Thursday 29 September 2011

LOVEFiLM Player for iPad



Not content with being available for PlayStation 3, BRAVIA Internet Video or Mac and PC. LOVEFiLM joins the portable fray with its all-new LOVEFiLM Player for iPad. LOVEFiLM already has a presence on the App Store, but nothing like this...

“LOVEFiLM’s debut on iPad is a huge win for our customers as the latest platform to support the service. This is a huge leap in movie watching for the 21st Century – making LOVEFiLM more portable than ever before”, said Simon Calver, CEO of LOVEFiLM. “LOVEFiLM on iPad is the latest step in giving film fans total control over their viewing schedule and our commitment to expanding the ways in which members can stream movies and TV series on a range of devices.”

Hopefully an iPhone/iPod touch version won't be too far behind.

LOVEFiLM Player for iPad (iTunes)

Thursday 22 September 2011

Another World on the App Store



Beautifully cinematic, impressively coherent, challenging and elegant; Another World (known as Out of this World in North America) is a stellar example of Nineties game design and was the brainchild of one Eric Chahi and his team at Delphine Software.

You play Lester, the young physics professor, who suddenly finds himself in a strange alien world after a lightning striked his particle experiment.

In 1991 Another World became the poster child of Gallic gaming and adoring magazine editorials in C&VG and the official Nintendo magazine elevated it to blockbuster status. I first played this on the Super Nintendo (SNES), which was, somewhat astonishingly, eclipsed by Sega's Mega Drive console port. Too late, I'd already sold the latter to a College friend who was trying to kick the console habit to no avail.

Another World's stylistic cousin, Flashback, arrived in 1992, but never distilled the mood of its predecessor nor its downbeat ending.

The look and feel of Another World is unique to this day. Oddworld's developers clearly derived insperation from Delphine.

The iOS edition has been given an HD makeover, but purists can switch to the original Amiga graphics. This is, arguably, the new touchstone in retro reboots for the touch generation.

Another World - 20th Anniversary (iTunes)

Monday 19 September 2011

OnLive to bring cloud-based gaming to the UK



Registered for OnLive yet? The cloud-based video game platform, which is not tethered to proprietary hardware like PlayStation or Xbox, goes live in the UK this Thursday.

OnLive has been available in the US since June 2010 where it has received positive press coverage. The MicroConsole has been praised for its minimalist packaging, build quality and included accessories. If you already own an HDMI-enabled HDTV; you're good to go.

Gamers will be able to play AAA titles including Deus Ex: Human Revolution on their living room TV and resume where they left off on a Mac or PC. The service will also become available for mobile devices including iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

I can see myself investing in an OnLive MicroConsole and playing games both at home and on the road! The caveat being you will need an always-on high speed broadband connection.

Friday 16 September 2011

Use the Force for Good!



This week's release of Star Wars on Blu-ray disc has witnessed memorable marketing initiatives around the globe.

From the BT Tower becoming the world's largest lightsaber to Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion protecting New Yorkers from Jawas and Stand Up To Cancer. The latter affects us all, either directly or indirectly. Personally, I've lost family and friends to cancer, which is why I'm compelled to share this...

Lucasfilm has announced that in celebration of the September launch of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray, it is linking up with celebrities, eBay and Major League Baseball to ask fans to Use the Force for Good to support Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). SU2C funds groundbreaking cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives.

SU2C Ambassadors Aziz Ansari, Zach Galifianakis, Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, Jaime King, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg and Emma Stone – along with Star Wars alum Samuel L. Jackson – will each Use the Force for Good as they recreate classic Star Wars scenes to raise awareness for cancer research.  The all-star video tribute appears on the Star Wars YouTube channel youtube.com/starwars.



“Lucasfilm joining with eBay, Major League Baseball and a wonderful group of actors is an amazing force for good being brought to bear in Stand Up To Cancer’s fight against this disease, and we are profoundly grateful,” said SU2C Co-Founder Sue Schwartz. “With one in two men and one in three women diagnosed in their lifetimes, cancer affects us all.  SU2C’s mission is to persuade each and every person to support the scientists working to end cancer, and this initiative gives legions of Star Wars fans fun and easy ways to do that.”

“We are thrilled to be using the launch of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray as a call to action for our fans to Use the Force for Good,” said Kayleen Walters, Senior Director of Marketing at Lucasfilm. “We are happy to use the power of Star Wars to support this noble cause.”

Thursday 15 September 2011

Star Wars LEGO Venerator Class Star Destroyer



This copy of LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi's Venerator Class Star Destroyer was constructed using 43000 individual LEGO pieces by iomedes.



Watch the video.

Friday 9 September 2011

Chess Wars

Respect the Pact produced an ingenious Star Wars lightsaber duel ignited by a chess match between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi (notice the clothes).

Thursday 8 September 2011

Stormtrooper Super Shogun



I had no idea such a collectible existed until @stuartwitts posted a photo on Google+!

The Star Wars Stormtrooper Super Shogun stands a whopping 24 inches tall, and includes all of the features that you expect from an authentic Jumbo: free rotating wheels on the bottom of his feet, and a spring-loaded Rocket Punch firing fist!

Only 1200 of these were made.

Friday 2 September 2011

4oD now available on all iOS devices


Following the re-launch of 4oD on Channel4.com, Channel 4 launches a free to download, bespoke 4oD iPhone app and updates its existing iPad app. 

Available to download from the app store on Friday 2 September the 4oD catch up app will allow viewers to catch up with Channel 4 programmes from the last 30 days wherever they are, on whichever iOS device they own.

Both the 4oD iPad and 4oD iPhone applications can now be browsed in 3G, with video playback only available when a Wi-Fi signal is accessible to ensure the quality of the viewing experience isn't affected.

A search functionality has been included in the 4oD iPhone app and added to the 4oD iPad app, enabling users to find their favourite programmes by typing in the name of the show in the new search menu. 

For the first time, there will also be a direct link to Channel 4's content on iTunes, offering users the chance to download to own Channel 4 shows. Costs will apply for this service.

Helen Walker, 4oD Product Manager comments: "We're delighted to bring 4oD to our viewers with iPhones and iPod Touches, and to offer our existing iPad users an update to their app, with a new carousel and ability to now browse the app over 3G".

The app was designed by Nice Agency - specialists in the design and development of innovative cross-platform applications - who were also responsible for the 4oD Catch Up app for iPad.

Download 4oD Catch Up (iTunes)

Thursday 1 September 2011

A BATHING APE®X STAR WARS collaboration!



To coincide with the upcoming release of Star Wars on Blu-ray disc, BAPE has joined forces with Lucasfilm for an exciting new line of t-shirts available from September 17th.

The collection can be previewed online here.