Disney

Bioshock Infinite Discussion Review

Game Diary, Reviews

The Ultimate Bioshock Infinite Review for PC and PS3

Ask any gamer and they know ‘that game’ – the one that is supposed to be ‘genre transcendent’, combining excellence in gameplay, technical aspects, gear, freedom of choice and action, story, immersion, multiple platforms, cinematic qualities, and so on. And while there are many games that have claimed to bring it all together, in 2007 Bioshock was perhaps the first one to truly manage the feat reasonably well. It was not the greatest shooter, nor did it have the best sense of freedom of choice, but it brought excellence in all areas to bear in a way that kept gamers…

Disney Kills Off LucasArts, Here are Their Five Best Games!

Game Diary

Disney Kills Off LucasArts, Here Are Their Five Best Games

Game development studios, like any other company, are subject to the whims of their corporate masters. So when Disney bought LucasFilms and LucasArts last year I thought there were two potential outcomes – either rebirth or death. I just didn’t see them letting the studio continue to languish. And while it is a sad day, the reality is that LucasArts has been largely a publishing and licensing house for a number of years. But they remain the source of many of my favorite games, so as Disney kills off LucasArts, here are their five best games! For more specific details,…

Oscar Weekend!

Events, News

Oscar Weekend!

The Academy Awards…I mean the Oscars are here. Get ready for a film filled Oscar weekend! The 85th Oscars ceremony occurs this Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood televised live on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m., PT / 8:30 p.m., ET. Seth MacFarlane (Ted, Family Guy) will host as the stars squirm in their seats as viewers celebrate an exciting year in film. Nominees will be sitting much closer to the stage as producers plan a Hollywood musical theme based on the recent resurgence in the past decade beginning with Chicago plus several surprises. Here are my…

Wreck-It Ralph Early Digital Release

News

Wreck-It Ralph Early Digital Release

Why wait until March to see Wreck-It Ralph? Today Walt Disney Animation Studios begins the early release of Wreck-It Ralph on HD Digital and HD Digital 3D. The 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, SD Digital and On-Demand will release on March 5, 2013. Bonus features on the physical home video versions will include four alternate/deleted scenes and easter eggs. The Oscar nominated animated short Paperman will also be included on the versions releasing on March 5. The home video landscape continues to change with early release from various services. Several media companies are testing the waters…

Wreck-It Ralph Film Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Wreck-It Ralph Film Review

Set in the video game realm, the fast-paced animated adventure-comedy Wreck-It Ralph has touching emotions that succeed where Toy Story started – entertaining audiences while making them care about inanimate objects as strong characters within engaging environments. John C. Reilly voices the main character Wreck-It Ralph, an original character with echoes of Donkey Kong and Hulk who has become tired of his bad guy role in the classic “Fix-it Felix” arcade game. As the game celebrates their 30th year in existence, Ralph takes life-changing steps that take audiences further into the video game realm where electric outlets and cords provide…

One of Five Albums (yep, 20%) Sold Last Week Was Taylor Swift's 'Red'

Music Diary, News

One of Five Albums (yep, 20%) Sold Last Week Was Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’

Last year I was very vocal about calling shenanigans over the way Lady Gaga used a $0.99 ‘giveaway’ on Amazon.com to basically game her way to ‘selling’ over 1 million albums. It has been documented ad nauseam that the ‘record industry of old’ is dead, but that execs at the three remaining majors try to continue pushing their hand-crafted ‘stars’ and product … to ever shrinking annual sales. This week we get the exception that proves the rule – Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ sold ~1.21 million copies, the most in a single week since Eminem in 2002. First some background. Every…

Disney Acquires LucasFilm, Including Movies and LucasArts Gaming Division

Game Diary, News

Disney Acquires LucasFilm, Including Movies and LucasArts Gaming Division

If you could name one company better and bigger at monetizing franchises than LucasFilm, it would have to be Disney. So perhaps it is fitting that the ‘House of Mouse’ that also owns Buzz & Woody and Marvel’s Avengers has taken on the Skywalker clan and Dr. Jones. Here are some details from BusinessWeek: Disney paid $7 billion for animation studio Pixar in 2006 and bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4.2 billion, adding the creators of “Toy Story,” and “The Avengers” to the company’s library. The Lucas acquisition brings the “Star Wars” pictures, which have generated $4.54 billion in…

Wreck-It Ralph Promo Videos Cover Video Game History

Game Diary, Gear Bits

Wreck-It Ralph Promo Videos Cover Video Game History

Got game? Take a walk through video game history with the latest promotional videos for Disney’s upcoming animated feature film Wreck-It Ralph. 1982 Litwak’s Arcade Commercial featuring the Original Fix-It Felix, Jr. Game 1997 Litwak’s Arcade Commercial featuring Sugar Rush Speedway 2012 Litwak’s Arcade Commercial featuring Hero’s Duty You can also check out fully playable browser-based versions of the Hero’s Duty and Sugar Rush games on the new official film site. The Wreck-It Ralph video game will release on October 30, 2012 on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. Ralph will also be a playable character in the upcoming…

Zaxxon Escape for iOS/Android Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Zaxxon Escape for iOS/Android Review

Type of app: Action Platform/where to buy: iPhone/iPad or Android Developer: SegaDescription: It’s been thirty years since gamers first took on the evil robot Zaxxon, and Zaxxon Escape continues the story of what happened after his defeat. Players must escape a crumbling asteroid base by shooting, swiping, and tilting their spaceship through an ever-changing maze of corridors, guided only by their reflexes and handy powerups like auto-pilot and tractor beams. Find out if you have what it takes to survive the total destruction of Zaxxon. Major features: I was a huge fan of Zaxxon back in the early 80s (it…

Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue Special Edition Review for Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS

Reviews

Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue Special Edition Review for Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS

Finding Nemo fans can experience their favorite fish in 3D in theaters and in the palm of their hands on the Nintendo 3DS with regular viewing and comparable gameplay on the Nintendo DS. The Hype Inspired by the beloved original Disney•Pixar animated film “Finding Nemo” returning to the big screen—for the first time ever in thrilling Disney Digital 3D™, the Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue Special Edition video game puts the journey of a lifetime in your hands as you help Nemo and his friends find their way home.  Enjoy more than 30 engaging action-oriented mini-games, with your…

Barnes and Noble Goes Hollywood

eBooks, News

Barnes and Noble Goes Hollywood

Barnes and Noble needed something big to compete against the Kindle Fire, and today they announced one part of what that might be: NOOK Video. Details are light, but it sounds like this will be a streaming and pay for download service. In fact, it sounds an awful lot like Amazon Prime Streaming… The big question here is software and price. B&N says they plan to offer NOOK Video to PCs, smartphones and tablets, so this sounds more like a whole new spinoff of NOOK offerings than a one-off designed to add value to the NOOK Tablet lines. Amazon Prime…

The Magnificent Grand Canyon

Outdoors, Travel

The Magnificent Grand Canyon

When you drive through the pine forests leading up to the Grand Canyon’s rim, no one would fault you for thinking that what you are about to see couldn’t possibly live up to the hype. But when you get to the rim, when you have your first chance to look over and out … the view is simply mind-boggling. How big is the Grand Canyon? The park covers 1,218,375.54 acres, which is about 1,904 square miles. If you measure it in river miles, following the course of the Colorado River at the canyon’s bottom, you’d call it 277 miles long. The…

"Cinderfella" Reimagines Disney Princess Stories

Gear Bits

“Cinderfella” Reimagines Disney Princess Stories

Like just about every kid in America, I grew up watching Disney movies. Of course, most girls don’t cast themselves as Prince Charming, but that should have been an early clue for me that maybe I wasn’t like the other kids. Apparently I wasn’t the only one rewriting fairy tales! Todrick Hall, who apparently was on American Idol (I don’t follow the show) has put together an adorable mash up of Disney princess tales and pop songs. He casts himself as “Cinderfella”, and he yearns to head to the ball to find his Prince Charming. The whole video is cute,…

New 'Active Gaming' Doesn't Change Reality of Couch-Bound Stereotype; also, 'Brain Games' Doesn't Work

Editorials, Game Diary

New ‘Active Gaming’ Doesn’t Change Reality of Couch-Bound Stereotype; also, ‘Brain Games’ Doesn’t Work

There are a number of stereotypes surrounding gamers: such as that of the male anti-social, under-hygenic basement dweller toiling away the hours on Dungeons & Dragons fantasy games; or the ultraviolent shooter player who is a bit ‘off’, also an outsider, one round of Doom/Halo/Call of Duty from wiping out his high school/college/post office; and even in the more enlightened recent years there is the image of a few somewhat unkempt and overweight friends on a couch (or couches in different locations connected by the internet) playing a bunch of games. If you look at the LAST console generation –…

New Synthetic Polymer Helps Solve 'Sticky' Chewing Gum Messes

Gear Bits, News

New Synthetic Polymer Helps Solve ‘Sticky’ Chewing Gum Messes

When was the last time you were walking on a beautiful paved path, sitting on a bench, walking through a school or shopping area … and you DIDN’T see wads of used chewing gum dropped on the ground, stuck to walls and doors and desks and so on? Or watched a teen blow a massive bubble that popped and got residual gum all over their face and clothes that took hours to clean out? IT IS ONE OF THE GREAT PROBLEMS OF OUR TIME! OK, so perhaps not. But compounding the general annoyance and ‘yuckiness’ are two REAL problems: health…

Was the Spiderman Reboot Because Disney Owns Marvel?

Gear Bits

Was the Spiderman Reboot Because Disney Owns Marvel?

(image courtesy buzz sugar) Here at GearFest we have been chatting about all manner of gear issues, and last night we were debating the merits of the “Spiderman” reboot. It seemed like Spiderman 3 had just come out, and none of us could get too excited about watching Peter Parker start all over again, no matter how awesome Emma Stone is! The discussion did lodge a random tidbit from my brain, though, regarding who owns the rights to Spiderman and who wants to own him… See, several years ago Marvel licensed the rights to their superheroes to other studios. X-Men…

Brave: the Video Game Review on PlayStation 3

Game Diary, Reviews

Brave: the Video Game Review on PlayStation 3

The action-adventure Brave: The Video Game features single player, co-op, puzzle play and special bear modes in a third person perspective concentrating on the main character Merida. This game also expands the tale beyond the movie’s storyline and continues Disney Interactive’s impressive streak of quality game adaptations of their films.

Will You Abandon Hulu if They Force a Cable Contract?

Editorials

Will You Abandon Hulu if They Force a Cable Contract?

One of the great tools if you are looking to ‘cut the cord’ and lose your Cable or Satellite TV contract is Hulu. For $7.99 a month you get access to loads of great shows on a 24-hour delay. My family loves Revenge, for instance, but seldom wants to be up until 11PM in order to watch it. Other shows such as Castle or Person of Interest just never seem to work with our schedule. So we depend on Hulu+ on our Roku every week to keep us up to date. For my family Hulu+ is a convenience. You see,…

The Avengers Gear Summary

Gear Bits

The Avengers Gear Summary

Marvel’s Avengers fans can find plenty of related gear including comics, figures, various apparel, phone cases, wall decals, LEGO sets, mech toys, music, masks, NERF bows, and games.