN ]

John Carter (of Mars)

     Two years ago today, John Carter of Mars was released in theaters.  Unlike most of the reviewers and critics, I actually love this film.

Seriously, why does everyone keep calling me He-Man?

     Many things may have hurt it including the notorious reviewers, but honestly I hope it turns into a cult hit.  It's doubtful considering how poorly it did monetarily.  I would urge anyone who hasn't yet seen the film to pick it up.  It is based on the original book (Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars- from 1912 (the serialized version, whereas the novel was collected in 1917, it's 100 years old) and is rightfully the progenitor of all the science fiction films that came after, such as Dune, Star Wars, and Flash Gordon.  I'm not kidding, John Carter was created before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, even before my favorite pulp character Conan.

     Anyways- after seeing it at least 3 times in theaters I was quite ecstatic, and when it arrived on Blu-ray and DVD I have since watched it like 20 more times.  For me this is one of those films I can watch on repeat.  They even did what I thought to be impossible, they clothed Dejah Thoris.  John Carter has even been updated in a way I actually have no issues with.  Technology and explanations make much more sense now that they've altered the story.
     No doubt this movie does have flaws, but it is still a tremendous film.

     By Issus I find myself chanting Dotar Sojak!

     I doubt we will get another chance to return to this beloved Mars, but we can always dream...

"Ock Ohem Oktay Weez Barsoom!"

TMNT: Out of the Shadows PS3 NEW UPDATE!!! (March 4th, 2014)

     In a very surprising occurrence- since the announcement of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows' happened, the Playstation 3 game has been kind of forgotten.  It's been delayed and Red Fly Studios never updates their Official Facebook site.  The last time the official site was updated was Oct. 4th, 2013- 5 months ago.  That post was about fixing all the bugs that plagued the game on all the other systems it was released on.

     BUT- As most games that are on their way to the PS Network releases, the trophy list has shown up.  Could that point to news and a soon to be released date???  I certainly hope so.  I have a shiny new platinum trophy to obtain.

     Source [ PlaystationLifestyle.net ]

     For my other Turtles posts [ TMNT ]

     Also check out:
          [ The TMNT Collectionary ]
          [ TMNT Block on Yardsellr Facebook ]

Batman: Arkham Knight: The Knight and The Riddler Revealed

     We have a nice little reveal of the titular character called the Arkham Knight.  As Rocksteady created the character for the game, and have given no details about them- I would like to offer a possible suggestion.

A new Darker Knight?

     Being that the trailer gives us 2 narrators- Scarecrow followed by Bruce Wayne's father Thomas- I wonder if the Arkham Knight is Batman's fear of what he himself might become.  All his fears manifested as maybe a dual personality where he takes on too much and becomes his own worst enemy.  A bat version of Tyler Durden.

     I honestly hope it's not a long lost Wayne sibling.  Or an illegitimate child of Bruce's.  Well, we just have to wait and see what kind of character Rocksteady has cooked up for us.

     Oh, and here's that Riddler image.

     Source [ Playstation UK ]

Arkham Knight: Full Trailer and Release Date: Oct 14th, 2014

     Rocksteady has done it again.  As I guessed this sequel was being worked on long ago.  Well, this trailer is 4 minutes of amazingness.  The graphics are downright stunning.



     If the trailer is giving any anvil-sized hints, we'll be getting to use the Batmobile finally.  We get what I believe to be Scarecrow starting narration, and then Bruce's father Thomas Wayne.  We also get to see Penguin giving weapons to Two-Face, and Harley Quinn doing her own thing.  The characters look, oddly enough, a bit younger than the ones from Arkham City.  Strangely, so does Bruce Wayne.  I wonder if we were seeing flashback sections here?  No telling really, when we heard there was to be a Silver Age Batman game, we guessed it was Origins, but what if it wasn't? (Just a thought for you)

     More Scarecrow is a great thing.  His segments in Asylum were the best parts of that game, and he had plenty of Easter Eggs in City- so it makes sense that he'd be back, and better than ever.

     As a nice preorder bonus, you get to play as Harley Quinn.

     Update: Playstation Mag UK has these listed as game info:

Be a part of the explosive Finale in the Batman Arkham Series in Batman Arkham Knight. 

Batman Arkham Knight is “Set after the events of Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Knight may just end the Dark Knight’s journey”. 

Take to the rooftops and now – the roads of Gotham as for the first time the iconic Batmobile becomes driveable. 

Face some of Batman’ most notorious foes as the Scarecrow returns to unite Gotham’s most feared villains. 

“An entirely new area of Gotham City, far larger than Arkham City, has much wider streets to accommodate the new driving”. 

Driving has been “designed to integrate smoothly with Batman’s gliding and grappling traversal”.

     Arkham Knight will be available on Oct 14th, 2014 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Crawl: An Ingenious Dungeon Crawler Coming to Steam

     I just stumbled across this trailer.  It is pretty much everything I could hope for in an Indie-action-RPG game.  Including the ability to become the monsters trying to kill the hero.

     That's right.  You get to help try and kill the hero, which is one of up to four friends.  One person starts as the hero, and the others control not just monsters, but pieces of the actual dungeon itself in the form of traps.  This game looks like an absurdly hilarious pixelated romp through a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

     I'm usually not much for slaughtering my friends, but this game looks like absolute fun.

     Crawl is currently on Steam Greenlight and heading to PC, MAC, and Linux.

     Source [ Steam Greenlight ]

Batman: Arkham Knight (The Long Awaited Arkham City Sequel)

     A few hours ago, Bleeding Cool announced that DC Comics' All Access Show will be announcing the new Rocksteady Batman Arkham Game sequel we all knew has been in the works for the last few years- and its title?  Arkham Knight.

     This would coincide with the leaked image of the Batman posters that Kotaku posted last week, set to be placed March 4th.

     As it is shortly after midnight, I am extremely excited to see what this will look like!

TMNT: Nickelodeon: "Wormquake!" (The Manhatten Project) Mini-Review

     Nickelodeon has posted an early two-part Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode called Wormquake! (also listed as "The Manhatten Project" a nice touch calling back to the old TMNT video game) on their website.  I'm not sure why Nickelodeon decided to debut this episode on their website 2 weeks early, but it's definitely worth watching.  With episodes 13-14 they have taken quite a jump in production, even more than they already have been doing this whole season.  The writing and directing on this is far better than what they were doing in season one and it just keeps getting better.

     Anyway- the episode splits into two stories, one follows Donnie, April, and Casey making an awkward love triangle while dealing with the Kraang and the second follows Mikey, Leo, and Raph fighting the Shredder and his fighters.  The split happens once they get separated in a Kraang device that creates doorways into other dimensions- although they all end up back in the correct one, despite the separation.

     We get a new bad guy called Tiger Claw (he seems like Boba Fett crossed with a Thundercat) that helps Karai capture 3 of the turtles and lure in Splinter, who gets into a showdown with the Shredder himself. In something interesting this episode gives Karai some hesitation in destroying Splinter, and second guesses the Shredder's moral standing- he wants to kill SPlinter in an honorless fashion.  Even Tiger Claw agrees.
     Tiger Claw also has a mentioned back story about his tail being cut off, but no details were given. (unintentional pun... (sorry... that was PUNintended)) I think we'll see him again, and I wonder if he's in the same place Leatherhead was left in?

     Donnie, Casey, and April end up finding the source of the earthquakes, that being the worms of the title.  They are possibly a nod to either Dune or Tremors with their tri-fold mouths.  Well, they end up sending the worms away and crossing paths with Splinter and the other 3 in an epic battle in the city.

"The cheese-phone! Truly an emergency!" -Splinter

     Honestly this episode has two of the best moments I've seen in the series yet.  The first is how master Splinter says, "The cheese-phone! Truly an emergency!"  And the second is Donatello's reaction to seeing the classic cartoon version of April O'neil in her yellow jumpsuit.

     This episode has great homages to old stuff.  Casey's line about cricket and crumpets being similar to the first film, the Dune (or Tremors) worms, and a couple scenes done in the 1980's TMNT cartoon style, complete with what I believe to be the actual voices from that series!  The old cartoon style might be a way to fit this cartoon in with the amazingly well done Turtles Forever movie through Kraangs' dimensional doorways- creating a multiverse.

     As it stands, this is probably the best episode (both parts combined) they've done.

     If you haven't seen Turtles Forever, I highly recommend finding it online somewhere, it is unbelievably well done.  They mix up a few different styles of the TMNT and it adds levels of commentary to the film by the way they interact.  They even wonder about the 80's turtles' habit of talking to the viewer/camera when it happens.


     Source [ Nickelodeon ]


     For my other Turtles posts [ TMNT ]

     Also check out:
          [ The TMNT Collectionary ]
          [ TMNT Block on Yardsellr Facebook ]