Star Trek The Video Game – Making the Game Part 2: All Gorn, No Corn…

Another behind the scenes look at Digital Extremes’ upcoming Star Trek game, this time featuring a peek at the redesigned Gorn. I like the faster, meaner versions here over the one from that classic Trek episode, “Arena” (itself based on a great sci-fi story) – Kirk would have been eaten alive before he was able to get. Out. His. Dialog. in that inimitable Shatner style. If this one’s at Namco’s upcoming NYC press event next month, I’ll get some hands-on time and let you fine folks know what’s what…

Star Trek: Into Darkness Teaser #2: Or: On Funding More Dream Therapy For J.J. Abrams…

 

Hmmmm… Does J.J. Abrams have the same scary dream about falling every night? Seriously. I haven’t seen so many people jumping off high places into certain doom in a trailer in a while. OK, well… that silly trailer to the last Die Hard flick was lousy with stupidly impossible to survive jumps, but I’ll catch the full film once it hits cable and see if that’s just one sequence split into a few parts for the trailer edit. Still, I just laugh away merrily now when I see one of J.J.’s flicks because I’m EXPECTING someone to do a running jump off of something tall and into an action sequence. Of course, if there’s a big gust of air that carries the jumping human bean UP and onto something else for a one point safe landing as a cool twist, I’ll be even more thrilled. Well, as thrilled as one could be from seeing the same sequence repeated in a few different films. Anyway, nice teaser here, right? I say go pay to see this just so the director can eventually pay his way through therapy and find out what this falling fetish is all about.

Sometimes The Final Frontier Is a Welcome Sight…

Sign of the DayOK, so I didn’t PLAN to take a break from posting today, but I actually didn’t sleep much last night and decided that since I was awake around 6am-ish, I’d go get started on that ziggurat made of dirty laundry in the other room that a few days back morphed into a golem and was clomping around (leaving cartoon clouds of dirt like Pigpen in those Peanuts comics). It was fun for a while seeing a confused pile of clothes wrapped in a blanket stumble around and make that weird noise laundry that needs to be done makes, but then the damn thing managed to make it to the kitchen the other night and ate the steak I had in the freezer. That was the last straw (well, there wasn’t a first straw, which was my mistake). Anyway, luring the big dope into the shopping cart wasn’t hard (the mileage you can get from day old donuts, folks… go stock up, I say) and yeah, the big lug though it was going for a ride to the park. That took a while, but I hadn’t realized there were TWO piles to do – the other one was the smart one and was hiding in the closet…

Continue reading

Star Trek: Into Darkness Trailer #2: A Few Pros & Khans

Checklist time! OK, let see now: handsome guys glowering into the camera? Check. More jumping off high places than in the first film? Check. Literally splashy CG effects all over the place? Check. Possible plot spoilers in the trailer just to get butts into seats to confirm it all (even though the obligatory script leak is coming soon?) CHECK.

OK, I’m sold, but I still have a few pesky problems. Why the Uhura smooch? What’s up with that too damn bright Enterprise Bridge? Damn thing looks like a new fast food restaurant. Can’t anyone keep the ship from getting knocked out of the sky (if that IS the Enterprise hitting the water in that impressive shot)? Is everyone running all the time because the teleporters aren’t working (again)? Did the swooning Benedict Cumberbatch fans (who seem to primarily be 15 year old girls who write some really saucy fan fiction) actually go see him in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (OK, not a Trek-related question, but I’m curious about their viewing habits). Actually, none of these are important questions at all – I’m just killing time until the next trailer comes out. I need to go re-watch the first film J.J. directed anyway, as I’ve only seen it once and I think I missed a few things…

Star Trek: Into Darkness Teaser Trailers: Oh My!

Hmmm. Nice teaser for the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star trek sequel – as usual, the Japanese trailer gets a few extra seconds of cool stuff. It looks like the delays and secrecy are going to pay off significantly for Trek fans, so let’s hope the film is not only better than the last one, it’s got more going for it than explosions and stars in assorted states of looking up at stuff. All kidding aside, I have to say I’m impressed but wary as almost every film I’ve seen this year has disappointed me in tiny to significant ways. Anyway, I’ll shut up and wait for a plot synopsis and scenes I can pore over for more detail. Of course, if there’s a Shatner cameo, I’ll lose a bet and have to listen to that Transformed Man LP for 24 hours straight. Eeek. Then again, I’m still not sure what’s more brain-warping to listen to – that or Leonard Nimoy’s equally oddball “Highly Illogical”. If you haven’t heard either, go look them up… but don’t say i didn’t warn you…

Star Trek Gamescom 2012 Trailer: Next Year Is Taking Its Sweet Time Getting Here…

 

But that’s absolutely great for the hard working dev teams at Bad Robot and Digital Extremes making Star Trek for Namco Bandai, as each bit of footage and every screenshot or art asset looks better and better. As I’m not quite sure when the new movie is coming out, it would be a bit of serendipity if it arrived when the game was all polished up and tight as a drum. That would be awesome for a few reasons, one of which being we’d get a licensed movie game that was as good as the film at the same time instead of a few years down the road (or not at all in too many cases). As always… we shall see. OK, J.J. – that sequel better be amazing!

Star Trek Update: Hey, We May Not Be Here In 2013. Beam Me Up, Already!

Yeah, yeah – some Trek fans want less action and more of the same “nautical” ship combat from other Trek titles or something slower and more procedural like the old show instead of a more action-oriented game that this has been from the start. i say wait and see what a playable build brings as I hope this one gets around to NYC so I can get some hands-on time and let you all know the real deal. I have my fingers crossed Bad Robot does a game any Trek fan can be pleased with, but hey, you can’t win everyone over even with the best of intentions…

Namco Bandai & Paramount Team Up To Publish Star Trek In 2013

And of course, the first thing I thought of when I read this news was “OK, when do we see Kirk and Spock show up in Soulcalibur VI in an “Amok Time” themed stage?” Yes, I’m THAT old (but it would be pretty funny, especially if it had that combat theme that played during the Kirk/Spock battle). Anyway, Digital Extremes  (Bioshock 2, Unreal Tournament, Dark Sector, The Darkness II) is no stranger to making some pretty solid shooter and action games, so I’m sure they’ll have more than enough time to make this co-op focused game even more spectacular than it looks in these two not so new screenshots. Granted, we’ll need a LOT more images and some actual hands-on time in order to see how the game is turning out, so let’s keep those fingers crossed that the game warps into NYC on a press tour at some point. More to come as soon as we get new info and images…

Happy Birthday, Star Trek!

Hard to believe it’s been 45 years since the series first premiered on TV, but yes, it’s true. I actually have vague memories of watching parts of some episodes as a little kid, but I really didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. It took watching reruns of the original series in my teens and finding a few friends who were also into the show to make me appreciate it a lot more, but we still had fun pointing out the cornball effects and occasionally bad dialog, sets and visual effects. Here’s a clip of the Science Channel’s upcoming documentary, TREK NATION, a film project done in collaboration with the late gene Roddenberry’s son, Rod about the impact the show has had among a wide range of people. Now, I need to check my cable guide to see if I actually get the Science Channel. The documentary airs on November 30th, so you’ve got enough time to check your own cable listings.

E3 2011: Star Trek Trailer Wows So Early

As I noted in my Sony press event post, for a pre-alpha build, this is pretty cool looking and shows the dev team is on the right track. Of course, the final proof is in the actual finished product, but so far, it’s looking pretty decent in my book…