Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome to Make Online Debut

It’s been a long, strange road for Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. First announced as a webseries, it was then intended to become a full-length Syfy series – only for the network to pass on it, having produced a TV-Movie pilot. Syfy had insisted the pilot would air though, and indeed it shall – but first, it will be released as webisodes, bring the project full circle.

As first reported by EW.com, Machinima Prime will debut the webisodes, with the first available on November 9th. There will be ten webisodes total, ranging in length from seven to twelve minutes. Early in 2013, Syfy will then air the complete Blood and Chrome TV-Movie – before a Blu-ray and DVD release of an unrated version.

Set in-between the events of Caprica and Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome stars The Borgias’ Luke Pasquaino as a young William Adama, a gifted fighter pilot who finds himself assigned to one of the most powerful battlestars in the Colonial fleet: the Galactica. Full of ambition and hungry for action, Adama quickly finds himself at odds with his co-pilot, the battle-weary officer Coker (Ben Cotton, Alcatraz). With only 47 days left in his tour of duty, Coker desires an end to battle as much as Adama craves its onset. Lili Bordán (Silent Witness) also stars.

David Eick (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica) is executive producer along with Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica), who wrote the teleplay from a story by Eick, Bradley Thompson (Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies) and David Weddle (Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies). Blood & Chrome was directed by Jonas Pate (Prime Suspect, Caprica).

Source : ign[dot]com

Channel Surfing Podcast, Episode 181

Welcome back to Channel Surfing, where I'm joined by guest host Jenna Mullins from E! this week.

First though a warning: We've got… audio issues this week! Yay! And unlike the infamous recent Skype-cast with Matt, I don't even have a good explanation for this one. Jenna and I were sitting in IGN's LA office, recording on the same equipment we always use, but something went wonky and while you can hear us, we sound oddly distant. And not just emotionally. Let's see if the Podcast lords are kinder next week, but my apologies. Channel Surfing: Always the top of the line in audio!

But let's get onto our topics this week, shall we? Jenna and I discuss this past weekend's Emmy awards and what we thought of the winners, including Homeland dominating and Mad Men being shut out. On the news front, we discuss J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuar¿n teaming at NBC, Ron Moore guiding A Knight's Tale to ABC and FX developing Fargo and The Strain as a TV shows. And we also chat about TV ratings from the past week and why CBS had a lower than expected Monday, while NBC Thursdays are looking dire.

We also discuss many of the season and series premieres airing this week, including How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, The Mindy Project, Ben and Kate, Last Resort and Vegas.

Lastly, reader email brings us queries about Attack of the Show and Glee.

Hey, why not follow us on Twitter?

Eric Goldman: @EricIGN

Jenna Mullins: @JBomb11

IGN.Com's official Twitter feed: @IGN

Channel Surfing Podcast, Episode 181
right click to save
Subscribe to IGN's Podcast Series

Source : ign[dot]com

World’s First eSports Congress Convening on September 21 in Valencia

World’s First eSports Congress Convening on September 21 in Valencia

DreamHack and Twitch invite video game industry luminaries to discuss the future of eSports

Valencia, Spain – September 6, 2012 - Valencia eSports Congress is hosting a one day event with video game industry leaders to discuss eSports development, media opportunities, and the rise of live streaming. DreamHack is organizing this landmark event while Twitch is sponsoring it and overseeing the streaming.

“DreamHack has a track record of working with all types of professional gaming leagues including ESL, CPL and will continue to do so in the future,” said Robert Ohlén, CEO of DreamHack. “Valencia eSports Congress will be a great way to bring more awareness to eSports and meet each other in real life.”

To bring awareness to the burgeoning eSports industry, DreamHack is partnering with Twitch, the leader in live online video game broadcasting.

"eSports has arrived as a major force in the video game and entertainment industries," said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch. "There is a need for the entire eSports ecosystem to get together to discuss a host of pressing issues on the business side of the equation including advertising, infrastructure, competitive standards, video content and delivery and more. We're proud to be a part of it."

All panels will be moderated by industry veteran and renowned host and caster personality Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner. Some of the industry representatives include:

• Alex Garfield - Team EG
• Alex Lim - IeSF
• Alexander Kokhanovskyy - Na’Vi
• David Ting - IPL
• Göran Hellgren - Telia Sonera
• Ilja Rotelli - Blizzard
• Kevin Lin - Twitch
• Matthieu Dallon - ESWC
• Michael O’Dell - Team Dignitas
• Ralf Reichert - ESL
• Robert Ohlén – DreamHack
• Russell Pfister - NASL
• Sam Matthews - Fnatic
• Simon Whitcombe - CBS Interactive
• Sundance DiGiovanni - Major League Gaming
• Tomas Hermansson – DreamHack
• Zvetan Dragulev - Own3d.TV

Team managers, event organizers and journalists are encouraged to apply to participate in the event. Interested parties should send an abbreviated resume and an explanation of why they should be part of the Congress using the contact form provided on our web site. We also have 250 seats in the Auditorium where you can attend to see the panel’s live. Tickets are currently available while supply lasts.

For more information about tickets and partnerships, visit: www.valenciaesportscongress.com.

About Twitch

Twitch (formerly TwitchTV) is the world’s leading video game broadcasting network where more than 20 million gamers gather every month to watch and interact around the games they love. Twitch’s proprietary video delivery platform and infrastructure form the backbone of a distribution network for leading video game broadcasters including pro players, tournaments, leagues, developers and gaming media organizations. Twitch is leading a revolution in gaming culture, turning gameplay into an immersive entertainment media experience. Learn more at http://twitch.tv.

About DreamHack

DreamHack is the World's Largest Computer Festival. DreamHack's roots and core is the LAN party, with the major events DreamHack Summer and Winter, where participants bring their own computers and connect to the Internet in a large local area network which basically BECOMES the Internet by sheer scale. DreamHack is also Sweden's first consumer-oriented trade show / event / festival for computer games, game consoles and computers. The events are a platform for tournaments in eSports, knowledge and creative competitions, concerts by famous music artists, lectures by game developers and much more. Learn more at http://www.dreamhack.se

###

Contact: Chase Access Communications for Twitch 415-810-0995 chase@accesspr.com

Source : ign[dot]com

Star Wars: First Assault Domain and Trademarks Registered

LucasArt's parent company has registered trademarks and domain names for something titled Star Wars: First Assault.

Originally spotted by Fusible, the domain names include the likes of StarWarsFirstAssault.com while the trademarks apparently pertain to "interactive entertainment software", including video games, for use on both computers and mobile phones.

There's also the standard array of supporting merchandise, including pencil sharpeners. The discovery of the First Assault domain and trademarks echoes what happened when Star Wars 1313 was first uncovered before its E3 announcement. The question becomes, then, whether this title is a new franchise set in the Star Wars universe, or if it builds on a previously known series.

There's not much we can guess from the name alone, though the possibility of it being an aerial combat game along the lines of Star Wars: Rebel Assault shouldn't be ruled out. The name certainly suggests an action packed game that seems unlikely to focus on the Jedi as playable characters, though how this would be differentiated from the bounty hunting exploits promised by Star Wars 1313 remains to be seen.

But there's also a sliver of hope that this may be the long-awaited reappearance of Star Wars: Battlefront III. We heard reports earlier this year that the title was still in development since being canned after the studio behind Timesplitters, Free Radical, closed.

Until LucasArts chooses to reveal more, all we can do is speculate. For all we know it could be another Kinect-based title, but with rumours rife that Star Wars 1313 is in development for next-gen machines, could this perhaps be LucasArts last hurrah on this batch of consoles?

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and was named after a certain famous Jedi. Probably. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Professor Layton Miracle Mask Release Dates

Nintendo has announced release dates for the 3DS and DS fall line-up. First up is Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone on October 1st, followed by Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on October 28th and Paper Mario: Sticker Star on November 11th.

Release dates were also revealed for Crosswords Plus, Freakyforms Deluxe and more, as seen on the release calendar below:

• Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone - October 1st
• Crosswords Plus - October 1st
• Sparkle Snapshots 3D - October 18th
• Skylanders Giants - October 21st
• Style Savvy: Trendsetters - October 22nd
• Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask - October 28th
• Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive - November 5th
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star - November 11th
• Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion - November 18th
• Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed - November 20th

Titles without concrete release dates include FIFA 13 in September, Angry Birds Trilogy in October, Scribblenauts Unlimited this holiday and Rayman Origins in the third quarter of 2012. A complete list of planned titles for 3DS and DS - including Imagine Babyz and more - can be found on Nintendo’s full release calendar.

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

Let's See Those New Assassin's Creed 3 Kills Again

By our count, Connor kills about 15 dudes in the new Assassin's Creed 3 trailer.

First he gets this guy with his hook rope thingy.

Then he chops this guy.

He uses this guy as a human shield, Total Recall style (old Total Recall, not new lame Total Recall).

He sprays this guy's blood on the snow.

He stabs this guy with his buddy's bayonet.

These guys get it on the docks.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

He slow motion jumps on this dude who's just standing there.

Two guys get it here.

He breaks this guy's neck.

And then he jumps out of the sun to kill this guy.

Source : ign[dot]com

X-Men: First Class Sequel News - What is Days of Future Past?

Bryan Singer has confirmed that X-Men: First Class 2 will revolve around the Days of Future Past comic run.

Singer exclusively told IGN that the script is being written now, adding “It’s going to be very ambitious. It’s called Days of Future Past and it deals with aspects of that comic but also some very new things but I don’t want to give any of it away. Matthew Vaughan will be directing and I’m totally excited about it.”

So what is Days of Future Past? For those who haven’t been following the X-Men for the last 30 years, it’s a storyline that was first published in 1981 and deals with alternate timelines.

Set in a dystopian future in which Sentinels rule the United States, the X-Men – along with all mutants – are incarcerated in concentration camps.

Using her psychic abilities, Kitty Pryde transfers her mind to her younger, present-day self to forewarn the X-Men about the horrors that await them, and the political assassination that triggers it all.

This means that the movie could potentially tell parallel stories – Godfather: Part II style – with the Bryan Singer X-Men of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen starring in the future story and the Matthew Vaughn cast of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender appearing in the present (or past, depending on when they decide to pitch the timeline).

Obviously this is just speculation at the moment, and as with the previous X-Men movies, the filmmakers might just be using this concept as a jumping off point to tell their own story, but we nevertheless asked Singer if there would be any chance of crossover on this front:

“I think there’s a strong desire to broaden out the universe” he explained. “The X-Men universe is every bit on its own as big as the Marvel universe, and I think that it’s time to reach out and explore it and perhaps bring some connectivity between the films as Marvel has done so well. So, you may see some of that, I don’t know.”

Click on the video below to see the full interview, and let us know your thoughts on Days of Future Past in the comments below.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and couldn't be more excited about this X-news. His idle chat can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

X-Men: First Class 2 Will Be Extraordinarily Ambitious

Simon Kinberg, who is co-writing X-Men: First Class 2 with director Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, spoke about the hotly anticipated mutant sequel at Comic-Con last weekend. Unsurprisingly, he's not allowed to give any details about the plot, but he did say that the film is "extraordinarily ambitious" and "unlike the other X-Men movies and yet very much a celebration of the X-Men movies." Hmmm, intriguing…

“It’s one of those movies that, because it’s such a big deal for the studio, they have some sense of what it is that we’re writing and they are ambitious about the movie, too," he said. "I don’t know what the budget’s going to be, we’ve got to finish the script before we have a budget, but I would assume that it is a bigger movie than the last in physical scope, and that we have the license to do that because of the success of First Class. And because I think Fox has had success with interesting movies in the last couple of years in the genre, like Planet of the Apes was a really good movie, Chronicle was a cool movie, First Class, they’re just narratively or creatively a little bit more ambitious. So they’ve encouraged us to do that with the sequel.”

When asked about Vaughn's previous statements about things he might like to do in the film -- such as pinning JFK's assassination on Magneto -- Kinberg said the writing process has been very fluid. Read: Ideas are always changing.

"We really went into it, Matthew, Jane and myself, just wanting to create a movie that was as… I’m very proud of First Class… as dramatic as that movie," he said. "I think it is as dramatic as that movie, but more epic, mythic in a way as well. So, there are ideas that we’ve started with that haven’t survived, there are ideas that we started with from conversations we had from making First Class that are going to be in the sequel."

Shooting is expected to begin in spring of 2013 for a July, 2014, release.

Via Collider

Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN, and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com