This is a dark time ...

After all that cool Star Wars news last week, I guess we were doomed for some crap.

Before I delve into the crap, however, I just wanted to tell all those interested to head on over to wikipedia and check out the Knights of the Old Republic stuff. There are some great sections on Darth Revan, the Jedi Exile, and also a snippet about what KOTOR Three is expected to be about and how Obsedian (game company) is just waiting on Lucasarts to give the go ahead.

Now, for the crap.

First of all, anyone thinking about buying the DVDs of the original trilogy should know they are going to be crappy quality. In my opinion, Lucas is not cleaning up the original prints in anyway in order to showcase how much better the special edition movies were than the original trilogy. Dirty, dirty trick. Instead, the original movies on DVD being released this fall are from some 1993 copy for the laserdisc edition.

The other crap is involves 3D glasses. I love the idea of 3D movies ... I guess. I mean, my experiences with them as a child were, well, let's just say underwhelming. Now, Lucas is apparently releasing The Phantom Menace to theaters next year as a 3D movie. Come on! The Phantom Menace? And you thought days of dealing with Jar-Jar and wimpy Mankin Skywalker were over.

Sigh.

Here's the news:

Fan of TheForce.net "Jimmy" writes in with this news he recently discovered in Popular Science:

In the magazine Popular Science's June 2006 issue there's an article called "Return Of The 3D". The article features the work of a couple of companies working on transforming 2D movies into high tech 3D films, without the "distortionsi that cause your brain and stomach to revolt."

Specific quotes from the article include...

"...Lucas is expected to release a fully 3-D version of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace next spring."

"The staffers put on pairs of thick glasses and watched as clips from Star Wars were played. Suddenly the screen itself seemed to dissolve away, as scenes stretched out toward the audience. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi's faces grew closer to viewers as the characters prepared to chase a would-be assassin. Pod cars buzzing in the background really appeared to be hundreds of feet away ... Soon, the Jedi Master himself came in. George Lucas sat down, put on the glasses and, within a few minutes, passed judgment: 'I'm sold! I'm sold!'"

***

So I guess that means we can expect six movies released in 3D. Man, I don't think there will ever be the definitive edition of Star Wars. Lucas (and his descendants) will release these until the sun burns out and all life on Earth dies. Correct that: New editions will be cropping up on space stations and colonies as mankind explores the galaxy.

It. Will. Never. End.

Star Wars game concept art

Members of the Nerduary, I know this has been a crazy week of Star Wars news. The previous post talked about rumors of another Knights of the Old Republic game. Well, the super duper game convention known as E3 has always been the site of announcing new games and such. Lucasarts displayed, along with a nifty little Indiana Jones game, some Star Wars concept art being used for an as yet untitled Star Wars game.

I was drooling over some of these images and I just hope that some of them might be related to KOTOR III. However, Lucasarts was quiet about explaining exactly what the concept art is being used for. I don't really care, though. Those are some damn cool paintings.

Oh, and Spielberg was apparently there. I don't know why I mention this ...

KOTOR III news

Being a fan of the series, I just can't help but wait for the third installment (if there ever is one). Well, I keep running across rumors of the new KOTOR III and just can't wait. If you haven't played these games, they are a must for Nerduary members/posters. I'm really not usually a super fan of role playing games on the computer or console. I mean, they are okay, but I've never been really hooked.

The first KOTOR changed all that. The second just made it better. The third ... well, let's hope these rumors are true. I've included some snippets below I've found across the Internet.

***

Since another mailbag junkie had recently asked that question and you have bought it up again, I just happen to have a vague but positive answer for you. I spoke with LucasArts the other day and the spokesperson said that they see the series as a franchise, an ongoing franchise, which means that yes, they certainly will make another game. But don't count on BioWare making that game. Most likely, the developer of KOTOR: The Sith Lords will hand the third one, which I am 99% sure will be on Xbox 360. Unless LucasArts decides to take the series to the Xbox next year…which I somehow doubt. I wish I knew more about next year's Xbox lineup, but nobody will say anything. My theory is that developers will make a few, non-important games on the Xbox next year, but the bulk of their money and the important franchises will head to Xbox 360.

I think one of the main reasons they never brought it back into production (K3) was because of the Episode III game. From a business perspective, they really could not afford to have 2 lightsaber-oriented console games going at the same time.

However, I see the delay as a blessing in disguise. Because, K3 will now, undoubtedly, be next-gen and, by now, LA should be quite aware of what the fans want in the next...aware of what works and what doesn't.

And now they realize, I think, something that they did not fully grasp from the beginning: they ARE writting official SW continuity and so the stories need to be consistent, make sense, and be easily adaptable to comics. I think it is obvious that LA did not realize the continuity implications of this when they started. They know now.

***

Isn't that cool that these games are official cannon? If the delay of KOTOR III is because the team is nervous about making sure they have a solid story, I'm all for it. Wouldn't want this rushed in anyway.

There is lots of speculation out there on the web regarding this. Check out www.starwarsknights.com and click on forums. That's where all the good KOTOR nerds go to post their wishlists and rumors.

Sure would love to see this game come true. Guess only time will tell.

...and roll out!

I'm not normally the type to post just a link, but I figured this was easier than sending a mass e-mail. Besides, it's 11 a.m., and I think this may just be the coolest thing I'll see all day.

Optimus Prime transforming in CGI test footage from the upcoming Transformers movie.

(edit) My mistake. Turns out it's an audition video for a company that's trying to get the CGI contract for the movie. Still cool as hell, though. Oh, and Prime's not red and blue because of copyright issues, folks.

While I'm at it, here's ILM's audition.

And the winner is...

According to all the voters at the Nerduary, Empire Strikes Back is the number one Star Wars movie in the saga. Sorry about the delay in posting the results. Without further delay, here are the results according to the voters of the Nerduary.


1. Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Revenge of the Sith (three points behind ANH)
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Attack of the Clones
6. The Phantom Menace

Interesting note: Not one voter voted for Phantom Menance or Attack of the Clones higher than the last two places. Empire was only eight points higher than ANH with Sith three points behind that and Jedi eight points behind that.

Thanks for voting and the comments. Awesome. I'll try to come up with another poll in the near future.

Props to Drewcifer on the recon mission!

Check this out!!!


And remember Christmas ain't that far away. So *cough* I would like this for Christmas *cough* (hint hint)


http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=14373

Star Wars saga redux

This one's related to Logan's post a couple of entries back.

No, it's not a poll. That's his thing.

What I'm interested in knowing is what order should the movies be shown in? If you had a hypothetical 10 year old son or daughter who's never seen any of the Star Wars movies, would you show them in filmed chronological order, fictional chronological order, or some other combination?

Since I'd write a book on the subject, I leave you to your comments and vanish back into the blogosphere.

Damn, I'm poetic.

Doctor Who: Lesson 1

I never had any inclination to watch Doctor Who.

Most of the episodes I sampled back in the day on PBS made the 60’s Star Trek series look like today’s Battlestar: Galactica and the story arcs were so loooong. Hell, the show was set up in serial format, so one story could go on for up to eight thirty minute episodes. Why bother?

So when the new Doctor Who started making people talk, I just scoffed and let it out of my mind. Then, one faithful night at Ruby Tuesday in Savannah, the good Rev. Jake and the beautiful Crystal told me what I was missing with this new series. Turns out, I was missing a lot. Episodes were not only an hour long, with a few two parters. The special effects were top notch, and they had wrangled in some quality actors (Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant).

So I’ve decided to prepare a primer of sorts for those of you who have never seen the new show. I want to motivate you to tune your TV to Sci-Fi every Friday night at 9, so here is part one of what you need to know about the new Doctor Who.

Doctor Who: Who?

First things first, the main character’s name is just “The Doctor.” Yes, the show is called Doctor Who, but it’s more of a question than anything. “Doctor who?”

The Doctor is not human. He looks it, sure, but he’s actually from a very old race called the Time Lords. The Time Lords like things like order and though they have the capacity for time travel, tend to frown upon it’s use. They’re a stodgy bunch that keep their hands as clean as possible.

That’s why The Doctor is something of a renegade. He’s of the opinion that since the Time Lords have such fantastic technology, why not use it to help people and have a little fun on top of it? So for close to 1,000 years, The Doctor has been hoping through time and space in his TARDIS, a fantastic machine that is bigger on the inside than it looks on the inside and looks like a British police box (more on the TARDIS later).

The original series ran from 1963 until 1989. Being such a long lived show, several actors have played The Doctor, and this was explained on the show when it was revealed that Time Lords have an evolutionary trait that allows them to regenerate new bodies after fatal injury. When The Doctor dies, his body changes on a cellular level, producing a new body, and often times a new personality. Same guy, new traits. So far, The Doctor has regenerated nine times.

In 2005, The Doctor returned and we learned that some things had changed. Between 1989 and 2005, a huge war was waged between The Doctor and another race (again, we’ll get to them later) called The Time War. It was a horrible war, both sides losing, and The Doctor being the only survivor. Everyone else died.

Seeing his entire race die in one instant kind of bummed The Doctor out, but he went back to what he does best, and that’s traveling through time and space, helping where he can, and having as good a time as he can of it.

Next time: TARDIS!