Video games are a big part of the world these days. People love them and they far surpass pretty much any other form of entertainment in terms of revenue. Yes, they even beat the movies. One of the most popular game titles to hit stores in the last few years has been the Rock Band franchise. Rock Band 1 and 2 have sold millions of copies and now Rock Band 3 has been announced and looks to add millions more units sold to that already impressive total for the franchise.

Some of the new features and tracks announced for Rock Band 3 include access to the most music available in any video game with more than 1,500 tracks and growing, a new keyboard gameplay and three-part harmonies for up to seven players rocking together, Rock Band Pro Mode and much more. We could go into all the new features and song that will encompass Rock Band 3 but instead, why not hear it directly from the people who are bringing you the game. So, here’s all the info directly from an official Rock Band 3 press release. Oh, and at the end we’ve also included a couple preview videos for the game as well so be sure and check them out.

The Most Music. Period.

The Rock Band 3 disc soundtrack contains 83 of the best bands from around the world, including bands that have never appeared in a music game, as well as support for existing Rock Band tracks (Rock Band and Rock Band 2 discs, downloaded songs, track packs, AC/DC Live: Rock Band™ Track Pack, LEGO® Rock Band and Green Day: Rock Band™).
Additionally, Rock Band 3 will give players immediate access to a music library approaching 2,000 songs by launch, with new content added regularly. Rock Band’s gigantic music selection dwarfs that of any other music game on the market.

Continue Reading →

It’s difficult to believe that San Diego Comic-Con 2010 is only a bit over 6 weeks away. As the clock ticks down to July 21st, we’ll be bringing you all of the most relevant SDCC-related updates and news. A well-informed con attendee is a happy con attendee. Just keep repeating that mantra, because in this first countdown article I will help you get prepared for the biggest comic convention in the country.

First things first, be sure to download and install the official Comic-Con app for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. With the app installed, you’ll have access to the latest news, programs, exhibitor information and maps while on-the-go. Unfortunately, there’s no equivalent app for Android or any other mobile platform.

Next, I suggest you follow the official Comic-Con Twitter feed and Facebook page for all of the latest updates direct from the source. For those fond of RSS readers, Comic-Con has an official RSS feed that you can reference from your favorite reader app.

Next up, transportation. If you’re not staying within walking distance of the convention center, you’ll need to know how to get around and park. For 2010, Comic-Con announced an expanded shuttle route for guests staying at hotels outside of the downtown area. For those staying in Mission Valley and Shelter Island hotels, the newly-expanded shuttle service may be just the ticket.

Continue Reading →

9/9/99 is a date that will live in infamy for the video game world. Over ten years ago, the Dreamcast came to homes across the country. Trying to beat out the PlayStation 2, Sega released this groundbreaking system that would be the first home console to attempt online play, which did work though terribly slow due to being over dialup.

The Dreamcast would play host to some revolutionary titles like Shenmue, Jet Grind Radio and Power Stone. It would also boast the title as the best home console to play Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on. With over 650 titles, it is sad to hear that this would be the last ever console released by Sega.

“The Dreamcast is fondly remembered by a large community of dedicated fans as a console that was ahead of its time in terms of graphics, quality and online gaming” commented Haruki Satomi, VP of Digital Business at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe. “There are few things that are more requested from us than making Dreamcast classics available for download in today’s digital market place. We’re very excited to begin offering gamers our beloved Dreamcast titles again on the current console systems.”

In celebration of the 11th anniversary of the Dreamcast, Sega has announced that two of its favorite titles, Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi will be released on September 9th, 2010 as XBLA and PlayStation Network games. Though prices have not been disclosed yet, it has been confirmed both games will receive the full Achievement / Trophy upgrade for their respective consoles as well as high def visuals, surround sound and online leaderboards.

Check out the screen shots below of Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi which will be playable on the show floor at E3 next week.

Continue Reading →

I’ve got three words for you. Big. Dumb. Fun. Isn’t that the way we like our summer fare here in the states? Apparently a cohesive plot was sacrificed  in The A-Team so that explosions, fist-fights and implausible technology could abound. Yet somehow, as mindless entertainment, it kind of works. I won’t lie. I had fun.

I never watched the 80′s television show that served as the source material for this movie, but being a child of the 80′s, I was aware of it. The theme song, Mr. T, and that infamous opening line (If you have a problem, and you can find them, maybe you can hire The A-Team!) were ubiquitous on the pop culture landscape back in the day.

The movie begins with an extended flashback showing how the four A-Team members (all former Army Rangers) became a team. Now, eight years later, the men are serving in Iraq and are recruited for a secret mission. They are to circumvent an armored convoy that will be transporting currency printing plates, and approximately one billion dollars in printed currency.

The Department of Defense gets wind of the operation and bristles, believing that the A-Team has overstepped their authority. Additionally, some mercenaries for hire unimaginatively named “Black Forest” want a piece of the action.

Continue Reading →

With E3 fast approaching, we’re going to have a lot of news coming your way from the show. First up comes Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions’ E3 trailer. Last week, we reported that the third dimension of the game would be Spider-Man 2099′s world.

Here we get to see it in motion for the first time. The gameplay looks to take a new turn with the vertical freefall style of travel and combat. The dimension also has a great contrasting art style with its super sci-fi overtones compared to the gritty greyscale of the Noir universe and the cell shared appearance of the Amazing world.

As far as villains, the best I can tell is the flying menace shown fighting Spider-Man 2099 is a new take on Spider-Man’s foes as screen shot titles from Activision entitle him the Hobgoblin (which never actually appeared in Peter David’s run of Spider-Man 2099).

Also announced for the Spider-Man 2099 dimension will be an Amazon.com preorder bonus of a special Iron Spider skin to play as. Though Iron Spider was the costume Spider-Man wore during the Civil War and is down the attire of the Scarlet Spider (formerly the three clones of Avengers: Initiative member MVP) and has nothing to do with the Spider-Man 2099 dimension, it looks pretty cool none the less.

Take a peek below at the new screens and trailer for the third dimension of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

Continue Reading →

We’ve already seen preliminary designs from the film and its new logo this week and now ET has dropped the first behind the scenes video taken on the set of Kenneth Branagh’s highly anticipated adaptation of the Thor comic. Also, the folks at Sci-Fi Wire have taken it upon themselves to grab some screen caps from the video to highlight some of the cool things from the video.

In these pics and video we get our first glimpse at what appears to be Anthony Hopkins in full Odin mode as well as Thor himself (Chris Hemsworth) in various scenes from the film. He’s in a tunnel, he runs with co-star Natalie Portman, he stands looking impressive. In short, Thor does it all. Let’s hope the movie lives up to the video and pics.

Check out the video and some other stills after the jump. What do we think? Do we like these images or . . .

Continue Reading →

Last time on The Flickcast Five, we brought you some of our favorite movies based on video games, as we prepped for the release of Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This time around, we’re switching gears a bit (not much, though) as we ready ourselves for this weekend’s release of The A-Team, of course based on the original TV series from the 70′s. We bring you our favorite films based on TV shows.

Sure, there are some pretty bad adaptations from TV to film, such as Cedric the Entertainer’s Honeymooners, Christopher Lloyd’s My Favorite Martian, Leslie Nielson’s Mr. Magoo, and many more. Though we could go on, we wanted to focus on some of the better adaptations, as we think the upcoming A-Team will be quite entertaining, as a film like that should be.

Join us after the jump as each of the staff picks some of their favorite films based on successful (or not so successful) TV shows. And don’t worry, trekkies, your beloved most definitely makes the list.

Continue Reading →

Remember when roasts used to mean something? Back in the days when names like George Burns and Jack Benny would get together and tear apart a member of the New York Friars’ Club, then a prestigious group of comedians and actors?

Unfortunately, a few other people liked the idea as well, and have decided to run with it in a string of “roasts” for such names as Pamela Anderson, Flava Flav, and Joan Rivers. These picks are painfully easy targets, which turns the concept of a roast into an “acceptable two hours to make fun of you, and you can’t be mad about it.”

Don’t get us wrong, there have been a few choice guests, including Bob Saget, William Shatner, and Denis Leary, but the newest pick of David Hasselhoff has proven that the network is really scraping the bottom of the D-List barrel.  The Hoff doesn’t seem to be in on the joke, as he still thinks these events carry as much prestige as they used to.

“I’m honored that COMEDY CENTRAL is going to get ‘Hoff’ on me,” said David Hasselhoff. “I have always been a major fan of Roasts, dating back to the days of the ‘Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.’ Laughter is the best medicine. Bring it on! I’m ready to take the heat.”

Continue Reading →

When most comic properties dry up, the obvious next medium for Hollywood to take advantage of would be video games, we’ve seen where it can go well (at least financially) with Disney’s Prince of Persia, and where it can go awry with something like Silent Hill.

We’re holding out for the recently announced Kane & Lynch adaptation, based on the game by Eidos. It was originally announced that stunt coordinator Simon Crane was taking on directorial duties for the film, but that seems to have changed, as the studio is looking to director F. Gary Gray to take over. From Variety:

F. Gary Gray (“Law Abiding Citizen”) is in early talks to direct Lionsgate and Nu Image/Millennium Films’ bigscreen adaptation of the Eidos videogame “Kane and Lynch: Dead Men.”

Bruce Willis has long been attached to play the mercenary Kane in the actioner, and Jamie Foxx came on to play the rage-prone killer Lynch earlier this year. Foxx worked with Gray in “Law Abiding Citizen.”

Continue Reading →

As new series go, NBC’s The Event seems to have some promise. Sure, you could make the case that the show seems like a cross between other shows like Lost and 24 but hey, those are two pretty cool shows so if this one compares to them, that might not be a bad thing, right?

The show, according to our friends at the network, is a “high-octane conspiracy thriller” which follows Sean Walker (Parenthood‘s Jason Ritter) who is investigating the mysterious disappearance of his fiance, Leila (Sarah Roemer). During the course of his investigation he “unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.” Isn’t that always the way it works these days?

But wait, there’s more. “Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Blair Underwood); Sophia (Laura Innes), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Gilmore Girls‘ Scott Patterson). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.”

Got that, the fate of all mankind. Dammit, those are high stakes. Sounds cool. To help you get ready for the show, we’ve got a few previews and such from it to share with you today. Kindly enjoy these after the jump.

The Event premieres this Fall on NBC.

Continue Reading →

We get a lot of parody videos sent to us here at The Flickcast and many of them don’t usually make the cut. After all, we have pretty high standards here. We can’t show just any video to you. It has to be funny. Fortunately, the folks over at Funny or Die have done it again. The subject this time: perpetual nice guy actor Ralph Macchio.

In this new video, a fake trailer for a documentary that chronicles Macchio’s struggle to shed his nice guy image so he can get more work in Hollywood, the actor is given an intervention by his family and friends to help him become that bad boy. We see Macchio struggle to overcome his inherent niceness and try to fit in with the other celebrities who’ve enjoyed long careers and have also been known for their less than clean image.

It’s hard to say which parts of this video are the funniest. It’s probably one of the best parody videos of its kind we’ve seen in a long time. Plus, it shows a actor who although content to live his life in happiness actually needs to get back to work. Ralph Macchio needs a comeback. Maybe Quentin Tarantino can do for him what he did for John Travolta?

Check out the awesome video after the jump.

Continue Reading →

While there has been plenty of buzz about casting and costuming for the upcoming Marvel Studios films Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor, it’s nice to see that even the new logos inspire some excitement for the film.

Taken at this year’s International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, Marvel Studios showed off two of the newest logos for the upcoming films. The first, for Captain America: The First Avenger, is pretty standard, but proves that we won’t be getting a new, updated style for Cap’s shield. The poster for Thor, however, shows off some of the mystic element that director Brannagh will be bringing to the project.

Thor, which will hit theaters first on May 6th of 2011, stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, alongside Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, and Kat Dennings. Two months later, Captain America will hit on July 11th, and stars Chris Evans as Cap, Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci, and Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull.

Check out the new posters after the jump, courtesy of our pals at ComicBookMovie.com and keep it here for all your up to date info on the new Marvel films.

Continue Reading →