Terror Train and The Funhouse to scare BD, DVD

A few months back Shout! Factory unveiled their latest brand, Scream Factory. The new label is dedicated to vintage cult horror from the '70s, '80s and '90s. Their first two releases will be Halloween II and Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which make their premiere on Blu-ray and DVD September 18, 2012.

Now, Scream Factory sets its sights on another Jamie Lee Curtis thriller, Terror Train, as well as The Funhouse, from director Tobe Hooper. Like Halloween II and III, both discs will receive Collector's Editions, featuring loads of bonus material as well as remastered audio and video.

"Take an excursion into terror with Jamie Lee Curtis in this classic shocker from director Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies). It's New Year's Eve and group of college co-eds have planned a masquerade bash aboard a chartered train. What they didn't plan on was that a knife-wielding psycho would crash the party and begin slaughtering the guests one by one!  Who is this brutal costumed killer? Climb aboard the Terror Train for a frightening combination of blood-curdling horror and intriguing mystery. Also starring Academy Award-winner Ben Johnson (1971, Supporting Actor, The Last Picture Show), Hart Bochner (Die Hard) and D.D. Winters (aka Vanity, 52 Pick-Up) and David Copperfield as The Magician."

Terror Train will feature a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Please note that this release is a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. No separate DVD will be released for this film. Fans can expect the following bonus features (preliminary confirmed lineup):

• Audio Commentary by Director Roger Spottiswoode


• Still Gallery


• Theatrical Trailer And TV Spots


• and more to be announced

Suggested retail is $29.93. Just like the Halloween Collector's Editions, if you pre-order your copy direct from Shout! Factory's website, you'll receive an exclusive 18”x24” poster featuring the newly commissioned artwork!  Less than 500 have been made, so these are only available while supplies last.

"Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse. On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who lurks among the freakish exhibits to butcher them one by one. Also stars Sylvia Miles (Midnight Cowboy) and Kevin Conway (in three roles). Featuring special makeup designs by Academy Award-winner Rick Baker (An American Werewolf In London, Ed Wood)."

The Funhouse will feature a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on Blu-ray. The DVD (a separate release) will boast an anamorphic transfer with 5.1 audio. Extras will include the following (preliminary confirmed lineup):

• Audio Commentary by Director Tobe Hooper, Hosted By Director Tim Sullivan


• Theatrical Trailer


• TV and Radio spots


• and more to be announced

Suggested retail for the Blu-ray is $29.93 and $16.50 for the DVD. Fans who pre-order the Blu-ray or DVD directly from ShoutFactory.com will receive an exclusive 18”x24” poster featuring the newly commissioned artwork! Less than 500 have been made, so these are only available while supplies last.

Be on the lookout for more updates, news and reviews regarding all Scream Factory titles. We hear word from Shout! that John Carpenter's They Live will be hitting Blu-ray and DVD next, on November 6, 2012. Stay tuned for more!

"Who will dare to face the challenge of the Funhouse? Who is mad enough to enter that world of darkness? How about you, sir...?" Follow R.L. Shaffer on Twitter, Facebook and MyIGN for quotes, rants, reviews, news and more!

Source : ign[dot]com

Gamesplanet Lab Combines Kickstarter and Steam

Following the massive number of users on Steam and the success of Kickstarter campaigns in recent months, indie game distributor Gamesplanet has teamed up with crowdfunding site Ulele to join digital distribution with user-generated funding in the form of Gamesplanet Lab.

Gamesplanet Lab will allow developers to seek funding for potential projects, but will also provide tools and support for actual development. Once a game is completed, it can be sold through Gamesplanet Lab, and backers can have their pre-orders fulfilled directly, without the need for an additional distribution platform. Backers will also be able to check in on a game’s progress while it’s in active development.

All games will be checked by Gamesplanet Lab to verify that they’re up to expected standards and that “reward fulfillment, community communication and more is conducted professionally and honestly.” Devs will also have to agree to a 10-point charter, including providing clear information, maintaining a clear timetable, guaranteeing the delivery of rewards, prioritizing customer experience for DRM and more.

Gamesplanet stresses that all developers will retain control of their creations, saying in a statement that “This is not a publishing house. No matter what support Gamesplanet Lab offers, developers retain full control and copyright over their ideas. Gamesplanet Lab is also committed to putting the gaming experience first, by demanding not only good results but a gamer friendly approach to the issue of DRM.”

The first two Gamesplanet Lab projects are Day One, an adventure game featuring dark comedy by developer Pendulo, and first-person shooter Magrunner: Dark Pulse from developer 3AM Games. More information about both projects, as well as more details about Gamesplanet Lab itself, are available on the Gamesplanet Lab official site.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

How Are Consoles and Handhelds Selling in Japan?

Japanese hardware numbers have been released chronicling how things have been selling both overall, as well as in the last six months. These figures and the details surrounding them have been translated and provided by Andriasang.

The story is a fairly predictable one. The Nintendo DS has dominated the handheld market, with PSP coming in second. In the realm of the console, Nintendo Wii has been the strongest seller this generation, with PlayStation 3 coming in second. You can see the total number of each current generation console and handheld sold in Japan below.

• Nintendo DS - 32,855,741 sold since December 02, 2004


• PlayStation Portable - 18,737,441 sold since December 12, 2004


• Nintendo Wii - 12,433,321 sold since December 02, 2006


• PlayStation 3 - 8,112,613 sold since November 11, 2006


• Nintendo 3DS - 6,355,287 sold since February 26, 2011


• Microsoft Xbox 360 - 1,554,547 sold since December 10, 2005


• PlayStation Vita - 756,451 sold since December 17, 2011

In the last six months, Nintendo 3DS has by far been the best-selling handheld, with PlayStation 3 selling the most consoles.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Need for a Nintendo Universe

For months Nintendo fans, and the entire games industry, have speculated about Retro Studios’ next project. With the company laying low since 2010’s Donkey Kong Country Returns, the timing is right for Nintendo’s trusted western developer to unveil its next game. Rumors and theories were running rampant, ranging from Star Fox and Zelda to a return to the Metroid Prime universe.

Yet no one was quite expecting the suggestion that the company was in fact preparing a crossover between the worlds of Fox McCloud and Samus Aran. The notion of these two worlds colliding seemed insane. And yet... not so insane. Rumor or not, the idea that Nintendo’s different universes might interact is plausible. We’ve been seeing this sort of thing for more than a decade - and characters like Mario, Samus and Link fit together better than one might expect. In fact, it’s probably time that Nintendo adopt this practice more formally. It’s time these creations, despite their disparate gameplay experiences, to guest star more often. The only thing more powerful than Nintendo’s vast array of IPs is a scenario in which they can co-exist.

We’ve seen subtle winks and nods to Nintendo’s shared universe for a long time. Mario and Donkey Kong seem to have their own lives and supporting casts, yet frequently interact, particularly when it comes to sports - or jumping over barrels. And we’ve seen plenty of cameos over the years, from R.O.B. in F-Zero GX to Mushroom Kingdom enemies in Link's Awakening to characters that strongly resemble Mario and Luigi in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The references, hints and clever winks could fill a book. Which simply begs the question - why not let the characters interact formally?

This isn’t to say Kirby has to be playable in a Metroid game, or that we simply must see Link piloting a ship in the next installment of Star Fox. These games have specific aesthetics and gameplay ideas, and forcing too much interaction would no doubt corrupt what makes each one unique. Yet there’s nothing saying Nintendo can’t let them interact or acknowledge they’re able to run into each other. Let the fun cameos be bolder. Let the Easter Eggs be more entertaining. Give Nintendo fans, who tend to embrace the publisher’s vast catalog in a fairly comprehensive manner, more of what they crave. Don’t be shy. Have fun with a legacy that has been developed for more than 25 years. It’s not as if we’re dealing with startlingly realistic concepts. The Zelda and Mario universes are insane enough, packed with bizarre characters and ideas. What are a few more in the stack?

That’s why, as insane as the idea of a Star Fox/Metroid crossover might be, it’s not as untenable as you may think. The resistance to such a notion doesn’t seem to focus on the actual concept, but whether the two franchise’s different gameplay styles can accommodate one another. Star Fox is a fast, energetic, third-person aerial shooter, often on rails and often featuring over-the-top action. Metroid is the opposite of just about all of those things. In fact the only thing it has in common with Star Fox is that players need to shoot things, sometimes in space. Samus Aran’s isolated, cold, slow-paced adventures couldn’t be farther from Fox and friend’s quest to stop an evil space monkey.

Yet that reconciliation might be where a considerable amount of innovation can come from. Nintendo is often chastised for leaning on its familiar franchises and strictly operating within those franchise’s boundaries. There is no realistic or sensible way to suggest the company should abandon its iconic characters. They are responsible for billions of dollars in sales, and have single-handedly propelled the publisher’s unique hardware for close to three decades. But, in addition to more traditional installments of Mario and Zelda, what if the company looked to joining and sharing these worlds as ways to explore new ideas, both in terms of franchise and gameplay design?

Sure, it’s insane sounding. But so was the idea that all of Nintendo’s heroes and villains would join together for a fighting game. The thought of Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom banding together to race in go-karts was a little crazy too. Now we’re at the point where Samus Aran and Fox McCloud could team up to save the galaxy, and while we pause at the thought of this, Pikachu is preparing to join forces with Japanese warriors. At this point the barrier to a full, formal, shared Nintendo Universe has about a thousand cracks in it. Nintendo might as well embrace it, allowing developers both internal and external the ability to experiment a bit more, while still giving millions of fans around the world what they want.

And, you know what, if a little hand-wringing and compromise can get us our Zelda/Fire Emblem team-up, we’re not going to complain. Let’s see what one of the world’s greatest game publishers can do when it kicks down a few doors and experiments with some of the greatest game franchises in history.

Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/23/the-need-for-a-nintendo-universe

Northstar's Gettin' Hitched!

Save the date, kids! The engagement fans have suspected for months now was confirmed today on ABC's The View -- Marvel's first openly gay character, Northstar, is engaged to be married to his boyfriend Kyle. The two have a well-established relationship in the Marvel Universe, and it is currently a focal point in Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins' Astonishing X-Men run. The proposal will occur in this week's issue #50, with the actual wedding to happen in issue #51.

Marvel originally teased a wedding way back in March with a "Save the Date" image, causing fans to (correctly) speculate about who the happy couple would be. The publisher isn't the first to tackle gay marriage however, with Archie Comics marrying gay Riverdale resident Kevin Keller to much fanfare some months back.

Northstar became the first openly gay character at Marvel in 1992, despite having first appeared in the comics in 1979. The issue in which his coming out occurred, Alpha Flight #106, sold like hot cakes. We'll see if Astonishing X-Men #50 and #51 can replicate that kind of success. You can check out images from the books below.

Obviously, gay marriage is a very hot topic in the U.S. at the moment with an election impending. To add to the Northstar announcement, DC Comics stated at Kapow last weekend that an established character of theirs would soon be coming out of the closet, and though they said it's a "major" character, it's also a character that hasn't yet been seen since the relaunch.

Stuff like this makes my cold, dead heart beat once more.

Source : http://www.ign.com